1980                                        2009

This post is dedicated to the memory of my father John E. Wood
September 13, 1950 - January 18, 2010

This New Year, 2010, has certainly gotten off to a dichotomous start for many of us, hasn’t it? There have been immense blessings on one hand, immense tumult and melancholy on the other. While I and those of you reading this are blessed in that we’re still here, still in our right minds, still able to try again to achieve whatever ...

Words cannot express the shock, awe and sadness I feel in the aftermath of the earthquake that rocked Haiti yesterday. Please, take a moment of silence and send some deep heart energy and prayer to Haiti and those in the Haitian Diaspora worldwide. Events like this show us how fragile and precious life is and how things can change in the blink of an eye. 40 seconds is all it took to change the course of thousands of people’s lives forever. 40 seconds is all it will take for you to help,...

I pray that 2010 has gotten off to a wonderful start for all of you. For the first time in my life, I spent New Year’s Eve alone at home and it was a wonderful, wonderful thing! I partook in a delicious candlelight dinner, a cleansing white bath and a whole lot of prayer and reflection. 2009 was a year of a lot of accomplishments for me – including launching Ase Ire! – and I look forward to more great things in this new decade.

I found a little poem by Edgar Guest that captures my ...

original image found here

This holy day season has been a lot of fun for me indeed, and I pray that it has for you as well. I enjoyed some Hanukkah festivities, participated in a beautiful candlelight ceremony on the Winter Solstice, will commune with my largely Christian family on Christmas day today and am looking forward to lighting the Kinara for Kwanzaa tomorrow. It's beautiful when we can all join together and see that our sameness and the values and principles we share far outweigh...

My Ghanaian brother, John, and me in Elmina, Ghana -- 2005

I pray this day finds you all well and bright as we move further into this season of endings, beginnings and much reflection. I have been extremely introspective over the past few weeks and one of the things that continually comes into my mind is the thought of all those who are less fortunate than myself. At this time of year, many tend to increase their charitable giving – both temporal and monetary – and, while it is a wonde...