Confession: Sometimes my obsession with doing things “the right way” gets in the way of doing things the way that’s right for me.

Fear keeps you stuck.

Choosing fear will keep you from becoming all you were made to be.

Gentle Reminder: Joy is a promise

If you’re careful, you’ll see that hope is actually deeply embedded within disappointment. To have been disappointed at all is to have hoped.

When I arrived in Italy last fall, this was one of the first photos I posed for. I don’t look it, but I was pretty exhausted and I was afraid. I was full of unanswered questions and my hope meter was running dangerously low. The months before had taken a toll on me in more ways than I even realized at the time. This trip was the beginning of a leap of faith into the unknown.

In their cry for freedom, the Founding Fathers of this country deliberately omitted any mention of slavery, an institution they would actively continue to practice for 89 years. It’s not difficult to understand why for a black person in this country, the Declaration of Independence is simply beautiful, flowery fiction fueled by opportunistic hypocrisy.

The history of this bridge reminds me of America.

With everything that has happened this year alone, some days it feels like we are on the brink of collapse. But perhaps this is our opportunity.

Lord Byron wrote, “I stood in Venice, on the Bridge of Sighs; a palace and a prison on each hand.”

How could a symbol of hope, eternal romance, and joy also be a symbol for despair, heartache, and bondage?