Previously, I have written about standing up for myself no matter the outcome. Well, here I am again, finding myself in the midst of a storm, of course at work. Interestingly, I only get horrible female bosses who attempt to manage me when they are incapable of governing themselves.

I am in a new role and have been since September 2020, and it was going well, I thought. The Manager and I were getting to know one another and building a functional relationship. Two weeks into the role, I asked, “what are your expectations of me?” The response was a “well, I don’t expect you to hit the ground running. Just enjoy the process.” A month in, and I had not worked on a single thing, so I asked for work. She gave me a report to complete, a PowerPoint presentation that was three slides with pictures, and a couple of talking points. She said, great, and I didn’t hear anything else.

Another month later, I was asked to assist a different manager with her reporting. The objective was for me to take over her reports and host her meetings permanently. After doing that for a couple of weeks and having numerous discussions about incorrect data and my level of un-comfortability reporting inaccurate data, they (both managers) shifted me to another manager. My Manager asked if I would be willing to assist another manager until they figured out the data issue. I said sure and moved on.

This third manager is a male, and he was going on paternity leave and needed someone to manage his business since he was a team of one for eight weeks. I stepped in, knowing nothing, stepped up, learning almost everything, and succeeded in running his business for eight weeks and, in the process, developed a calendar for different events, in which he could not get a handle on for one reason or another. After his return, his colleagues asked if I could stay on board, and the decision was made that I would until my workload picked up on my team.

My workload never increased; instead, I was asked to assist a fourth manager while still assisting the third manager. I said, okay, as long as it is not too much work, I do not want to overpromise and underdeliver. My Manager informed me that she didn’t know what the project entailed. I met with the fourth manager, a female, who I already knew. We spoke about her needs, and she wanted an automated report to provide to leadership. I told her I could build one, and then I started working on it.

By this point, I had bi-weekly check-ins with my Manager, and she was saying what a good job I was doing over Microsoft Teams. Then came our Year-End Appraisals, and she said that I was below expectations. We had a meeting to discuss her feedback regarding the appraisal. She questioned my credentials (Master’s Degree in Data Analytics), gave me subjective feedback, and expected me to take it as if I agreed with her. I responded by letting her know that questioning my credentials was unacceptable, telling her she needed to provide better feedback and her feedback needs to be obtainable. We both knew that this was the first negative feedback that I had received from her. I asked her how is this an accurate rating?  

We agreed to meet weekly so that she could provide obtainable feedback. I ask her every meeting, “do you have any feedback?” She says, “no, the other managers say you are doing great.” I reply, but how do YOU think I am doing? She says, “good. I don’t have anything.”

We continued on like this until the beginning of May. My work has ended with the three other managers, and now I am assisting the fifth manager. I still have not assisted my Manager with any tasks to date, other than the very first task I asked for and a small request she had. We recently met two weeks ago, and she asked me about my next job goals. I told her that I want to be in Global Supply Chain or Global Sourcing, just as I told her and her Director during my interview. This past week, she gave me a deadline to be off of her team.

I met with HR and discussed the illegality of providing me with a deadline to have another job without a Performance Improvement Plan, and HR agreed that it would be illegal for her to fire me. In my previous roles, if I was at the corner of Manager Wants to Fire Me Lane and Must Have a New Job by x Date Road, I would have quit and run down, I Don’t Want to Deal with This Boulevard. However, I have learned to stand up and fight for myself, and so this time, I am staying and fighting back. She does not get the pleasure of seeing me run because of threats or attempting to make me feel like I am in a hostile and toxic environment. She wants to push me out; let’s see her try.

I can do all things with God, and one of those things is standing and fighting back. I have learned to be bold and speak the truth. The truth of the matter is that she set me up for failure. How did she not set any expectations than say I am not meeting them? What were they? When I ask her, she has no answer, so I will ask her again in front of HR and see what she has to say. The bottom line is that this conflict is not meant for me to run from like in times past, so I will choose to stay and fight.

Hello everyone,

Thank you for your patience with me during this hiatus. I took some time off to get back to basics and to focus on what’s important. I started to relapse into who I was somewhat, but I caught myself enough to know that the old Rhonda is not who I want to be.

