What is your 'salt'? - Sister Speak

FROM the first moment I heard her rich sultry voice, I've been mesmerized. The talented young Sister named Lizz Wright is blessed with an exceptional earthy and resilient voice. But there is also depth and substance beneath her radiant cocoa skin and smooth bald head. At least that's the conclusion I draw based on her thought-provoking lyrics.

On the title song of her debut recording, Salt, Lizz sings: How can you lose your song, When you have sung it for so long, How can you forget your dance, When that dance is all you've ever had. It must be true, You can't separate the two, It's impossible to do. Just like the salt in the stew, It's all a part of you. One thing that life cannot do, It can't take your salt from you."

These are poignant words that make you think and ponder and wonder. What is my "salt"?

In other words, who are you, really? Think about it. Strip yourself down to the bare essence of your soul. Beneath the diamonds and gold jewelry, and all the other bling-bling that clutters your life. We're not talking about your job title. That's not you. Who are you without your high-flying friends, without the iMac or Dell notebook, without the plasma screen television and fabulous art collection, without the Benz and SUV. Who are you stripped down to your heart and soul?

What is your salt? And is your salt spiced with integrity, character and honesty? What is it that defines you, that essence that cannot be separated, like the salt in the stew?

So many Sisters are caught up in the superficial and people and situations that are just plain wrong. They have lost sight of their salt. Where it is most pronounced is in relationships. In a desperate attempt to find and hold a man, too many women lose themselves.

A woman I know well confessed recently that she knew within months after marrying her husband 25 years ago that he was not the man for her. Yet she stayed with him for reasons she can't quite explain. You can't tell even your best friend to leave her husband of 25 years. My only advice is that she prays and ask for God's guidance. She's trying to reclaim her salt.

Another woman I know is happily married (I assume) to a man who loves her dearly and brings home lots of money. He's not perfect, but he's a good provider. One of their few disagreements has to do with golf. She doesn't mind him playing every chance he gets, and she gladly travels with him (at his insistence) to wonderful resorts to pursue his passion. But she draws the line when it comes to taking to the greens herself. "I take good care of you," he tells her. "All I ask is that you take up golf. That's the least you can do for me."

"No way," she said. "It's not me."

It's not her salt, though it is his.

I'm not trying to meddle in their business, but I understand her feelings. Why should she and her allergies suffer hours on the greens if she is not into it? Other women would just go along with the program to please their man. Not this Sister. Her life is full and she knows her salt. It ain't golf.

Yet another Sister left the hectic corporate world to pursue her passion for art. She was successful at what she was doing, but the creative spirit kept tugging at her.

One Monday she met me after work and said, "Look what I did over the weekend," proudly showing me her art. Before long, she was making incredible, unique art that is now sought after by major retailers, museums and galleries.

My salt is writing, and it's much more than just a job. I've been putting words on paper since I was in elementary school. It's all I've ever wanted to do.

What is your salt? What is it about you that nobody and nothing can separate from you, like the salt in the stew?

Think about it.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group