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Best Foot Forward
Online dating is interesting. We live in a technologically advanced world. It’s only fitting that the current dating style reflects the world we live in. But it’s weird. I’m naturally an introvert so I’m not really into being aggressive. Which is probably why I’m single. Women are AGGRESSIVE nowadays. I’ve come to the conclusion that men are enjoying being pursued. That’s just not my style. Actually, there are probably lots of reasons why I’m single. It’s come to my attention that my flirting radar is not activated. During another smaller cousin council, my cousins informed me that I succinctly shot down a man who was trying to shoot his shot. …
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Worth the Wait
Music makes me happy. When I was younger, Boyz II Men was one of my favorite groups. Those brothers can SANG. Do you hear me??? I was thrilled when they were coming to Barton Coliseum. My mom got tickets, and we went to the show. The stagehands brought the roses on the stage…and Boyz II Men never came out. I don’t know why they didn’t perform, but I do know I was devastated. Two or three years ago, we decided to give Boyz II Men another shot. They were performing in Birmingham, Alabama. Birmingham is not that far of a drive. We love road trips. The night before the concert…
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Blessed Are We
When I was living with Ma Patra, each person present at the table said a scripture before we ate. I was too little to understand exactly what we were doing. All I knew was that before I could eat, I needed to say “Jesus wept.” Now that I’m older, I know that it’s the shortest scripture in the Bible. I was the youngest kid at the table, so the length of the verse fit me at the time. I don’t recall a time in life when my family hasn’t prayed over the food. It’s what we do. It’s who we are. And as much as we like to eat, that…
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Good Hair
Although it doesn’t often look like it, I’m invested in my hair. I mentioned previously that, at one point in my life, I wanted to be a pediatrician that did hair on the weekends. I could spend hours on the weekend microbraiding my doll’s hair just for fun. I perfected the side ponytail and would use my curling iron to “press” my new growth between relaxers. Baby, I was all about my hair. When I started my professional career in 2007, I decided it was time to go natural. I attempted to transition for about four months. And when I say attempted, I really mean that I didn’t get a…
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$225,000
$225,000. I got paid today, so it was time to sit down and figure out this bill situation. It usually takes me awhile to decide how to disperse this money. Although my bills are constant, my paycheck fluctuates. I’m contract. That means if I don’t work, I don’t get paid. Missing one day of work hits differently when it means that you have to think about who is not going to get some money. If I was a GOOD steward of my money, this would not be such an issue. I would have money tucked away for all of the rainy days and mishaps that are going to occur in…
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Under Construction
Rats terrify me. Especially the rats that took over my home. I’m not being deep or poetic. I’m being literal. I closed on my home on February 29, 2016. I was excited, but honestly, I was mostly thrilled that the fun surprises of buying a home were over. Such a fool. My home was built from the ground up in 2008. So, it’s fairly new. Unfortunately, the previous owners had different ideas of what taking care of a home means. The front door had an indentation from an ax. Mold abounded in the vanity of the master bathroom because of a leak under the sink. The carpet was all kinds…
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Take Me to the Water
I confessed Christ at Sam’s Club on a Saturday. Way back when the Metroplex Event Center was a Sam’s Club. “Confessing Christ” is just a fancy way of saying that I said out loud that I believed in Jesus Christ. I wanted to claim Him as my own. I was helping my mom with our Saturday grocery selections. In those days, my family had an addiction to Clearly Canadian, and Sam’s had it in bulk. Just a little piece of heaven on earth. Alright, I’ll get back to the point. I asked my mom why you had to be twelve to be baptized. She told me that wasn’t true. I…
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Advanced Placement
Confidence is not my strongest trait. When things get difficult or seem like they’ll be too hard, I have a tendency to retreat. It’s a life pattern that I’m not proud of. The more I reflect on my past, the more I see God’s hand pushing me to trust Him. I took Advanced Placement (AP) classes in high school. I liked them because the grades carried extra weight. Earning a “B” in an AP class had the same impact as earning an “A” in a regular class. So, you could potentially have a GPA (grade point average) that’s higher than a 4.0. Mrs. Pickering was my AP English teacher for…
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Color Blind
Racism exists in the body of Christ. And it’s unfortunate. My Bible doesn’t read like there will be black section and white section in heaven. But that’s how we worship here on earth. Listen, I’m not talking about ya’ll. I’m talking about me. I’m a member of a black Baptist church. I’ve always been a member of a black church. Give me that saxophone, and the drums, and the organ, and the choir. (But ya’ll could turn the monitors down because I’m trying to preserve my hearing.) The interesting thing is that my first best friend was white. We went to elementary school together. Both of her parents were doctors. …
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Set Apart
I have been a member of three different, dynamic musical groups. I told you my life was a musical! Each group showcased a different stage of my growth and development. Walk with me as I recount my musical highs and lows. I didn’t want to go to college. It just seemed like such an insurmountable thing. How are you supposed to know what you want to do with your life? How do people even graduate from college? My answer was to make it big in the summer between senior year of high school and freshman year in college. Set Apart was formed sometime in my high school days. My Soul…
























