Many years ago, I coined myself the Accidental Buddhist because at the time, I considered my finding the spiritual path to Buddhism an “accident”, a “fluke”.

Of course once I began to follow the Path, I realized that my spiritual journey was no fluke at all — it was my destiny. Today, I see it as my rock.

Buddhism did for me what all spiritual paths are intended to do — it saved me from myself. Does it make me perfect? No. Does it make life trouble-free? No. However it does make me forever conscious of my impact to those [and things] around me and aware of my accountability to mankind in both large and small ways.

I am thankful. The Path is the only source capable of calming the fire of rage I’ve often felt in respect oppression, racism and suffering. The Path is the only comfort allowing me to rise each day as my heart is challenged with watching more and more of Mom transition away due to Alzheimer’s Disease.

After all these years, I am still working on accepting that I am, right now FREE. I am happy. There is much good in this season because Mom is still here, right now and there are lessons for me to learn in the present. I am working on accepting reality (or the illusion that looks like it) with grace, peace and ease.

So you should know, following the June 19th FreedomTweet event, I will be taking an indefinite hiatus from the genea-space to just… well, be.

There are other needs calling my name. I need to connect with a Sangha so that I continue learning the Teachings I’ve vowed to. I am committed to investing more time in helping to alleviate suffering and hardship wherever I find it. I want to read books again — I haven’t read Walker’s Temple of My Familiar in ages, it’s time. I want to roller skate with my children again and just be in the moment.

What this means for the genealogy community is that the Carnival of African-American Genealogy definitely and possibly, A Friend of Friends will *pause* with me. Likewise, my presence among the Twitter GeneaBloggers will also be vacationing. Our Georgia Roots and Our Alabama Roots will both remain up as a resource to fellow researchers and a connector to me. I vowed NEVER to pull my sites offline again, I’m keeping my word.

There will be some of you relieved to see me absent (smile) but take no comfort because you don’t physically see my presence.  Like my Great Grandmother Annie used to say “every shut eye ain’t sleep, and every goodbye ain’t gone“!

The Genea-community is my Family too and I always protect Family.

While researching and planning for FREEDOMTweet 2010, I discovered the Road To Freedom Exhibit currently at the Bronx Museum. I plan to visit this too and take my kids with me. I don’t know they REALLY grasp what’s been sacrificed so that they today could continue the Liberation Fight.

I encourage you to support FreedomTweet 2010. Not for Luckie Daniels and not just for CoAAG.

Be you black, brown, red, yellow or white — there is a Liberation Fight for you too.  We are all in this together and there are MORE than enough social, civil and environmental causes to go around.

Lastly, I leave you with this. Just because you have the right to make a choice,  doesn’t remove your obligation to choose what’s right; what’s just. There has been sacrifice lent to afford us a choice. It was not and is not FREE.

We are put on this planet to evolve and to make life better — both for ourselves and others.

Dare to stand-up and accept the gift [and challenge] of loving and being accountable for each other. It is the only hope we have.

I truly love you,

Luckie.

Jai, Mom and I are all 3, creatures of habit. Born under the Sun Sign of Cancer (July) and within the same week — 3rd, 6th and 7th respectively, true to cancerian form, we are [most] comfortable repeating the same rituals over and over again!

My favorite shared ritual is our Saturday AM quality time when, after dropping Justis off at Rockers Heaven, we head to Caribou Coffee, where we have the first caffeine of the morning and share a piece (or two) of delicious, blueberry coffee cake!

As Mom’s condition progresses, I’m unsure of how much longer this special outing will continue, but as for now, I’m just thankful that we have it.

It’s a special memory I’ll be able to share with Jaiya and Mom in the years to come.

Carpe diem.

Luckie.

[Note: how cool is it that today's Sentimental Sunday marks my 200th OGR post!:-]

Most of you don’t know that I am in the process of purchasing 150 glass-plate negatives from the historic Rensler’s Photography Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Rensler’s opened its doors in the early 1900’s and closed-up shop in 1989. With the closing of the family-owned studio, thousands of historic images and/or glass-plate negatives were sold.

Many named images with associated records, from the years 1950-1989, went to Cincinnati Historical Society. These images live in storage, uncatalogued and totally unavailable to the community.

