“Make Valentine’s Day about loving you”

Happy Valentine’s Day. The old me would cringe when I heard these words. The reason I did is because I have been divorced since 2013. I’ve dated some, but I haven’t dated a lot. From the few that I dated, there was only two men that bought me gifts on that day. Valentine’s Day is

“Overcoming depression”

If you’d rather watch the YouTube video, click the following link. https://youtu.be/0EpZcJ-ojJY?si=R45JLAVWdxkTZkDX “We wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.” “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” For some people, when they hear the lyrics to these song, their

“Dating and learning who I am”

You are beautiful. You are smart. You are loving. You are adventurous. You have a great personality. You love your family. You have values and good morals. You are a hard worker. You are God’s girl. You are epic. You are the prize. You are the shit. You deserve good shit and don’t you forget.

“My faith carried me through”

July is child bereavement month, parents that have lost children in death. No parent ever wants to bury a child, but it does happen. My friend, Sandra, lost her son, Michael in a car accident on June 7, 2014. I asked her to share his story. Michael was born March 31, 1979. He was the

“As parents, you are your child’s first teacher.”

A few months ago, God put on my heart to reach out to my parents about how it feels to have ALL eight children with college degrees. This is something that is unheard of in my experience. I did research to see how our odds add up. Even though the high school graduation rate for

“If you do your best, God will do the rest.”

In the month of June, there is a day that’s celebrated for recognizing children’s day. My mother and father have eight children. I wanted to interview them about the importance of education. I wanted to know how they felt having eight children with a college degree. Here is my father’s, JB Long, story. My father

“When I quit running from God, my life got easier.”

How many of you have heard of the story Jonah from the bible? Some would say it’s a fable. As a Christian believer, I find it to be a story of learning to be obedient to the voice of God. Sometimes, we go through things that we caused on our our own. We realize that

“To my children, with love”

Every time that I write, I feel that it is always from the heart. Each time that I write, I feel that it makes me go to a deeper depth, but I think this one is most personable. Today is Mother’s Day, and I’m thankful to be a mother. Being a mother, it is not

“Find your village”

Beyonce’ sings, “who runs the world? Girls?” Women, really, do run the world. Often times, we are overlooked, overworked, overwhelmed, unappreciated, and underpaid. We are mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, nieces, cousins, grandmothers, bosses, entrepreneurs, and much more. Each of these roles have different meanings for every woman. March is recognized as Women’s History Month. This

“New Year. New Location. New Me. New Life.”

Sometimes, we sing songs without them having a personal meaning. We sing it because we heard it on the radio, at home, or in the church. Young teenage me led a gospel song in my church’s young adult choir. It is called “New Life.” I led the song because I was told to lead it

“Trying to be perfect almost got me killed”

Domestic Violence Awareness Month might have ended in October, but it is an ongoing daily battle for women, men, and children. Statistics shows that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of physical abuse (examples beating, burning, strangulation). Also, statistics show that 1 out of 15 children will be exposed

“I learned to be careful what I asked God for in prayer.”

I want you to think for a moment. I want you to reflect on the last time you were in a room with at least 20 or more people. For every minute, at least 20 people are physically abused. Keep reflecting. Out of that 20, 1 out of the 3 are women have experienced physical

“Are you surviving your storm?”

July 31rst, I left Mississippi and moved to Florida. The nickname for the state of Florida is the Sunshine State, but it’s not always sunshine. Typically, it rains about 4 times a week, and the weather is always unpredictable. It can be sunny one minute. The next minute, it is raining. Unfortunately, Florida is also

“You’re never too old to start over”

In the African American culture, we are taught to get a good job. If you get that good job, you stick with it. We are taught to work hard. We use that saying ” God won’t put more on you than you can bear. Pray about it. He’ll give you strength. You are getting paid

“My Gentle Giant”

Chasney was carrying the first born grandchild on both sides of the family. Everyone was excited about the baby that would be born. There was even more excitement when Chasney found out that she was carrying a boy. She knew that he would be involved in sports. Her ex-husband, Dewitt, said it would be basketball

“He is.. He was..He will forever be my Rock.”

