Welcome In

Hello and welcome to my spot! What do you do when times get tough? Do you get going or do you give up? I believe that tough times happen for a reason: to make us tougher! In personal training, my client doesn't know what their strength threshold is unless they lift weights! Same for us, the greater weight we lift, the more we strengthen our spiritual muscle!

Check out my piece below, What Tough People Do In Tough Times. And be sure to let me know your thoughts!

And, just in time for Christmas, my book Brotha2Brotha, Becoming Healthy Men from the Inside Out, and No Glory Without A Story, is now marked down! See the link below.



Stay up!

Eric

Friday, August 19, 2011

What Tough People do in Tough Times


Times are tough indeed!  Unemployment among African Americans is alarmingly high; just about every black family has been touched by it in some way. Our wages are shrinking at a rate faster than the general population, which means we are taking home less pay with mounting bills. Healthcare reform is on the horizon (at least until the Democrats stand up and fight for it!), but rising costs are shrinking our disposal able income even more.
     So what to do in the face of these pervasive tough times? We should understand that tough times don’t last but tough people do, we should know that those who came before us had it much tougher than we can imagine and we should stop engaging in ‘group think’ as we navigate choppy waters toward our destiny.
     First, we should reacquaint ourselves with a principle articulated many years ago by the eminent preacher, Robert Schuler: tough times don’t last, tough people do!  We have always been a resilient people; we have conquered the worst of circumstances and proven our desire to be successful against the odds!  Think about the time when you faced your most difficult challenge; when you were counted out by those forecasting your defeat. Think of the strength you marshaled from within, the intestinal fortitude you summoned and how you came out on top as a testimony to your strength!  Recall and relive those moments!
     Second, we should understand that, now matter how tough things are, we will never have it as tough as those who have come before us, and we should look to their experiences for lessons in succeeding against the odds.  Think for a moment about your ancestors and how they overcame circumstances one thousand times more difficult than what we can ever imagine – and did so without the benefit of the technological advances at our fingertips today!   Find solace in that and remind yourself constantly ‘if they could overcome tough times and live to tell about it, then so can I!’
     Lastly, in these tough economic times, don’t make the mistake of believing everything you hear. In other words, don’t engage in ‘group think’. All around us we hear the media chatter about the ‘bad economy.’  Many people put their dreams on hold as a consequence. But as the seminal motivational speaker Zig Ziglar recently stated, “The bad economy is not ‘out there’, it’s in your mind!” It’s how we are processing what we see, hear and ingest on an almost daily basis. Do you really think everybody is having it bad? No!  It was reported that more millionaires were made during the 1929 Great Depression than any other period in American history. There are ways to find success in every downcast, you just have to be open to the possibilities!
     We will always have tough times; it’s a hallmark of human development and change. But tough people find ways to be victorious as opposed to victims – even when the chips are down!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Support Their Eyes Were Watching Daddy with your purchase of No Glory Without A Story!

For every purchase of No Glory Without a Story,$2 will be donated to Their Eyes Were Watching Daddy, a non-profit support group committed to strengthening father-child relationships!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

What Fathers Should Know

      When a man impregnates a woman to whom he is not married, he is attaching himself to a unique set of circumstances that will likely end in disaster.  That’s the bad news!  The good news is he has co-created a life that will either grow up resenting or loving him as father.  The fact that the child was created outside of marriage pales in relation to the potential that child offers to the world. 
      What men must understand in these situations is that he is the progenitor of possibilities; that child will likely carry his seed into greatness!  All the child needs is a constant diet of positive reinforcement from the male side – regardless of his relationship with the mother!  He or she needs direction, guidance, love, understanding and reproof.  Add to this mixture a modicum of financial support and you have a child destined for greatness! 
       What most absentee fathers miss is the fact that his seed carries a degree of upward mobility, greatness and meaning to future generations that far outweigh the present circumstances.  Unmarried fathers must be present and accounted for in the lives of their offspring!

