No More D.R.A.M.A.

Inspired by a song by Mary J. Blige and her own story of empowering herself to love herself. I nearly boiled over with passion to correct everyone and fix everything. I could totally appreciate the "change" in Mary's delivery of who she is. Not that I know her personally I don't, I can only identify with the lyrics and rhythm she delivers. Observe the characters throughout the years she has been before the general public and openly criticized. Even I had the audacity to dislike her because of the "haters" and media. Until last year as I was viewing Mtvone and watched her elaborate the videos as they told her story. I was intrigued by the journey to herself and her acceptance of her discovery. Another biography about her found on this site; http://music.aol.com/artist/mary-j-blige/biography/1042847 referring no more drama reads, " When her debut album, What's the 411?, hit the street in 1992, critics and fans alike were floored by its powerful combination of modern R&B with an edgy rap sound that glanced off of the pain and grit of Mary J. Blige's Yonkers, NY, childhood. Called alternately the new Chaka Khan or new Aretha Franklin, Blige had little in common stylistically with either of those artists, but like them, she helped adorn soul music with new textures and flavors that inspired a whole generation of musicians. With her blonde hair, self-preserving slouch, and combat boots, Blige was street-tough and beautiful all at once, and the record company execs who profited off of her early releases did little to dispel the bad-girl image that she earned as she stumbled through the dizzying first days of her career. As she exorcised her personal demons and softened her style to include sleek designer clothes, she remained a hero to thousands of girls growing up in the same kinds of rough places she came from. Blige reinvented her career again and again by shedding the bad habits and bad influences that kept her down; by the time her fourth album, Mary, was released in 1999, she had matured into an expressive singer able to put the full power of her voice behind her music, while still reflecting a strong urban style. With her fifth album, No More Drama, it wasn't just Blige's style that shone through the structures set up for her by songwriters and producers, it was her own vision -- spiritual, emotional, personal, and full of wisdom, it reflected an artist who was comfortable with who she was and how far she had come." The piece ends with "Released in 1997, Share My World marked the beginning of Blige's creative partnerships with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The album was another hit for Blige and debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. Critics soured somewhat on its more conventional soul sound, but Blige's fans seemed undaunted. By the time her next studio album, Mary, came out in 1999, the fullness and elegance of her new sound seemed more developed, as Blige exuded a classic soul style aided by material from Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Stevie Wonder, and Lauryn Hill. Mary made it obvious that the ghetto fabulous style and more confrontational aspects of her music were gone, while the emotive power still remained.
That power also helped carry the more modern-sounding 2001 release No More Drama, a deeply personal album that remained a collective effort musically yet reflected more of Blige's songwriting than any of her previous efforts. The Mary J. Blige on No More Drama seemed miles away from the flashy kid on What's the 411?, yet it was still possible to see the path through her music that produced an older, wiser, but still expressive artist. In 2003 she was reunited with P. Diddy, who produced the majority of that year's patchy Love and Life album. The Breakthrough followed two years later and was a tremendous success, spawning a handful of major singles. By the December 2006 release of Reflections (A Retrospective), The Breakthrough's lead single, "Be Without You," had spent nearly a year on the R&B chart, while the album's fifth single, "Take Me as I Am," had been on the same chart for over four months. A year later Blige came out with her eight studio album, Growing Pains, whose single "Work That" was featured on an iTunes commercial. ~ Stacia Proefrock, All Music Guide." Just wanted to emphasize what the drama means to me. I began using acronyms to redefine circumstance and situations. After watching Mary again June 19, 2009, I decided D=depressive and R=rhetoric A=against M=my A=abilities. No more depressive rhetoric against my abilities. I really appreciate this new code of identification(personally). Rhetoric is what accusations and judgemental comments are. Yet, words are powerful and we should be careful as not to wound an individual or depreciate their character. We are all becoming or overcoming and each has a specific need of realization. Three people can observe the same train wreck yet each will give a different interpretation of the event. Because we tend to gravitate toward what is familiar and denounce or fear what we have not yet learned. We make comments like, "silver spoon" , "ghetto", "thugs" and "hoodlums" just to name a few of the labels we give to one another and permanently scar or build. I look back on my life and revisit some of the poems I wrote and I can hardly believe it is the same person. I mean I was devoid of life and happiness. I was full of s.h.i.t., simple humor interpreting truths. My reality was fictional and so profound that it repeatedly clouded what was real and what was false. Delusional and dark. There was a time I seized for four years and I excepted that as my reality and modified my activities to minimal. People interacted and communicated with me and no one felt the need to explain that I was speaking from a tunnel of unrealistic and diluted opinions. I functioned as a child and did not take responsibility for anything that led me to that state of mind. It was everyone but my fault. I wore strange styles, bleached and cut my hair drastically. I wore mixed matched shoes(actually same style different colors). I dressed to invoke a fight or argument. When people would point out that I had on "mixed-matched", I'd reply, "and I have another pair exactly like these at home". I did not work because I could not lift myself from the deep pity I had thrown myself into. Thank GOD, I attracted men that looked for a problem to fix. I was a good housekeeper but a lousy companion. Being home with nothing to do all day but conjure up the next argument began to really take a toll on my life. GOD had to pull my coat and tell me that HE WOULD REQUIRE JUSTICE from me despite my decision to be irresponsible. I could not con HIM. I could not hide from HIM and I needed to reevaluate and redesign myself. I could see what was wrong and knew how to fix everyone and I was the one really b.r.o.k.e, believing rhetoric over kind energy. I was a wordy person and loved to catch you off guard. I hated weak and despised strong. Double-minded(read, r u kidding me) and unable to see my own ignorance. I remained in this state of depression and self-destruction for more than half my life. Of the almost 47 years I have only spent the last 17 listening to GOD and trying to abide by my Spirit and not my flesh. The night JESUS was accosted in the Garden of Gethsemane HE had asked the 11 of the twelve men HE had spent the last 03 years teaching and healing and feeding, to watch for HIM while HE went to PRAY. The book of Matthew 26:40 & 41 records, "Then HE(JESUS) ame to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, 'What! Could you not watch with ME for one hour? Watch and Pray, lest you enter into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." The Apostle Paul speaking to the church in the book of Galatians 05:16 & 17 reads , "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish." O.k. so within your own body is a spiritual war. No one has to instigate or influence, you are fighting against the good of yourself. That's frightening if you are not aware of it and it could lead to false securities and dependencies of drugs and ignorance. I refer often to Scripture because through the years I have evidence of it's word. You must deny your flesh to invite your Spirit to lead. Otherwise Romans 03:23-26, "For there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the GLORY OF GOD, being Justified freely by HIS GRACE through the Redemption that is in CHRIST JESUS, Whom GOD SET FORTH as a propitiation(appease or consilate) by HIS BLOOD, through faith, to demonstrate HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, because HIS forbearance GOD had passed over the sins that were previously comtted, to demonstrate at the present time HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, that HE(GOD) might be Just and the Justifier of the one who his faith in JESUS." Again and again The Bible specifies equality. Sin entered through temptation in the Garden of Eden(Genesis 03:01-07) and Salvation through temptation in the last Garden. We all go through life experiencing relationships and breakups and most of the time neglect to take self-inventory and realign with GOD then keep your flesh under subjection to Righteouness. Mary had to live the life she experienced to be able to assist others to reject the drama. She overcame to tell her story through song and her music. We relate to rhythm and gravitate to words of expression and artist captivate what we struggle with and present short-films(videos) to assist our growth and illumination. I'm grateful to Mary for "No More Drama and Just Fine". If you have not heard the songs check them out and listen for your cue to live and let live. Look for future acronyms.