Today’s Information On African American History: October 31, 2009
Ever since slavery, white people have been reluctant to put guns in the hands of black people or give them military training, even it such actions could help white people.
There has long been a fear among whites that if enough blacks owned guns, they would retaliate against the whites for years (centuries!) of injustice. However, some African Americans didn’t need guns to retaliate; some used poison, others used slacking on the job, some would deliberate break equipment, and some would just use their mouth and influence. A few slave uprisings gave white people reason to keep a keen eye on slaves, and any black person, during the mid-19th century. After a horrendous slave uprising led by prophet/minister/seer Nat Turner in Virginia, 55 whites killed during the revolt, many of the slaves involved were tried and hung. Nat Turner was skinned after he was hung, but hundreds of blacks that had nothing to do with the uprisings were illegally murdered. This incident frightened white people because they thought they had completely dominated the minds of black people.
Although there were other slave uprisings, another one that caught the attention of white people and gave them cause for alarm was the one led by François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture in Haiti. This man became general, repulsed Spanish and British forces because they wanted to reinstitute slavery. He even stood his own ground against some French forces. Ultimately, he was taken in a surprise “freedom meeting” with some French officers on his farm and shipped to France where he died of pneumonia.
Whites in America were shocked that a black man like Toussaint could wield so much power and repel forces that were supposedly more superior than he and his own forces. However, this news did cause some whites to consider the negative images of what that they had been fed by those in the slave business was not entirely correct. Plus, many whites had seen blacks with discipline in the South as well as in the North, leading some to believe that maybe slavery for all black people was not right after all.
When President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981, ending “segregation in the Armed Forces of the United States” in 1948, African Americans had earned a history of outstanding military conduct. They were further honored when the Cheyenne Indians called them “wild buffalo” soldiers, due to their fierce fighting spirit when cornered like the buffalo. The term soon evolved to “Buffalo Soldier,” and has been expanded back to Crispus Attucks and brought forward to the Space Age.
According to research on the history of African Americans in military service by Captain Paul J. Matthews of the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, as well as others, African Americans have served this country “valiantly in all the nation’s major wars.” So, before slavery, during slavery, after slavery, during the Civil War and beyond, African Americans fought for America’s freedoms while they still suffered from white-imposed cruelties, discrimination, and economic impotence.
Here is a quick review of Buffalo Soldiers (or blacks fighting for America):
Revolutionary War: served from all of the original colonies “as volunteers, draftees, and paid substitutes for White draftees…guerilla fighters and spies for the Army, and as pilots and crew members of several naval vessels.” A stamp was issued for another: Salem Poor. Born a free Black man in the early 1750s, Salem Poor joined a Massachusetts Militia company commanded by Benjamin Ames in 1775. According to the Ebony Society Of Philatelic Events And Reflections, “he is believed to have fired the shot that killed a high ranking British officer, Lt. Col. James Abercrombie. Whatever the case, his conduct was so exceptional that it was noted in a petition to the Massachusetts Legislature signed by fourteen of his officers. The petition stated, "A Negro called Salem Poor of Colonel Frye's regiment, Captain Ames' company, in the late battle at Charlestown, behaved like an experienced officer, as well as an excellent soldier. It would be tedious to go into more detail regarding his heroic conduct. We only beg leave to say, in the person of this said Negro centers a brave and gallant soldier."
War of 1812 (aka The Second Revolutionary War): Jesse Williams helped defend Philadelphia “against the British…served in the Navy at the Battle of Lake Erie,” and helped General Andrew Jackson in “the decisive battle of New Orleans.” He was “awarded a silver medal from the State of Pennsylvania for his role in the battle. The world was shocked that America would even dare declare war on Britain. At the same time, “The status of Blacks in early America was still in flux, and the established laws provided little protection. Even though slave importation was banned by 1808, some 250,000 more slaves were illegally imported into America from 1808-1860. Those Blacks who were willing, able, or chosen to fight the British for America's defense did so with unusual valor. They fought in various campaigns on both sea and land. Blacks served in naval vessels, in mixed regiments, and in all "colored" regiments. Many were taken as prisoners by the British. One exemplary unit was the TWENTY-SIXTH U. S. INFANTRY REGIMENT consisting of 247 "colored" recruits from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania under the command of Captain William Bezean. Many of these willing and able regiments were held at bay, but many provided the backup and labor to keep the army running effectively. Sketchy records show blacks at the BATTLES OF LAKE ERIE and NEW ORLEANS.”
Civil War: When they were initially refused, some African Americans “organized and equipped drill units at their own expense.” With the help of Frederick Douglas working with the Adjutant General of the Army, African American men were recruited right after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and over 200,000 served in just about every campaign, including those involving Navy vessels. The approximate number killed was 38,000 who still suffered from discriminatory practices and economic deprivation.
Native American Wars: gave the African American soldiers their legendary name, “Buffalo Soldiers.” These men, and at least one woman, assisted in keeping the peace, chasing bandits, keeping Indians safe from murdering settlers, “building roads, stringing telegraph wires, escorting groups across Indian territory, and scouting hostile Indian tribes.” Most of this occurred in Texas and throughout the Southwest, although there is history showing some Buffalo Soldiers in the North. “Congress…recognized the military merits of black soldiers by authorizing two segregated regiments of black cavalry, the Ninth United States Cavalry and the Tenth United States Cavalry and the 24th, 25th , 38th , 39th, 40th and 41st Infantry Regiments…In 1869…the black infantry regiments were consolidated into two units, the Twenty-fourth United States Infantry and the Twenty-fifth United States Infantry. All of the black regiments were commanded by white officers at that time. As always, the African American soldier was meritorious in combat with “Thirteen enlisted men and six officers…[earning] the Medal of Honor during the Indian Wars.”
Spanish-American War: African American soldiers were “in the battle of San Juan Hill with the ‘Rough Riders.’ Twelve received the Congregational Medal of Honor for bravery in combat. At least one African American received the Medal of Honor for extreme bravery under combat.
World War I: Many African American troops were assigned to the French, with two units and several individuals (Henry Johnson & Needham Roberts) receiving “The Croix de Guerre for “routing a German raiding party.” Some African Americans did the cooking for the Navy; not allowed in the Marines; with most given supportive roles. It has been recorded by “By the time of the armistice on November of 1918, over 350,000 African Americans had served with the American Expeditionary Force in on the Western Front…One of the most distinguished units was the 369th infantry regiment, known as the "Harlem Hell-fighters", which was on the front lines for six months, longer then any other African American regiment in the war. 171 members of the 396th were awarded the Legion of Merit.”
World War II: It has been stated that over one million African Americans served “in all branches of the Armed Forces” during this war, and finally given “the opportunity to direct military and medical operations.” It may have been the military combat skill of the Tuskegee Airmen and the U.S. 761st Tank Battalion which caused President Harry S. Truman to move to desegregate the nation’s military in July, 1948 (officially ending the Buffalo Soldiers’ units). My step-father still has stories to share about his combat service. I also heard stories about my father in service, and other stories from uncles and other African Americans. They remember the great leaders then like Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. who “served as commander of the famed Tuskegee Airmen…[and] later went on to become the first African American general in the United States Air Force. His father, Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., had been the first African American Brigadier General in the Army (1940).”