It has been hard to focus on God lately, but I keep trying. Before the New Year, I asked everyone to pray with us, and my family members felt a certain way about the request. The Bible says do not rely on your own understanding; that could be because people misinterpret statements and intentions. I intended to have my family pray simultaneously; there is power in prayer, especially when a family comes together. After we got past this misunderstanding, it appeared that the issue was not with the request made but with me. Someone once told me, do not waste your time playing with the ignorant because you will never win; they are experts at the game. So, I did not waste my time trying to figure out why the issue was with me. I kept praying and pressing forward. Nothing God has is behind me; it is all in front of me.

January 30^th, my mom asked us (her four girls) to join her in a Bible study. It was the start of bringing our family closer than we have ever been. We all knew that this would be a struggle but showing up meant that we were ready. Ready to fight for our relationships to be closer, fight to be closer to God and let Him lead the way, fight for what He has for us, and most importantly, that we are ready to fight for the souls of one another. Through this Bible study, we all have learned so much about each other, the pain we hold, the things we care about, and I love that it is a safe space to share our vulnerabilities and feelings with no one holding on to what was said. I thought we would never get to a place where we would be able to share such moments. Are we perfect? No, but we are working towards being the women, family members, and Christians that God wants us to be, and that is enough for me.

This Bible study has strengthened my faith in God. Previously I shared with you all that I was reading the Bible every day; well, I started slacking. I started on June 6^th, and here it is a year later, and it is not complete. I noticed how determined I could be for an extended period and then have no motivation to carry on the next. The longest I went without reading was 13 days. I read the scripture for Bible study, but I did not read the Bible and spend time with God for 13 days, and I could tell the difference. He kept blessing me, waking me up, and starting me on my way, but it was different. I did not feel the burning desire to do anything extra or do any more than what was expected of me. A psychologist once said to me, how your house is, is how your mind is also. I started thinking, wow, my mind is cluttered like my house, cluttered with uselessness and dirt. And this is when I began to recognize the old Rhonda creeping back up like a slow-burning flame, accepting and settling instead of choosing and fighting for what I want. I doused it with water and began the fight to get closer again. Now I read the Bible every other day, but I will get back to it every day.

I also remembered that I had this blog, and I missed it. Sharing things that I’ve learned, experiences and letting them go.  This is my way of letting it all go!

Our dog died in January from cancer, and now we have our cat. We tried to get our cat a friend, but the other cat kept attacking her, so we returned the new cat. Then we were going to get a dog, but the car kept going out. We asked each other if that was a sign not to get it. It had to have been because we don’t have the dog today.

About this car, recently my car started going out. I told the Lord, I’ll wait until I get out of a little more debt before I’ll buy a car. He obviously said no, because the car I had no longer picks up. I was going 30 MPH on the highway with my hazard lights on. I found a new car that I love, a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71. The dealership let me bring it home since I am approved for the loan. Now I am waiting on a tiny detail so that my car buying process is complete. It seems that everything I do is always a process.

Speaking of processes, I began the process of finding a new job. Finally, I found one within the international sector, and I am excited. The role is more project management than data analytics, which is fine because I will learn new skills and use what I already know. My second and final interview is this Thursday, and I believe this is my job. I am praying that the salary is where I need it to afford the new lifestyle that I want to have. That does not mean splurging, but it does include one big trip a year.

My birthday is in August, and I was planning on going camping and hiking, but I bought a car instead, which is more important. Sometimes one has to choose between wants and needs. I always select my needs rather than wants because my wants are not necessities but nice to have. I look forward to God’s next chapter in my life that includes this new job and yearly travel.

It is crazy how God has been moving in each of my family member’s lives. I am most excited about the blessing that God has given my youngest sister. She graduates with her Bachelor’s in December. I am so proud of her because she thought she couldn’t do it, society thought she couldn’t do it, but with God, she did. She has one class left, then done! I asked her what’s next, her Masters? She said NO! I am going to get a job as a copywriter, proofreader, or editor. With zero experience, it may seem impossible, but with God, nothing is off-limits. Thus, I am excited to watch her flourish and become the woman that God has designed her to be. As I close out today’s blog, all I can think is but God. But God wouldn’t let me fail, but God wouldn’t bring me this far to leave me, but God wouldn’t let me die, but God wouldn’t let society decide my little sister’s fate. God is awesome, and life is good, even through the bad times. Remember, all of the times you could have been worst off and say with a smile, “but God.”

