By Terry Allen
Lucille “Big Mama” Allen would not garner much pushback as she sit on the front porch as the sunset and rewarded all of her tribe for believing they could accomplish anything.
Our need to be recognized for the work we put into our goals fueled Big Mama’s end of the day talk.
Like Big Mama, the spiritual power of the grandmothers and their belief released common wisdom and creates moments of personal guidance.
She had a reservoir of loving care and a common reward system fully immersed in the power to believe.
I began to understand now when she asked what would accomplish tomorrow, right after our prayer, I learned that she was tying our faith to our belief system.
She opened a window in our minds that said, “ I believe you can do it!”
She knew that beliefs would drive behavior. For example, she would take my drawings to church and to work and she told me she sold them all as she handed me two shiny quarters for each sketch!
So what I believed about me flourished under her belief system. She gave me a belief system that was built on the principle of results!
That belief system took on more pillars as I gained more experience. I added a particular pillar that said, “Make sure you under pledge and over deliver!”
She also would not allow negative thoughts or fear of failure to exist in any words. She would stop bad thoughts by saying, “The Devil will not have a seat at this table!”
Why do I share this today? For over 18 months, we have been existing in both a racial pandemic and health pandemic. Each of us has had to confront challenges to our mental health, our physical well-being and our livelihoods.
Lives have been in upheaval as hundreds of years of tension rose to the surface.
We witnessed so multiple movements, demonstrations, causes, as disinformation as well as tensions rising up in high dudgeon. While it seems there is no logic on how things align, I learned though Big Mama’s belief system that when you discover that certain principles have helped you get through it all then claim that peace of mind, hold on the soul of believing.
Her last directive, “think that you are who you are until you become who you believe you are.” Thanks Big Mama!
Write me at Terryallenpr@gmail.com and tell me what you believe!
Terry Allen is an award-winning media professional, journalist, and entrepreneur. He is also the founder of City Men Cook and 1016 Media. Reach him at terryalllenpr@gmail.com
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