Features
May 3rd, 2010 - This past weekend I was whisked away to upstate New York by my beau in celebration of one of his best friends’ birthday. It would a couples’ romantic weekend touring the gorges, waterfalls and vineyards of the Finger Lakes region of our home state of New York. Two couples one truck and a true desire to learn more about the upper regions of the state that had been home for all of us for most of our lives.
In this two-part piece, I plan to summarize to you my readers the highlights of my trip. Share with you and hopefully expel the myth about unfriendly New Yorkers and expand your view beyond New York’s downstate city features i.e. skyscrapers, the subway and crowds.
Personally before this trip I had not been beyond White Plains in Westchester County when it came to exploring the towns and cities of New York State. Born and raised in New York City. Most of my travel has been done out of state and the country. So, when my beau presented this opportunity to me as a treat, I jumped at it.
Our extended weekend began on Friday night with a drive to Albany, from Brooklyn, NY. After a good night’s rest we headed over to his friend’s home for an early breakfast cooked by his fiancée.
Meeting our guides to the NY’s Finger Lakes Falls & Gorges
After breakfast and dropping off my beau’s rental vehicle we all piled into his friend’s truck for the three and a half hour drive towards our first tourist stop Ithaca, NY. Having had driven through downtown Ithaca, I can now see why so many of my friends that went to school upstate in this region (Ithaca is the home to Cornell University and Ithaca College) decided to stay after graduation. The sheer beauty of the picturesque tree lined streets and buildings mostly no taller than six stories, in the city’s center is enough to take your breath away.
After making a pit stop at Starbucks, we met up with our guide Alan and Caren our driver of the “Experience! The Finger Lakes“, www.experiencefingerlakes.com ) touring company. Though we were 45 minutes late, they both met us with the hospitality and genuine warmth that set the tone for an amazing three hour tour. Our touring van was clean and inviting. Each of us were given a visitor’s bag filled with pamphlets of local area attractions including further information about the falls and gorges we would be hiking. We were offered healthy snacks and given souvenir water bottles pre-filled to take with us.
Alan during the ride to our first gorge gave us an introductory geology lesson on how the Finger Lakes region had been created in the wake of cut ways and deposits left from the massive glaciers that used to cover all of New York State. Here is a fun factoid. Did you know that even New York City; before it was flatten for the creation of the street grid (The Commissioner’s Plan for 1811) that we are so familiar with today complete with East to West numbered streets and horizontal avenues was in fact home to valleys, streams and forests? Well it was. So when I think of the Finger Lakes region I can imagine how downstate looked like before the industrial age man got a hold of it.
The Falls (Taughannock, Buttermilk, and Ithaca Falls)
As the official pamphlet for Taughannock Falls state park reads “Water has shaped the natural landscape of the park.” The park includes a 215-foot vertical waterfall that is actually taller than Niagra’s and a ¾ mile gorge, woodlands and a swimming beach. Since we took our trip in early May, the temperature was just right for walking the trails. It was neither too hot nor too cold.
Our first trail took us upwards along the shoreline of the creek that is feed by the falls. The water is so crisp that it is easy to see the rock bed underneath its flow. Though visitors are clearly told not to walk the shallow waters (via the signage that is posted alongside the trail), because of possibility of slipping; many ignore the warnings and venture out to stand in its downward flow.
As for our crew, not one of us decided to nor wanted to take the risk so we did not have to be scolded by Alan. The complete trail took us across a stone bridge to the falls’ base where we stopped for a group photo. I stood there by myself for a moment to gaze at the awesome wonder of watching the mist rise from the where the water fell in its natural pool.
Taking a few more shots we turned around and walked back to the van. Before leaving the park for our next stop Buttermilk Falls (another state park); Alan had Caren drive us to the top of the falls. We stood at the falls’ overlooking area and were amazed to see how tall they actually were. Birds of prey circled above our heads; making their homes in the trees that dotted the landscape. The entire scene in its self was very serene.
Returning back to the van for the drive to the top of Buttermilk Falls from Taughannock Falls was about less than 20 minutes. As a treat for completing the hike Alan gave us each a piece delicious locally made dark chocolate. Our group had opted to walk down the Buttermilk Falls rather than up them. In hindsight I believe that was a wise executive decision made by our spokeswoman, my beau’s friend’s fiancée.