Hello everyone!

This year has been a whirlwind for me. I began by breaking chains that kept me feeling like I was slowly sinking in quicksand and started to flourish into the woman that God wants me to be. Rhonda is not complete yet, but I know that I am on the right path. As I continue this journey of disencumbering my chains, I will remember all the lessons learned from this year and years past. But I will not carry the experiences with me, or the pain that I experienced; I let it go like clouds that release rain.

2021 is promising, not just from this virus but from all the chains I heard clang on the floor. Promising like the freedom that I felt lift me higher into God’s grace and mercy. Like the understanding and wisdom that spoke softly to me like a warm breeze flowing past. Last week, I made up in my mind that foolishness, childishness, and ridiculousness are to remain in the past. If a person wants to hold on to previous experiences or pains, please do so without me. I am too mature (spiritually and physically), and my future is bright; God has so much waiting for all of us if we learn to forgive and let go genuinely.

Tonight, I have invited family and my Twitter friends to Fast & Pray with me from 6 pm tonight (12/31/20) to 6 pm tomorrow (1/1/21). I also want to invite you to participate as well if you are able. It will be a powerful experience, no matter where you are, because, in spirit, you will not be alone. If you are unable to Fast & Pray for 12 hours, perhaps you can say a prayer every hour on the hour or get on your knees for at least 10 minutes tonight from 11:50 pm to 12:00 am. I believe that prayer is powerful, and so is spending time with God. The Bible says, ask God, and it shall be given to you, so tonight I will be asking to receive every blessing the Lord has for me and that I am open to receiving them. I will also pray the same for you.  

As I go into 2021, I will be praying for everyone and this world we live in, and I will walk into it with power, not the fear that I carried in years past. I will be looking up and forward, not down and glancing ahead! Great things are in store for me, and I am excited that you have decided to follow me as I yet again continue to break chains, grow into the woman God wants me to be, and embrace my power.

I will not make New Year’s resolutions, but I will be working on being a better person, woman, leader, and example. What will you be working towards in 2021? Will you be leaving it all behind or lugging past experiences and pains with you? It will not be easy, but I promise you, there is a blessing on the other side.

Talk to you in the New Year!

God loves me; absolutely loves me. At the Company I work, I have held three different roles. The first one taught me what happens to damaged or out-of-date products. The second one taught me about the transportation of how products move, and the third one taught me how to decide which products are attractive to consumers. While in the second role, I fell in love with the supply chain and immediately knew what I wanted to do.

I wanted to be in a global supply chain role. I began to tell everyone in the Company and outside of it what I wanted to do because I did not know who God would use to make this happen for me, but I believed it would happen. I continued to work and applied outside the Company, but it seemed nothing moved. I spoke to the Senior Vice President about how we need to invest in being a global supply chain, and he said yes, we know but not now. So, I continued telling everyone every time they asked. Then I applied for a new role where I would be able to use my data skills. During the interview, the Director says that he is looking to repurpose his team to be a global team, and since I have a background in international and logistics, I would be a great fit.

Thus, here I am in my current role. As I have been in this role for three months, there was no mention of globalizing this team. I sat here thinking, wow, I have been fooled, yet again by leadership. I kept on trucking and saying I want to be in a global role. I spoke to my manager to tell her about my current goals and why. I want to work globally because I love to study the customs and laws of other countries. What are the people like, and how do their businesses operate? What do we have to consider when speaking to people from other countries, and what does it take to get products from one country to the next? Then it happened.

I attended a meeting to brainstorm on Thursday. During this session, I learned that we are going global, and they still wanted me to be a part of standing up or repurposing this team to be global. The excitement I felt is beyond words. Of course, I accepted, then shortly after, I met with the Director for a 1-on-1, and we discussed a range of things. One point that stood out to me was: “Rhonda, I want you to assist all teams because I want to be able to leverage all of the skills you have.” Now, a couple of things about me is that I love meeting people and staying busy. I realized that God created my dream job for me behind the scenes, and here it is, just for me. The one drawback is the pay, but if God created this job for me, I know that the salary will catch up and be beyond my expectations.