Thousands of unidentified images, pre-1950, were sold to Cincinnati locals and I am working with two of these gentlemen to identify and purchase 150 African-American Rensler images from the earliest years through 1950.

Why do I care? Aside from having a soft-spot for unnamed Ancestors, my Georgia and Alabama lines intersected in Cincinnati by way of my Maternal Grandparents, Fannie Louella JACKSON and William Charles BARWICK.

At the time, Rensler’s was one of the few studios willing to photograph African-American people, so over the years my family often turned to the studio to capture special moments. My cherished 1930 Catie WINGFIELD DORSEY Rensler image allowed me to see my 4th Grandmother for the first time.

This image of Catie was taken on a family trip from Atlanta to Cincinnati and was intended to give my 3rd Grandmother, Marrie WINGFIELD REYNOLDS, who was terminally ill, an opportunity to see her Daughters and Grandchildren for the last time.

The BARWICK siblings original Rensler images from the late 1930s are my prized possession!

Yes, I’m hoping my purchase of the unknown, will reveal more of my missing family to me. However, should I receive 150 Ancestors with no ancestral connection to me, I will be just as content.

I will believe whoever comes to me was intended to and I will honor them by sharing them with the genealogy community in the hope they can be identified and eventually returned to their loved one.

We shall see what happens… I am uber-excited to say the least!

I’ll also keep you updated on the larger effort underway by me and a few Genea-Friends, to preserve the several thousand remaining glass-plate negatives.

A descendants work is never done…

Luckie.

For the past few weeks, me and several of my dearest genea-pals {@Sjtaliaferro, @NCChemist and @MyNolaHeritage} had planned to meet in Savannah this weekend to attend the Southeast Family History Expos!

Aside from the tease of having a genealogy event so close by, we all really wanted to meet and enjoy real time with the folks we spend so much time sharing with online.

Well, in a word our weekend escape to Savannah was EFFORTLESS! It truly could not have been more perfect!

The weekend was filled with so many special moments that I’ve decided not to try to pack them all into one post… so bear with me friends, because I want to capture all of those moments, I’ll spread my posts out over the next few days.

Cool? Cool! Getting there…

So after a REALLY “eventful” Friday day, I was thrilled to exhale and have a backseat view of San poking fun at her amazing Baby Brother, Bernard, during our drive from Atlanta! Their story is a post all by itself but let me say they represent what siblings should be to each other — best friends.

Bless his heart! Bernard tolerated us and our genealogy-plantation-graveyard-lovin’ ways the entire weekend with few complaints. The man is a Saint!:-)

When we arrived in Savannah,  we were happy to find Mavis {@NCChemist} and Felicia {@MyNolaHeritage} waiting for us in the lobby of the SUPER charming n’ cozy Savannah Bed & Breakfast Inn to offer hugs and welcomes!

To my surprise, “Paula” from guest services had waited up for our arrival to get us squared away — who does that? When I entered my room “The Oriental” I was blown away that the room resonated with the colors of my home and blog AND Buddha was there to greet me right over the bed! For a girl who doesn’t sleep well away from home, immediately my spirit was at ease. It really felt like the room had been hand-picked just for me!:-)

We ended our evening with a round of girl-talk in Sandra and Bernard’s room, The Oglethorpe. It felt less like I was meeting strangers and more like I was just catching up with my really good friends. Like I said… effortless.

When I finally returned to my room — after taking pictures of most everything and grabbing warm cookies from the lobby — I hopped up on my Buddha-bed and slept like a baby!

Heck, I’m off to bed now — but this time in my own!

Tomorrow –> genealogy, graveyards and fun with Captain Jack!:-)

Thanks to all of you who followed our fun via Twitter all weekend and thanks to my Genea-Sisters – Mavis, San and Felicia + one very special Bro, Bernard, for making this a trip to remember!

Sweet dreams…

Luckie.

I’ve really been on a FAVER/FAVOR roll lately. After 11 years of having few leads and no known Faver/Favor researchers, I now have a host of them I’m in contact with and tons of leads to trace.

However 5 years ago I was encouraged by Hollice Favors to contact Almay CARROLL regarding her book, Faver and Kindred 1748-1990, an extensive compilation of Faver/Favor ancestry.

