It's February!!!

You guys know I am crazy about two months, February & June. June because my birthday is in that month. February because it contains 3 key interests of mine.

Now this year, I am going to be a little busy towards the beginning of this month. But I promise to give you posts on time.

Yes, I'm sappy! I celebrate Valentine's Day! I've heard talks of afternoon plans with a pal. Nothing major, just hanging out.

But if I don't, I still have church services to attend and a God & a me to love on. Days before, I will release a post for everyone to learn to love. Yes, that is the hint. Oh, I figured out which Healthier Dessert (You have read that  POST, right?) I will be making my loved ones. I will be making the Healthy Lemony Yogurt Loaf Cake.

February 14 will be on a Sunday. Most Sunday's my aunts stop by to visit with my grandmother after their church services let out. They are a little spoiled because I provide something for them to snack on while I'm cooking dinner for my household. Lemon is one of the only agreed upon flavors in my family. Plus, that's more people to eat the cake and less leftover for us.

The only Black History Month story I will be telling be telling this year, is my own. While, an actress of the same culture as I, who thinks that the observance, award shows that celebrate mostly black cultures and BET (and channels like it) where strangely the majority of the movies she is in are shown, should be banned, I will tell you how Black History Month help me decide to start living my authentic self everywhere I go.
You will be surprised the people that never got to experience all of  Outspoken_Diva the Churchy Blerd of the past. I was so "good" at only living parts of me places, that my real identity confuses them now. Then, there are the people who never knew I struggle when I was younger. So, until I write my full memoir, I'll give you a peak in. Can't tell someone else's story and refuse to tell your own.

And now let me get on my soap box. I'm only going to get on it once this month on the blog. We know February is American Heart Month. We know to get "Get Your Blood Pressure Under Control". We know "Quit Smoking". We know "Reduce Your Sodium Intake".

Yet, 1 in 4 deaths are heart disease related, Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. More than half of the deaths due to heart disease in 2009 were in men. And before age 50, African-Americans' heart failure rate is 20 times higher than that of whites.

I've gone to that One funeral. That funeral was of a black man who didn't make it to 40. He was one of my best friends. Oh and his funeral was not in February. It was in May of 2014. I never want to look in the casket of a person I know because of this again. I don't want to get that kind of news anymore. I have clients that wonder why many of the recipes I suggest are salt-free or reduced in salt. I simply tell them, I don't know how to cook with salt. And I don't. I try sometimes. When I was learning to cook, we learned my grandmother had high blood pressure & pains in her heart muscle called angina. When the doctor told her to cut out salt. She was cooking 95% of our meals so, that is what we did. She's still living. She's in her early 90's. I don't credit a reduced salt diet to all of that but I know it helps. And she is just one of the heart health stories in my family. I don't wear the Red Dress pin and say "Go Red" just for her and other women. I wear it because I know the effects of not living as heart healthy as one can be. I wear the pin because it was cuter than grief. Grief is not cute to wear. Not living a more heart healthy life leads to somebody to grieve. Not living a more heart healthy life is not cute. Don't we all want to be cute.

Alright, I'm through preaching for now. If you follow me on other forms of social media, you know I'm going to start back up as soon as I see something to share. all year long. It's more than just my job & stuff I do for my family, it's in my heart. Well, I'm in tears now, So, I will stop here.

As Always, Talking to You in Adult Terms