MY FIRST SINGLE ON iTUNES!!!!

God has been Good. He has allowed a number of talented musicians to get together and make high quality, positive music. Please read below and support. Thank you!

Hey all,

Believe it or not the choir I sing with at Dartmouth College is being featured on a new compilation CD and I thought you might like to take a listen. MY FIRST SINGLE IS ON THAT ALBUM and The CD is called “Walt Cunningham Jr. Presents All God’s Children – Vol. 1”. Walt is our choir director. We are hoping to create a “buzz” by getting listed on Billboard’s Music Charts. It only takes about 3,000 downloads or 5000 iLike.com free listens to make the top 10 on the Inspirational Music Charts. We could really use your help as it takes only a couple of minutes and doesn’t have to cost you a thing. Simply do one or more of the following:

1. Listen to these two songs off the CD “When All God’s Children Get Together” by Walt Cunningham and “Waking Me Up” by Khadijah Bermiss. You can hear them for free on iLike.com. The more times you listen the more credit we get. (total cost Zero)
2. Download one or both songs. They are only $.99 cents on iTunes, Amazon.com and Rhapsody.com and a portion of the profits goes to support our choir and those philanthropic efforts in which we are involved.
3. If so moved, download the whole CD for only $9.99! (I promise you won't be disappointed)
4. In an attempt to get our promotion efforts “viral”, please forward this message to as many friends as possible. (total cost Zero)



Thank you for your support … you really will be part of something special.

your blog writer/entertainer,
Khadijah

Early Morning Lullaby

It seems my stint on the East Coast has left me as an early riser, so the early morning had its way with me...and I bore this..

The Serenity of a Morning
Before the sun has officially made its presence known in the sky
is not something to be taken lightly
It's like a sweet, early morning lullaby

I wake up and I'm thankful
for ALL that God has given me
I wake up with thoughts in my mind
that make me happy :)

Nothing's ever as bad as it seems
as the house quietly hums with white noise
Writing in the midst of its orchestra,
lays around my neck, a garland of poise

Shame that as eyes awaken,
the day's peace runs away
There's gotta be a time
when that peace can come back again today

The lights are low
My prayers are said
I plan the day, merely hoping for my Daily Bread
The sun slowly rises for the world to see
as I get out of bed to make some coffee

(from my heart to yours..enjoy)

I'd Like To Make A Toast...

to my brother and sister, Traci and Dr. Sekou Bermiss, the newly weds.

Jan 1, 2010 will live on as a day where a dream came true first hand and vicariously.

A brief blog description will never do justice to what kind of love I saw that day.

From the eyes of a 23 year old who has had her heart broken at least 4 times in her life, seeing Traci and Sekou at 30 and 32, falling into the glory of a love that wasn't awakened before it was ready was all that I needed.

The wedding and everything related to it was young and hip, yet classy.

SETTING: The winter wonderland of Stamford, CT.
WEDDING LOCATION: the quaint and beautiful Union Baptist Church
RECEPTION LOCATION: the ever so hip and jazzy Bank Street reception hall.

It was just a good time with good folks with good food and good music and a wonderful night of initiation into the lovely yet sometimes infamous Bermiss Brigade.

During the whole thing, I was happy to be there and tried to embrace all of what was going on, but the wave of emotion and pride and nostalgia only hit me once I was on a train in NY and pulled out the photo booth pic of me, my dad, and my 2 aunts (YES, Sek and Trace had a photo booth at the reception hall!!! I KNOW...nice touch). I had a damn good time with the people that I love most in the world and simultaneously, I was given a lesson on love that always makes its way into my life whether I want it or not:

SONG OF SOLOMON 8:4
"Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires."

There's nothing like a lesson learned through a dream coming true vicariously.

SO...yes...again...I'd like to make a toast to the most beautiful couple in the world who inspires me more than they can ever imagine.

To my brother and sister, Mrs. Traci Bermiss and Dr. Sekou Bermiss.

::clink, clank::
::drink, drank::

THE BIG 2-3!

Ladies and Gents. Introducing, my 23rd Weekend Bash!

2 Words: Worth. It.
1 Word: Epic.

I would like to just capitalize on my birthday night (for everything else was quite good, but a lot more low key).

First, I wake up to my 2 brothers singing me "Happy Birthday" in their deep, deep Baritone voices (can you blame them? It was 6/7AM). And for those who know me...you may ask...where was the 3rd brother and the father? Well...Padre was probably sleeping...hard. And my eldest brosky was out of the country having a great time in the sun with his wife. I don't blame them....no need to call from the British Virgin Islands (too much work, haha).

Then, my friends and I decide to play the lotto at the local bodega. Although our bodega seller was a little sheisty with whether we wanted to pay for a $1 game or a $2 game, it was still invigorating since I had never played the Lotto before!

