Old To New Creations

Black Men, I know it may not seem like you matter to this Godless society and the reality is, you don't. I have stood by, like most people, not really knowing how to respond to such tragedies. I have mourned, like these young men and women, were my husband, sons, father,  niece , or nephew. I have prayed and interceded and have tirelessly lectured my children, all BLACK boys, you see.  I write this because I, unlike some, have to admit that I do not know what it's like to be you in this society. I don't know what it's like to have your black women being preferred over you because you look too "thuggish", "ghetto", or "black". I don't know what it's like to be emasculated in front of your children,  wives, and families, even in your brutal deaths. I don't know what it's like to have to face a cold world each day not knowing whether or not you will return the same way you left.  I get it! I GET IT! I ...

There was this annoying bump that I had on my skin that took the longest to heal. Just when I thought it was healed, I would wake up with more inflammation. Finally, after a couple of  weeks, it began to scab over. Me, because it was slightly distracting to me, pealed the scab off only to discover, I interrupted the healing process. It is then that I realized what happens when hurts don't heal properly. The hurt, if unaddressed, will develop a scab, but the wound never heals completely. At any moment something can trigger that wound to reopen and expose what's underneath.  I began to notice some of my own wounds that, over the years, had developed a scab, but were still raw underneath. I noticed that in my attempt to soothe my emotional wounds over with surface level smiles, hellos, and fake giggles; the hurt and resentment were brewing underneath and where, like that bump that kept getting inflamed, began inflaming my interactions with the ones that had hurt m...

I was going about my daily routine, optimistic about what the day was going to be like. I had my list of To-do's, like most life jugglers such as myself. I'd just finished a good workout, breakfast, and morning devotion. I'd dotted every "I" and crossed every "T" like I was supposed to until....Out of nowhere, things began to fall apart! Phone call after phone call about misbehaving little ones and the famous quote I'm sure any mom just loves to hear (I'm being sarcastic of course), "Oh Mom, I forgot". On top of that I had research to work on, a husband that had been gone away at work for weeks, and approaching deadlines, bills, and above all other emergencies, dinner had to be cooked because going out for dinner was not an option! Does this sound familiar to anyone other than me? Simply put and as I often say, life happens, even while life is happening. Duty calls, kids have tough days, and husbands and loved ones are not always...

I've never confessed to be better than "us". The idea that I've heard so many people from my past express about the new me that I'm aspiring to be.  My only motivation was and still is, is to be better than my former self. You know, the self that felt "less than", and let's face it-inadequate. The self that struggled with knowing her worth and accepting my own differences. The self that didn't understand how my awkwardness in trying to engage in small talk that were, for me, painful because it just felt fake.  I also didn't quite understand why I had such a strong disdain for meaningless drama. The self whose creative side was just as suffocated as her emotional side. Y'all...yeah, I said it.. y'all can't know the freedom that comes along with not only finding your purpose, but accepting that a more than capable God breathed life into me and placed such an assignment called purpose, talents, giftings, or whatever you ident...

As I was riding down the highway this song began playing on the radio.  Now, I've heard this song SEVERAL times and am quite a fan of the artist, but this time was different.  This ride came after I'd spent several days with my sick mother who, progressively appeared to get worse each day I was home visiting.  After asking her SEVERAL times, "Mom, how are you feeling today?" and her replying, "I'm doing OKAY, I'll be alright", did I realize that this scenario was all too familiar and a replica of how we respond to emotional health.  So, without further ado, I present the REALIST LYRICS EVER! "Cry yourself to sleep Shout and raise your hands It won't change a thing child until you understand If you're tired of being the same If you're tired of things not changing It's time for you to get out the way"  Often, we go through life facing all kinds of mishaps and adversities that lead us to crying ourselves to ...

As I was combing through, or more like diving through, my bottomless pit of shoes this morning, I could feel the onset of frustration about my inability to find a mate to each shoe I picked up!! In the midst of my frustration I whispered, "I Can't", as a sign that my search for the right shoe was not only nearing it's end, but that my time and efforts spent searching for mates were wasted and in vain. It was then I received a revelation.  Like the box of shoes is our journey through life, sometimes feeling as though our search for happiness, fulfillment, love, careers, opportunities, and mates is a bottomless pit.  It can seem as if the search will not lead to positive results and in the moment, out of frustration and dismay, you feel defeated and whisper, like I did, "I Can't". Well, back to my story, because I'm certain that you're interested in knowing whether or not I was able to eventually find a mate to a shoe and carry on with m...