A Message From…

Terry Ann Williams-Richard, Your Personal Book Writing Coach and Founder of Personalized Educational Services, LLC

We are Courageous Voices Casting Visions while Celebrating Victories! This Writers’ Showcase is in celebration of completing our 30-Day Writing Project Challenge 2020 (July 13 – August 11). I am grateful for 16 other Sister Writers who agreed, on a variety of personalized levels of participation, to accept the challenge to join me on what turned out to be a transforming adventure. Daily Encouragement e-mails with inspirational quotes & writing tips; Weekly Zoom Call Check-Ins; access to daily interaction in the “A Writing Party!” Facebook group; and an occasional nudge or push from me are some of the benefits of this experience designed to promote daily writing, reaching writing/publishing goals, and uplifting each other. Over the next few days I will spotlight a sprinkling of the writing gifts from this magical group of courageous creatives. Today we celebrate Jackie Clark! Write On, Sister Writer!

Contact me: at tutor4utoday@gmail.com for your own personalized transformational writing experience.

Family Dinner and Living Ma’at

by Jackie Clark

Family is an especially important part of our lives! We support, encourage, and take care of one another. Well over 10,000 years ago ancient African civilization existed. Our African ancestors taught and lived by something called ma ’at. Many will ask, “What is ma ‘at?” Ma’at is an African divine concept that gives balance and order in the way we live our lives. There are very many countries, cultures and customs all throughout Afrika. One common thread among them was the practice of ma ‘at. The concept of ma ‘at include living out the concepts of truth, justice, balance and order among many others.

Honoring Foundational Customs

As families, how can we begin to recognize and honor some of the most foundational customs of our culture and began to see the benefits today? Let me suggest starting Family Dinners. We began having Family Dinners with immediate and extended family members. First, it was very celebratory! Whoever was assigned prepared the meal for everyone and went all out. Practicing the concept of order, each family team was assigned their week to prepare the meal. Family members who had not prepared the food performed the setting of the table and cleanup activities.

My favorite thing about Family Dinner was the opportunity to be together as a community and promote family love and support. It is the time to share our truth. Many discussions were held about individual and group challenges and goals. It was at Family Dinner that you arranged your ride to next week’s appointment, sought out information or help for something you were working on. A time to share new information you learned that week and always a fun opportunity to celebrate birthdays and achievements. Ma’at instilled a sense of responsibility of community and society to the earth and all existence.

Opportunity to Stress Integrity

The concept of justice is also practiced at Family Dinner. When we are all together, we debated current affairs, whether voting, education, policing and work challenges, making suggestions and sharing our views. It is also a time to talk out any conflicts brewing and teach the children how to resolve conflicts justly. There are many opportunities while together to stress the importance of integrity and doing what you said you would do.

Living ma ‘at is a very valuable concept that originated in our African culture but was lost over the years. It is something that you do and practice as you live an exemplary life for those following you. Help your family reawaken values we have lost from our Ancestors and reignite the power that results from living ma ‘at. One last critical key is to remember to thine self be true! Living ma ‘at you are being true to a part of yourself from which you have long been separated. Practicing ma ‘at is a valuable tool in instructing our lives and the lives of our families.

Copyright 2020 Jackie Clark

Help your family reawaken values we have lost from our Ancestors and reignite the power that results from living ma ‘at.

Jackie Clark

Jackie Clark is a happily married mother of two daughters and four grandsons. Since leaving a corporate marketing position, Jackie volunteers for an organization called Pass It On MAAT that promotes literacy and African American History and Culture