Happy Monday! It’s the start of new week, & how grateful are you to see it? How many times have we grunted at the arrival of yet another Monday. But it’s another Monday! Another day that we have opened our eyes to a new day for a Fresh Start. Gratitude is the best attitude & the more we practice giving thanks for what we have, the more we find & have to be thankful for. The more we gie thanks for everything & everyone in our lives, the more we are blessed with experiences & people in our lives to be grateful for.

This Motivational Monday, I am grateful that school didn’t go on strike & my daughter doesn’t have to miss out on her education. I am also grateful for the love & support of dear friends who made themselves available to keep her for me in case school was out. This week, starting yesterday, my daughter & I sat down & made our own Gratitude lists, & gave thnak out loud for everything we wrote & en came up with more thingss to add as we went along!

What are you grateful for this Monday morning? I challenge you today to make a list of 5 things you are grateful for. Need some Motivation? See below for some templates to help get you started. You can add more to your own list as the day goes along & at the end of the day, read it over & see all the things you maybe take for granted. Give it love & say, “Thank you.” And a big Thank you to my readers & supporters. I appreciate you all more than you know🥰😘🤗. Love yourself & be yourself. Peace & Love. ❤💫

Happy Tuesday on this first day of October!

Who would’ve thought we’d have these kinds of Summer temperatures now that Fall is also officially here🤷🏾‍♀️ I am grateful for the heat, thankful that the layers of clothing don’t need to come out of the closet just yet.

That being said, the theme of the month is Gratitude. With the holiday of Thanksgving around the corner, each week I will post a topic related to Gratitude to encourage us to be more mindful of the blessings we have that we often take for granted. Let’s make a more concious effort to find Gratitude in everything. There’s no time like the present, so let’s start today! Right now, at this moment, what are you grateful for? At this moment, I am grateful to be awake, alive, & healthy, so that I can function to the best of my abilities & be the best me today that I can be. That’s my starting point, remembering the basics & staying humble.

Feel free to share & let’s encourage each other! Love yourself, be yourself. Peace & Love❤💫

Happy Wellness Wednesday my loves😍

Getting right to it today, last night’s grey clouds & rain felt so symbolic under the Full Moon, I had to come out from my hiatus to write about it. With the clouds symbolizing the “grey-skies” we experience in life, and like our Spirits, the moon in her brilliance keeps beaming brightly, pressing onward, never giving up, & even if we couldn’t see it, we feel it. Then with the rain, symbolizing the cleansing & preparing the earth to make it fertile for planting, like planting our positive intentions & actions. It allows our good to take root & grow into what they are meant to be. Our goals, our visions, the positive that we strive for, can blossom.

A tradition for the Full Moon that some participate in, me included, is to write a list of what we need to release & burn that list, signifying the letting go of what no longer serves us. Then, we spread the ashes into the air under the light of the Full Moon, letting the wind carry them away from us & creating more space for what we need. Doing this last night, under the rainy & cloudy skies of the Full Moon, I felt that release & embraced the next steps along my Life’s path, in Faith. Also, I acknowledged the steps taken towards my goals during this cycle & giving thanks for lessons being learned. One of my favorite Bob Marley sayings is that “you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” This moon cycle definitely gave me a lesson in that, where I had to make some decisions with a more humble spirit, & put my task-oreinted ways aside so I could go more with the flow of life in Faith & positive action. Letting go of what no longer is needed in myself, I embraced those lessons in resilience & strength even more, & I am so grateful to be here to write about it, to live in it, to love in it.

Life gets testy sometimes, where we feel like all is lost & we can’t see our way out of a tough situation. Yet deep down inside, faith still lives. Love still reigns. Hope is still possible. We eventually learn that we have to be planted in the proper conditions in order to get what we need so we can flourish. The rain, the seemingly dirtiness of the soil we enter into, it’s all set up to show us & give us what we need if we allow it, if we release the pride so we can learn the lessons. Easy? Heck no! It’s definitely a process, the letting go of what we are used but no longer serves us & embracing new & healthier habits. When we face tough times, we are being groomed so we can have the strength & resilience to carry forward in our next level the way we need to.

