#Repost @thevtreehollywood ・・・ To my soror, #sandrabland We continue to #sayyourname https://www.instagram.com/p/CCpePJ0JfeTk2viYABwheNbh0szlZzG97qduKs0/?igshid=669wr1t7di0l

Say Your Name by Greatest Poet Alive. #poetry #poem #poems #greatestpoetalive #poeticsoul #poetics #sayyourname #everymoment #foryou #loveinthetimeoftherona #loveduringtherona (at Chicago Lawn, Chicago) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_O5YW5lMjM/?igshid=1oha0in5eexpd

The Gift of My Name

"Fend kiling dorong leh warrata ka ieh tee." (Behold--the only thing greater than yourself.)

~Alex Haley Roots: The Saga of an American Family (1976)

I hear that as a part of your Soul Contract you chose your name & date of birth....This intrigued me as I, like many others, have an interesting story behind my name & how I got it. As I got older and in to spirituality & symbolism more, I researched and found the meaning of my name. Finding that out gave me a purpose and destiny as I resonated with the meaning and significance of my name. Here is the story of how I became La'Toya (Therisa). My mother had already decided on a name for me. She was to name me after her two sisters. This was not an uncommon thing in her family. Many on her mother's side shared the names of brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles. Names that paid homage to grandfathers, grandmothers, and cousins littered our family tree. I eventually became curious of this renaming as it caused me some difficulties when I decided to research my family lineage. Common names of Elizabeth, Hortense, John, Alexander, Georgiana, & Sarah Ann came with much confusion yet taught me invaluable lessons of record keeping & research. My father's family even carried a few Juniors & seniors; although those where easier to follow due to the fact it was usually done in a traditional way ( son after father and so on). So it was no surprise that my mother had chosen to name me Deloris Therisa. Up until only a few days or so before I arrived that was the name I was to be called. So the story goes as this (I will try to remember the details as best I remember)....My grandmother sees a T.V. show or some type of T.V. special ( It could have been re runs of their Variety Show). For whatever reason she gravitates to the name La'Toya of the Jackson sisters. She mentions this to my mother and for whatever reason my mother likes and agrees. I do know that my mother and my grandmother became close after she married my father. So my mom probably didn't think twice about it. She decided to keep Therisa as the middle name (pronounced Ther-ree-sah, and she always made it a point that it was not pronounced like her sisters name and she also spelled it different). I was the first of my name. There was no one before me....which later signifies the powerful path I'm called to lead. I always knew I was different yet had no problem blending in. Now as I got older and went off to school, I began to meet many La'Toya's. I still always found a way to separate myself from them (Even the infamous name of a classmate, Latoya Jackson). My mother had separated my name with an apostrophe ...she had capitalize my T...she had made it unique. I myself named my first born with this same concept... I find the story of my name interesting not only due to the fact that it is yours truly, but due to the fact of it's significance. My mother and I had a relationship that eventually grew toxic. During my healing process, I decided to distance myself and dig deep into growing into the best version of myself. I always joke that my mother wasn't my real mother and I had a white mother...or she stole me....When I became older I finally rested on I must have taken a wrong turn or I don't remember signing up for this.....Well the irony of it all when I later see this spirituality video on the 10 Facts About Your Soul Contract, and the 1st thing is "You chose your name & date of birth.... In the video she explained that the baby (your spirit/higher self) will whisper what their name is to parents or whoever will deliver the message....In this case it was my grandmother, my father mother, who would give me the spirit of the Lotus...the energy of the Phoenix and the namesake that I could make my own....I was always grateful to her as I would hear this story due to the fact that she saved me from Deloris ( I love my Aunt but I really don't think that name would have made the same impact)....Now as I've grown my gratitude is centered around the story she started by giving me the gift of my name.

LA'TOYA~Name Summary

Origin: African-American

Meaning: Victorious one, praised woman, or a flower which blooms and grows in spite of the darkness, or chosen one. It is widely believed to be a variation of Toya, a Spanish nickname for Victoria. However, its origins are more ancient, being derived from "Latona", the Latin name of Leto, the Greco-Roman Mother Goddess, who by Zeus gave birth to Artemis and Apollo. It is because Leto/Latona was forced to give birth to her twins in hiding, on a floating island, that the name Latoya means "a flower that blooms and grows in spite of the darkness." Latoya is, therefore, associated with the Lotus and the Asiatic Lilly.