The Buttermilk Falls unlike Taughannock is more sloping. “Dropping from 1,000 to 400 feet above sea level, the park surrounds Buttermilk Creek as it plunges through a gorge down the eastern slope of the Caygua Valley at the southern edge of the City of Ithaca.” – adapted from the park’s official pamphlet.
Much like most of the trails of the Finger Lakes region created for visitors’ usage; the trail alongside the Buttermilks Falls was left rough enough for us to experience the falls without the inference of fencing or even a handrail.
An interesting highlight of this hike was we experienced firsthand a rockslide that confirmed that we were in fact at the mercy of Mother Nature. No one was hurt however it reassured our respect for our surrounding. So of course due to my history of natural clumsiness, I used my beau as my anchor as I gingerly walked down the trail. A perfect excuse for me to also hold his hand for most of our walk down it; the trail’s name we took was Gorge Trail.
When we reached the base of the falls, we were reunited with Caren and the van. Before we entered Alan told us that he had more treats and surprises for us. Upon looking at our seats we noticed that the group photo that he had taken of our party by the base of Taughannock Falls with his camera Caren had developed. The photo was framed in a keepsake frame, one for each couple to commensurate our trip! Our second treat was in fact more locally made goodies a selection of ice cream sandwiches and frozen treats to select from. I opted for an ice cream sandwich; the vanilla ice cream was sandwiched between two large chocolate chip cookies, yum is all I have to say to that.
Our last stop on our tour of waterfalls was Ithaca Falls. Located near downtown Ithaca, I must say out of the three falls we experienced to me it was the most beautiful at first glance. The locals fish in its waters and skip rocks in its currents.
After taking more photos we all returned back to the van for our return drive back into the center of Ithaca to park company with Alan and Caren. After saying our warm goodbyes; our group returned to the truck to drive the hour and half trip further upstate to Penn Yah County the home of Finger Lakes regions many vineyards and to check into our hotel.
To learn more about the state parks and facilities of NY’s Finger Lakes region, visit www.nysparks.com or reserve your own tour with “Experience! The Finger Lakes” by going to www.experiencefingerlakes.com or calling 607-233-4818
To be continued… I welcome your comments!
Lela Jefferson, © 2010 All rights reserved.
My sisters,
We may not have the same mother or father… our skin tones different shades and hues. However one thing that we have in common is our gender and its name…WOMAN.
Through it we have a kinship. We have the ability to share stories of similar hormonal changes, first crushes, first kisses, loves, heart breaks, marriages and for many of us childbirth.
I write this article from my perceptive of being a single woman in her early 30s, no children yet…African American and having had my heart broken and restored. Raised by older parents, both having since gone to be with the Lord; I write this as a Christian, born again with a heart renewed, who is grateful for everyday for new found grace.
Honestly I felt compelled to write this open letter after receiving too many calls from sister-friends or chance meetings where I have been asked for advice. These moments have been opportunities for me to take the focus off of self and truly love on my fellow sisters.
I find it an honor to be able to minister and share my testimony with them and to hear theirs. Encourage them that even after being hurt and having your heart stomped along with your pride and name… They like the phoenix can too rise up again.
See, I was in a relationship that spanned almost ten years off and on with someone that I allowed to mentally abuse me. He had ties to my soul and privileges that only through the covenant status of marriage he should have received.
The details of my story are not as important as the lessons I am still learning from it. The first lesson I learned was how to forgive myself for the part I played. No one can abuse you unless you allow them to. You are never without the power to at least attempt to fight back. True love from God, goal is not to tear you down, but instead its goal is to build you up.
Being bitter and angry at someone that probably doesn’t even give you a second thought after the damage they have done is just a time waster. You can spend years using the excuse of being hurt to block blessings God has in store for you. New relationships, children, careers/ministries being birthed, can be blocked by you allowing your emotions to control you and keep you at an impasse. I know this because I did it.
For two years I thought by keeping a wall up around my heart so I could lick my wounds in privacy, I was protecting myself from being hurt. The sad truth was it hurt me more. Instead of growing in love, I was growing in offense and the ripples affected every area of my life.
