-
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…
-
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…
-
$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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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. …
-
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…
-
What is Forgiveness? Part I
Six years ago this November, a couple days after my 26th birthday, my uncle was shot and killed. I don’t often think about it. In fact, most days I just lock it away in the deep recesses of my mind. I seal any emotionally draining thoughts inside a vault of ironclad stoicism just so I can function. I do this so I don’t break down. Reality can be harsh sometimes. I stare in the mirror and wonder what it truly means to forgive. And can’t seem to come up with an answer. Somewhere, deep inside me, it feels like defeat to say “Hey, I forgive you for murdering my uncle…
-
Empty Seat at the Table
Murder. I told you in the first blog that it played into my story. I couldn’t have ever imagined it in my circle. That happens in big cities. It happens in any good drama on television. It doesn’t hit close to home, until it does. My uncle was murdered 6 years ago. The man who shot him left him in an open field. And my uncle died alone. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. I could give you all the details, but I honestly don’t even have the capacity. It’s an open wound that needs to be tended to, but I just leave it to fester. Is that healthy? I…