Gender: Female Colors: White/Purple Lucky numbers: 2, 8, 3 Planets: ☾ Moon Metal: Silver Zodiac sign: ♎ Libra Day of the week: Monday Gems: Garnet, Gold, Meteorite, Moldavite, Smoky Quartz, Spinel, Sugilite, Tanzanite, Tavorite, Tourmaline, Brown Tourmaline

~L.T. Davenport

Say #hello to everyone! 🎶🙋🏻‍♀️👋🏼 Today was truly #sunday #fun at it’s best. —————— You’ll notice in the lobby some grandparents & other relatives watching as they visit for the summer. Toddle Tunes is a great #family activity for all! 🧑🏻👶🏾👧🏼👦🏻👶🏼 🌈👵🏾👱🏼‍♂️👇🏼 —————— Come in for a free trial. Link in bio! —————— #toddletunes #mickjagger #instagood #instadaily #instagram #earlymusiceducation #musicislife #realinstruments #losangeles #musicclasses #lessons #allages #allgenres #mommyandme #daddyandme #music #sayyourname #familytime #today #startthemyoung #beamazed #freetrial #westwood #santamonica #beverlyhills #brentwood (at Toddle Tunes)

DO YOU WANT TO GET AWAY? LETS TAKE ATTENDANCE WHO’S STILL WITH US WRITE YOUR NAME BELOW 🙏🏽❤️#hereforyou #sayyourname #present 💯#singloud #letthemusicplay ❤️#shannon 💪🏾#thequeenoffreestyle #love https://www.instagram.com/p/CB3F6PPJqK7/?igshid=17f87jmn050kw

Bridget discovered after dying that one leaves the earth in stages. At least this was true in her case. She was assigned a seat in a rather large, yellow chamber with other shades. They could converse if they wished, but as in most waiting rooms they were mainly left to their own devices. One's length of time in this room, which seemed to pass in perfect tranquillity, was determined by the memories of those who knew you while you were alive. If those survivors, still engaged in the struggle, continued to think of you occasionally with fondness, mentioned you to others, or felt your effect on their actions in small, beneficial ways, your shade remained in transition, held close to the earth by the constancy of memory and love. When no one was left to say your name or call your image to mind, your spirit had no further need of the waiting room, with its persisting connections to life, and dissolved to go elsewhere. There was certainly, at that point, no further need of individuality and its curious burdens. Bridget had accomplished little that was newsworthy in her life, but she had steadily showered those who knew her with a vast, unceasing kindness. Kindness was her primary gift, and she never lost sight of it. She outlasted all of those whom she met in the waiting room on her bewildering day of arrival. She devoted herself, throughout her time of waiting, to listening to the now distant, but still audible voices of those dear to her. What a stirring music these voices made, blending harmoniously with every neighbouring sound of living. Everything happening at this distance felt cleansed, somehow, even the sound of suffering, and nothing that reached her ears carried affliction. It was as though even the tears had become blossoms in the chiming, fragrant air. . ~George Toles, Facebook status update June 1, 2016 . #georgetoles #storiesbygeorge #storiesbygeorgeandkat #shortstory #visualpoetry #dying #afterlife #waitingroom #connectiontolife #shade #transition #survivor #thoughtsoftheliving #sayyourname #love #individuality #kindness #persistenceofmemory #distantvoices #music #harmony #cleansing #blossoms #writersofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #amwriting https://www.instagram.com/p/B06FIcZBDDl/?igshid=clswj5k2b71a

Who else named their car? What did you call them, and why? ** I named my car Winona because we're Ride'her you know Winona Rider 😀 (I think it's funny) ** #cars #sayyourname https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu_lNl3lSzx/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1mykj62syvzke

Reposted from @violadavis You are more than enough! Thank you for the friendly reminder, @im.angelabassett!! 💯🔥 #EverydayMotivation 🎥 #YouAreEnough #YouAreBeautiful #TellYourself You Don't Need Others To. 🎯💯🙏🏆 #SayYourName @hernetworkonline 🔁@juveeproductions #IAm_MsJohnson 💞 - #regrann https://www.instagram.com/p/CD1ZbwDBy0e/?igshid=1aresx4kq8p7t

Had an amazing interview with Kari Frances today for my documentary, Resist Through Our Eyes: Our Rights and Freedom. The interview last about an hour. Thank you for contributing your penetrating and thought-provoking knowledge on the subjects; #BlackLivesMatter, #sayyourname, #IDEAS and #Education. Overall, I love insight and world view discussions. I felt like I was taking your class, girl! Where do I sign up? 😂🙏🏽😍🤗🙌🏽✊🏽🎬 #tellingourstories #blacklivesmatter #documentaryseries #indiefilm #blackdeafperspectives education ##civilliberties #civilrights #disabilityrights #JadeBryanFilms #pocdeaftalent #deaftalent (at Harlem)

#SayYourName #MomsRising #WomansStrike (at New York, New York)

And I call your name... #obsessed #her #sayhername #sayyourname (at Beverly, Chicago)

#sayyourname #kunta #toby #ashevilleartist #valeriawatson #celticoverseers #ashevilleartist #valeriawatson #art #ase (at Zamani Refuge)

Round 1 • When 3 Kings from RCA come together to body a remix 🔪🔪 Chris Brown • Usher • Zayn "Back To Sleep" remix || @chrisbrownofficial @howuseeit @zayn #RCA #Pineapples #SayYourName #InTheSheets #DontAskMeForIt #iAintGotIt #TheInternetGotIt #GoogleIt #Enjoy

#Repost @zara ・・・ AW15 Campaign | TRF #zaracampaign #sayyourname Thank you @jingwenll #imwith3m #3mgirls #JingWen #3mmodels