Last Sunday I went to my smallest and youngest cousin Dionne’s Christening which meant that my older cousin dragged me and my mother to church. We don’t do the church thing. Growing up my mother was a Jehovah’s witness and my father found religion as a Muslim during one of his many jail stints. So my parents did not ever force feed us religion. I felt I should give you that before I go into the crazy argument I almost had with my best friend yesterday who secretly swears I’m like the devil or something because I don’t go to church. I told her I don’t do the church “thing” and she goes. “Church is not a thing. Religion is not a thing you do”. I didn’t give money to the collection plate because I don’t think that’s necessary either. I’m a spiritual being I say my prayers every night thanking God for my existence and the people around me. I believe in a higher power but I honestly do not feel it is need to go to church. I believe in God but I do not have any religious denomination.

This does not make me a bad person and I wish when I say it people would stop looking down at me. I know some people who go to church every Sunday and Mon-Saturday they forget everything they may have learned.

Do you feel that it’s necessary to go to church to be spiritual?

Anyhwo, that was my first time being in a church in years. The last time I went to church was to bury my grandfather. He was the most awesome man I’ve ever known. He basically raised me. I didn’t speak a word during the ceremony. I didn’t cry I didn’t go up and see him. I sat in my seat the whole time until it was time to go to the cemetery. My knees buckled as his casket was laid into the ground. That was my first funeral ever. I don’t know who caught me that day but someone was behind me there for me. I love that. I’m an optimist and I’m a writer so the things I write, the views I take are somewhat the minority opinion. I do need some of my Xanga followers to pray for my cousin Dionne she was born 4 pounds 6 0z. She has a cyst on her brain that’s spreading. We are very optimistic that she’ll pull through and do things that doctors say she cannot. As for church, I hope I don’t have to go for quite a while.

(Little Baby Dionne)