Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is traditionally the time when we express our gratitude for our blessings. With all the problems we face in our lives and in the world, there is still much for us to be thankful. This is the time of year when we can reflect on the year that was and prepare for the year to come. As we celebrate the the Thanksgiving holiday, I would like to take this opportunity to say thanks to those who sent me those kind notes, cards, e-mails, and in boxed me this year. Your words have made this journey worthwhile and I will be eternally grateful for all of your guidance and support. But I also like to take the time to say thanks to my haters; your vile words/actions and other tricks have inspired me to continue this blog. So, THANK YOU! After careful consideration and thought, I felt there was a need to phase out this blog, but with the continued establishiment of anti-Informer blogs and facebook pages, I felt that there must be an audience for what I have to say since there are so many outlets that are have been solely establised to blog about this blog. I am grateful that this blog has allowed me to comment on the different issues that plague the City of Lumberton. I'm not sure what direction this site will take, but I felt that K.B., the person that inspired me to blog in the first place, said it best with the following statement: "I plan to spend my time on the [blog] focusing on the message of reclaiming our power. That doesn't mean every article on the site will be positive,[especially the year end review] but I will try to discuss those issues in the context of recognizing our power as a community and as individuals. Instead of feeling powerless about the problems we see in the world, we can do something about them." At times it is difficult to run a blog focused on race and politics without encountering a lot of negative news/attention. Thanks to all the tension at city hall and the lack of regard THIS police department has for the citizens of Lumberton, it seems every week there is a new hate crime, injustice or offensive remark to report and focusing on that alone can lead one to believe that Lumberton is full of misery and disappointment. There are some good people in Lumberton but it seems that we only get a reaction when the bad ones take the spotlight and I, too, am guilty for just promoting the issues that are not very positive. Instead, I would like to focus on those that help the community through small and large gestures, those that take their time to mentor the young, donate their time and volunteer in the community.
Audre Lorde once wrote, "When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision -- then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid." There's nothing wrong with fear as long as you don't let it paralyze you from doing what you need to do to move your life forward. WTBS: Happy Thanksgiving and Dare to be powerful!