But it seems I’ve waited too late. I found Almay’s phone number in a 2005 email from Hollice and called her home last night. I was told by a caregiver that Almay has advanced Alzheimer’s Disease and was directed to contact her son “Tim”.

A call to Tim made me aware that of the 200+ copies of Almay’s book, there are no more available outside of Family copies. He also was not sure if Almay could comprehend him well enough to answer my question of whether any copies had been donated to local libraries or the GA Archives.

I did explain briefly to Tim that I too understand exactly where he and his family are with caring for Almay at home and wished him the best. Almay is 86 years old.

I think sometimes we/people feel there is always time to learn what you need to know or do what you want to do.

For me the genealogy lesson is twofold — never forget the necessity of documenting your family history… we never know where our life-journey will carry us and learn how to act when the opportunity presents itself. Committing to not letting any of life’s seasons pass me/us by.

Prayers today for Almay and the Carroll Family.

Luckie.

Everyone knows that I’ve been channeling my FAVER/FAVORS Ancestral vibe for quite awhile now.

It seems that from out of nowhere [that can be seen with the human/living eye] FAVER/FAVOR information and new cousins started appearing, which tells me, the Ancestors have something they want me to know!

I’m excited to no end! Annie FAVER CARTER my 2nd 4th Grandmother from Washington-Wilkes died sometime after 1900 and before 1910 (according to the Census). Sadly, this means there is no real paper-trail to follow, so until now I’ve known very little about her.

But my spirit tells me this will soon change!:-)

Thanks to Willie C. BOLTON, I received the phone number of Robert BOLTON in Charlotte, North Carolina — a Henry BOLTON/Mamie FAVORS descendant who just happens to own a copy of the rare FAVORS Genealogy book written by the late Paris FAVORS Jr.{pictured}!

I’ll tell you the truth, there isn’t one FAVORS/BOLTON cousin that I’ve reached out to that hasn’t been forthcoming with any info they have — which is a blessing! Although we (genealogists) do it all the time, picking up the phone to chat about family history with a complete stranger can be scary!:-)

So let me say thank you to the BOLTONS — Willie C., LaKisha, Georgia Mae, Mr. Fred and Robert for making it easy and FUN!:-)

Now, Robert has promised  that I too will receive a copy of the Paris FAVORS Genealogy book — all 60+ pages! Bless his heart, Paris FAVORS was an Attorney, so no doubt I will see that ethic and detail recorded in his work.

Then tonight, another could-be cousin, Aaron FAVORS Jr., emailed me from Iraq via Facebook with another host of Georgia FAVORS names! Shoot, I was so thrilled to hear from Aaron, I forgot to ask how he’d even found me!

Yes indeed, Luckie is shaking the Ancestor tree and anxious to see what juicy FAVER/FAVORS fruit lands in my hands!:-)

Wooo-hooo!

Luckie.

[Image Source: Paris Favors Jr., Burney-Harris Class of 1967 from www.TheYellowJacket.com; shared with me by LaKisha BOLTON GREEN]

Oh what a blessed, crazy-busy, Christmas weekend this has been for my Family & me!:-)

While I’ve relished the non-stop laughter, joking, yelling, cooking and eating, I must admit that tonight [with a quiet house] I found myself exhausted, loafing on the couch, with remote control in hand.

As luck would have it, I happened upon a rerun of the Skip Gates PBS African-American Lives 2 series, and for the first time, had the opportunity to view it in entirety.

After all these years I am still blown away by the knowledge yielded and mysteries  answered through dedicated Genealogy research.

I am still in awe of the gift, handed to us the descendants of emancipated slaves, by our Ancestors — the gift of FREEDOM.

Tonight watching Skip Gates and the host of celebrities who’ve been blessed to have him digging up their roots, I was humbled by the strength of our collective Ancestors!

Ancestors who endured, survived and overcame in spite of racial injustice, inhumane treatment, lack of formal education and compromised [and most times non-existent] finances.

Ancestors who when emancipated, DARED to dream… who ran to the nearest minister to have their unions rightly acknowledged by God and man… who boldly reclaimed their right to choose a given and/or surname… who pressed forward in the face of the unknown and paved the way for me.