My job became my life. My home reflected how I was feeling inside, a mess. I was functioning, yet was empty. My prayer life was ritual vs. being relational. During this time God’s voice that used to be so clear for me to hear… was but a whisper…
I was short tempered, and made excuses for my rude behavior. I tried to control others around me because I had no self control. My friends, tried to tell me, however their constructive criticism fell on deaf ears. Jesus though I understood him as my savior, I had not allowed to sit in the driver’s seat of my life. The Holy Spirit’s guidance by my delayed response showed evidence of disobedience. So when my world the one I had constructed began coming crashing down around me; I was forced to stop. Take a personal inventory and return the keys and seat to the true owner of my life, God. To him I repented and asked help. No man could give me hard truth I needed to change.
The scriptures that can best describe this time is in my life is Proverbs 18:10 – 12 from the Amplified Bible … “10The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the [consistently] righteous man [upright and in right standing with God] runs into it and is safe, high [above evil] and strong. 11The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as a high protecting wall in his own imagination and conceit. 12Haughtiness comes before disaster, but humility before honor.”
The following series of poems, a few are from my 1st book Poetry of a Black: Girl the Darkness and the Light Volume 1, others are still works in progress… In a way they tell my journey with God as he has been giving me beauty for my ashes Isaiah 61.
Some Diamonds in the Rough Never Go Beyond Infancy
I used to call you a diamond in the rough,
I saw so much potential in you
I held you down when others laughed and scorned,
said I was a fool.
I kept secrets even from my mama.
Let you live in my house rent free.
Let you see and operate in my inner court.
And act like you were the king of my Holy of Holies.
I placed all my trust in you,
only because I used to see so much potential in you.
No mere mortal man could ever appreciate what I did.
What I sacrificed, understand the tears, I shed all unselfishly.
So now I have come to the conclusion.
That some diamonds in the rough
Without the proper pressure,
never go their beyond infancy.
So as I look back at what I saw, what I thought we could be
I know now that because HE was not in between you and me
My dear, you and I were never meant to be
I played no games of the heart
I kept it real from the start
My heart was open and true to you
But I did not want to believe what I knew
A player unless he wants to change,
will always want and play the game
My focus was so much on you
That I did not know that
I had aligned myself to flesh
I needed to align my heart up,
To the most highest God,
For he would never leave me
Nor ever forsake me
He would never be untrue
Never walk out, or use me
No need for apologizes
For he would never wrong me
Abuse my love like you did to me
Though I was hurt
I have learned to forgive
The ties you had to my soul
Have been released
And until you find your own peace
And get in a relationship with HIM
You will remain just a lump of coal
That could’ve been the brightest diamond,
the world has ever seen.
###
Do You Know Me?
I sit here and I ponder our relationship.
You used to call on me, so we could just talk awhile.
Spend days on an end, just you and me.
I had your back even when others didn’t
I pleaded your case against our father,
when you sinned.
I forgave you when you lied.
I encouraged you when you couldn’t do it on your own.
I protected you when you were weak and clothed you with my love before you even knew my name or could even speak.
I sent provisions, but you didn’t give me thanks.
I was ok with it all, because the promise I made and the sacrifices I gave for you.
I remember times when you were bold enough to talk to others about our relationship.
Now when someone asks about you and me you deny that we are even related.
You have let fear of rejection and thoughts of unworthiness creep into your psyche.
I ask, do you really know me?
Am I not your friend, your brother… your teacher?
Did I not show you in my words, in my love for you, in my actions that I would never forsake you?
Trust me…. I have your back…even when you don’t think no one else does.
I will never give up on you why? Because this we have, this thing… is real… and I am real.
I am love, I am your Father God, your brother Jesus and your teacher the Holy Spirit and in me, you can trust.
I AM whatever you need me to be…
Trust me, it is not in my DNA to not tell the truth.
I swore to tell you the truth through the shedding of my own blood… not once, but twice.
I am just waiting for you to talk to me again…I have all the time in the world.
###
Goodbye
The words seem to not be able to escape from my lips…
However, I know they need to be said.
Listen, I have to get this out of my head…
I know I have the power to stop you with my declarations.
I have loved you for so long.
However, I love another more…
Our destinies seem to have different paths that don’t meet in the end.
So as I am sitting here close to being washed away from my own flood of tears.
I know I must be the one to find the courage to walk away.
Shh…Don’t speak…
I really don’t want to hear anything you have to say.