We head back to the house and all of a sudden...word of an EPIC snowstorm kills my birthday buzz! Really, weather? Really? (haha...) Although... I was not laughing at that point. After a little pity party, we got out the house and headed to 42nd street to meet another best friend of mine to see "Invictus" (good movie...kind of anticlimactic though...but good, nonetheless).

We head back home..and now...the storms are raging...a friend who wanted to go partying with us (and on whom we depended for a car to get to the club) was a little unsure about going out to party.

LET'S BACKTRACK FOR A SECOND: the reason why I threw a pity party earlier was because my only wish for my bday was to go out partying with the ones I love with a GOOD DJ. (This year has been plagued with too many bad DJs...which kills even the slightest buzz...ugh.)

Back to our featured presentation: So...as we sit uneasily on the couch waiting for our friend to confirm if he was going to brave the elements and come pick us up, my friends said the magical words: WE WILL GO WHETHER HE GOES OR NOT. WE WANT TO PARTY SO THAT IS WHAT WE WILL DO. (you see..all day I had wanted someone to tell me this...but I didn't want to be the Princess and force my friends to do something they may not have wanted to do...)

FROM THAT STATEMENT ON...we prepared for the festivities (see Facebook pictures). And guess what? Our friend with car...he decided to come out too!

ALL THIS TO SAY...from our best friends sexy pre-club photoshoot, to slipping and sliding on the roads of Harlem to 42nd street-Times Square, to bottle service, to the world's greatest DJ (he played the greatest reggae and soca mix), to being swooned by the head of security at BBKings (ending in a confirmed date), to walking through an even worse storm to get back to the car, to slipping and sliding on the roads of 42nd street back to Harlem...we could only mutter 2 phrases with snowflakes in our mouths and on our eyelashes:

WORTH IT!

EPIC!

and that's what it was.

A toast to the best friends in the world who know how to be selfless on a day that means the world to me. ::clink, clank::

I Gotta Feelin'...

That today's gonna be a GOOD DAY!

Blog readers, you have no idea what kind of a day I've had. And something tells me that this blog won't do this day justice either.

If I had one word to describe this day, it would be: God-ordained.
Okay..that is a hyphenated word (should it even be hyphenated?) whatever. you get the point.

Halloween.
I wake up and I think to myself "I have absolutely nothing planned for today...except for witnessing for my church..."
back track.
Yesterday, it dawned on me that my church usually witnesses every Saturday morning. It also dawned on me to find out for sure if they would be witnessing today. But then it also dawned on me that I didn't want to have to get up early and witness in the cold. But then it also dawned on me that I just came back from a Singles Retreat that emphasized that singles need to stop worrying about finding a spouse and worry about the affairs of the Lord first. (I Cor 7:32). And then it finally dawned on me to actually call the Pastor's daughter and find out if witnessing would take place in the morning.

brrrng. brrrrng.
PK: Hey K? How are you?
Me: Hey PK! I'm well! And you?
PK: I'm well!
Me: PK, I was just calling to see if we are still going witnessing tomorrow
PK: Good question. I think so. I will call you in the morning to confirm.
Me: Great, thanks!

Khadijah goes to sleep. Khadijah wakes up...
Back to where I started the story:
Halloween.
I wake up and I think to myself "I have absolutely nothing planned for today...except for witnessing for my church..."
Some friends ask me if I want to hang with them for the morning.
I decline...waiting for PK's call.
PK calls and says that there will be no witnessing this morning.
Thanks, PK.
We hang up.
I think to myself..."I really have nothing to do today! wow"
I call my best friends in NY and ask them about their Halloween plans so that I can live vicariously through them. (pathetic.)
I complain that I don't really have a core group of going out buddies here in the Chi. We hang up.
I talk to God and tell Him how funny it is that I have been finding myself alone a lot lately.
I also tell Him that I am fine with the lesson of learning how to be alone with Him and how to be satisfied with only Him.
I accept it. (I mean, what else could I do?)
PK calls after I make breakfast.
Hey K, wanna do a little shopping with me?
Sure! all the while thinking...I don't really need anything but shopping is always fun!
PK picks me up and...

I HAVE ONE OF THE BEST AND REVELATORY DAYS OF MY LIFE.

REVELATION: Khadijah, have you ever wondered why singing and everything revolving around your singing has been successful? Because you have no problem trusting God in that area. Hey...Khadijah, have you ever wondered why relationships and everything revolving around your relationships doesn't turn out for your good? ever? Perhaps, it's because you haven't figured out how to let go and let GOD in that arena. Now...Khadijah, you need to figure out what the problem is in that area of your life. If music and love are your two main focuses right now...why is it so easy for you to give God music and not your heart?

