MyBrownBaby

Glory.

A true artist isn’t afraid to take a slice of his own life and reinterpret and imagine it in a way that not only reveals a piece of himself, but taps into the emotions of his audience, who can see themselves in the reflection. Not only does “Glory” tell us something about Jay-Z and Beyonce and the love child they created, but it lays a blueprint for a generation of men starving for direction on how to express that joy—gives them the okay to say that they love and love strongly. That to do so is not unmanly. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. And it’s beautiful…

From Jay-Z’s Song For Blue Ivy Carter Is A Touching Tribute To New Parenthood With Beyonce, on MyBrownBaby.com.

That Mommy Smell

And when my mom passed away, her scent seemed to fill every crevice of the home she and my Dad shared; it was on the blankets and in her closets and on her scarves and church hats and purses. Her jewelry, even.

Believe it or not, almost 10 years after she went on to fly with the angels, the box in which I keep her jewelry still smells like that lotion—like my mom. I try not to open it too much, for fear that her scent will wear off. But on special occasions—Mother’s Day, mommy’s birthday, the anniversary of her death, the rare occasions when she visits me in my dreams—I’ll open up that box and breathe in deep and remember my mommy’s Mommy Smell.

How amazing, then, to find out I have one of my own—a signature scent that reminds my daughter of me.

My embrace.

My love.

How delicious.

From, “That Mommy Smell,” on MyBrownBaby.com

Making Babies.

As much as we women all want to pretend like pregnancy shouldn’t have any affect on our work, productivity and superhuman ability to carry the world on our shoulders, the fact of the matter is that it is not easy to carry a human being in our bodies; pregnancy changes things for us—mentally, emotionally and especially physically—and we need to honor that and ourselves by recognizing just how fragile ushering new life into this world can be. — From, “Beyonce’s “Maniac” Work While Pregnant: Baby, Please Slow Down.”