With the cycles of the New Moon, ushering in a time for us to reflect & put forth our positive goals & intentions, & the Full Moon bringing light to them, we are reminded always that our lives have seasons. These seasons are meant to put action in to what we want to achieve while moving in faith that what is for us will always be for us, & what misses us was only for a time to teach us what we need for the next part of our journey. Sending you much Peace & Love along your journeys my loves😘🤗

Love yourself & be yourself. Peace & Love ❤🌟

Happy Monday😊🙏🏾❤

Happy Wellness Wednesday 😍

Picture this:
Walking into the retreat, set in a quaint & beautiful home, the sweet scent of sage greets you. Taking in the Peace(ful) vibes, you look around & see other guests, smiling & ready to welcome you with warmth & hugs while prepapring organic teas & spreading organic honeys & jams on bread for an evening snack. In another room, a marvelous spread of crystals, sage, & candles await the meditation circle that is set to take place later in the evening. The whole mood of serenity, Peace, & learning, is set perfectly. I am so humbled & inspired that this scene was the start to my weekend at the Medicine Women Workshop Retreat (@fabuphut). No word of a lie, the mintue I walked through the front door of the Retreat, I immediately knew that something powerful would be taking place under the Full Moon vibes, manifesting good intetnions into a positive reality…..

The retreat began with a Healing Meditation Circle, as facilitated by the lovely Natoya Hall (@n.hminyma). Learning about the chakras & energies, we explored each chakra & their role in our over health. It brough me back to the nursing theory that I resonate deeply with: Watson’s Theory is that your Mind-Body-Spirit connection is important to your overall heatlh (I am a Registered Nurse by trade, & love what I do). In the healing circle, deep breathing & focusing on the present moment, brought me into a deeper sense of peace, while exploring all the elements of my chakras & vibrations. After that, we ate some good snacks & had Girls’ Time! Something about women coming together enjoying the gifts of Spirit & just having good fun, it’s very empowering.

The next morning after getting a Peace(ful) sleep, we woke up to a nutritious breakfast & participated in a moring Yoga session led by a lovley instructor from Brown Girl Yoga. It was such a perfect stretch & more breath focus to give a great start to the day (I love the way the instructor leads Yoga, so much so that I made my way to her evening that class that same Saturday after the retreat ended; check out Muses for the next Yoga class for women of color!).

*me at the Yoga class via Muses (the morning sessions really touchtd my Spirit, I had to come for the evening group session!)*

Yoga was then followed by a homemade lunch made with all fresh & local grown ingredients, then onto jam-making (yum!). I was so humbled & thankful to be in the presence of fellow amazing women, coming together to learn about the healing properties of healthy food & herbs, & the knowledge that we have to to offer each other, the support of each other in this retreat space was beautiful! It was nothing but love & encouragement, to follow our hearts & dreams, to manifest our best lives into reality. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend my weekend, full of Peace(ful) vibes & more than enough inspiration to go around.

P*blackberry/elderberry jam

*salmon & sauteed veggies & pineapple 😋😋😋😋😋

What stood out for me the most in the healing circle was how I tapped into my Root Chakra, the survival port. I made the connection that this chakra is attached to my recovering condition of excessive worry (yes, I have named it a condition because worry & stress can rob you of good physical health). On an Inner Peace level, excessive worry can make it harder to feel the fullness of Joy & Peace, in knowing that whatever the circumstance you are facing, that you will be okay. The Root Chakra is tied so closely to this, that when we are off balance with worry about our bills or situations that may not be our ideal, we lose sight on what we have within that has sustained us all along. When we lose sight of this, when we lose faith in our Almighty-given abilities to pick ourselves up & keep movong forward, in the knowiing that abundance is all around us & is here for us to have what we need & enjoy what we want, we get stuck in the worries & stress & have a hard time seeing the next option that is usually right within our grasp.

I can attest to this, where excessive worrying caused me to lose sight of my own power within myself to do what I needed & wanted. I had slowed down so much of myself without realizing it. I was beginning to lack inspiration to write, to do my daily yoga, to take time to meditate regularly, & sadly I admit, practice Gratitude. I was doing these things but not regularly & when I would be in the midst of doing it, I was worrying. Life happens, it’s true, but we do have the power to make some imprtant things happen the way we want to.

The saying, “It’s not the hand that you’re dealt, it’s how you’re playing the cards,” speaks so much to the role of the Root Chakra. We are here & will face challenges, but we will survive. We can make it, & maintain our Inner Peace along the way. How? By being patient with yourself, loving yourself, & giving yourself the space & time to grow, make mistakes, get messy, & become your best self. It is all a process, one that we have to remember will not always be perfect or the way we think it should be. Rather, it’s exactly what we need it to be so we can be who we need to be. Survivors. Thrivers. Folks who stick it through & don’t give up on themselves. That is who we are. Face it courageously & operate in your greatness & the Peace(ful) vibrations will flow, to you & everyone around you.