I believe that if you tell God and everyone what you want, God will make it happen. Thus, it is time for me to tell everyone how much I am looking to make and watch that happen.

As I was writing this on Friday with the full intention of posting, the grass men were outside picking up the leaves and sticks with their truck parked on the grass, well dirt. I do not have grass yet, LOL. Anyway, they got stuck in the mud, literally stuck. They had to call a tow truck, and about two hours later, they were free and waving bye to me. Then I decided to give my dog a rawhide bone, and his teeth popped out. Like three teeth from the back of his mouth. I immediately called the vet, who told me this was not normal. So, I made an appointment to bring him in on their first available day.

After all of that, I decided to run a few errands, so I started up my car, and she (my car) did not start! I was like, okay, let us jumpstart her up. But to no avail, she did not work. I called my insurance company for a tow since it’s included with my insurance and found out that they could not tow me to the dealership of my choice because it was too far away. I called the one closer, which I do not like, and told them to be expecting me and that I would need a rental. They said they did not have any rentals, and I am on my own with finding one. They also gave me a quote that was higher than the dealership of my choice. I began to talk to God. I told Him that I did not like that dealership, start my car, do not let it be a major problem, find a reasonable rental, and keep us (my youngest sister and I) safe on this journey and let the car start.

Then the tow truck guy came and jumped, charged her battery, and she started! We praised God and told the tow truck guy thank you. If someone saw us, they would have thought we were crazy! We hugged the tow truck guy (despite COVID), and then he told us it is because her engine got cold. We kept her running, then turned her off and on again. Like a miracle, God let her startup repeatedly. Here we are three days later, and she starts.

No matter what happens, remember to keep God first, and all things will work out according to His will! Thank God it was in His will: for my dream job being created, to have the grass men get pulled out of the mud, for my dog to be okay, and to have my car start! God is too good for me, despite me not deserving it.

Christmas is this week. Remember that it is about Jesus being born and crucified for our sins, not the gifts, although presents will always be accepted. 😊

A little while ago, I forgave everyone that I felt wronged me in one way or another. Then for the past two weeks, I realized that I did not have much to say that is of value, so I decided not to write. Now, I have something to write about. I recently decided that I wanted to rekindle one relationship, the relationship with my mom.

Although my mom has been there for me ever since I can remember she has also been a bit overbearing. I will not go into details, but I decided that I would invest the time and energy to truly build a relationship with her. Through this relationship-building, I have discovered that my mom has feelings, and she does try her best to be a good person. However, old habits die hard. I have also learned that some people will attempt to make things ‘right’ for themselves by hurting a person when they seem weaker.

My mom has tried over these last 12 to 10 years to do better as a parent and sadly, I am just now noticing. Even though it took me a while to realize her attempts at being better I have found that she will get there with encouragement and love. I will not on purpose make her feel less or like she is the same old person because she is trying to be a better-updated version of herself. It is powerful to see my mom, who was weakened by many of her demons to break free and shake off the ones that were not glued to her. It is also powerful to watch her battle the ones that seem stronger than who she is trying to be.

I remember to keep boosting her up. Celebrating the small and screaming our battle cry to the ones that try to grab her and drag her under. With God all things are possible and one day she will be free from all of her demons and like me, we (her and I) will not only hear but feel our chains fall from our necks, hips, and feet.

I am so glad that I am rekindling this relationship with her and getting to know the better version of her.

Go MOM, remember you got this! It is never easy, but it is always worth it. God is always right there with you and I will always have your back! 😊

This week is Thanksgiving so hopefully, this post will assist in getting people to think about this holiday differently. Thanksgiving is an American holiday so no one else in the world celebrates it. That could imply that this holiday assists Americans in remembering to be thankful for what they have.

What would happen if we started acting like every day was Thanksgiving? We would be more grateful, nicer, share more meals, laugh with one another more, and show our appreciation for one another. Imagine that! A place in which everyone or most people were thankful for what they had and looked for ways to help others have a nice meal to eat or a warm place to sleep.