Other stories were told of men like “Doris Miller, a Navy mess attendant…the first African American recipient of the Navy Cross, awarded for his actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Miller [by] voluntarily [manning] an anti-aircraft gun and” firing and destroying several suicide bombers, although he was just a cook! In 1944, the Navy first had its first “African American commissioned officers…In 1945, Frederick C. Branch became the first African-American United States Marine Corps officer.
Other Wars: There are recorded numbers of African Americans, men and women, in the Korean Conflict where an all-African American 24th Infantry, won the first victory. In Vietnam, over 56,000 African Americans were involved, twenty receiving the Medal of Honor for their actions, with one African American receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor (U.S. Army Specialist Five Lawrence Joel: The Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina is dedicated to his honor). In this war, the first African-American U.S. Marine became the recipient of the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions and sacrifice of life. Another became the first African American commissioned officer to be awarded the Medal of Honor (presented posthumously to his wife).
Then came the Invasion of Panama, the Gulf War, Desert Storm, and currently the “Iraqi Freedom Intervention” and “The Afganistan Relief.” During some of this time, Colin Powell became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, making him, a West Indies black man, the “highest ranking military officer of the United States military, and the principal military advisor, to the President of the United States.”
Although desegregation officially ended the reign of the Buffalo Soldiers as a separate fighting unit in America’s military, there are still many “honorary” Buffalo Soldiers (African American men and women) who continue to honor the history of the Buffalo Soldiers by being identified as “a lean, mean, fighting machine---a Buffalo Soldier!”
Credits:
David C. Cook “Black America: Yesterday and Today”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_African_Americans
www.buffalosoldier.net
http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/aaffsfl.htm#1812
Next time: The story of a worldwide peacemaker.
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Saturday, October 31, 2009
First American to Reach the North Pole?!?
Today’s Information On African American History
Ask the average child about Matthew Henson, and they will probably say, “Matthew Who”?
Well, Matthew Alexander Henson was the only American who went with the well-known Robert E. Peary, the man credited with reaching the North Pole first in 1909. However, some critics say that Peary never really made it to the North Pole, but it was the African American Henson with four Eskimos who found the real North Pole. Peary had grown weak and sick, sending Henson and the Eskimos on ahead. When Henson discovered he had actually made it to the North Pole with the Eskimos, he returned to Peary. Peary then made it to a spot close to where Henson made the discovery.
Critics aside, both Peary and Henson planted the American flag together, perhaps showing an undercurrent of what could happen if black and white people actually worked together for the success of America. In any event, Henson spent the next 20 years traveling with Peary on other expeditions. His title was personal attendant and dog-driver. However, he did manage to receive some honors, including the Congressional Medal for his joint discovery of the North Pole with Peary.
Possible due to his dark complexion, Henson was adopted by the Eskimos. This could have contributed to their willingness to work alongside him. Henson wrote two books that all youth should be encouraged to read to fan their mind’s imagination: A Negro Explorer at the North Pole, and Dark Companion. Other writers have written about the North Pole find by Henson and Peary, including To the Top of the World by Pauline K. Angell.
There are African and African American (slaves, as well as free) exploring the world before and after Henson. There are historical records showing Africans with the “Spanish, French, and Portuguese. They were with Pizarro in Peru, Cortes in Mexico, Menendez in Florida…Balboa when he discovered the Pacific Ocean…[and the] pilot of one of Columbus’ three ships…” More has not been written about men of dark complexion because the historians and record-keepers of those days generally spoke about the captain or main leader of the expedition. It would be a good project for high school and college African Americans to travel and do research on the unknown African and African Americans who were on other expeditions.
We know of some of the early African American explorers because some of the writers of the day were amazed and wanted to write about these great black men to help undo the negative damage others had done about the feebleness and low-brain capacity of African slaves and their African American descendants.
One of Chicago’s early settlers was Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable. Unless one investigated, it would be assumed that Chicago’s “first permanent settler” was pure French. Traveling with the French, DuSable had come from Haiti, the product of a French planter and his female slave. The father sent DuSable to France for his education and then had him assist him in his shipping business.
Jean DuSable was almost put into slavery when he came to America via New Orleans, but was saved by Jesuit priests. He later married a Potawatomi Indian, had children, became a famous frontier trader, fur trapper, farmer, businessman and the "authenticated father of the nation’s second largest city – Chicago." Others had come through Chicago before DuSable but couldn’t see any future.
Not only did DuSable see a future in Chicago, he built a large five-room house, had modern conveniences, became quite wealthy, and is the first recorded grandfather. His home was built on the present site of the present-day Tribute tower. Although his trading post supplied people from Detroit and Canada and throughout his region, something happened. No one knows if DuSable was threatened by white trappers or what, but he suddenly sold everything for a few cents on the dollar and moved to Missouri, where he died in poverty. Why would a man who was loved by the Indians of the region, had a flourishing business, almost 800 acres of land, all the customers he could handle, and success, move away and die broke? Perhaps a future historian will solve this mystery but I almost know the answer!
Next time: The ending of the “official” Buffalo Soldiers.
Ask the average child about Matthew Henson, and they will probably say, “Matthew Who”?
Well, Matthew Alexander Henson was the only American who went with the well-known Robert E. Peary, the man credited with reaching the North Pole first in 1909. However, some critics say that Peary never really made it to the North Pole, but it was the African American Henson with four Eskimos who found the real North Pole. Peary had grown weak and sick, sending Henson and the Eskimos on ahead. When Henson discovered he had actually made it to the North Pole with the Eskimos, he returned to Peary. Peary then made it to a spot close to where Henson made the discovery.
Critics aside, both Peary and Henson planted the American flag together, perhaps showing an undercurrent of what could happen if black and white people actually worked together for the success of America. In any event, Henson spent the next 20 years traveling with Peary on other expeditions. His title was personal attendant and dog-driver. However, he did manage to receive some honors, including the Congressional Medal for his joint discovery of the North Pole with Peary.
Possible due to his dark complexion, Henson was adopted by the Eskimos. This could have contributed to their willingness to work alongside him. Henson wrote two books that all youth should be encouraged to read to fan their mind’s imagination: A Negro Explorer at the North Pole, and Dark Companion. Other writers have written about the North Pole find by Henson and Peary, including To the Top of the World by Pauline K. Angell.
There are African and African American (slaves, as well as free) exploring the world before and after Henson. There are historical records showing Africans with the “Spanish, French, and Portuguese. They were with Pizarro in Peru, Cortes in Mexico, Menendez in Florida…Balboa when he discovered the Pacific Ocean…[and the] pilot of one of Columbus’ three ships…” More has not been written about men of dark complexion because the historians and record-keepers of those days generally spoke about the captain or main leader of the expedition. It would be a good project for high school and college African Americans to travel and do research on the unknown African and African Americans who were on other expeditions.
We know of some of the early African American explorers because some of the writers of the day were amazed and wanted to write about these great black men to help undo the negative damage others had done about the feebleness and low-brain capacity of African slaves and their African American descendants.
