Matthew Chapter 7

by Aoife

I grew up in a world that seems to have totally disappeared.

I was in the place of my birth, Harlem USA yesterday afternoon. I had some business to attend to on the main drag, 125th street. What a place of wonder it was for me as a child. My mother would take all four of us and we would walk the twelve blocks down 7th Avenue. The Alhambra Theatre was the first awe inspiring thing that would catch my eye. Directly across the street was a bookstore that touted it was the place to find out any and everything about the Negro. Most people called it Michaux's. I never made it in there because my mother was always ranting about that "rabble rouser" Malcolm X who was often lecturing in front of the store.

When I was older I made it to another store that was located on Lenox Avenue and 125th street called The Tree of Life. It was a place where there was not only political discourse taking place but lectures on numerology, astrology and African based religions given by amateurs certified by the book of life not some university somewhere. I wonder why some thought it was absolutely necessary to close the place down. Was it the fact that spirituality and non Christian religion was allowed a place or the politics? I have no idea. It was closed down and life moved on. There was some protest about the space being devoured by the new State Offfice Building but I don't think anyone seriously thought The Tree of Life had a chance.

There had also been a jewelry store on the corner of 125th and Seventh Avenue where my father had bought my mother's engagement ring and wedding band. Not to mention the "superstore" Blumsteins where my mother would take us shopping for winter clothes and put them on layaway.

A trip to 125th Street holds many memories for me.

Yesterday I got off the express bus at 125th Street and Fifth Avenue close to Mount Morris Park. It's been renamed Marcus Garvey Park but to me it will always be Mount Morris Park where I saw Miriam Makeba perform light years ago.

This wasn't my first trip to the new 125th street, a multicultural phantasmagoria of street vendors, Africans, Asians, Europeans and African Americans. The mind holds onto it's memories but the eyes record the realities. My old landmarks are long gone. In their place stand odes to the commercialism of this time and place.

But those changes are not what left me depressed and concerned.

As you know I started this blog as a place to talk about my recovery from serious illness. As a result of following a strict diet in order to control my diabetes I have lost over 50 pounds. As anyone knows who has lost a significant amount of weight you become pretty fanatical about it. I try not to be that person but what I saw yesterday makes me wonder what the hell is going on when it comes to the food choices people make.

The first thing that strikes me about traveling in any black or brown community is the obesity of the younger generation. African American and Latino children are increasingly becoming baby blimps. I saw a woman yesterday feeding her infant small pieces of McDonald's fries. The baby was still on the bottle by the way but that didn't stop this young mother. She was maybe twenty and had two children. The oldest was about four. I'll skip over her changing her infant's diaper on the bus stop and giving the soiled one to the four year old to throw away without telling the child where to go to throw it out.

She was not the only young mother I saw. I was taking the Seventh Avenue bus, the #2 to meet my daughter at 14th street and I was lucky to find a seat since there were a lot of young women and children waiting at the stop.
What struck me is that all of these young women have children. Not a child. Children. None of the children I saw yesterday were more than seven. None of them were in a summer camp. More than likely a young woman had three to four little stair steps as my late mother would say. And none of these women was over thirty. Hell most weren't over twenty five.

This post is not about the politics of the situation. I know it's not a new situation. It's just that I was working for 37 years and between the job and raising my daughter I really didn't pay too much attention to what was going on in the community. When did it become cool to be in your teens and have thighs as big around as a person and wear a dress so short that when you sit down the person across from you can see France? When did it become cool to be so fat? Why is it cool? What is wrong with us?

I ended up saying to myself that the Creator has a plan and that there has to be a reason all of these children are being born into this world. I did manage to learn over the years that the universe will do a show and tell for you if you keep your eyes open and look out for it. I got my show and tell big time yesterday.  My lesson? Judge not lest you be judged.

End Note

When writing the post about Norway I randomly clicked on comments and found a post by a long time online friend HelenW. She posted two years ago and for some reason I never got the normal message that someone had posted a reply. I can't post it now.

Helen if you see this your thoughts are most welcome.