We should try to wake up every morning before getting out of bed and name five things we are grateful for; I will suggest the first reason to be thankful: waking up. How about when we say thank you, we let the person know what we are thankful for? Such as, thank you for helping me with the dishes. Often, we say thank you without any thought, it is just automatic. We may sometimes say grace before we eat but what about saying thank you for something other than food! God has given us so much more. It is time to break the mundane chain of only celebrating or acting as if Thanksgiving takes place one day out of the year, THANKSGIVING should be celebrated every day and all time. It is important we smile, be grateful, and most importantly not forget to give God thanks for all he has done, is doing and will do. Make sure to say thank you to a friend, colleague, family member, or pet and tell them why they deserve a thank you! 😊

It is interesting how people want your help but then when you exceed their expectations they all of a sudden second guess your role or how they view your role in relation to how you will fit with them. Let me tell you a recent story and what I’ve learned.

I was told to complete a report that will go to members of the Leadership team. As I started, I realized I had to rely on someone else to provide me the information needed for the report. The person I had to rely on, kept telling me that what I was going to do was “not going to match” what they are reporting out. I responded with, that’s okay because we are reporting different metrics or different measurements. That person felt a little better I thought until their manager came to me and said, that they wanted to check and make sure that I was reporting what I was told to report. I said yes, and brought up the associate with the concerns. We talked through it and then I moved on.

Next, I started putting together the information and it was coming along great. Then my manager said, add this and this, oh and this and this. Finally, I responded, if we keep adding to this summary it will become 40 pages of information. Then my manager said how about we do not include this or that. I responded, what you are asking me to delete or exclude is the reason why I started this report. Finally, my manager was okay and we agreed to include some of the additional requests.

I was also tasked at the same time to learn how to create a new report using a new Reporting tool. So, in order not to create an anxious stress-filled environment, I finished the report last night. I stayed online until 9 pm because I was determined to have this report that took me a month to finish, once and for all last night (Thursday). This is something that I will not be doing all the time but I have been working on this for a month. The people that were supposed to give me information changed the data point every three to four days, then a new report comes out every Monday. And on top of that, my Manager kept changing what was needed. So, I finished it and sent it out with a couple of notes of my thoughts, and scheduled a meeting for today (Friday) to cover my thoughts and report.

Well, my Manager emailed me with the message let’s reschedule this for next week. I shot back no, next week is a new report and before I recreate this report again the same way, I want to make sure that this is what is needed. The Manager responded with okay. Then we met over Teams (Microsoft platform like Skype) and the Manager said we have a lot going on let’s reschedule. Did I recede? Yes, because I found out this is not about me. This was a test for me, sure, but this was not about me.

I learned my Manager thought I would not be as involved as I am. Our job is to provide insights for a team that makes decisions about what happens in our business. I told them in the interview, I know a lot of people and have learned a lot. I was tested on what I know and who I know. My manager thinks that there is a such thing as “the right time” to bring up an idea. I nicely stated, that the people that you are meeting with views what we do as “what can we do for them? How will this help me?” I also mentioned that it is important to learn how they view things that they see or hear. The Manager brushed me off and the meeting did not go well. I suggested that we met as a larger team, the Manager brushed me off and said that was the first of many meetings. I said okay. I am here to support the Manager and make sure that the goals are met.

I learned that my Manager will continue to move my targets until the Manager thinks that I am unable to meet a task or exceed expectations. This does not bother me, because I thrive on challenges and I was hired to assist this team and the larger team by connecting to the business through reporting and relationships. I will be sure to make sure that I am meeting the needs and expectations of the other managers on the larger team. Most importantly that I am exceeding the needs of the Director as he is the one that hired me.

The last thing I learned is that this is not about me but about the way the Manager feels about herself. I have noticed that most problems I have normally come from women that look like me. They are women and are Black/African-American. It’s like we say to one another, there can only be one of us here that is successful. So, I will practice leveling her up so she can be who she thinks she is. I will pull her up despite her not listening or taking good advice. I have to learn how to manage upwards and then put it into practice. We should be two Black/African-American women that are successful.