Don’t waste your time.
I’m not listening.
I am not looking back.
Goodbye.
Sin…
###
Barefooted
I dare to walk alone
Yet you are always present
Your voice is so clear in my ear.
Guiding me down roads without fear
Barefooted…
Stones and pebbles lay underfoot.
Blood drawn I fall and scrap a knee
Get up… I hear… Get up…I hear so audibly.
Get UP! For righteousness sake
Arise…repent.
Barefooted
Dreams deferred
And given back renewed
Cause their source
Had to be known
My feet are healed
My eyes see clear
Barefooted walking on air…
He carries me still…
I read, I believed by faith
I lay still … I wait
Mediate and then… and then… and then…
I hear Barefooted
I’ve got new shoes
For you!
A shield a sword and armor too!
Barefooted I’ve got your shoes!
Barefooted you have been renewed…
You obeyed…
You acted by faith…
You heard my voice and did not hesitate.
Barefooted PREACHED it…
Words He never knew.
Barefooted…PREACHED it…
Words…He never knew…
###
Preparing for Boaz
This poem is for my sisters
However, I hope I get some nods from the fellas…
So you say you are preparing for your Boaz.
The man, you want to share the rest of your life with
Have him call you his wife, share his name…
Maybe raise a kid or two with,
hoping even through the weight gain and stretch marks
he will love you just the same.
However…Ladies…my sister girl friends…
We think at times that we must flirt and dress
in ways that leave nothing to the imagination
That Boaz will see this and instantly fall to one knee.
Or that the perfection we see
from the corner of our eyes in the dimness of club lights
while we sip on Apple martinis could it be he?
Or when we talk
in ways that would make a sailor blush
and wonder why we are not treated with respect
and as ladies
When we make
excuses for being late unfocused
and for unkempt houses…
Thinking Boaz, your Boaz will accept you for you.
You are worth far more then jewels
though you give yourself up for less
and even sometimes for free
Your reputation should precede you
elevating you to new levels of fame
not give you reason to hold your head down in shame
Daughter of the Most High, God
reclaim your position of grace
###
Lela Jefferson, © 2007 – 2010 All rights reserved.
Proverbs 18:16 (Amplified Bible) 16A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.
It has been a good challenge for me to decide what would be the first topic; I would blog about this year. A lot has happen since my last posting. I celebrated a birthday my 31st, I began working in a new industry health care administration and officially graduated to the status of courtship with a man of valor; a friend I have known since my girlhood.
With all these new developments and responsibilities I had to begin the process of evaluating my priorities again. Judge myself and see if the last things God told me to do, if I was still doing them with the same level of passion I had when they were first dropped in my spirit. Or had I allowed other things to distract me from accomplishing my assignments. Basically I asked myself have I been a faithful steward.
In short in some areas being very transparent, I have not been consistent. The word consistency is defined by Webster to mean “1 a archaic: condition of adhering together: firmness of material substance b: firmness of constitution or character”. Ironically, one of the points my Pastor taught during our Watch Night / New Year’s Eve service was in fact the importance of being consistent. He let us know that his year having a steadfast mind will be one of the perquisites for obtaining the fullness of the blessing (the empowerment to prosper.)
Looking back at the last 12 months and at my I WILL statements for 2009, I can say I believe I have made good progress in areas such as being a better steward over my relationships with others professionally, personally and spiritually. I have become more pliable and fearless out of necessity and a true desire to want to change my life for the better.
2009 was a year where God began pruning me. I was like a tree with unruly branches that were bearing fruits of selfishness, a short temper and just plain fleshy behavior. I had to go back to the basics in making sure I was getting in enough word and fellowship time with God (prayer) to balance any worldly attacks. I had to humble myself and repent to those I may have hurt emotionally through the neglecting of their needs in my pursuit to guard myself from new hurts. In short I had to get honest with myself and God.
So as I embark on this New Year 2010, the one question that I continue to replay in my head and I know I must answer is… “What was the last thing God told me to do?”
I am sure and I know that there will continue to be more pruning by God as he prepares me for the next phase. He is preparing me to walk out my destiny in fulfill his ultimate purpose.
I DARE YOU… To begin to ask yourself similarly the question, WHAT WAS THE LAST THING GOD TOLD ME TO DO? AM I STILL CONSISTENT IN FULFILLING IT? You may be surprised by the answer you receive back.
