10~ 10 And WINNING!

List 10 people you love and explain what they mean to you

This is hard...REALLY hard. I preface this list with apologies to any who may think that their name NOT appearing on this list is a reflection of my love for you. It isn't...these are my daily and constant soldiers. The ones that never leave...even if life is tugging them in other directions. I love MANY...but, these people are there every day in some capacity or another. *thinking...can I do an honorable mention's list?* LOL

This isn't meant to dumb down your meaningful relationships...it's meant to show you who you treasure. It's an exercise in realizing your treasures in life. With this particular challenge, I pray that you not only see who is in your corner, but whose lives you may be impacting as well. 

1~Mom: She and I have come a LONG way from the hurt feelings and misunderstandings of the past. I can tell her just about anything and I can assure you that most of what bothers me crosses her eardrums at one point or another. I'm proud of her life as a minister. She dedicates the majority of her time, not just to going to church...but seeing about the sick and shut-in, praying over troubled souls, teaching bible study and singing in (and directing) her choir. She's truly married to the Lord and again...I'm proud!

2~Sis: My twin by 6 years...Younger chronologically...older in so many other ways. The little girl that used to tell on me and follow me around is  now a woman I respect and love dearly. I'd kill and die for this woman and that's no lie. We're connected.  We do the "twin thing" without being DNA twins. I call many sistas, sistars and yes...sisters...but she is the ONLY STISTER (because she couldn't pronounce it as a kid) ...that I have.

3~Dad: We struggle from time to time, but I've got sweet memories of us doing the most basic stuff. I love him dearly. He's toughed out the trials of addiction and has been a trooper since my grandmother (his mom) passed last year. In spite of our personal ups and downs...I am proud of him.

4~Joy: My "BFF", "bestie", "sister", all that shit. I actually want to veer away from the whole "claiming" of my closest peeps because it makes their position in my life seem small. This woman has been there for me when shit got real. We've "argued" all of a booming two times...with little to no raised voices and ending convos with nothing short of giggles and "I love you". Nothing beats her coming out of her own comfort zone (extreme dislike for funerals) to support me when my grandmother died in 2010. That's the shit friendship is made of...

5~Grandma C: My maternal grandmother...the last one standing. My grandma can be evil as a snake. LMAO I ain't lying...I swear, ask any one of the OLDER grands (them young ones escaped her wrath somehow). She's quick with her sword...tongue, I mean...and she can hurt the feelings of the strongest soldier. Hell, I'm STILL waiting for her to induct me BACK in the family. (She disowned me in anger like 15 years ago) LMAO! Through it all...I love my grandma. I accept her for who she is...and I don't let her get away with her maniacal ways. I, the consummate Capricorn am the perfect "devil's advocate" to patronizingly, condescendingly, but subtly scold the Taurean bull. *insert a pic of a seagoat popping out of the water and saying, "Hey...Bully...ya kinda loud. I can hear ya'z aaaawl de way down to de bottom o' de sea AND at de top o' de bluff. Sheesh Louise...lay off de caffeine will ya?" The bull says with a smile of embarrassment, "Oh...hush, chile. Lemme gruff."* By the time the seagoat consents to let the bull do what she do...she forgot why she do what she do. That's me and Grandma in a nutshell. My lady. :) 

S/N: I'm completing this blog after just waking up at 6:51am...so, I hope that explains the colorful description up there. LOL

6~Deanna aka DeeBo: I  met this chick through her ex. I knew him first on another social site called Multiply a few years back and when he began dating her...she became a part of the circle of friends I had there. Eventually, she and I hit it off past his inclusion and became pretty damn close without him. (I'm always stealing male friends female friends and/or lovers) LMAO. She's indeed one of my SiStars along with her BFF Harmony. Dee is one of those folks on this planet who I have that psychic connection with. We almost ALWAYS feel the other and pick up the phone at the exact moment we're thinking of the other. I ain't gonna even say it's weird...it is what it is.

7~Maria aka Sangria Soose: *she gone cuss me good for that one* :::snickering like Mutley::: ENTY WHO...THIS chick right here? Is one of those friendships that folks are STILL looking at me like, "You good...you real good..." They can't understand how I got SO close to someone who was involved with my ex right after the last time he and I broke up. Yep. She be his next after me. She came out of nowhere (well not really...I remembered her vaguely from the old Yahoo 360 site). She needed to get some answers after they broke up and BANG! BOOM! The inbox convo became a phone convo became a friendship that I cherish dearly. I can't say anything more about my KinTwin...except, she's "thwee" and likes Pooh. LMAO *running*

8~Chuck aka Cee aka Puff: The watch dude. That's what I remembered about him from Yahoo 360 (running theme of my friendships, huh?) His profile pic was always either a watch or a teddy bear...a naked teddy (smh). He and I didn't get close though until the summer of 2010. I'd lost my grandma and broken ties with a few important people and out of concern...he reached out. We've been blowing up each other's cells ever since. He makes sure I'm okay and I make sure he's okay. We're a support system and a source of silly shenanigans. He's also the damned reason I am a newborn watch lover and back on that shit (aka shop TV). That's my figga if he don't get no bigga.

9~Caprice aka Preecey: I met this star through Joy. Caprice, Chante, N'Tirzah and Rachael are another group of "SiStars" that I love. We connect over artful events and food. LOL We are part of a sister circle whose purpose is to be a source of support. Though our time together is often sporadic, Preecey and I still check in on each other. When we DO talk,  we tend to go hours, not because we're catching up...but, because we're always spanning the spectrum of convo. If I didn't see her on FB at least, I'd be sad...:( 

10~Tei: I'll call her the "surprise". She and I also met on 360. We ALSO met similarly to Maria and I. Her ex became my next and then when he was my ex, we became each other's bane of existence.  We could've NEVER known how close we'd be...but, I can say that this woman and I have a TRULY deep connection that touches spirit and mind in a way I don't often experience with others. I've always been the go-to friend-erapist...the one that people seek to speak to, in order to make sense out of things. Basically, she's for me what I am to others. She doesn't lie to me, she doesn't coddle me, she's not afraid for me to be mad at her truth (but then neither are them chicks and dude up there ^^^) LOL...but, she's more straight to the core of me. She almost NEVER misses the mark on where I'm coming from...and she always turns my words in on me in a way that makes me wanna jump through the phone and wrestle her. LOL ...she also has the best Jamaican accent I know and that usually makes it all better. hehe

You know what? This is MY damn challenge and I'm bending rules. Shit, I think I saw someone list several folks (which WONT the point, but hell...these answers are OUR interpretations. THAT is the point) I love my ENTIRE family on BOTH sides (that list would be hella long) LOL

I LOVE: Aly and Syre and Michael and Mahogany and Quinny and Scarlett and Budda and Renee and Renee (lol) and Dani and Val and Al and Kena and Tish and Insane and Erika and Chi and Yesha and Gina and hold up...this is getting too long. LMAO

I gotta go. I'm tide. I love you ALL!!