As I talked, the farmer began to cut into a peach, handed it to me, and said, “Taste that.  As I accepted and bit into the fruit, my senses awakened. It was the sweetest, perfectly textured peach I’ve ever had. The center near the seed was a pretty reddish color, and the flesh was bright, yellow-orange. I smiled. It was a perfect moment.

While staying on task to reach our goals, we may have to walk ahead of freinds and family. In the end, it’s okay.

Lord, open my ears and my heart to hear you speak. Ain’t God the funny one. I asked and I received time to listen for and to God without the distraction of any music.

As I worked my way through the parking lot, I remembered the watermelon man coming to our neighborhood when I was a child. Waaaaaatermelon!” the watermelon man would sing while riding up and down the street in his tattered pickup truck, waking up the neighborhood.

We all need encouragement to push through a block or phase to move us to put action behind our words.

Our words can encourage a friend or family member pursuing a goal or recovering from a health event like a stroke or cancer treatment. Call or send them a text to say, “You can do it,” “Thinking about you,” “I’m proud of you,” or “Praying for you.”

To my daughters, grandchildren, nieces, cousins, and all the young black girls in my sphere, YOU ARE ENOUGH. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, GIFTED DIAMONDS. I pray I always speak words of wisdom and positivity that uplift and encourage you.

The dress with the eyelet design and subtle ruffled cap sleeves felt “busy.” Just like Baby Jane, I looked crazy. The dress did nothing for me. The color was solid and beautiful, but it did not say Amy.

As history continues to be erased and rewritten, heirlooms and artifacts with stories are significant. They allow us to remain connected with someone or a time we never knew…

When I saw the 3-mile marker sign on the bridge, it confirmed this was not a 5K race. Seeing and hearing my frustration (all in fun), my walking partner dismissed me, saying, “Girl, we can do it!” Keeping pace, we talked trash and encouraged each other with lots of humor.

I admire writers who can weave words together to create verses that resonate with me or cause me to pause and reflect. Springtime did that to me. In poetry, verses rhyme and others don’t. Some have a rhythm and some don’t.  It can be a simple or complex form of expression, engaging, relatable, or it can open your mind to a world distant from the one you live in.

On Ash Wednesday, I resolved to remove the apps from my smartphone and immerse myself in the essence of the season. At the midpoint of Lent, I’ve made several observations. Here are my top three:

In my 20s and 30s, I tried to be self-reliant. I found jobs, sought higher education, saved for and purchased my first car, moved into my first apartment in my 20s, and advanced my hospitality career. If I needed help, I could count on one hand, the family, or friends I asked. I rarely asked my parents because I wanted them to see me as independent.

When the show ended, I had two words to describe it: Black Joy. Joy is an emotion that transcends any external circumstances and situation. Black Joy is connected to grit, strength, and perseverance left behind by our ancestors who survived the worst experiences - slavery, Jim Crow, lynching, redlining, etc. - and bravely rose above it all to shine brightly despite efforts to dim their light. While Black Joy is the beautiful fruit produced from horrific circumstances, it is also an act of resistance.

Like some people, I believe a Cardinal sighting is a visit of a deceased loved one, a way they let us know that they are okay and they still with us. Native Americans believe a cardinal sighting was a sign of luck, hope, and love. I can get behind that too.

Not finding those books, my emotions zeroed in on the mystery of the lost box of books.

I visualized the box I packed as they included my husband's Bibles and Howard Thurman's books; ensuring they would not get discarded or lost.