One of Chicago’s early settlers was Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable. Unless one investigated, it would be assumed that Chicago’s “first permanent settler” was pure French. Traveling with the French, DuSable had come from Haiti, the product of a French planter and his female slave. The father sent DuSable to France for his education and then had him assist him in his shipping business.
Jean DuSable was almost put into slavery when he came to America via New Orleans, but was saved by Jesuit priests. He later married a Potawatomi Indian, had children, became a famous frontier trader, fur trapper, farmer, businessman and the "authenticated father of the nation’s second largest city – Chicago." Others had come through Chicago before DuSable but couldn’t see any future.
Not only did DuSable see a future in Chicago, he built a large five-room house, had modern conveniences, became quite wealthy, and is the first recorded grandfather. His home was built on the present site of the present-day Tribute tower. Although his trading post supplied people from Detroit and Canada and throughout his region, something happened. No one knows if DuSable was threatened by white trappers or what, but he suddenly sold everything for a few cents on the dollar and moved to Missouri, where he died in poverty. Why would a man who was loved by the Indians of the region, had a flourishing business, almost 800 acres of land, all the customers he could handle, and success, move away and die broke? Perhaps a future historian will solve this mystery but I almost know the answer!
Next time: The ending of the “official” Buffalo Soldiers.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Life in America Today is Better Because of Their Inventions!
Hanging up in the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston , Texas
There are over 130 inventions listed on that poster, including things like:
Safety Hood (Gas Mask) in 1914 by Garrett Morgan, who developed the first human hair straightener. This was standard equipment of soldiers in the field and saved thousand of lives. Morgan also invented the Traffic Signal in 1922.
Norbert Raileux’s inventions revolutionized the world’s sugar industry with his vacuum Pan and Sugar Refiner in 1843 and 1846. Jan Earnest Matzeliger invented the lashing machine which improved shoe making from 50 pair a day to 700 pair a day.
Elijah McCoy had over fifty patents from 1872 to 1898, including an ironing table, lawn sprinkler, and his lubrication system which greatly improved air brakes on trains and other vehicles. People soon invented the saying “It’s the real McCoy,” meaning that whatever it was, it was well made. Another man that made work easier and saved thousands of lives worldwide on trains was Andrew J. Beard, who invented the car coupler and rotary engine for trains.
Granville T. Woods received patents that were bought by GE, Westinghouse,
Lewis H. Latimer worked with Alexander Graham Bell and drew the plans for his application for a patent for the telephone. Latimer also received patents on an electric lamp and manufacturing carbons.
Percy Lavon Julian was an organic chemist and invented a drug that reduces the pressure in the eye of people with glaucoma, a substance that put out oil and gas fires (which saved the lives of thousands of American troops during World War II); and produced a drug that relieved the suffers of arthritis.
Lloyd A. Hall discovered an improved way of preserving meat and foods containing fats and oils that are in use today in the meat industry. He also patented a process for curing bacon from six to fifteen days to only hours and over 95 other patents.
Daniel Hale Williams was the first person in medicine to successfully open up the chest and perform open heart surgery, making medical history. His patient, a black man, lived for 50 more years!
Louis Tompkins Wright and his daughter, Dr. Jane Wright, researched chemicals that attack and destroy cancer cells, a process we now call chemotherapy.
A few examples of other inventions by black Americans included:
Lawn mower, boot (improvement), shoe (improvement), letter box (mailbox), folding bed, stair climbing wheelchair, urinalysis machine, disposable syringe, medicine tray, dry cleaning process, home security system with television surveillance, the range gas burner, guitar, golf tee, spark plug, motor, wrench, portable weighing scales, bicycle frame, caps for bottles, envelope seal, pencil sharpener, fire extinguisher, lock coin changer, elevator, pressure cooker, hand stamp, fountain pen, typewriter improvement, clothes wringer, clothes drier, refrigerator, mop, fir escape ladder, sanitary belt, bathroom tissue holder, horseshoe, riding sales, wagon, umbrella stand, liniment, ventilated shoe, apparatus for melting snow, kitchen table, stainless steel pads, egg beater, animal trap, window cleaner, hair brush, printing press steam gage, register, dust pan, bottle, churn, propeller for vessels, razor strapping devise, scaffold, and oh, so many more!
The next time someone poses the question: “And just what have African Americans done to create wealth in
Next time: A few African American explorers also helped
What is October known for? Halloween? The Bilingual Child Month? Church Library Month? Church Safety and Security Month? Domestic Violence Awareness Month? Dyslexia Awareness Month? German American Heritage Month? Global Diversity Awareness Month? National Breast Cancer Awareness Month? National Crime Prevention Month? National Dental Hygiene Month? Polish American Heritage Month? Women’s Small Business Month?
Credit: http://www.brownielocks.com/october.html
You need to check out this web site…it may blow your mind:
http://www.freemaninstitute.com/RTGseminar.htm
And, here are some more:
DID YOU KNOW? There is another resource to help you learn more about Black History? Check out: www.yenoba.com
And another? Check out: http://www.blackhistorypages.net/index.php
Leave a legacy for future generations by helping to restore an armory for the
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Life in America Today is Better Because of His Inventions!
Today’s Information On African American History: October 28, 2009
I don’t think it ever occurred to my folks to tell me when I was small about inventions made by African American people. Although I was aware that I was living in “a white man’s world,” I spent most of my time suffering in the “black folk’s world.”
I was part of a black family which worked hard 6 – 7 days a week in labor work, and although my mother spent as much time with me as she could between 2 – 3 jobs, we didn’t talk much about inventions. However, she always encouraged me to believe that I could do anything. Like the time when we were in the cotton fields and I told her that I saw a machine in my mind that could “suck up” cotton, clean it, and put it in a big container. The older folks in the field just roared with laughter. “Boy, don’t you know that our hands are made for pik’ng cotton? Just look at our hands and look at those boles of cotton. Our hands fit neatly inside the boles and just yanks out the cotton! Boy, nothing will ever replace us in these heah cotton fields!”
I will never forget the roaring laughter all over the field. People could not believe that there would ever be a machine to replace them. While people laughed at my preposterous idea, my mom smiled and said, “That’s alright, son. I believe you. Maybe you will build that machine.” Of course I never did. I just couldn’t see me building much of anything.
Years later when I saw these machines in the field called “cotton-picking machines,” I couldn’t believe that they were so similar to the idea in my head. Since I didn’t know of any black people inventing anything, I just couldn’t see me building a machine. That could be the reason my mother spent a lot of her money buying me books. Books never laughed at me. Books fueled my imagination for better. Then, of course, there was the Bible. Wow! Folks in the Bible days could do all kinds of things, but the art work in the Bible didn’t resemble me.
My maternal grandfather went from laborer to labor contractor to handyman to home and church builder. But I still couldn’t see myself doing that. I was too clumsy, slow, stammered, and things got mixed up in my head. We didn’t know about dyslexia or attention deficit disorder or information processing disorder at that time. We all just knew that “Ed is slow.” Of course, students at school called me other names, but that’s another story!