The Medicine Women Workshop Retreat is what my Peace looked like this weekend. Having the opportunity to not only relearn things that are important for me along my journey of regaining & maintaining my Inner Peace, but also learning new things to assist me along the way. Stay tuned for more Medicine Women workshops! They are a stellar way to get to cultivating that deep Inner Peace. I can hardly for the next one! I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend my weekend, full of Peace(ful) vibes & more than enough inspiration to go around. Stay tuned for more Medicine Women workshops! They are a stellar way to get to cultivating that deep Inner Peace. I can hardly for the next one!

Have a great rest of the week my loves😘

Love yourself & be yourself. Peace & Love ❤💫

Happy Wellness Wednesday! ⚘⚘⚘

Spring is coming!

Getting my lil one off to school this morning, I had to take time to stop & smell the roses (tulips in this case). So much morning hustle & bustle, we don’t always have the chance to take in the beauty that’s around us.

Following my morning yoga session & getting ready for school & work, I stopped in my rush to get my daughter off to school to take this photo. While capturing the shot, I realized that it is such a contrast between the slow & steady growth of the tulips next to the school bus ready & waiting to take kids to school & the public transit bus stop where passengers hustle off to start their work day. How many of us would walk right by this scene of beauty & not feel the message of Mother Nature all around us?

What’s the message you ask? That all things have a season. Whether it is now or later on, everything you are going through or went through is preparation for what’s to come. Your experiences are to lead you to your destination, & not in finality but rather to each level along your journey. Take time to stop & smell the roses & be in your Now.

This week I’ve been working on getting up earlier so I can have more time to start my day right, clear minded after some prayer, yoga, & meditation with journalling, & pumped after a nice workout to keep my body strong. This morning, I rose up 5:22am, ready to hit my elliptical when a back spasm hit me right back down. My body said, “Nah girl, not today; let’s slow it down, get your stretching in.” And indeeed I did. I did some well overdue Yoga stretches & my body is feeling better. We may have our own plans, but we also have to listen & observe what’s happening around us & especially to what’s going within. While I want to have this routine down perfectly now, I also understand that growth takes time & I’m okay with that. Plus, I get to take tine to really notice the beauty all around me & within as I grow & blossom into the Peace(ful) Woman that I am. There is a season for everything while we grow.

So on that note, take time to read yourself & surroundings, & do what brings you Peace & joy along your journey. Blooming flowers are so beautiful, don’t you think? Your season to bloom is comong if not already here!

Have a great Spring day my loves😍 Love yourself & be yourself. Peace & Love ❤💫

Blessed risings my loves😍

Simply put, today is a Fresh Start. Give it your best foot forward & let the sunrise represent the hope in the newness of the day.

What happened yesterday maybe wasn’t in your plan, but guess what: today was in the plan as you’ve woken up to see it. Give yourself love, cultivate that inner peace by being gentle with yourself, especially if you’re facing tough times. That negative self talk only keeps you in a negative space. You’re here now. Look towards the things, people, & experiences that have brought you the lessons you’ve needed to make it to today so you can move forward as your better self.

Today, you get to start fresh so let’s do it fresh! With Gratitude in our hearts, let’s put that best foot forward & make today a good day😊We have the power to do it!💪🏾Have an amazing new day! Love yourself & be yourself. Peace & love ❤💫

Happy Wellness Wednesday 😊

While it rains outside reminding us that Spring is actually here despite the chilly temps, let it also inspire us like the Lotus flower does. Blooming beautifully despite the not so gracious circumstances, the Lotus flower uses the dark & damp conditions of the pond to its advantage. It draws on the nourishment from the soil in the mud to give it what it needs to push through & flourish into its true & beautiful nature.

Life can throw us lemons🍋🍋🍋. Let’s make lemonade 🥂(yes, lemonade in champagne glasses 😅). You have everything you need to succeed right there within you. The time to live is right now, in this moment. Make the best of it!

Have a great day my loves! Be well😘 Love yourself & be yourself. Peace & Love ❤💫

P.S. The New Moon appears this weekend! What goals do you have that you’re working on that you want to give an extra boost to? Now is the time to set those intentions🌌

Short & sweet, one of the keys to Inner Peace is to let life flow. Don’t fight the current, rather, go with it & make your way through all its twists & turns. There is always a solution🙏🏾 Have a great day my loves😘

Love yourself & be yourself. Peace & Love ❤💫