To bloom in chaos, you must resist the distractions that create it.
To bloom in chaos, you must have the confidence to know every battle is not yours to fight. Continue reading
LOVE
Forget To Remember
ro·man·ti·cize/rōˈman(t)əˌsīz/verb
Transition is the uncomfortable space between where / who, you were, and where/who you are hoping to be or become. The pain of transition can make us romanticize about what life was “before.” Continue reading
All You Have, Is All You Need
All of your experiences, all of your pain, all of your disappointments, all of your victories, everything about you is necessary for your Purpose. There is not one thing that you have, tangible or intangible, that is unnecessary. It is the sum total of it all that God will maximize, and allow you to thrive in your Calling, Continue reading
Broken Glass
“Broken Glass”
Violent. Loving. Abusive. Encouraging. Accusatory. Forgiving. Cunning. Kind. Persuasive. Sincere.
W O R D S
Few know the power of them.
Words of Lovers flowing like honey, sweet, deliberate, and slow.
A Love Letter to Grieving Daughters
Dearest Grieving Daughter,
I am writing you this letter on the Eve of my 7th Mother’s Day without my mother, and my 14th Mother’s Day, married, without a child. And this is the first year in the past 7 that I am approaching Mother’s Day doing “just fine.” I have been doing SO fine, in fact, that I have been surprised. Leading up to this weekend, I have been checking myself regularly, and giving myself space to feel the weight of emotions that I typically have learned to expect and make space for during this time of year, but I haven’t been able to find my usual sorrowful outpouring of silent, private tears, nor can I find my usual “May” visitors, PAIN, SHAME, and DEFEAT. I don’t share that with you to boast of myself or my own strength. I don’t share it as a badge of honor, to say, “Look at me,” no, I decided to begin this letter sharing this with you because I am a testimony of what God will do for His Daughters who find themselves in the throes of sorrow.
As I searched for Tears, Pain, Shame, and Defeat, I found instead, a burden on my heart for you, God’s Grieving Daughters. Women who have come to dread this time of year completely. Women who don’t feel like there is much to “celebrate” this weekend. So I wanted to write you a letter to tell you that you are not forgotten, and to assure you that there is indeed hope on the other side of your pain. I want to be very clear, this letter is not only intended for women who have lost a mother to death. I am also writing to women who have had to live with the pain of barrenness, women whose mothers are alive, but they are estranged from them, women who have buried children, or lost them to the judicial system in the form of incarceration, and women who are raising their children to the best of their ability, Continue reading
Motherless On Mother’s Day
Originally Published as a “Guest Blog” with Chronicles of Womanhood on May 5, 2015…..
Taken July 2011, our final photo together.
This year will be my 4th Mother’s Day without my mother. My emotions have varied drastically over the past three years leading up to this coming Mother’s Day. I vividly remember my first Mother’s Day without my mother. I was devastated, depressed and angry. I spent the entire day mad with everyone. I shut down to the world, closed myself off, cried, yelled, journal(ed), and sat silently. And you know what? I felt entitled to do just that! Continue reading
#LoveTapFromD💕: Keep on Moving, Don’t Stop Now…
In order for you to see God complete what He began in you, you must exercise the courage to keep going! Motion is the responsibility of the believer, so keep moving toward the promises God has made you because that is the only way to obtain them!
Step by step, I assure you, Continue reading
The Purge…
Our thoughts are powerful and they have an aroma that fill our minds. They either impart pleasant attractive scents that lead to enthusiasm, hope, and productivity or they impart putrid rotting scents that lead to lethargy, discouragement, and stagnation. The aroma that our thoughts give off impacts others through our words and actions. See, all thoughts eventually transform into words and/or actions. So every place our voices are heard, we are either stinking up the atmosphere with negativity or releasing a sweet smelling fragrance of hope, faith and strength. Continue reading
Trusting over Feeling
Yes, [God] wants you to sense His Presence, but He’s more concerned that you trust Him than that you feel Him. Faith, not feelings, please God -Rick Warren
Do you ever feel like God is hiding from you? Have you ever felt like you were going through the toughest time in your life, and He was no where to be found, or like your heartfelt prayers were unheard? If you’ve felt these or similar feelings, what were your responses?
I certainly have had times in my life where it seemed like God was silent. I have cried myself to sleep many nights, wondering if God was even listening to my intense pleas for comfort, clarity, and/or direction. These seasons in my life where God has seemed silent were some of the most challenging times in my faith journey. My responses have varied during these times. There have been times when God’s seeming distance made me shut down, and there have been times when His seeming distance made me pray more and continue to intentionally draw closer to Him. There have been times in these seasons when I have felt alone, depressed, lost, and even forgotten….
If you haven’t experienced these times of seeming distance, it is inevitable that you eventually will, You may even be enduring one of these seasons as you read this, and I want you to know that God has not forgotten you. In fact, it is impossible for Him to forget you. Your ability to inhale and exhale in this moment testifies that He hasn’t. Most importantly, your breath is evidence that you have not reached the end of your life’s story, so that means,
IT AIN’T OVER, and God’s goodness for your life is still ahead of you!
SOBER
I am entering 2018 joyfully sober.
Today, as I thought about the coming year, the word SOBER kept ringing in my ears, so much so that I looked up the definition. Of the many differing definitions, this is what stood out to me,
Quiet in demeanor, Free from exaggeration, showing self control
Going into a new year, we tend to be SO LOUD. There’s so much to prove because no matter how great, or how horrible the current year has been, the next year must be better, bigger, and greater. So we eagerly pop off to our friends, loved ones, and followers, proclaiming all of the many things we are going to accomplish in the coming year. Yet, today as I pondered my own desires for 2018, I challenged myself not to be intoxicated by the possibilities of a new year, without being disciplined enough to count up the cost of my goals. Jesus said, Continue reading
Hope Notes 