Acts of Faith In Love & Life

What We Can Learn About Friendship From Jane Eyre

Good grief the Brontë sisters know how to write tales of wanting, loneliness and dra-a-a-ma. And triumph. Jane is orphaned, mistreated, cast off, mistreated some more, falls in love, mistreated some more, wanders the moors and nearly dies and then becomes an heiress! Rochester is a bit of a lech in my opinion – despite the 4^th quarter plot twist to redeem him which is what makes it such a compelling novel.

She didn’t compromise her values despite all sorts of pressure that would’ve broken most people, let alone a woman from that time. Indeed, Jane Eyre was ahead of her time with so many admirable qualities we can draw from as modern women. She wanted to define herself separate from societal captions but maintained compassion and character. She has endured many experiences similar to the Cinderella mythology. I don’t want to give away any more specifics of the book plot, but in case you’ve never read it you’re missing out.

Clocking in at 400+ pages its quite the juicy read – but not nearly as lengthy as Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”. The newest movie adaptation directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga was great and is now out on DVD! It was such a surprise to see Billy Elliot actor Jamie Bell all grown up. Michael Fassbender is poised to be the next A-list international star, so his appeal is evident playing such an iconic character.

Did you know a young Elizabeth Taylor played the first film version of Helen Burns? So the lesson on friendship was between Jane and herself but it was Helen’s influence which helped Jane develop a belief in a higher purpose beyond present circumstances that guided her. I thought the recurring visions of Helen was a nice touch reminding Jane she wasn’t entirely alone.

Isn’t it amazing how these messages of abundance permeate across so many different avenues? Helen’s speech about being spirits was one big YES for adopting this line of thinking and being. It really proves there is truly nothing new under the sun. We find our way towards certain things or not. And then it manifests.

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If you enjoyed this post you might enjoy: Channeling the Wisdom Found in Jane Austen

Prosperity Prayer For Full Option Living

Think of it as a non-secular affirmation and replace with your own religious totem if necessary. When we shift our focus from the “problem” and instead think about the place where we want to be, we can work our way backwards so to speak. And then move ahead. Try it for a while. You can always go back to doing things the old way.

Continue reading Prosperity Prayer For Full Option Living

In Case You Want SOTU Info

Extra post alert! Since I said we’d be covering more politically-oriented fare (even as the personal life-affirming choices we make may seem political to some), I wanted to remind any interested readers the first State of the Union address from President Obama in 2012 is scheduled to air tonight at 9PM EST.

This is an election year and it’s imperative to think and act strategically. As always we must use discernment when taking in messages. We can weigh whether our support yielded results and how certain relationships have benefited us.

Continue reading In Case You Want SOTU Info

Proving You Can Do It Too: A Reader Recaps Her Trip To Spain With VaughanTown

Reader C.O. answered the call of travel and participated in the VaughanTown program. This is a two-week volunteer exchange pairing native English speakers from around the world with business professionals from Spain who want to improve their language skills.

In March 2011, I wrote the post Teach & Travel In Spain With VaughanTown and am so pleased a reader participated. I love reading about women who think expansively and take opportunities to meet new people – and yes, I’m ESPECIALLY pleased it was a sista! C.O. very graciously sent me some photos, which I’m sharing here.

Continue reading Proving You Can Do It Too: A Reader Recaps Her Trip To Spain With VaughanTown

Progress Or Sabotage: Haywire and Underworld 4 Get Same Day Release

When I saw the trailer for Haywire, about a female assassin I immediately perked up. I found the original Underworld to be a fresh take on the vampire meme. Plus, I loved the gothic architecture in the background. When I discovered they filmed location shots in Budapest I’ve wanted to go to Hungary ever since. I wonder if action or science fiction movies with a woman as the lead protagonist will become the latest cool trend like paranormal romance novels are for book publishing. There’s clearly been ongoing interest by audiences for these types of stories.

