VETERANS MONTH OF SPECIALS IN HONOR OF MY DAD AND ALL VETERANS by Ayo Handy-Kendi

My Dad, Morrie I. Thomas, Jr.  I dedicate this month to your birthday and your service.  My Dad, married to my Mom for over 65 years,  and transitioned at age 65 from brain cancer, HBP and gout. 

As wars are waging in various parts of the world, it is fitting that we pause a moment and appreciate the soldiers who serve their country.  I'd like to show this appreciation through the healing tool, I.ve been blessed to share with by offering several breathing experiences throughout the gratitude month of November. While, I know  that Veterans' Day was 11/11, I just found out the history of it on that day and why it is always on November 11th, instead of on various days of the week, like other holidays. Many people don’t know this and it’s actually a pretty interesting history. The Allied powers signed a ceasefire with Germany, thereby ending World War I, at 11 AM…on 11/11/1918. Got this info from Dan Altmire @ Dan Altmire <[email protected]>.  Email him to get the entire scoop. 

Jabare Art Originals, is featured here, entitled " The Black Presence in the Military" just one of this series. .  Order through PositivEnergyWorks, coming soon in our Marketplace.

However, for me, Veterans Day is always the day before my Father's birthday, November 12th, so for years, I have celebrated Veterans' Day on November, 12th. My Dad, Morrie I. Thomas Jr,, was a veteran of World War 2 and a veteran of the challenges that happened to many Black families, who struggled during the depression years. . It took me years to forgive my father from the mental and physical abuse he inflicted on me. But, once I learned his childhood back-ground story I understood.

His family was part of the great migration from the south to the north, and once arriving to D.C. from Rocky Mountain, N.C. he worked in low-paying factory jobs due to the industrial revolution in this country. His father and mother married young, moved to D.C., and due to his father's violent behavior fueled by alcohol, I was told, his Mom could not take it. She left his father and the household while he and his brother and 2 sisters were quite young. The abusive father then became abusive to him and his siblings and the cycle of abuse seems to have started here, before my Dad was age 7.

At age 17, my Dad married my Mom, Doris Antoinette Mitchell,  and was shortly after their marriage, was carted off to France to fight in World War 2, leaving behind his pregnant wife.  .When he returned home two years later, he met his son Melvin, and had to quickly take on the responsibilities of being a father, a breadwinner and a husband.  Yet, he carried the pain of killing others, seeing blown up bodies and soldiers tortured.  Further, he had to deal with disillusion because the VA (Veterans Administration) never treated his tremors or night mares from what he experienced.  So this mentally, fragile man from his early beginnings,  turned to drugs - alcohol- to push down the Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD) trauma of the ravages of war.  .

My Brother, Melvin M. Thomas, a veteran of Vietnam,  also, struggled when he returned home with PTSD, alcohol and disillusion with medical issues with the V.A.  He did find comfort in his jazz music collection, photography, and ,was quite successful in his work  as a printer at Howard University.  We still live with the mystery, that he passed away by suicide.

So, the war compounded my Dad's dysfunctional early family life. He played out his illness, in various ways in which he verbally abused my brother, and showed mental, physical, emotional and sexual abuse on me, as a young girl. I.m. so grateful for breath techniques that helped me overcome the 45 years of in-the-closet substance abuse and 2 years of addiction, that helped me to cope by pushing down an anger that I didn't know the source of..  And, I dealt with years of depression - the anger towards him, turned inside towards "my person' , again not knowing this pain started as  early childhood abuse was subconsciously repressed. "I had to breathe thru it to get to that which I had repressed and blocked". Today, after 25 years of addiction free living, I breathe with myself and all others, knowing the power of the breath and the techniques I have been taught..   I.m. not depressed anymore, either  and express joy.

Transformational breathing opened up and healed the subconscious memory where the root of my trauma started and once healed, the PTSD resolved. And a most amazing thing also happened - I was able to forgive my Dad, with a lot of compassion of what he went through to become who he became. Although he was blessed to have gotten his GI benefits, bought several homes, and got a good job in the government, where he worked until he retired, there was still holes in his psyche, he drank and I believe he carried a number of his "demons", to his grave at age 65.

In my Dad's  honor and in support of those veterans, who did not get the promised jobs, homes, or security when they returned home from war; who are fighting for their benefits; who are struggling to get the medical and mental health care they deserve; who are homeless; and who are demoralized and disillusioned that while they fought for their country, their country is not fighting for the quality of their lives-- we lift you up and salute you. We keep you in our prayers and in our hearts.

For my Dad, my brother Melvin, Damani Handy, my 1st husband  and father of our sons, my brother-in-law Warren, Mr. Davies and Mr. Handy, my father's in law, and countless veteran friends, I say "thank-you" with just a small gift of service in return for your service.

I was given funds to offer to the first 10 Veterans a token of our appreciation. You are invited to email me at [email protected] and say, YES I want FREE ENTRY to the Zoom workshop entitled "Breathe Thru Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)" on Fri, November 17 @ 6 - 7:30 p.m. EST All who miss the Free entry, we ask that you pay what you can. (the discounted price for this BREATHE POSITIVE LOVE CIRCLE  is regularly  $33.00)   Register closes by noon, Friday.  Please, pre-register at:  https://www.positivenergyworks.com/current-on-line-services-menu.html
 
Email me also, so I can send you all of the details on how to prepare for this session of life-changing breathology/breathwork techniques to calm your nerves and relax your mind. If you have not gotten a response within 4 hours of your sending your email, please call me at 202-667-2577 to follow-up to ensure your email was received. And feel free to share this post.  However the free entry offer is for 10 of our P.E.W. subscribers only.

Remember, that "we" can breathe thru it to get through to the source of our pains. "If you are tired of the stress, tired of the pain, ready to heal, ready to change", please take this opportunity of healing and come breathe with me, Ayo Handy-Kendi, the Breath Sekou. With all of my Black Love, I affirm that I will hear from you this month

Happy Birthday Daddy and Blessed Veterans Day to you and all who served.

Cincinnati Black Veterans gather