A LEGACY LEFT: THANK YOU DR. KING

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/martinluth101472.html#64XxdkxyUEVLh6tk.99

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/martinluth101472.html#64XxdkxyUEVLh6tk.99

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/martinluth101472.html#64XxdkxyUEVLh6tk.99

On this day I am taking some private time to reflect on the life, and more importantly, the contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  As a basketball player at LSU, one of the staples of our program that was constantly preached to us was that of our legacy.  What did we want to leave behind to those who follow in our footsteps.  The word "legacy" is amazing and powerful and there are few that have walked the earth that have left a legacy as far reaching as Dr. King.  With the ultimate of sacrifices he has left a shadow that will cover humanity for a lifetime and has directly impacted me personally.

Here are some of my more favorite quotations from Dr. King:

"Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education."

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. "

"Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase.""

"I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live."

"A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus."

"A right delayed is a right denied."

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see."

"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant."

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."

"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

"Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’"

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE LEGACY OF NELSON MANDELA

With the passing yesterday of Nelson Mandela, I took the time yesterday evening to reflect on him and his life.  I have studied his teachings and admired the life that he has lived.  What an amazing legacy to leave that he could battle against so many great odds without quitting...get knocked down time and again only to rise...then reach a great pinnacle of power only to treat all with great humility and compassion.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Mr. Mandela:

“A leader ... is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.”

"Let the strivings of us all prove Martin Luther King Jr. to have been correct, when he said that humanity can no longer be tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war. Let the efforts of us all prove that he was not a mere dreamer when he spoke of the beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace being more precious than diamonds or silver or gold. Let a new age dawn."

"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."

"The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."

“And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same”

"We recall our terrible past so that we can deal with it, to forgive where forgiveness is necessary, without forgetting; to ensure that never again will such inhumanity tear us apart; and to move ourselves to eradicate a legacy that lurks dangerously as a threat to our democracy."

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

“When there is danger, a good leader takes the front line; but when there is celebration, a good leader stays in the back of the room.”

“Even if you have a terminal disease, you don't have to sit down and mope. Enjoy life and challenge the illness that you have.”

PRAYERS FOR BOSTON

When events happen such as the one yesterday at the Boston Marathon, I go through a range of emotions. 

Shock -- that this could actually happen on American soil.

Fear -- that this will probably not be the last such attack.

Anger -- that anyone would have such a disregard for human life.

Sadness -- for those innocent ones that must deal with death and injury.

And then there is my favorite of all emotions -- HOPE! 

Hope -- that we can all unite and support our brothers and sisters in Boston.

Hope -- that from this can come change to hopefully prevent future attacks.

Hope -- that certainly that those responsible will be swiftly brought to justice.

Hope -- that we can understand from such senseless acts that our time on this earth is short and with that comes a perspective on how to live and serve each other -- to make this world a better place.

My heart and prayers will continually go out to the city of Boston and all those people from around the world that were there and tragically effected.

Meek

THANKS TULSA!

I want to take this opportunity to thank the Tulsa Shock fans for all of their dedication and support to the team as well as to myself. You all were very supportive and I hope that in my time there, I have shown myself to be a quality player of leadership and experience.

While I have enjoyed my time in the Bible Belt Town and looked forward to coming back, my future in Seattle is truly bittersweet. I am excited about my new opportunity in the wonderful City of Seattle and starting a new chapter within my life. The Storm is a very respected organization with a proven winning formula and I look forward towards being a positive addition to the Storm with my experience, leadership and hardwork and hunger to win another championship. I will miss the friendships I've made.

Tulsa, Oklahoma is an amazing city and with great fans who should be excited about their future. I wish the Shock much success for all the amazing fans and wonderful people in the city.

Meek

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. KING

Just checking in with everyone back in the states on this special day.  First and foremost, it is our celebratory day of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday.  What an amazing legacy that he still inspires people today.  And on the same day, an African-American is sworn in to his second term as President of the United States!  While I know our nation still has strides to make I am very proud of the one's we've made.  The thing that sticks out to me the most was Dr. King's servant attitude and the number of sacrifices he made on the behalf of an entire nation.  It is his philosophy that I model my H.O.P.E. Foundation after -- certainly on a much smaller scale -- but trying to to serve as many as possible -- to reach out an help those less fortunate -- to give those that are young a vision of hope to move forward in the future. 

Happy Birthday Dr. King!
Meek

NEWTOWN SHOOTINGS WEIGHT ON TEMEKA'S MIND AND HEART

Good Morning everyone, I am so happy  to be home. It is always good to be around family and friends. I had the honor of witnessing my little niece Ja'Niya Christmas Play today at Bridge City Head Start. It was so heart warm and gratifying just saying the excitement on those kids face.

It took me some time to speak about the lovely precious kids and teachers of Connecticut, because it truly troubled me. But this morning it manifested even more.

Those sweet faces, innocent faces, our tomorrow OUR FUTURE!!!!!

And it sadden me, further to actually hear and witness that they could not open up their play with a prayer. It never truly hit home to me that God was taking out of our school. That hurt me deeply, and I strongly believe that it should be put back. I won't go too deep into that, because I don't want to take away from how great the play was, and how much fun the kids had that participated in it. It was a great was for them to start their Christmas and New Years break. I was very happy to see the passion in the teachers. The love that thy had towards the kids. Simply touching.