If you liked this feature and would like to share your own dreams, leave your comments now.
Lela Jefferson
http://www.memoirsofablackgirl.com
Folks, I have a new sister-friend to tell you about! Cherese Bracey, a devout Christian, early childhood educator, entrepreneur and author  . She has just released her first children’s book, Story Time Friends which is geared to encourage children to operate in love, compassion and friendship… |
 |
||||
|
||||
When I was a little girl, I had dreams of one day becoming first a ballerina, then a veterinarian, a civil rights attorney, a writer/poet, and finally a history professor.
My parents helped to shape those dreams by sending me to dance classes beginning at the tender age of three. I was allowed to bring home my first pet, a stray kitten to nurse at age four. With learning how to read, and write shortly thereafter my dreams were nurtured and expanded further through the books I borrowed from the public library with my 1st library card at age five and composite books and plenty of writing utensils.
My point in all this is to say when we are young it is our parents and/or guardians’ responsibility to help positively shape our dreams; to provide us with the resources and tools to make them, obtainable through hard work, discipline and diligence.
Our heavenly father is no different. He who birthed in us our desires, our dreams, left us a manual for life, that if we were only to read it, believe it and apply what we learn from it will receive all the promises he has set aside for us. In it he tells us that we can go to him, and petition for his advice and guidance. He left us the Holy Spirit and gave us Jesus his only begotten Son as shining example. The manual but of course your might have already guessed it is the Bible.
Today, I would like for you to take a moment and think back when you were a little girl or boy to what your dreams were, are still in the process of chasing those dreams or because of life’s challenges have your abandon them for new ones? Or have you given up on dreaming all together?
If you have given up on your dreams; know this, every dream if it is good, is a gift from God and worthy of considering again. By allowing yourself to dream you are allowing yourself to believe that what wonders God has in store for you are possible through faith.
Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]– Ephesians 3:20 (Amplified Bible)
I DARE YOU… To begin to DREAM AGAIN TODAY!
If you liked this feature and would like to share your own dreams, leave your comments now.
Lela Jefferson
– http://www.memoirsofablackgirl.com
Hey folks, I have a new web-series that a sister-friend of mine Christina Faison co-produced and directed called “Web-Locked”. It’s a show about the ins and outs of marriage. Follow a young couple as they experience the first hysterical year of being “Web-Locked”.
The series officially premieres on Sunday, November 1st, 2009. It stars Lawrence Saint-Victor and Karla Mosley from the Guiding Light. Lawrence is also one of my brother’s in Christ and is the writer of the series! This is the first collaborative effort between Christina’s production company Chain Reaction Productions and Lawrence’s company Saint-Victor Productions and from the sneak peek does not look like it will be the last.
To find out more about “Web-Locked” friend the series on Facebook, subscribe to the YouTube channel or follow them on Twitter.
“Spread the news like wild-fire, and watch it be a chain reaction. Tell everyone you know. It’s time for positive programming to hit the airways!” – Christina Faison
Folks, I have a new set of blogs for you to check out, written by the MommyWriter
|
|
Dominique is a wife and mother to a very active 12 month old in NYC. In addition to her full-time job she is also a freelance writer, blogger, and non-profit organizer. Her writing topics run the gamut from book reviews, parenting, education, Christianity, freelancing/publishing, and a lot in between. Dominique in her own words… While I write mostly about parenting and education issues, I also write about Christianity, writing/freelancing, and any other topic that come my way. As you will notice on this blog and on my webzine Balancing Act I I started this blog to chronicle my journey in the freelance writing industry, while hopefully offering some lessons from the trenches to other writers who are beginning their careers . Besides my writing I am also the founder of Mommy Writers, a non-profit organization built to offer a community to writing mothers. TheMommyWriter
http://www.blogher.com/blog/mommywriter FreelanceWriterForHire
http://freelancerforhire.wordpress.com/about “A blog beginning writers can really sink their teeth into. Practical advice alongside the encouraging, sometimes funny, but always relatable experiences of a beginning writer. Read along as I search for freelance success." – Dominique Rambert |
ABOUT
The Writings and Experiences of Lela Jefferson.
RECENT POSTS
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Aug | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | ||