Blessings, affirmations, grace, and reflection

I saw something that said I wonder how much of what weights me down is not mine to carry.  This really stuck with me and I began to drop some of the baggage that I've been carrying around. It has taken a toll on my body, mind, and spirit. The past few weeks have allowed me to delve deep to try to figure out what's really going on with me. I had to release a lot of excess baggage that I have been carrying around resulting in a constant tight neck and shoulders. It is as if I am carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, literally. I finally found a massage place that has worked out the kinks and I am about 96% where I want to be. While I was getting a massage today so much came to the surface which tells me that I am getting closer to where I want to be. I did a lot of self-forgiveness and reconnecting. I have challenged myself to be and stay connected to things that ground me: Reading books, planning ahead, scented candles, exercising my body, eating green and clean, and...

It took the passing of my grandmother to spark an interest in finding out the history of my father's side of the family. I will be requesting his death certificate and if I can his birth certificate to learn more about his father I had no idea that my grandmother was born in Louisiana. So, essentially both sides of my family are from Louisiana. I am considering taking a genealogy trip to gather records in 2017 - perhaps next summer. I would love to the tell the story loosely based on actual events. The small town where my grandmother was born was a railroad town and the railroad ran from Kansas City to Port Arthur, Texas where they settled. So, it wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that part of my father's side of the family is also settled in the Kansas City area. I always wondered about blacks who settled in the mid-west. Many of them look like they could be "kin" and have some of the same traditions. Knowing what I do about the railroad line it makes sens...