My mother observed my interest in reading and made sure I had access to books, magazines, and newspapers. Then she subscribed to The Chicago Defender Newspaper, The Pittsburg Courier Newspaper, or some other black newspaper. This fueled my interest in reading further. Then she subscribed to some magazines that had a LOT of black people and a LOT of stories about black people. These magazines were called EBONY, JET, and ¬The Crisis magazine of the NAACP. Now, my creative juices were really flowing!
Between my mother and some key teachers at school, I found out about a great inventor named George Washington Carver, a genius of a black man, a friend of the wealthy Henry Ford, and a man that helped Tuskegee University, and even spent time inventing things to help white farmers. This man was born a slave in 1860 in Diamond Grove, Missouri, didn’t go to college until he was 30, and died one year after I was born.
Mr. Carver intrigued me. Some people called him “The Peanut Man.” I loved peanuts and peanut butter. My maternal grandfather raised peanuts. We roasted peanuts. Our whole family enjoyed peanuts. Mr. Carver was my man!
It seemed that my teachers and a few white historians wanted to make sure youth of my day knew about George Washington Carver. I was especially interested in him because as a child he stammered, like me. His first name was my middle name. And then there were those premonitions and his direct talks with the Creator. Once, his slave master wanted to hurt him bad because George Washington Carver had cut off some of the limbs from his precious orchard, without permission, and seemingly without any good reason.
While the slave master was getting ready to beat George, George tried to explain but his teeth, tongue and mouth got in the way and he stammered. Thankfully, the owner’s wife understood stammering and told her husband to stop. George then picked up a limb and explained by showing the disease growing on the limb. The wife was thankful; the slave owner was amazed; George was thankful! Because of this insight by Mr. Washington, the slave owner was able to save his orchard from blight.
George went on to do more experiments and have these talks with the Creator. The slave master sent George to school and encouraged him in his education. His education included Minneapolis High School in Kansas, Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, Iowa Agricultural College (which is now known as Iowa State University), Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now known as Tuskegee University). He was offered a scholarship at Highland University in Kansas, but when the president met him and discovered he was "a Negro," the scholarship offer was rejected!
Being turned down didn't seem to affect Mr. Carver too much. It wasn’t long before he was making headlines at Tuskegee University with the peanut, from which he invented peanut butter. Along came about 400 more inventions, including a way to improve the soil of white farmers who were losing money because they didn’t understand about nutrients needed in the soil and the need to rotate the crops. The rich became richer off Mr. Carver but he didn’t seem to mind.
Some of Mr. Carver’s inventions including ink, facial cream, shampoo, paint, and soap. He also experimented with the sweet potato “and was able to develop more than 115 products from it including flour, starch and synthetic rubber (the United States Army utilized many of his products during World War I.)”
Many African Americans were not too happy with Mr. Carver. They believed he should have sold his inventions and made millions for himself and “his people.” Mr. Carver didn’t seem to be interested in making money; he just wanted to help America any way he could. He was one of many African Americans who would use their mind unselfishly to create wealth for America, and died without knowing that America would soon scale back on their debt to African Americans.
Next time: Mr. Carver made many white people rich, thus creating wealth for America. There were other African American inventors, male and female, who did likewise. We will review a few next time!
What is October known for? Halloween? The Bilingual Child Month? Church Library Month? Church Safety and Security Month? Domestic Violence Awareness Month? Dyslexia Awareness Month? German American Heritage Month? Global Diversity Awareness Month? National Breast Cancer Awareness Month? National Crime Prevention Month? National Dental Hygiene Month? Polish American Heritage Month? Women’s Small Business Month?
Credit: http://www.brownielocks.com/october.html
You need to check out this web site…it may blow your mind:
http://www.freemaninstitute.com/RTGseminar.htm
And, here are some more:
www.Black101.com
www.BlackChurchMissions.org
www.RosettaStoneReplicas.com
DID YOU KNOW? There is another resource to help you learn more about Black History?
Check out: www.yenoba.com
And another? Check out: http://www.blackhistorypages.net/index.php
I don’t think it ever occurred to my folks to tell me when I was small about inventions made by African American people. Although I was aware that I was living in “a white man’s world,” I spent most of my time suffering in the “black folk’s world.”
I was part of a black family which worked hard 6 – 7 days a week in labor work, and although my mother spent as much time with me as she could between 2 – 3 jobs, we didn’t talk much about inventions. However, she always encouraged me to believe that I could do anything. Like the time when we were in the cotton fields and I told her that I saw a machine in my mind that could “suck up” cotton, clean it, and put it in a big container. The older folks in the field just roared with laughter. “Boy, don’t you know that our hands are made for pik’ng cotton? Just look at our hands and look at those boles of cotton. Our hands fit neatly inside the boles and just yanks out the cotton! Boy, nothing will ever replace us in these heah cotton fields!”
I will never forget the roaring laughter all over the field. People could not believe that there would ever be a machine to replace them. While people laughed at my preposterous idea, my mom smiled and said, “That’s alright, son. I believe you. Maybe you will build that machine.” Of course I never did. I just couldn’t see me building much of anything.
Years later when I saw these machines in the field called “cotton-picking machines,” I couldn’t believe that they were so similar to the idea in my head. Since I didn’t know of any black people inventing anything, I just couldn’t see me building a machine. That could be the reason my mother spent a lot of her money buying me books. Books never laughed at me. Books fueled my imagination for better. Then, of course, there was the Bible. Wow! Folks in the Bible days could do all kinds of things, but the art work in the Bible didn’t resemble me.
My maternal grandfather went from laborer to labor contractor to handyman to home and church builder. But I still couldn’t see myself doing that. I was too clumsy, slow, stammered, and things got mixed up in my head. We didn’t know about dyslexia or attention deficit disorder or information processing disorder at that time. We all just knew that “Ed is slow.” Of course, students at school called me other names, but that’s another story!
My mother observed my interest in reading and made sure I had access to books, magazines, and newspapers. Then she subscribed to The Chicago Defender Newspaper, The Pittsburg Courier Newspaper, or some other black newspaper. This fueled my interest in reading further. Then she subscribed to some magazines that had a LOT of black people and a LOT of stories about black people. These magazines were called EBONY, JET, and ¬The Crisis magazine of the NAACP. Now, my creative juices were really flowing!
Between my mother and some key teachers at school, I found out about a great inventor named George Washington Carver, a genius of a black man, a friend of the wealthy Henry Ford, and a man that helped Tuskegee University, and even spent time inventing things to help white farmers. This man was born a slave in 1860 in Diamond Grove, Missouri, didn’t go to college until he was 30, and died one year after I was born.
Mr. Carver intrigued me. Some people called him “The Peanut Man.” I loved peanuts and peanut butter. My maternal grandfather raised peanuts. We roasted peanuts. Our whole family enjoyed peanuts. Mr. Carver was my man!
It seemed that my teachers and a few white historians wanted to make sure youth of my day knew about George Washington Carver. I was especially interested in him because as a child he stammered, like me. His first name was my middle name. And then there were those premonitions and his direct talks with the Creator. Once, his slave master wanted to hurt him bad because George Washington Carver had cut off some of the limbs from his precious orchard, without permission, and seemingly without any good reason.
