I heard it but did not believe it could happen. Until I actually felt it. I was walking off the elevator and out the door when it hit me. I was leaving the building without a piece of my heart 💔. The moment is indescribable. It was surreal. But I was ready. 
I had been silently preparing myself for a little over 17 years. Plans for my baby girl to leave the nest started on my 22nd birthday. I wanted to do something radical. I wanted to treat myself. So in September 2001 I decided to get a tattoo. It was my present to myself. My best friend took me down South Street and the journey began.
As I stood in the tattoo parlor, the very first image that caught my eye was a butterfly 🦋. Coincidence or not?! That was it! The seed was planted. A butterfly! The beautiful creation that goes through development phases before its’ beauty is realized. The creation that starts off as one thing but transitions into something different. The creation that is free to fly, soar, and bring peace.

On that …

Over the course of a month, I was riding along in my car but something felt a little off. I felt a stiffness as I tried to turn the steering wheel in one direction or another. The resistance I felt was most noticeable when I put my car in reverse in an effort to change the direction of my focus. I did not say a word to anyone. Instead, I kept telling myself that I would get the car looked at. I would have it serviced. At a minimum, I would alert my husband so that he could get the issue resolved. And still, I said nothing. I did nothing.

Then one day, my husband was driving my car. Oops. The next day, I asked him to ride with me to run an errand. Without an explanation, he told me we needed to stop at a store for power steering fluid. At the time, I did not know why we were getting it and actually thought it was for the another vehicle we own. Once we got back to my apartment, he immediately got his keys to my car and poured the power steering fluid into the appropriate location under…

Growing up in a low income neighborhood 🎶 in West Philadelphia born and raised, on the playground is where I spent most of my days🎶, I saw lots of things happening around me. And I took every bit of it in. Hopefully you caught the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song. If not, 🤷🏽! At any rate, I saw enough to spark a fire within me. I knew there was more than what surrounded me and I wanted more. I wanted everything that was available to me. And...I wanted to make sure others could see all that was available to them.
This seed that was planted within me was like every other seed. It had a seed coat that covered the seed and protected it during the growth process. You see, while I was still in high school, God planted the seed of vision within me. Based on the circumstances that surrounded me, a desire for change filled my heart. And that seed began to take root. While still under it's protective seed coat, the seed was watered regularly. Summer camps. Mentors. Community service …

My timeline was flooded with back to school pictures today. 🤦🏽
For a brief moment, I took a mental journey back in time. Would I like to go: - back to elementary school? Sure thing. 👍🏽 - back to middle school? Maybe. 🤔 - back to high school? No, thank you! 🙅🏽
Have you ever taken time to look back on your journey to see what shaped you into the person you are today? There are so many factors including home and community. But what about school? Think about the number of hours per day kids spend in school. It is just like our jobs. ALL day! The things that youth are exposed to at school have a heavy influence on them and can impact the people they become. 
Money. Sex. Gangs. Drugs. Violence. Sexual preferences. Identity Crises. Poor Attitudes. Pornography. Sexual perversion. The list can go on. These are some of the seeds that were planted in many of us at early ages. I personally saw a little of everything. During my school-age years, there was so much innocence. That is, until …

I remember it all so well. I was in tears during the weeks leading up to Year 30. I was absolutely devastated. I was about to be "old" and I did not want any parts of it. I wanted to stay "young" forever. I just knew that my life was about to end or, at the very least, be drab and boring. I was in absolute denial. I did not want anyone to know that I was turning thirty. The big 3.0. Whoa! I even began to question my accomplishments. I felt like I had not done enough. I had not made a name for myself. I was not ready to move on. But there was nothing I could do to stop the time. Time was moving forward whether I liked it or not. 🤦🏽
Looking back over the past decade, I can honestly say that my thirties was my planting season. Ecclesiastes 3:2 reminds me that there is "a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot."
What happens during a planting season? It is a season of life, a span of time, when seeds are placed in the groun…