Routines are good but.... Have you ever found yourself stuck in the same routine week after week, year after year? Recently, my routine has changed and I have been tested. I can no longer rely on the tried and true. I can no longer rest in the things of yesterday. I found that I have become so dependent on life as it has been for the past 10 years that finding independence is a challenge. No, I'm not talking about being independent from a person. Instead, I am referring to becoming independent of irrational ideals. Independent of tainted thought patterns. Independent of callous circumstances. Independence is freedom. It is freedom from control. Freedom from influence. Independence is self governance. It is self determination. Becoming independent, in the best sense, forces us to self reflect. It forces us to figure out who we are, what we stand for, what we desire. Independence is an ever evolving process. It forces us to get unstuck. Forces us to move beyond our com

" How have you been? What have you been up to? " When I heard these words, I immediately thought they were simple pleasantries. You know, the things you say to a random person as a conversation starter. I gave a casual response and said " I don't know if you remember me from last year but... " Before I could finish, she said " Yes, I remember you Marquita. " As I went to walk about, she said, " We'll be talking soon Ms. Green. " I was in complete shock. This is not the greeting I typically receive from people whom I only see one to two times per year. I usually hear, "It's nice to meet you." To which I just smile and think to myself, 'I've met you before, several times.' I sometimes here, "You look so familiar." To which I just smile and think to myself, 'That's because we've met several times before.' These responses are the types of responses that make me feel invis

Thursday nights are sacred in my home. It's TGIT! The Thursday  night television line up is so good. It starts at 8p and goes through 11p, most weeks. So what does that mean for the children? It means don't talk to me unless it's on commercial. It means ask all of your questions before 8p. It means that Thursday  is the one night I claim for myself. Even though the kids know this, there is always someone who forgets the rules...or maybe they just do not care about the rules 🤔 In either event, there is always a question after 8p. ....and one of my daughter's asks her question while the show is NOT on commercial. That means that I completely miss her question. I miss it because I am otherwise distracted by the television show. You know this doesn't just happen during the Thursday n ight lineup. Often times God tries to talk to us but we don't hear Him. We fail to hear Him because we allow distractions to overshadow His voice. We fail to hear Him because we t

Build the Wall!!! " They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire. " These words from Nehemiah 1:3 remind me of so many things that we experience everyday. It is a reminder of survival . Sometimes we go through disparate situations that lead us into a place of ruin. I place where we feel great trouble. Sometimes, we carry disgrace in the form of shame and guilt. This happens during times when we experience heartaches, disappointments, hurts that rock us to the core. It's the mental, physical, or emotional place we end up in because of the actions of someone else. Through we survive , there still exists trouble and disgrace. That's because we fail to forgive.  Survival is about more than coming through a situation. Build the wall and learn to forgive! It is a reminder of brokenness . Imagine playing a game of