While the slave master was getting ready to beat George, George tried to explain but his teeth, tongue and mouth got in the way and he stammered. Thankfully, the owner’s wife understood stammering and told her husband to stop. George then picked up a limb and explained by showing the disease growing on the limb. The wife was thankful; the slave owner was amazed; George was thankful! Because of this insight by Mr. Washington, the slave owner was able to save his orchard from blight.
George went on to do more experiments and have these talks with the Creator. The slave master sent George to school and encouraged him in his education. His education included Minneapolis High School in Kansas, Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, Iowa Agricultural College (which is now known as Iowa State University), Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now known as Tuskegee University). He was offered a scholarship at Highland University in Kansas, but when the president met him and discovered he was "a Negro," the scholarship offer was rejected!
Being turned down didn't seem to affect Mr. Carver too much. It wasn’t long before he was making headlines at Tuskegee University with the peanut, from which he invented peanut butter. Along came about 400 more inventions, including a way to improve the soil of white farmers who were losing money because they didn’t understand about nutrients needed in the soil and the need to rotate the crops. The rich became richer off Mr. Carver but he didn’t seem to mind.
Some of Mr. Carver’s inventions including ink, facial cream, shampoo, paint, and soap. He also experimented with the sweet potato “and was able to develop more than 115 products from it including flour, starch and synthetic rubber (the United States Army utilized many of his products during World War I.)”
Many African Americans were not too happy with Mr. Carver. They believed he should have sold his inventions and made millions for himself and “his people.” Mr. Carver didn’t seem to be interested in making money; he just wanted to help America any way he could. He was one of many African Americans who would use their mind unselfishly to create wealth for America, and died without knowing that America would soon scale back on their debt to African Americans.
Next time: Mr. Carver made many white people rich, thus creating wealth for America. There were other African American inventors, male and female, who did likewise. We will review a few next time!
What is October known for? Halloween? The Bilingual Child Month? Church Library Month? Church Safety and Security Month? Domestic Violence Awareness Month? Dyslexia Awareness Month? German American Heritage Month? Global Diversity Awareness Month? National Breast Cancer Awareness Month? National Crime Prevention Month? National Dental Hygiene Month? Polish American Heritage Month? Women’s Small Business Month?
Credit: http://www.brownielocks.com/october.html
You need to check out this web site…it may blow your mind:
http://www.freemaninstitute.com/RTGseminar.htm
And, here are some more:
www.Black101.com
www.BlackChurchMissions.org
www.RosettaStoneReplicas.com
DID YOU KNOW? There is another resource to help you learn more about Black History?
Check out: www.yenoba.com
And another? Check out: http://www.blackhistorypages.net/index.php
Monday, October 26, 2009
Medicine and Health Care: Great Jobs In the Past; Great Jobs For the Future!
October 27, 2009
Today’s Information On African American History
Maybe it was because they were slaves, or descendants of slaves. At any rate, many African Americans have found good fortune in the field of medicine and health care. This was an area in which most slave kidnappers, slave traders, and slave masters paid little attention. Slaves were so plentiful that if some died early or slowed down because of health issues, there were other slaves to take their place.
As African Americans grew in awareness of the importance of health care, the field of medicine and health care for African American practitioners was wide open. Not many white doctors were willing to treat African Americans. At the same time, many African Americans had hand-me-down herbal and medicinal recipes they could use for colds, rashes, burns, bites, and a number of ailments.
However, some African Americans that had a serious interest in health and medicine and had opportunity for schooling made a concentrated effort to get through enough schooling in order to be accepted into some medical school. Again, not many medical schools were willing to accept African Americans interested in doctoring,
Dr. Charles Richard Drew, born in 1904 in Washington, DC, had interest, but everyone at Dunbar High School in Washington figured since he was so good in track, starring as a four letterman, and football that he would major in athletics. He even went on to “study at Amherst College, where his prowess in track and football won him the annual Mossman trophy as the athlete who brought the highest honor to his school.”
After graduating from Amherst, Charles Drew excelled as a coach and a biology and chemistry instructor at Morgan State College in Baltimore, Maryland. However, he had another interest: to enter the field of medicine. He left Morgan State and went to Montreal, Canada, enrolled in McGill University's Medical School, was granted two fellowships and was awarded his doctorate of medicine and master of surgery degrees.
Dr. Drew was an intern and resident in Montreal hospitals and returned to the United States in 1935 to accept an appointment as instructor in pathology at the College of Medicine of Howard University in Washington, D.C. where he advanced to become assistant professor of surgery.
Dr. Drew’s work at Howard University caught the attention of prominent professionals and he was recommended for one of the Rockefeller fellowships at Columbia where he could advance in all fields of medicine. While there, he met the famous Dr. John Scudder, an assistant professor of clinical surgery at Columbia University “who was achieving national recognition for his research findings relating to body fluids. Dr. Scudder had been asked to give overall direction to the Plasma for Britain Project [due to war challenges].”
Dr. Drew excelled at Columbia when he “prepared a 200 page thesis entitled "Banked Blood," which further alerted Dr. Scudder to the keen mind and talents of his pupil. The Columbia professor said the thesis was "a masterpiece one of the most distinguished essays ever written, both in form and content." He had Dr. Drew to assist in the international blood plasma development. While others had worked on such things on a small scale, it was Dr. Drew who put the work into mass production. The final product he developed was “dried plasma rather than the earlier liquid form that was sent to England. In dry form, plasma could be preserved for relatively long periods and administered under battlefield conditions. The outgrowth of this project was the American Red Cross Blood Donor Service during World War II.”
Whether racial or not, Dr. Drew was not allowed to lead in some other research furthering his development. He resigned and returned to Howard University, trained others to become successful surgeons, “received honorary degrees from Virginia State and Amherst Colleges in 1945 and 1947.” He was one of the first African Americans to be selected for membership on the American Board of Surgery, and received the Springarn Medal of NAACP.
Many saved lives due to blood plasma can be attributed to Dr. Charles Drew. He could have done more for America and the world if it hadn’t been for harsh racial attitudes during his day. When he and other doctors should have stopped and rested in hotels, they had to push on. Unfortunately, Dr. Drew was driving a friend’s car, had a serious accident, and died close to a white hospital. While many said that it wasn’t a racial thing, Dr. Drew was transported quite a ways away where he was pronounced dead.
A brilliant mind is a terrible thing to waste, but many brilliant minds like that of Dr. John Drew may have been allowed to go to waste when he was killed in an auto accident. He had saved thousands, probably millions of life from his work; he may have died because America hadn’t advanced far enough to give him proper lodging, thus preserving his life a little longer. He is credited with the most important bank in the world: The Blood Bank.
Credits:
David C Cook “Black America: Yesterday and Today”
American Red Cross http://www.redcross.org/museum/history/charlesdrew.asp
Next time: Inventions have helped make America a very innovative nation, reaping profits for many of its inventors, except for most African Americans. Next time, we will look at some of the African American inventions that have made American most prosperous.