This was a great way to start my morning. Glad I was back in town to be able to see.

God please keep these babies protected and safe!

Meek

ASKING FOR PRAYERS

Hey there everyone!

For those of you that do not know about the young man Devon Walker of the Tulane University football team, he was injured in a head collision with one his own teammates in a game with Tulsa a this past Saturday. The game was actually played here in Tulsa. This young man was hurt pretty badly and he is a New Orleans native. Being that I am from the Crescent City as well. I took the liberty to go and pay him a visit.

I was happy to see that he was alert and knew what was going on around him. I had a chance to speak with his mom and told her that I was just trying to share my condolences and wanted to drop by a small bear and a get-well balloon. His mom was appreciative and just asked for continued prayers. I assured her that I would do just that.

Some of you might be wondering why I would do such a thing for someone I don't know? Well here's why: I would appreciate something like that if it was me, He is a athlete and we share that in common, and that just the type of person that I am. And he is also a New Orleanian and I am from the same area.

I ask that you all join me in lifting up this young man for a speedy and full recovery.

Meek

EXTENDED FAMILY

Here is my new mom Mrs. Johnson.

Mrs. Mercy is Glory Johnson's mom -- but I promise she has treated me like I was one of her own since we met. She is so caring, loving, God fearing, supportive, fun, etc. I really don't think I could come up with enough words to describe this lovely lady. I just wanted to take this time to say thank you from myself and my mom for adding me as an addition to the already Johnson Family!

Thanks Mrs. Mercy!

Meek 

VISITING WITH A PIONEER

Here is a proud moment. While in Knoxville with my teammate Glory Johnson over the break. I had the opportunity to go and visit Coach Summitt. I joked with Glory about never ever wanting to be in Tennessee, due to the SEC competitiveness that we all have, but that went out the window for this moment. It was and honor to chat with one of the coaches that has done so much for our game as has dedicated herself, her life to make it better as well as setting a high mark for others to follow. It was a great time, and I really did enjoy Knoxville and the Johnson family. It was not the SEC battles that's always talked about when we meet up, it was fun times with new friends. I'll take that always.

Meek

CELEBRATING DR. KING AND THE "HOPE" HE GAVE US ALL

My foundation is titled the H.O.P.E. Foundation and today, here are some words from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., someone who gave so many hope in some of our nation's most turbulent times:

“A man who won't die for something is not fit to live.”

“An individual has not started living until he can rise

above the narrow confines of his individualistic

concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do

that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“Faith is taking the first step even when you

don't see the whole staircase.”

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is

too great a burden to bear.”

“In justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become

silent about things that matter.”

MEEK BOOK REVIEW: BOETRY

A lot of people always ask me what I do when I'm relaxing or wanting to do something away from basketball.  Well, for one I love to read.  I was taught that "leaders are readers" so I not only enjoy reading for pleasure but hopefully to help myself grow in some sort of way.  At this moment I am reading the book "Boetry" by Batrice (Bo) Welt.

Here are a few of the passages that really impacted me:

Desire- A derivative of dreams that should not be constrained.
This ultimate attraction that inspires reaction
Its sustained by passion that should not be rationed And accelerated by the will that leads to being fulfilled.
Focus is needed so try to resist, Temptations that insist that you should do this and stay true to your feelings For they're never misleading or deceiving
Discover what it means to fulfill your dreams uncover your desires you will be inspired.

Faith- A knowing from within
A trust of divine degree no need to plea
Its an incredible force that keeps us on course and carries us through
To our divine entitlement that's due.
Without it we fumble and tumble then crumble
Feeling Lost Confused Battered and Bruised
To have Faith one must initiate
A desire that inspires the will that instills a trust that we must
Believe that we'll receive when sometimes it feels unreal

Hope- A constant reassurance that never diesIt grows dim and fades in to the shadow of strife that gets lost in the confusion and illusion of lifeSeems hard to hold onto when disappointment anoints you with constant trials and ongoing denialsHope is a sign that we're still aligned with what destiny decides so
Hold on to the spark that appears in the dark For its light will see you through
To what God has in store for you.

WELCOME TO MY NEW, IMPROVED BLOG!

We wanted to take this opportunity to welcome you to my new and improved blog!  I'm very excited about it and the potential it has to serve so many.  As a basketball player, the only way to maintain a level of excellence is to constantly strive for improvement.  I'm taking that same approach with my HOPE Foundation so that extends to social media and how I communicate to all of you.

It is still under construction as we are adding different components to it each day but we wanted to go ahead and start posting content to it so we can maintain those lines of communication.

Besides the normal blogging of the day-to-day adventures of my life, we will also have some specific areas that will include:

Training Camp Update: Behind the scenes look at what's going on as we prepare for a new season.

Meek's Assists: Basketball pointers for my young followers who, like me, are trying to improve their game.

Meek's Words-Thoughts-Inspirations: Here I will share some thoughts and passages that have inspired me in hope that they will do the same for you.

WNBA Update: This will be done during the season to give you info and stats into our games.

Save The Date: Designed to give everyone advances notice of all of my appearances.

We hope you like the changes -- I know I'm excited about it.  Please be patience as we continue to upgrade this site -- it will be worth it.  And please pass the word on to everyone to come by and check us out!

Meek