If you have the chance to help another person, take it. Stop putting them down or holding them down. In the end, YOU CANNOT STOP WHAT GOD HAS FOR ANYONE. God may have tried to use you to make a difference, and if you do not embrace the chance to be used, HE WILL FIND SOMEONE ELSE.

YOU CANNOT STOP ME!

Have a great weekend!

There used to be a time where people were given names for a reason. For example, I am named Rhonda because my dad is named Ron and he wanted me to have his name, my middle name is Anne because that is my mom’s middle name. There are so many reasons why parents choose to name their children a certain name.

This blog may be funny to some, it was most definitely funny to me. 😊 I have four nephews and two nieces and I realized that I only know two of their complete names! My sister and I started to brainstorm what were those kid’s names… and together we could not think of their names. So, we did what any great sisters would do and called our sister whose kid’s names we did not know.

She answered the phone with a smile on her face that I rarely get to see, in person, or over Duo (a phone app). It is sunny where she lives and she was out and about. Then as she is pulling into her driveway, we said, what are your kid’s full names?

She laughed so hard and said oh my gosh! Then she said well there’s the oldest. We both yelled excitedly we know him. We only know him because we babysat and raised him for the first six years of his life. Then she named the one under him, her oldest daughter. She named her without hesitating and we laughed because we were the ones who provided her with an interpretation of the name. Then she named the boy under her, and we had no idea of his name! And he is one of my favorite nephews 😊. She was like how could you not know his name and we all laughed.

Then she named her third son and paused. We laughed and yelled at her how do you not know your children’s names. She laughed and said oh my goodness. Then stated his complete name three minutes later. After we laughed, we said what is the baby’s name?

She laughed and said her first name and laughed even harder. We laughed too because we really did not remember that child’s name and we didn’t know how to even say her first name. I want to pronounce it the way it would be pronounced in Arabic but we are not Arab so my sister pronounces it wrong. LOL! 😊 After she laughed at how I said it she was like “dang, I cannot think of her name”. Then she said her complete name. So, I said wait we have to phonetically sound it out because we are writing the names down. And her immediate reply was, “don’t ask me how to spell it, because I will have to look at their birth certificates!” as she is laughing uncontrollably. It was the funniest moment we have shared in a while.

As she turns the car off and gets out, she yells, “where are your clothes?” and there is the youngest boy, happy to see her back from her errand. She goes into the house and there are all of the children whose names I did not know. The really funny part was that they did not know me either! They were calling me Granny and she kept saying, no, that is auntie Rhonda! Lesson from this, if you don’t know someone’s name or who they are the chances are they don’t know your name or who you are either! Have a great weekend and I hope this made you smile and inspire you to reach out to the family that may be less familiar to you.

Like leaves, it is important to change, fall, blossom, and flourish only to do it over again. Let me explain. From the day I was born until now, I have changed so many times. Not only physical but mental changes as well. I grew from a child who thinks nothing of the future to a teenager who starts planning what I wanted to be in the future. From that teenager, I transformed, like a beautiful snake shedding her skin into a shiny level grown woman that focuses on the necessities of life. And just when I think the transformation is over, I cracked open my cocoon and spread my wings to soar over the world to see what it has to offer while embracing the freedoms that I enjoy. Like a leaf, my life has changed tremendously. I have reflected over my life and noticed that I have changed into someone that I never thought I could embody: a stronger, more positive, more determined, and full of life individual that has the ability to speak up with confidence.

Then like a leaf, I fell. It’s okay to fall as long as I remember to fall with the wind, the trip is more interesting. I failed at being someone else that was not Rhonda, I failed at trying to build Rhonda in the way that others told me I should and I failed at being perfect. It’s okay. No one is perfect on this earth and no two people are alike, which is why I failed. Every fall has a lesson. The few that I learned is that: the voice of my sister does not sound the same when I used it, the skin thickness of my mentor was too heavy for me to carry, and the look of my mother does not suit my face very well. This leads me to find my own voice, grow into my own skin, and construct my own face. I fell, but I got back up with these lessons and became this version of Rhonda that is present today.