What is October known for? Halloween? The Bilingual Child Month? Church Library Month? Church Safety and Security Month? Domestic Violence Awareness Month? Dyslexia Awareness Month? German American Heritage Month? Global Diversity Awareness Month? National Breast Cancer Awareness Month? National Crime Prevention Month? National Dental Hygiene Month? Polish American Heritage Month? Women’s Small Business Month?
Credit: http://www.brownielocks.com/october.html
You need to check out this web site…it may blow your mind: http://www.freemaninstitute.com/RTGseminar.htm
And, here are some more:
www.Black101.com
www.BlackChurchMissions.org
www.RosettaStoneReplicas.com
DID YOU KNOW? There is another resource to help you learn more about Black History?
Check out: www.yenoba.com
And another? Check out: http://www.blackhistorypages.net/index.php
SPECIAL NOTE:
Leave a legacy for future generations by helping to restore an armory for the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in 2010. Less than $4 million is needed for the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum to restore the historic Houston Light Guard Armory (1925). Buy a brick for $100 or $500 or $1,000 or $2,500 or $5,000. Have your name added in their “Legacy of Fame” hall. Get your NFL, NBA, or other professional sports relative to invest $1 million or more and thus give back to future generations by having a hall or room named after them. Get your relative in entertainment to donate $1 million or more and thus leave a legacy that will outlive them by having space dedicated to them.
Contact Ed Udell @ 832-216-7786 for your next speaker at your church conferences, youth meetings, community events, or for diversity programs, teaching writing grant writing, and/or teaching others about health/nutrition, and help for senior citizens.
Today’s Information On African American History
Maybe it was because they were slaves, or descendants of slaves. At any rate, many African Americans have found good fortune in the field of medicine and health care. This was an area in which most slave kidnappers, slave traders, and slave masters paid little attention. Slaves were so plentiful that if some died early or slowed down because of health issues, there were other slaves to take their place.
As African Americans grew in awareness of the importance of health care, the field of medicine and health care for African American practitioners was wide open. Not many white doctors were willing to treat African Americans. At the same time, many African Americans had hand-me-down herbal and medicinal recipes they could use for colds, rashes, burns, bites, and a number of ailments.
However, some African Americans that had a serious interest in health and medicine and had opportunity for schooling made a concentrated effort to get through enough schooling in order to be accepted into some medical school. Again, not many medical schools were willing to accept African Americans interested in doctoring,
Dr. Charles Richard Drew, born in 1904 in Washington, DC, had interest, but everyone at Dunbar High School in Washington figured since he was so good in track, starring as a four letterman, and football that he would major in athletics. He even went on to “study at Amherst College, where his prowess in track and football won him the annual Mossman trophy as the athlete who brought the highest honor to his school.”
After graduating from Amherst, Charles Drew excelled as a coach and a biology and chemistry instructor at Morgan State College in Baltimore, Maryland. However, he had another interest: to enter the field of medicine. He left Morgan State and went to Montreal, Canada, enrolled in McGill University's Medical School, was granted two fellowships and was awarded his doctorate of medicine and master of surgery degrees.
Dr. Drew was an intern and resident in Montreal hospitals and returned to the United States in 1935 to accept an appointment as instructor in pathology at the College of Medicine of Howard University in Washington, D.C. where he advanced to become assistant professor of surgery.
Dr. Drew’s work at Howard University caught the attention of prominent professionals and he was recommended for one of the Rockefeller fellowships at Columbia where he could advance in all fields of medicine. While there, he met the famous Dr. John Scudder, an assistant professor of clinical surgery at Columbia University “who was achieving national recognition for his research findings relating to body fluids. Dr. Scudder had been asked to give overall direction to the Plasma for Britain Project [due to war challenges].”
Dr. Drew excelled at Columbia when he “prepared a 200 page thesis entitled "Banked Blood," which further alerted Dr. Scudder to the keen mind and talents of his pupil. The Columbia professor said the thesis was "a masterpiece one of the most distinguished essays ever written, both in form and content." He had Dr. Drew to assist in the international blood plasma development. While others had worked on such things on a small scale, it was Dr. Drew who put the work into mass production. The final product he developed was “dried plasma rather than the earlier liquid form that was sent to England. In dry form, plasma could be preserved for relatively long periods and administered under battlefield conditions. The outgrowth of this project was the American Red Cross Blood Donor Service during World War II.”
Whether racial or not, Dr. Drew was not allowed to lead in some other research furthering his development. He resigned and returned to Howard University, trained others to become successful surgeons, “received honorary degrees from Virginia State and Amherst Colleges in 1945 and 1947.” He was one of the first African Americans to be selected for membership on the American Board of Surgery, and received the Springarn Medal of NAACP.
Many saved lives due to blood plasma can be attributed to Dr. Charles Drew. He could have done more for America and the world if it hadn’t been for harsh racial attitudes during his day. When he and other doctors should have stopped and rested in hotels, they had to push on. Unfortunately, Dr. Drew was driving a friend’s car, had a serious accident, and died close to a white hospital. While many said that it wasn’t a racial thing, Dr. Drew was transported quite a ways away where he was pronounced dead.
A brilliant mind is a terrible thing to waste, but many brilliant minds like that of Dr. John Drew may have been allowed to go to waste when he was killed in an auto accident. He had saved thousands, probably millions of life from his work; he may have died because America hadn’t advanced far enough to give him proper lodging, thus preserving his life a little longer. He is credited with the most important bank in the world: The Blood Bank.
Credits:
David C Cook “Black America: Yesterday and Today”
American Red Cross http://www.redcross.org/museum/history/charlesdrew.asp
Next time: Inventions have helped make America a very innovative nation, reaping profits for many of its inventors, except for most African Americans. Next time, we will look at some of the African American inventions that have made American most prosperous.
What is October known for? Halloween? The Bilingual Child Month? Church Library Month? Church Safety and Security Month? Domestic Violence Awareness Month? Dyslexia Awareness Month? German American Heritage Month? Global Diversity Awareness Month? National Breast Cancer Awareness Month? National Crime Prevention Month? National Dental Hygiene Month? Polish American Heritage Month? Women’s Small Business Month?
Credit: http://www.brownielocks.com/october.html
You need to check out this web site…it may blow your mind: http://www.freemaninstitute.com/RTGseminar.htm
And, here are some more:
www.Black101.com
www.BlackChurchMissions.org
www.RosettaStoneReplicas.com
DID YOU KNOW? There is another resource to help you learn more about Black History?
Check out: www.yenoba.com
And another? Check out: http://www.blackhistorypages.net/index.php
SPECIAL NOTE:
Leave a legacy for future generations by helping to restore an armory for the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in 2010. Less than $4 million is needed for the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum to restore the historic Houston Light Guard Armory (1925). Buy a brick for $100 or $500 or $1,000 or $2,500 or $5,000. Have your name added in their “Legacy of Fame” hall. Get your NFL, NBA, or other professional sports relative to invest $1 million or more and thus give back to future generations by having a hall or room named after them. Get your relative in entertainment to donate $1 million or more and thus leave a legacy that will outlive them by having space dedicated to them.