Can you imagine being 24 weeks pregnant and not knowing? That was the last thing that Jackie expected. There was no way that she could be pregnant. She was still having regular cycles. If she was pregnant, that would be three children within the last three years at the age of twenty. She thought the

“Things that one year taught me.”

Here are some things that one year (44-45) taught me. Number one is I matured in life. Proverbs 18:21 says that death and life lie in the power of the tongue. The tongue is a powerful thing. You can speak positivity over your life and loved ones (as you should). You can also hurt people

“My dreams becoming a reality”

People get adrenaline rushes or excitement off of different things. Some people jump out of planes. Some gear up and play a game of basketball. Some people paint. For me, it’s taking pictures. Photography has always been my passion. Since I was a little girl, I have always loved taking photos. Even from the beginning,

“The greatest Christmas gift there is—loving yourself”

Recently, I was traveling home after spending the weekend and enjoying time with my cousins. I was cruising along the highway with the radio blasting. One of my favorite artist, Mary J Blige, new song came on. I began to focus on the lyrics. “All the times that I hated myself. All the times that

What 98 years of living taught me.

Today, I paid my respects to one of the sweetest people on earth. 🤍🤍🤍 Mrs Louise Kisor passed away last Friday. She lived to be 98 years old. I took this pic 10/10/2017. She was never one that liked having her picture taken. I was honored that she allowed me to take it that day.

“My past does not define me. I am a man.”

“I am a man” are words that Jason takes pride in saying. For Jason, the meaning of being a man is being able to provide for his family; not only their needs but, also, their wants. Therefore, the words “I am a man” are not words that Jason takes lightly. There was a time period

“Like father. Like son”

In the month of November, the US celebrates the Thanksgiving holiday. People take the time to say what they are thankful for in their lives. Typically, people say friends, family, good health, and a job that provides income. I, too, am thankful for those same things, but I wanted to express gratitude to men/women that

“I am strong. I am an overcomer. I am a survivor.”

“I had the gun in my hand ready to take my life. My son walked in the room. He didn’t understand what was happening because he was younger. He gave me a look. The look, he gave, would be one of the defining moments that I realized I had to leave and get out of

“We only have one life to live. Make sure you live your best life.”

A few weeks ago, I was at work, and one of my regular customers entered the lobby. I left my office and went to speak to Mr. John Doe (name has been changed for privacy reasons). I gave Mr. Doe a hug and asked how he’s been because it had been a while since I’d

“My Independence Day”

Today is July 4th, and this is my vlog post for this month. Several people have asked me why I don’t have a YouTube channel. Honestly, I was reluctant because of my lack of knowledge when it comes to technology. I even had trouble today with uploading. I had to do it from my phone.

“Preparing for the ultimate race, this thing called life”

A marathon is 26.2 miles. It’s not just for super athletes. There are people of all shapes and sizes, ages, and genre that will begin. One can’t simply wait until the day of the race to start preparing and expect to win. There is work behind this. Everyone will start, but not all will make

“Even superheroes get weak”

We all have that friend or family member we can depend on no matter what. That person is dependable and reliable. That person encourages and uplifts. Basically, that person is there whenever we need him/her. He/she is a confidant. He/she is trusting and a pleasure to be around. That person is our rock. If you

“There are superheroes living amongst us each day “

Many of us wake up each day with no pain. We get up and go about our morning/daily routine (showering, breakfast, leave for school or work). Have you ever stopped and thought that waking up with no pain is actually a blessing? For the person that suffers with Crohn’s disease or any type of chronic

“I know the true meaning of in sickness and in health.”

January 1, 2016, Gary Hancock logged onto his Facebook page and wrote “I can’t wait to see what all good things come out of 2016. I am looking forward to a blessed year.” That would be the last time he would ever write those words. He said that he wishes it in his mind, but

“I heard the words I have cancer twice.”

Here she was celebrating with her friends and family having dinner at Old Venice when Mary Pat received a call from her guardian angel. He told her Mary Pat. “I know you’re celebrating with your friends and family, but you were right. You cancer is back. There is a spot on your liver. You need