W. Eric Croomes is executive director of Their Eyes Were Watching Daddy, a non-profit unmarried and divorced fathers support group.  Join Eric Saturday, June 18, 2011 from 2p to 4p at the Dock Book Store in Fort Worth, Texas for a book signing as he discusses issues regarding black men.
Visit:
for more information.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Why I Am a Contributing Author to No Glory Without a Story

In March of this year, a dear friend forwarded to me an email about an editor who was assembling a group of writers to contribute to a literary project. The project was geared toward everyday people going through real struggles who just needed some inspiration to move past their particular challenges.
That email stayed in my inbox for at least a few days as I mused over the possibilities.  Initially I was lukewarm; it seemed as if I had a laundry list of excuses not to participate.  I was still adjusting to becoming a father for the second time in my life. I was in the middle of a contentious battle with my son’s mother. I was strapped for cash. I had already begun work on my third book. 
One night as I was laying in bed pondering, the thought occurred to me: what if my ‘mess’ could be used as a ‘message’ that could help some other unmarried or divorced father who loved his child as much as I loved mine?  What if I could convince some man who may be on the verge of homicidal or suicidal action relating to issues with their offspring to act otherwise?  What if I could do my meager part to help some brother who’s been absent in their child or children’s lives see the value in reconnecting to them?
            Something leaped in my spirit as I lay in bed. The opportunity to help some person see the glory in their story – in spite of their unique challenges – was too good to pass up! I got up and went to work on crafting that message.
I contributed to the book, No Glory Without A Story, mainly because I wanted to reach out to men who, like me, are unmarried but love their children and want to remain a relevant part of their lives. I organized the non-profit support group, Their Eyes Were Watching Daddy, because I know there are other men out there who are doing the right thing when it comes to their children but are not experiencing the peace and justice that is our inherent birthright. Yet I also wanted to reach out to men who may be hiding in the shadows and are cut off from their children due to fear, hostility with the mother or financial stress.  The message of Their Eyes Were Watching Daddy – both the essay and the non-profit support group: if you want to be a better man, be a better father. If you want to be a better father, be a better man.
Fatherhood does not always take place in an Ozzie and Harriet context.  And although there are literally millions of fathers who occupy a prominent place in the lives of their children, there is far too many who don’t.  Their Eyes Were Watching Daddy was born to empower those men who are distanced from their children to become a more active presence.
I’ve been asked how I arrived at the name for the non-profit support group.  If you’ve been around a newborn baby, you may have been fascinated, as I have been, with the way their eyes become fixed on their caregivers.  Since males are traditionally associated with authority, a newborn’s eyes rarely leave their daddy’s figure. 
My contention is that through infancy, toddler, pre-adolescence and teen-age years, those eyes are always watching daddy. 
Their Eyes Were Watching Daddy was created to remind unmarried fathers of those eyes that are watching their every move.  Because in the end, the eyes of the court don’t matter, the eyes of the law don’t matter; what matters most is the set of eyes that become entranced with that male authority figure from the cradle to adulthood.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

W. Eric Croomes Announces Non-Profit Unmarried/Divorced Fathers Support Group

New non-profit to advocate for stronger father-child relationships.
Arlington, Texas (TheVillageReport.Net) June 10, 2011Their Eyes Were Watching Daddy, a new non-profit founded by author W. Eric Croomes, will advocate for stronger father-child relationships in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
The concept of Their Eyes Were Watching Daddy was birthed from the founder’s desire to provide resources to unmarried/divorced fathers who want to remain relevant in the lives of their children.  It is premised on the fact that children form an inimitable bond with their fathers from birth and that fathers must be present and accounted for in the lives of their children.

Their Eyes Were Watching Daddy will meet once a month at a local venue to discuss ways that fathers can interact with their children without interference, legal remedies to safeguard father/child relationships, father’s rights, and general support and prayer.  The support group will be open to all men.

W. Eric Croomes is a motivational speaker, social critic, certified fitness consultant, best-selling author and editor in chief of TheVillageReport.Net. He is also executive director of Their Eyes Were Watching Daddy, a not-for-profit unmarried and divorced fathers support group.