Contact Ed Udell @ 832-216-7786 for your next speaker at your church conferences, youth meetings, community events, or for diversity programs, teaching writing grant writing, and/or teaching others about health/nutrition, and help for senior citizens.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
A Better Understanding of 3 John 2
Today was a good healthy day for me! After I had a light stroke (TIA) in 2006, I was forced to train my right side again. I had to get serious then because I was not allowed to drive for 6 months! It’s strange how serious we can get about physical fitness information, health, wellness, nutrition, and exercise when we have had a serious health challenge!
After I had gotten permission to drive again, I was so far in debt that I took on two jobs to try to catch up and get ahead economically. This didn’t leave much room to exercise, but since I was now watching my calorie intake (usually 2,000 per day), I felt like I was being good to my body.
It didn’t take too long before my body began to rebel---again! I began having all kinds of aches and pains. My wife told me I needed more rest. I figured that just wasn’t possible. I was active in church, working two jobs, trying to do some writing, working on completing Bible school, and stay somewhat current on my ever-growing e-mail.
Before I knew it, I was having some health challenges---again. After finishing Bible school, I was able to get a little bit more rest, but I figured out I was still losing about 8 days of rest monthly. My body began to be mean to me! My joints were hurting; my head didn’t feel right; and sometimes numbness began to creep over where I had the stroke, and my left hand would curl up and would not cooperate.
After several visits to my primary doctor and being sent to specialists, I began to figure out that while praying for my health was good, God wanted me to use my brain and take care of myself. So, I made a plan: I would begin back exercising when I felt better and I would cut down on one of my jobs…someday. Then it happened recently---pain on the left side of my chest!
One day I just couldn’t take the pain. I figured I must be having a very bad case of indigestion, or---I could be having a slight heart attack. Slight? There is nothing slight about having a heart attack!
I drove myself to ER after telling my supervisor that I just didn’t feel well. After the exam, the doctors asked me some questions about my routine. I had just started back doing some stretches and toning about two weeks earlier. Thus, they figured, I had probably pulled a muscle. Probably? I was STILL hurting!
My primary doctor was concerned about my continuing high blood pressure. Although she had me on several medications, now she was adding a stronger one for hypertension. I saw concern on her face and it made me somewhat uncomfortable. My wife told me I needed more rest. My mother told me from 2,000 miles away I needed more rest. My wife’s mother across the hall in our senior complex told me I needed more rest. Some of my grown children from miles away suggested I needed to take it easy. How was I supposed to take it easy when I had all these medical bills and bills from when I wasn’t working? Plus, there was a lot of ministry I wanted to do and since I didn’t have the temperament to be a pastor, I would need to be able to support myself or get a lot of friends and family members to help me.
The pain in my chest would not leave me alone. Then one day my wife noticed that although she had carried our five children, my belly was beginning to compete with hers! I tried to suck it in, but it would hardly bulge. I could push it up and it would just roll up and down. I began to think of all the other men who had those jelly roll stomachs. Now, I was one of them! One day I looked sideways in the mirror…I began to look like a pregnant man!
I finally decided to pray about my situation. Perhaps God had a miracle of healing and another one for my prosperity. After a season of prayer, I sensed He wanted me to quit one of my jobs. I resisted because it just didn’t make sense. I had plans to do so much for Him, but I also had these other obligations coming in the form of mail and phone calls.
Like Jacob, I wrestled with my decision, but I lost. When I told God that it didn’t make sense but He and everyone else was right and I was wrong---I needed to quit one of my jobs and cut back on the other job. As far as the bills, oh well, I had talked about faith, taught about faith, and was going to a church that strongly taught faith, now it was time for me to walk the talk, knowing there would probably be a season of being uncomfortable while the manifestations of my faith could catch up with my speaking faith and trusting God’s plan over mine. I just didn’t want to be uncomfortable. It was easy to talk faith when I had a great income, health insurance, credit cards, and some money in the bank. Take those things away from me and I was a little nervous!
Well, it has been almost two months since I made the decision to believe God for better and take care of my body. Oh yeah, it has been somewhat uncomfortable, trying to balance ½ of my income with double the expenses. However, it has been quite an adventure!
My health is much better, along with my attitude. Someone remarked about a month ago that I looked happier than he had ever seen me in about 20 years. Wow! There is something to be said about taking care of one’s health and on purpose spending more time with the Creator!
Yep! Today was a good day. I just completed my exercise and nutrition journal. I began keeping one about 3 years ago. I had no idea the affect of what I wanted to eat was having on my body. When I began to chart calorie intake needed, while tracking carbs, fat, and protein, I began to read labels of food I wanted. I had no idea how many calories a hamburger, fries, a shake, and certain sweets contained! Today, my 2,000 calorie intake was down to 1320. Oops! I forgot to add my snack of 3 large chocolate chip cookies my wife just made. Whoa! My calorie intake jumped up to 1527. I had no idea what three cookies could do! In times past, I would have had 4, 5, or 6 cookies. And I probably would have added a candy bar. Some things are easier to give up when one doesn’t have the money!
When I added the three cookies just now, my fat content jumped from 31 grams to 51 grams, my carbs went from 200 grams to 227, and my protein count jumped a little from 47 grams to 51 grams---I am glad my wife cut back on some ingredients!
Learning how to improve my health through understanding what I eat has been eye-opening. Three years ago I wasn’t concerned about things like: saturated fats, mono unsaturated fats, trans fats, dietary fiber, starch, sugars, sucrose, glucose, fructose, lactose, maltose, galactose, tryptophan, threonine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, cystine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, valine, arginine, histidine, alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, proline, serine, hydroxyproline, cholesterol, retinol, retinal activity, betacarotene, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, folic acid, pantothenic, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, fluoride, water, ash, caffeine, theobromine, a whole lot of words I can’t even pronounce, and all those vitamins (A, B6, B12, C, D, E, K). God made all of the natural things to be taken in a certain quantity, in a right way, and in combination with other like items to match what our bodies need. He never planned for us to eat the chemicals we consume in canned and frozen foods. However, many of us just ate what tasted good, looked good, smelled good, and felt good. We are not too far removed from Eve when she consumed something not good for her at the time!
Now that I have a 3-year record of my consistent recording of what I eat, I plan to help others. The software program that one of my health consultants developed is fantastic! He and I are working on a plan where I can offer a virtual health center for all of my family and friends who are so interested. For about $30 a month, we can replicate this work nationwide. For another $30 a month, I can help anyone set up their program and help them record and track what they eat and meet with them weekly in consultation. Of course, if there are some who need more accountability, I can meet with them DAILY but that will cost them! Accountability is easier for me---I have a caring wife watching me!
Hey! You can start improving your health right now! Begin by drinking more water, but try to get the water as pure as possible. Then, begin to do some simple stretches before beginning a walking program. Then move into some aerobics. When it’s time to eat, learn what a serving is. Unless you have really big fists, a serving is about the size of the average fist. Check out the food pyramid. Eat more grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables and cut back, way back, on red meat. And, of course, cut out the pork! Ask God to give you grace if you have been raised on bacon, pork chops, pork sausage, and pork ribs. Of course, check with your doctor before you begin any exercise or change your diet. This is especially true if you are diabetic or have other serious health challenges.
