Category Archives: Uncategorized

“The lessons the last twelve months gave me”

Once, I was having a conversation with someone. We both were scrolling on Facebook. The person said, “I don’t understand why people make individual birthday post on their Facebook page. It’s just a birthday.” I told that person it is just a birthday, but it’s another year that the person gets to celebrate being alive.Continue reading ““The lessons the last twelve months gave me””

“It’s not how long you live. It’s how deep you lived”

In part one, we learned about Greg’s beginning dreams, how he became a teacher, how he learned he had cancer, his struggles with being vulnerable, and how being ashamed of being vulnerable went out the door. In part two, Greg takes us through his surgeries and accepting there is nothing else the doctors can doContinue reading ““It’s not how long you live. It’s how deep you lived””

Vulnerability is strength”

Three years ago, I became an English teacher at Citrus Ridge. In our department, there was this cool guy that went against the norms of the classroom. He had the lights dimmed. He had aromatherapy plugged in the room. He loved teaching poetry. I learned poetry is his thing. Each day and for every classContinue reading “Vulnerability is strength””

“Becoming a mother in my teenage years. Happy Mother’s Day”

When you hear the phrase “Happy Mother’s Day,” what feeling comes over you? For me, it’s a mixture. I am blessed to have three beautiful children. Each pregnancy brought on different emotions and challenges. Each pregnancy was a different experience. For this month’s blog, I want to share my experience of pregnancy as a teenageContinue reading ““Becoming a mother in my teenage years. Happy Mother’s Day””

“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 isContinue reading ““Make Valentine’s Day about loving you””

“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, theirContinue reading ““Overcoming depression””

“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.Continue reading ““Dating and learning who I am””

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

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

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

“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. ThisContinue reading ““Find your village””

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

“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 exposedContinue reading ““Trying to be perfect almost got me killed””

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

“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 alsoContinue reading ““Are you surviving your storm?””

“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 paidContinue reading ““You’re never too old to start over””

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

“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 peopleContinue reading ““Things that one year taught me.””

“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,Continue reading ““My dreams becoming a reality””

“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 thatContinue reading ““The greatest Christmas gift there is—loving yourself””

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

“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 thatContinue reading ““Like father. Like son””

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