Hey Scribes,
I just realized that we didn't get to talk last month.
October is a deeply reflective time for me. Since 2016 I tended to avoid social media and network television due to the many observances that pulled on my heart strings. You can find a list of observances here. Until now, I didn't know how to balance my feelings of wanting to celebrate survivors while honoring my mother who didn't survive metastatic breast cancer. This morning as I was walking I was given a revelation of how to balance this thin line of love and honor.
Gratitude
Hurricane Ian passed through North Carolina last night. As I write this, I am sitting in a coffee shop next to a mother and her son who have been out of power for over 18 hours. Thankfully, my family and I are safe and we have power. Yesterday we stood at our patio door and watched the trees blow fiercely against the dark sky. It was both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. We heard the wind and rain beating against our house all day, but God covered us.
Early this morning, I walked around our neighborhood to pray and exercise. The calm after the storm was eerily quiet. I felt calm, grateful and humbled. So many things could have been different.
God is so big and our finite thoughts about life, the world, even death, cannot compare to His thoughts about us. I am grateful. My thoughts moved to my mother and her strength. She was a warrior and our friend A. Slate and I called her the "Pink Panther." My mother faced cancer with poise and courage. One day I sat by her bedside crying and she comforted me. Her capacity to love through her own pain is a great lesson for us all.
The Gift of Survival
I want to introduce you to Michelle Solomon.
Michelle is the new Outreach Coordinator for our team. Her role is to collect data and help us expand the vision of how we serve you as Scribes. If you receive an email from her, the goal is to get your feedback so we can serve you better. Michelle is a breast cancer survivor and she was diagnosed around the same time as my mom. Listen to Michelle's #TRP declaration here on my YouTube Channel. Through her journey she stood on this declaration: "I am Unpluckable." She said, "Being Unpluckable means not being able to be moved from a spot you are supposed to be at."
Go watch it.
Celebrate a Survivor
If you want to celebrate a survivor, consider purchasing some tea from my dear friend Dr. Y. Falami Devoe. Her herbal tea is delicious, and for this month only, she is sponsoring a "Satchet for a Survivor." I am going start by purchasing one for Michelle and my college roommate Tunisia.
Here are the details of how to purchase a satch: https://www.drfalami.com/product-page/sachet-for-a-survivor
Do You Hear Yourself?
For the rest of this Will you join me in being INTENTIONAL to speak more words that uplift the people around us? Let's encourage people to inscribe their history. Let's each inspire someone in our lives to be courageous. I am going to try to lace my words around my core values:
What are your core values?
Be intentional to look in the mirror and speak your daily declaration. Do you hear yourself?
Get Ready for #NowNovember
I preparing my next round of #NowNovember discussions. I would love to have you as my guest. Here are last year's videos. Respond to this email if you are interested in being a guest. The theme is: "THE POWER OF NOW." The topics are:
Now I Embrace
Now I Believe
Now I Realize
Now I Release
If you want to talk more about how to inscribe your story, schedule a complimentary brainstorming session here. Next month I will release a new journal to help you write your story. I am Resilience: Declarations and Affirmations to Help Me InSCRIBE My Wonderful Legacy will help you capture the moments that helped you stand in your power.
Watch what you say. Do you hear yourself?
Penda
Your Scribe Coach