If any would like to see a copy of one of my food charts for a week, send me an e-mail. I pray that you prosper mentally, physically, socially, and financially, even as you prosper in your soul spiritually.
After I had gotten permission to drive again, I was so far in debt that I took on two jobs to try to catch up and get ahead economically. This didn’t leave much room to exercise, but since I was now watching my calorie intake (usually 2,000 per day), I felt like I was being good to my body.
It didn’t take too long before my body began to rebel---again! I began having all kinds of aches and pains. My wife told me I needed more rest. I figured that just wasn’t possible. I was active in church, working two jobs, trying to do some writing, working on completing Bible school, and stay somewhat current on my ever-growing e-mail.
Before I knew it, I was having some health challenges---again. After finishing Bible school, I was able to get a little bit more rest, but I figured out I was still losing about 8 days of rest monthly. My body began to be mean to me! My joints were hurting; my head didn’t feel right; and sometimes numbness began to creep over where I had the stroke, and my left hand would curl up and would not cooperate.
After several visits to my primary doctor and being sent to specialists, I began to figure out that while praying for my health was good, God wanted me to use my brain and take care of myself. So, I made a plan: I would begin back exercising when I felt better and I would cut down on one of my jobs…someday. Then it happened recently---pain on the left side of my chest!
One day I just couldn’t take the pain. I figured I must be having a very bad case of indigestion, or---I could be having a slight heart attack. Slight? There is nothing slight about having a heart attack!
I drove myself to ER after telling my supervisor that I just didn’t feel well. After the exam, the doctors asked me some questions about my routine. I had just started back doing some stretches and toning about two weeks earlier. Thus, they figured, I had probably pulled a muscle. Probably? I was STILL hurting!
My primary doctor was concerned about my continuing high blood pressure. Although she had me on several medications, now she was adding a stronger one for hypertension. I saw concern on her face and it made me somewhat uncomfortable. My wife told me I needed more rest. My mother told me from 2,000 miles away I needed more rest. My wife’s mother across the hall in our senior complex told me I needed more rest. Some of my grown children from miles away suggested I needed to take it easy. How was I supposed to take it easy when I had all these medical bills and bills from when I wasn’t working? Plus, there was a lot of ministry I wanted to do and since I didn’t have the temperament to be a pastor, I would need to be able to support myself or get a lot of friends and family members to help me.
The pain in my chest would not leave me alone. Then one day my wife noticed that although she had carried our five children, my belly was beginning to compete with hers! I tried to suck it in, but it would hardly bulge. I could push it up and it would just roll up and down. I began to think of all the other men who had those jelly roll stomachs. Now, I was one of them! One day I looked sideways in the mirror…I began to look like a pregnant man!
I finally decided to pray about my situation. Perhaps God had a miracle of healing and another one for my prosperity. After a season of prayer, I sensed He wanted me to quit one of my jobs. I resisted because it just didn’t make sense. I had plans to do so much for Him, but I also had these other obligations coming in the form of mail and phone calls.
Like Jacob, I wrestled with my decision, but I lost. When I told God that it didn’t make sense but He and everyone else was right and I was wrong---I needed to quit one of my jobs and cut back on the other job. As far as the bills, oh well, I had talked about faith, taught about faith, and was going to a church that strongly taught faith, now it was time for me to walk the talk, knowing there would probably be a season of being uncomfortable while the manifestations of my faith could catch up with my speaking faith and trusting God’s plan over mine. I just didn’t want to be uncomfortable. It was easy to talk faith when I had a great income, health insurance, credit cards, and some money in the bank. Take those things away from me and I was a little nervous!
Well, it has been almost two months since I made the decision to believe God for better and take care of my body. Oh yeah, it has been somewhat uncomfortable, trying to balance ½ of my income with double the expenses. However, it has been quite an adventure!
My health is much better, along with my attitude. Someone remarked about a month ago that I looked happier than he had ever seen me in about 20 years. Wow! There is something to be said about taking care of one’s health and on purpose spending more time with the Creator!
Yep! Today was a good day. I just completed my exercise and nutrition journal. I began keeping one about 3 years ago. I had no idea the affect of what I wanted to eat was having on my body. When I began to chart calorie intake needed, while tracking carbs, fat, and protein, I began to read labels of food I wanted. I had no idea how many calories a hamburger, fries, a shake, and certain sweets contained! Today, my 2,000 calorie intake was down to 1320. Oops! I forgot to add my snack of 3 large chocolate chip cookies my wife just made. Whoa! My calorie intake jumped up to 1527. I had no idea what three cookies could do! In times past, I would have had 4, 5, or 6 cookies. And I probably would have added a candy bar. Some things are easier to give up when one doesn’t have the money!
When I added the three cookies just now, my fat content jumped from 31 grams to 51 grams, my carbs went from 200 grams to 227, and my protein count jumped a little from 47 grams to 51 grams---I am glad my wife cut back on some ingredients!
Learning how to improve my health through understanding what I eat has been eye-opening. Three years ago I wasn’t concerned about things like: saturated fats, mono unsaturated fats, trans fats, dietary fiber, starch, sugars, sucrose, glucose, fructose, lactose, maltose, galactose, tryptophan, threonine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, cystine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, valine, arginine, histidine, alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, proline, serine, hydroxyproline, cholesterol, retinol, retinal activity, betacarotene, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, folic acid, pantothenic, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, fluoride, water, ash, caffeine, theobromine, a whole lot of words I can’t even pronounce, and all those vitamins (A, B6, B12, C, D, E, K). God made all of the natural things to be taken in a certain quantity, in a right way, and in combination with other like items to match what our bodies need. He never planned for us to eat the chemicals we consume in canned and frozen foods. However, many of us just ate what tasted good, looked good, smelled good, and felt good. We are not too far removed from Eve when she consumed something not good for her at the time!
Now that I have a 3-year record of my consistent recording of what I eat, I plan to help others. The software program that one of my health consultants developed is fantastic! He and I are working on a plan where I can offer a virtual health center for all of my family and friends who are so interested. For about $30 a month, we can replicate this work nationwide. For another $30 a month, I can help anyone set up their program and help them record and track what they eat and meet with them weekly in consultation. Of course, if there are some who need more accountability, I can meet with them DAILY but that will cost them! Accountability is easier for me---I have a caring wife watching me!
Hey! You can start improving your health right now! Begin by drinking more water, but try to get the water as pure as possible. Then, begin to do some simple stretches before beginning a walking program. Then move into some aerobics. When it’s time to eat, learn what a serving is. Unless you have really big fists, a serving is about the size of the average fist. Check out the food pyramid. Eat more grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables and cut back, way back, on red meat. And, of course, cut out the pork! Ask God to give you grace if you have been raised on bacon, pork chops, pork sausage, and pork ribs. Of course, check with your doctor before you begin any exercise or change your diet. This is especially true if you are diabetic or have other serious health challenges.
If any would like to see a copy of one of my food charts for a week, send me an e-mail. I pray that you prosper mentally, physically, socially, and financially, even as you prosper in your soul spiritually.
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