Hello, Old Friend.
Weeks went past, and then months, and by the time I looked up over a year had passed by. It’s been over a year, guys! Not that I hadn’t come by to visit, and check in on how things were going. But a whole year went by, that I didn’t really take the time to sit with you and share of myself. I have a good reason, really I do, and I know that’s no excuse for my neglect, but I’m here now. Let me make it up to you.
See, the reason I started blogging in the first place, was because I felt I had a lot on the inside of me. A lot of insight & perspective, and experiences & opinions— And I wanted to share that part of me with others. At the same time, I am terrified of public speaking. Written communication is my thing, and I decided that it was just as good as talking aloud. I guess, if I’m being honest, blogging was kind of a cop out. It was my way of trying to cut corners on my journey towards my purpose. I knew I was meant to use my voice, my audible voice, to uplift and encourage others, to teach and to lead. The thought of that scared me, and it still does, today.
But during this past year, I have been thrust into environments that haven’t allowed me to shrink back and be timid. This journey has been an accelerated one, beyond what I could have anticipated for myself. I haven’t had much time to slow down to jot my feelings or thoughts on what my year has looked like. Somewhere in the midst of the changes I encountered, I felt that if I really took the time to dig deep and unpack each event, that it would make things more of a reality. I didn’t think I was ready to come to terms with who I was becoming. The uncertainty is paralyzing. I decided to return to blogging because I realized that it was one of the few things that was certain. It’s the documentation of how far I’ve come and what I’ve accomplished, and it gives language to what I am capable of in the future. One thing I’ve learned is that in order to know where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been. I suppose the best place to start is to pick up where we left off.
In ONE year, I have:
Co-Facilitated my FIRST full Outreach Adventure with the largest group we’ve had to date
Did my first Solo Travel Adventure
Went on a family vacation (cruise) for the first time in years
Took on a Leadership position at my Church
Celebrated my 28th year and received birthday prophesies to speak into my future
Traveled to Ghana for Year of Return
Switch to part-time status at my Counseling job
Started working from home and hopped onboard the Telemental Health train
Official registered by business, Outreach Within Our Reach, LLC.
Spoke at a Live Conference on Ministry
And now here we are, back up to the present time. I’m sure that seems a bit rushed, but at some point I will go back in and give more details on some of those events. It has certainly been a whirlwind of emotions and adjustments for me, but I have learned so much in the process. Writing helps to bring things back to my memory and helps me to organize my thoughts in a way so that I can communicate clearly to those I’m meant to reach. Moving forward, writing isn’t going to serve as a substitute for my voice, but a catalyst to propel me into my future. I hope you all stick around for the adventure.