There have been other films where women led the story like the Lara Croft and Resident Evil franchises. Hollywood even threw us black girls a bone with Sanaa Lathan starring in Alien v. Predator way back in 2004. While these films may have been profitable, Angelina Jolie and Milla Jovovich have hearty careers (esp. Jolie) they were made for the mental capacity of 12 year-olds.

And while Salt (originally written with Tom Cruise in mind which also starred Jolie) was a much meatier film I’m still waiting for one that has enough gravitas. I may have urged folks to see Colombiana, but a film about a woman seeking vengeance whose family were essentially criminals is not exactly the best message.

Continue reading Progress Or Sabotage: Haywire and Underworld 4 Get Same Day Release

Clooney & Davis Cover Entertainment Weekly: This Girl Dreams Of A Real-Life Courting

My jaw hit the floor when I spotted George and Viola frolicking on the January 13th cover of EW. It was just so unexpected. They look like they’re having so much fun and it got me thinking about future possibilities. Apparently they’re friends!

While I’ve made no secret I abhor movies like “The Help” and the desperate black actresses who accepted such demeaning roles should be tarred and feathered, I am pleased as punch by that cover for it shows endless possibilities. The accompanying interview was very telling.

Continue reading Clooney & Davis Cover Entertainment Weekly: This Girl Dreams Of A Real-Life Courting

My Dream For You: Reflections on MLK Day

The timing of this post fell very nicely in with MLK Day, which I’ve often thought should’ve been dedicated to Coretta Scott as well because Martin would not have been able to have the impact he did without the stability from being with her, where she sometimes got the short end short end of the stick. I’m trying to be generous here. We know how sexist men were back then (and now).

I haven’t written an MLK-related post since the blog began, but as a few people are celebrating I thought this would be a good time to tie this in with BWE of course. One of my most important posts close to my heart acknowledges the sacrifices of African-American women and how they helped secure our futures by advocating for the passage of the Civil Rights Act.

Perhaps it’s time to look at the big picture and remember green is the only color that matters. It’s high time blacks dump their collective inferiority complex and focus on black achievement. Continue reading My Dream For You: Reflections on MLK Day

AOFB Revisits: Financial Acumen

I’m getting the jump on an upcoming post discussing 2012 blog memes and sharing this one early. The Revisiting series will highlight one or two posts whose content garnered a lot of interest and deserves a review to accommodate newer readers and long-time blog friends alike. It’s another tool for evaluating your education and preparedness in the new millenia. Continue reading AOFB Revisits: Financial Acumen

Inspirational Quotes Series: Eric Hoffer

The feeling of being harried is not usually the result of living a full life and having no time. It is, on the contrary, born of a vague fear that we are wasting our life. When we do not do the one thing we ought to do, we have no time for anything else – we are the busiest people in the world.

~~ Eric Hoffer

Hoffer wrote about the relationship with self-esteem and the impact of trying to live a full life in absence of it. He observed societal change and authored several books including, “Reflections On the Human Condition” and “The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements“.

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Evaluating Men For Alliances & Marriage Series #14: Pop Quiz

This is a good time to review some of the lessons we’ve learned and how to continue putting new insights into action. At the very least, seeing behavior from its source in all it’s glory – and infamy – has been very useful.

EVAM #1

People who need people. Our relationships fuel the quality and experiences of our lives. Why not have the best? I conceived of this series because the blog didn’t have one official category for discussing how men and women relate, and this is of course from the woman-supportive perspective. It was inadvertently called Vetting Men, but was too similar to another blog. Also, I know every woman isn’t focused on marriage, doesn’t date men and may not be single. We all need friends however and delving under the surface of unexamined feelings about men to root out negativity is important. Plus, since we’ve discussed the foul behavior of so many males I wanted to steer our focus towards building good relationships.

Some of the discussions across several blogs at the time of the original post were focused on defining “alpha males”. I shared a wonderful site written by an older gentlemen who tells women what they need to hear instead of what we think we know. Knowledge is power!

Continue reading Evaluating Men For Alliances & Marriage Series #14: Pop Quiz