I ask forgiveness to my Ancestors for the times when in ignorance, I muttered that they weren’t dreamers — to the contrary…

My Great Great Grandmother Marrie WINGFIELD was always known as an entrepreneur and even owned a business on Atlanta’s Auburn Avenue! Was that not a dream in the early 1900s?

And when my maternal and paternal 4th Grandparents — Catie WINGFIELD DORSEY and Philip CARTER, migrated to Atlanta from Washington-Wilkes I bet they too were dreaming of a better life — one free of a Husband’s unjust lynching or the cruel sale of a man’s Wife and Children.

My Maternal Grandfather, Willie C. BARWICK fought for and lived his dreams his entire life…

I am a born dreamer, survivor and believer in choosing my own destiny and tonight I acknowledge this gift is inherited from those who came before me and I bless their names for it.

I live to tell their stories and among other things, was put here to stitch our family’s historical patchwork quilt together — patch by patch.

Tonight’s PBS showing was a reminder to me that we don’t do this work for the reward or bragging rights, we do it because our Ancestors DESERVE to be seen and heard.

And as long as we keep that as our motivation, no brick wall will stand a chance against us!

Forever on the journey and looking forward to the New Year.

Luckie.

Last night I stayed up til 2AM creating a phone-picture-prayer book for Mom.

Because she struggles to retain short-term memories, we find that every day events and details get repeated over and over. Simple things, like phone numbers get re-written countless times!

While cleaning out her purse last night I realized just how long Mom has been grasping to hold on to the simple things…

A list of her Grandchildren’s name and ages written 5 yrs ago… her doctor’s name and appoint times… her daily medications… the phone numbers of family and friends — written everywhere, on anything, multiple times… random scriptures and prayers.

So by the time I finished, what began as an effort to compile all her phone numbers into one book became Mom’s phone-picture-prayer book.

Yes the phone numbers are there, but also images of the Grandchildren she loves so much and the 5 yr old list + one — my Jaiya Devi is the newest addition!:-)

There too is The Lord’s Prayer, The 23rd Psalms, The Beatitudes… lyrics to her favorite Walter Hawkins song — MARVELOUS.

My Grandparents are there {several times} and images of a young, beautiful, healthy Mom too…

The last prayer, on the last page, is the Serenity Prayer — it’s as much for us as it is for her.

My prayer is that this little turquoise book provides my Mom comfort and fills in where the memory fails.

Traveling the road and growing [I hope] along the way…

Luckie.

Well as if I haven’t dished on myself & family life enough over the past 15 months via Our Georgia Roots, here comes Mavis [aka Georgia Black Crackers] and Renate [aka Into The Light], honoring me with the “Kreativ Blogger Award” and challenging me to come up with 7 spankin’ brand new things about myself that I haven’t shared before!

Whew, this is hard! Let’s see how far I get… I’ve never been accused of “holding back”, so let’s see what you don’t know!

1. I am smitten with all things Italian {food, men, landscapes, etc…} & wholeheartedly plan to relocate to Tuscany within the next few years.
2. My dream home is a spacious, cozy, log cabin surrounded by a lake where I can toss a line & acreage that I can roam at will! Yep, I am a country girl at heart and have never gotten over the time I spent on Alex Haley’s farm in Clinton, TN.
3. I am covered in tattoos. That’s all I’m saying!:-)
4. I’ve always wanted to be a writer who wrote books that changed lives. Alice Walker, Toni Morrison and J. California Cooper have always been my inspiration.
5. I prefer coffee over food — ANY day!:-)
6. I am a one compulsion shy of being a germaphobe!
7. My guilty pleasure is the Twilight series — book or movie! I know I am way too old to crush on Edward or Jacob but dang those boys are cuties and who doesn’t dig a sexy vampire? Remember Brad Pitt in Interview with A Vampire?!:-)

And since “microblogging” is technically blogging — I’m nominating a handful of my Twitter friends to join in on the fun!

Don’t have a personal blog of your own? No worries — feel free to “borrow” mine!:-)

1. @LCAfricana
2. @A_Cain
3. @RilkeGal
4. @ZapTwit
5. @TMacentee
6. @Kidmiff
7. @4Joy2

Thanks Mav and Renate for thinking of me always. It’s good therapy for my needy soul!:-)

Luckie.