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Editorials/Columns
FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN
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S. KAY ANDREWS, PUBLISHER C. BLYTHE ANDREWS III, PRESIDENT/CONTROLLER ALLISON WELLS-CLEBERT, CFO GWEN HAYES, EDITOR IRIS HOLTON, CITY EDITOR BETTY DAWKINS, ADVERTISING DIRECTOR HAROLD ADAMS, CIRCULATION MANAGER TOYNETTA COBB, PRODUCTION MANAGER LAVORA EDWARDS, CLASSIFIED MANAGER
Opinions expressed on editorial pages of this newspaper by Columnists or Guest Writers, do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of The Florida Sentinel Bulletin or the Publisher.
Seeing Past Now
Empowered Greet- ings. Seeing past now or your current situation
gives you hope for your fu- ture. The present state of things may appear to be dis- heartening, dishonorable and filled with disorder, but don’t lose hope. You cannot be disillusioned by now.
Now is just a temporary moment in time that is for- ever changing. It is said that the one thing in life that is constant, is change. Things can and will change for you. Who you are right now does- n’t reflect who you will be in the future.
Your life right now, does- n’t even reflect what you are fully capable of doing and be- coming. Conditions will change in your favor, as you commit to gaining foresight of the future and maintaining the faith that what you want will happen for you.
The ability to live a more preferred lifestyle is har-
nessed in your vision. It will be your vision that energizes you to produce progressive thoughts and actions that will yield advantageous out- comes for you. Discipline to stay centered on your destiny comes from having a clearly defined vision.
Your vision will help you increase clarity so that you remain centered on your keeping you in target view. When you are clear about where you’re going, it culti- vates discipline to grab hold to what you see for your fu- ture until it becomes your now. This will happen as you become capable of looking beyond what your natural eyes can see in the now, in order to embrace what your faith eyes can see in the then.
Seeing past your now, not only gives you hope but it also gives your life meaning and value. You can find your- self merely existing while wandering aimlessly through
life day in and day out if you are unable to see past your now. Self-abusive behaviors become inevitable when you don’t know what to do with your life or haven’t discov- ered your self-value and self- worth.
Only you can define what your optimal life looks like. Write it out. Set out to iden- tify the path that will take you there. Seek God for guid- ance along with sound coun- sel from others. Pray that a brighter prospective will be revealed to you. As new alter- natives begin to unfold, take them and stay persistent to your pursuits until you see your new now.
Lost and want help navi- gating to the success of your future? Let’s stay connected through social media; follow me on:
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Facebook Business Fan Page: Selphenia Nichols Success Coach To Women Instagram: Selphenia Twitter: queenofsucces1. Call 813-603-0088 for addi- tional support or to invite Selphenia to train or speak at your upcoming event.
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The Days When We Were President
t last, my love has come along. My lonely days are
over. And life is like a song ...” Did it matter that Etta James, who originally recorded this American pop classic was overlooked to sing that song in favor of relative new- comer Beyoncé Knowles while America’s First Black Pres- ident and his Black First Lady dazzled the universe as they danced to that tune during their first Presidential inaugu- ral ball?
Did it matter that while America’s first Black Presiden- tial couple was walking bareheaded down Pennsylvania Avenue that was icebox cold and people were screaming louder than they would have cheered had the couple in- cluded Michael Jackson or James Brown?
Was it significant that at one moment when the first- Black-President-Elect Obama was about to place his hand on Abraham Lincoln’s Bible, a usually composed Rev. Jesse Jackson was seen to dab his preacherly eyes with a white handkerchief?
And will you ever forget the impact of Nation of Islam Louis Farrakhan’s words when he warned the world, “Please don’t let anything happen to our President” (and you could hear a mouse pick on cotton)?
And for the next eight years, every Black American was President of the strongest nation in the world . . . regard- less whether they were behind a business, or behind in their rent. And for the first time in history, when Black parents told their children, “You can indeed, be Presi- dent,” they didn’t lie.
But now a new book has been published while the pages of the past are dog-eared and smudged, and the not- so-private fear is “Black Camelot may not come again, too soon.” But we laugh and grow strong. And when next we become President, another Etta or Beyoncé will once more sing our favorite song. (Malia and Sasha hurry up and grow!).
strong in the face of hateful opposition and successfully passed the Affordable Care Act helping 20 million Americans who couldn’t afford or qualify for health insurance.
In an effort to build world relationships, bring closure and atone for some of Amer- ica’s bad karma, President Obama visited and offered apologies to a number of countries (i.e. Japan, Turkey, Muslim countries etc.) for some of America’s actions towards them- apologies for which he was criticized but were long overdue. America’s arrogance, dis- missiveness, bombings, intolerance, invasions, use of torture, dictatorial attitude and haughtiness have contributed to a lack of trust, tension, animosity and eroding respect.
For the first time in our lifetime, we have heard more people express a desire and wish that President Obama should be president for four more years. To that, we say, “Amen!”
The End Of An Era Of World Compassion
ne of our readers summarized the last eight years of
President Barack Obama’s presidency in a very suc- cinct statement.
She said, “President Obama showed the world that a strong man can be a man and keep his hormones in check instead of flexing his muscles, making hostile statements, invading other countries, bombing his way out of conflict, and occupying oil rich countries. He showed why he earned the Nobel Peace Prize that his detractors at- tempted to say he was unworthy of.”
She went on to say, “He showed the world that a smart Black man who loves his wife and children are the rule, not an exception of Black love.” We wholeheartedly agree.
President Obama showed his love for humanity in so many ways during his tenure as president. Early on in his presidency, President Obama removed the words “Negro” and “Oriental” from all federal documents and stood
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