For some of you who know me, this may seem quite obvious to you. But for me, it knocked me down on my butt....nevermind that I was already on my butt because PK and I were at Olive Garden eating some awesome pasta...but I was blown away by that revelation.

And to think...my boring day turned out to be an 11AM-7PM long day of revelations and laughter...and guess what?

It all started with me being obedient to I Cor 7:32 and planting in PK's mind that I was available to go witnessing.

Can't NOBODY tell me that being obedient to the Holy Spirit won't get you closer to where you need to be in life. Another lesson PK taught me today...God is going to make you learn your lesson...now...do you want it to be through your obedience or your disobedience? Indeed...we all know which we'd prefer.

Today was phenomenally Awesome.

...And I've got some homework to do.

Happy Halloween...and even more, Happy Revelations!

"Always be ready to have the time of your life"
-Anonymous

Concert Time :0)

So...I, Khadijah Bermiss, had a bit of a toolish moment a few days ago.

Louisa and I were standing in the loft and we heard a friend of ours listening to his concert parts upstairs because he was practicing for our upcoming Gospel Choir concert. I then looked into my best friend eyes with tearful eyes of mine own (not.) and said "awwww...Louisa...it's concert time...::sigh::".

Believe it or not, that was a 99.9% accurate portrayal of what happened. (the .1% goes to the "tearful eyes of mine own").

Back to the reason for this blog. I realized that concert time is almost like Christmas time for me. After many nights in the studio and in rehearsal and semi-rewriting portions of songs, God is going to give us a gift which will be a wonderful concert. Unto us a child is boooorn! (Handel's Messiah reference)

This concert is going to be awesome and all the alums are coming back and we are emailing about concert attire and we are asking the Hopkins Center why they haven't posted our posters yet (another story..ugh), and all of that jazzzz. It's the most wonderful tiiime of the yearrrr.

It just makes me so giddy. There's nothing like our gospel choir concerts. It is an emotional and spiritual high that takes about a day to come down from. So...I picture this time of the fall season as the equivalent of my mom going to buy the Christmas tree, my brothers making their plans to come home, Charlie Brown's Christmas episode as well as the cartoon version of the Grinch on TV, Macy's Christmas commercials and good ole Christmas cheer in the air...

this is going to be an awesome concert. I can't say that enough.

so......

SHAMELESS PLUG!!!! If you're in or around the Dartmouth College area on November 8th, please come and see the Gospel Choir concert in Spaulding Auditorium. Showtimes: 2PM & 5PM. I guarantee you will walk out a different and more positive person. AMEN!

:-)

Khadijah:1, Devil:0

BEWARE: this post may be a bit too spiritual for some, but I began this blog so that it can be a free forum for me whether I am feeling crappy, happy, wise, contemplative, cynical, sad, supremely spiritual, or anything in between.

(...back to our scheduled programming...)

Have you ever had the sneaky suspicion that the devil is grabbing at almost anything in your life just to take you out of a good place that God has blessed you to be in?

Well, if not, you haven't lived long enough :)...I mean...I'm only 22, but I've seen some things that don't make me doubt the presence of evil forces.

Anyway, I find myself feeling super sensitive to people's comments about me whether it is about my past, my looks, my future, my cooking, or any of my other capabilities. Now, for the people who know me, you guys know that I am sensitive by nature anyway. So just picture normal Khadijah sensitivity just a tad bit heightened.

I'm writing this blog because I am thankful to be in a place where I can see what is taking place and why. God has brought me through some major things this year and I am glad to say that I am the happiest I've been in about 1.5 years. I have successfully disentangled my dreams from the snare of the corporate sector and now I have time to focus on me and my music. WHO could ask for more? Not to mention that in about 2 weeks, I will be participating in a wonderful gospel choir milestone concert at Dartmouth College which should cap off a great Fall term...then we head into the holiday season (...yes, the Holiday season for me starts after the Dartmouth Fall Concert, haha).

I digress.

The devil is scared. I'm in a good place and he wants me to question who I intrinsically am...the little things that make me, me: my quirks, my preferences, my dislikes, my talents, my personality etc. He wants me to compare myself and place higher value on those I compare myself to. Not going to happen. Not on my watch. I am moving to a higher level of Confidence, Discernment and Wisdom. So much so that I can catch him while he is in the midst of his antics and call him out over my blog loudspeaker.

DEVIL, I am not scared of you.

there! haha...that felt good to write. :)

I feel I wrote this blog more for myself than for any of my readers. This is a cathartic blog, indeed.

Some of you may be lost on this subject, but I know others know EXACTLY what I am talking about.

Stand up against the wiles of the devil.

He only messes with you because he is scared of your potential.

Take it as a compliment, write a blog about it, and move on with purpose.