After falling, I bloomed again, like a leaf on a branch. I stood up and discovered who Rhonda wants to be and I went for it. I grew from that infant of being told who I was into the teenager that settled for a definition of who Rhonda was into a young adult that had no idea of who Rhonda was. Into an adult that is finding out who Rhonda is but that can only be done if I allow myself to truly grow. I have to grow in all aspects to find out who I am. Spiritually, who do I want to be and what feels right. Emotionally, how do I want to handle my emotions and why? Physically, what will I stand for and how will I create a space for myself in the room and world. Mentally, when will I deal with the stress and how will I allow it to affect me, will I dwell on the past or learn from my mistakes, will I allow other people’s problems to become my problems? By answering these questions, I am able to grow again, this time mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually stronger.

Now is the time for me to flourish and display all of my colors unapologetically. Now is the time for me to take every lesson that I have learned and not make those same mistakes but soar above every problem, stress factor, or external force that could impact the way I view the world.

Some steps I take to flourish are, living with the intention of making every day a good day. Even when a car cuts me off or if a bad experience happens, I make it a point to say, “Thank you Jesus anyway, today is a great day” and I move on. I refuse to give power to the bad experiences that happen in life, and I refuse to give power to negative people, places, or thoughts. Being happy is a huge part of how a person views the world, if I am happy then the world looks brighter and feels better but remember my definition of happiness may not be the same for someone else. Another step is to make sure I am spiritually fed and led. I have to read my Bible daily and pray daily for me to set my day in the right direction.  And throughout the day I make sure to check with my Spirit to make sure that I am doing as I should and not as my flesh would like. After choosing to be happy, being spiritually fed, and led, I make sure to have fun. Every day I smile and laugh. My definition of fun is having a good time, and I make sure to do that no matter where I am or what I am doing. Now everything isn’t enjoyable for me but before the day is over, I make sure that I had at least one enjoyable moment and that I laughed and smiled.

Now that I have made it through the leaf cycle it does not mean that I stop here. I will continue to change, fall, blossom, and flourish as a different version of myself that is even better than this one, just as a crab that finds a bigger, prettier, more comfortable shell.

Hello everyone,

Where do I start? It is rare that one truly feels like they can take a deep breath and not choke on the cold, clear, crisp, clean air. For the past week, I have embraced the pain associated with that frigid, refreshing air, and enjoyed every moment of it! Last week, I wrote about focusing on God and praying. As I mentioned in that post, certain things only come through prayer.

As I checked my mail this week, I checked it with expectation in my heart for a check that signaled that one of my battles was over. Thank God it was there! I took a long deep breath and inhaled the warmth and comfort of the sunlight, and spent it on everything necessary for me to live another worry-free month in my home.

There are numerous home projects that I have listed on my things to do, and the windows are one of them. I had some people come out and give me quotes, and I prayed about making the right decision about which company to choose. I believe I am choosing the right one, but I will be in even more debt. After talking to God, I know I am going to be okay. So, I am going to get the windows. They will provide an even clearer picture of the views that I have been missing.

Being able to see clearly is essential. I wear glasses, and when they are dirty, I do not see as clear, and life is like that. When many situations are taking place in my life, it creates foggy or smoky windows that create uncertainty and make me unable to see my next move or hear God accurately. My windows have been dirty for so long that my ability to rejoice in my blessings was short-lived. I was able to rejoice for a day or two before something irritated me or made me ask God for another gift, not realizing that the blessing that was provided was enough.

My glasses are clean, my windows are clean, and they will be new, providing me a new outlook, allowing me to rejoice not only for a day or two but forever! As we go into the weekend and this next week, it will be imperative to maintain this worry-freeness and feeling of celebration! Even my sister has gotten good news that her student loans are forgiven. God has given my family and me so much to rejoice over, and sometimes we don’t see it because our glasses or our windows are dirty. It is time we took a rag, grab the Windex, spray the glass as many times as it takes to get rid of the dirt streaks and then, stand back and rejoice!

Try and Remember this, you are Blessed if:

You woke up this morning and can see the sunshine

You have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, and a roof over your head

You have money in the bank, or your wallet or spare change lying around

You have the option to hold your head up with a smile on your face and be genuinely thankful

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Make sure you count your blessings and REJOICE!