The Press

We use a lot of olive oil in my house. We use it to cook. We use it in our hair. We use it medicinally as a carrier oil for other essential oils. We love olive oil. In order to extract the oil from the olive, the olives are ground into a paste. The paste is transferred to metal plates and pressed. The press separates the oil from the other contents of the olive. Many times in our lives we find ourselves being separated from people and things we love. We might not understand it. It might be uncomfortable, but there is a purpose. The press helps to produce what's inside of us. The press extracts what's most valuable. What is your oil? Is it that business you want to launch? Is it that book you want to write? Is it that trip you've always wanted to take? There is oil on the inside of you that needs to be pressed. There is something valuable on the inside of you that needs to be produced. Submit to the press...what's inside of you is worth it. 

Kinetic

Kinetic energy is the energy an object has because of its motion. The world is in constant motion. There are many unforeseen forces at play like gravity and electromagnetism. Gravity is what pulls you down toward the Earth's center. Electromagnetism holds the atoms of matter together. We should all be moving forward to achieve our goals. However, we need to be aware of what keeps us grounded. Ask yourself what pulls you down? What forces are working with you? What forces are working against you? Take inventory of your pros and cons. Evaluate your life and count the real cost. The cost to achieve your goals may mean less time for family and friends for a season. In the long term, is that sacrifice worth it? Finally, ask what holds you together? Is it your faith? Is it your family? Is it your career? Whether you recognize it or not, you are moving towards something. Make sure that you are being deliberate in all of your actions. Don't waste your energy  on frivolous things.  

Gratitude

I always try to instill an "attitude of gratitude" into my girls. I want them to appreciate everything they have, and to understand that there are people who are less fortunate than them. I want them to say, "please" and "thank you." I want them to be aware of world events without them having a fear of the world. I want them to know that you give out of the kindness of your heart, and not with an expectation of receiving something in return. I want them to know that but by the grace of God, it could be us. It is recognizing that "it could have been me." Rather, "it should have been me." Gratitude is taking the time to count your blessings.
 

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." -Melody Beattie

Victor

I'm fresh off the Heart 2 Heart Women's Retreat, and one of the things that stuck with me the most was that, "we have to choose to be a victor instead of the victim." A lot of us have been through unspeakable things. We have endured hardships at the hands of family and loved ones, and we just grin and bear it. As women, we carry the world on our shoulders. We don't take the time to take of ourselves. We just keep it moving, to our own detriment. We have got to do better. How? We have to learn how to process our pain. For some of us, that might mean seeking professional help. For others, that might mean taking the time to acknowledge the pain, and releasing it. I encourage you all to make the first steps from being a victim to a victor. It will ultimately make you better instead of bitter.

Peace Be Still

Today is the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. It's hard to imagine that it's been 16 years. I remember sitting in my apartment with my college roommates waking up to chaos in my house. We were glued to the tv. Classes were cancelled. People were trying to get in touch with loved ones. Phone lines were busy. There was a combined feeling of panic, fear, sadness, and disbelief. 

Today is almost Day 4 of Irma watch. As a New Orleans native, we have a love/hate relationship with water. We love its gifts ample fresh seafood, but hate its destructive power of hurricanes and floods.  It's easy to be reminded of Katrina or more recently Harvey. It's easy to let fear and anxiety set in. However, as a woman of faith, I am reminded that God has not given me a spirit of fear. I am reminded that even in the midst of a storm, with rain battering my window, God is still in control. My life and times are still in his hands, and I will remain in perfect peace. Peace doesn't mean nothing is going on. Peace doesn't mean that the storms of life won't rage around us. Peace is a choice. Peace is acknowledging that same God that allowed the storm to rage can cause it to be still. 

 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39 (KJV)

Liberty

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, 

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, 

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. 

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, 

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Inside of the Statue of Liberty, a sonnet entitled, "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus was engraved on a bronze plaque in 1903. Above is an excerpt from that poem. People traveled from all over the world to come to America's "melting pot." They came here in search of a better life, or simply to escape religious persecution. America was their safe haven. This same country that called for the tired and the poor have turned their back on the tired and the poor.

They have ignored the cries of our current labor force and refused to give them the liberty they desire. They have dispatched task forces to deport mothers from sons. In honor of Labor Day, we should celebrate the true labor force of America. I salute the slaves on whose back this country was built. I salute the illegal immigrants who clean our houses, cook our food, and tend our lawns. I salute the legal immigrants who seize entrepreneurial opportunities that American's won't. I salute those who seek liberty in all of its forms. Happy Labor Day! 

The city that care forgot....

In light of recent events, I couldn't help but notice the similarities between the events of Katrina and now the events of Harvey. The pictures are eerily similar. I can't help but notice that 12 years later we still do not have the infrastructure we need to ensure the safety of all of our citizens regardless of their socio-economic status. It's utterly ridiculous. New Orleans was underwater earlier this month. Now, Texas is experiencing some of the same things New Orleanian's experienced during Katrina. We've got to do better. You can just switch out Bush for Trump. Below is a poem I wrote 12 years ago. Sadly, it's still relevant.  

I come from the city that Bush forgot

where flood water flowed through city blocks

born and raised on file from Gumbo pots

you’re looking at a graduate from the school of hard knocks

watched my people sleep on cots in the Astrodome

wonderin’ if they will ever make it back home

my mother was one of those people in the dome

I’ve got more than bone to pick with my government

If tax dollars were better spent

Then maybe the core of engineers would have designed a better blueprint

Maybe then Kathleen Blanco would have signed the document

Maybe so many lives would not have been lost because of negligence

I’ve always questioned our president’s intelligence

This was an act of treason, can we please get an impeachment?

Our elders died on pavements in front of convention centers on CNN

And New Orleans’ hero was Anderson Cooper and Sean Penn

I come from the city that Bush forgot

Poydras and Claiborne was the auction block

They let bodies rot, on the interstate

And relief came too late

For those who died in attics long after Katrina’s arrival date

Friends and family scattered around the continental United States

I come from the city that Bush forgot

Where flood waters flowed through city blocks

Born and raised on file from Gumbo pots

You’re looking at a graduate from the school of hard knocks

That’s why I rock, t-shirts that pose the question

Does Bush care, NO he forgot