What book or book series did you wish would continue when you were done reading it?

Wow, Mildred D. Taylor's "Cassie Logan Saga" was my absolute favorite book series. I started reading it when I was in the third grade. Cassie Logan was a young, Black girl in the south, living in the post slavery/ pre-civil rights era, with her family. The series follows Cassie throughout her life into adulthood and we see her grow and begin to demand respect for herself, her family, and her people. Cassie reminds me a lot of myself; feisty and always ready to light up when things aren't equal, fair, or don't seem right. She also reminds me of Janie, the heroine in "Their Eyes Were Watching God," by Zora Neale Hurston. There is nothing more inspiring than a strong, fearless and powerful Black woman, forcing and advocating for change.

In third grade, I read the third book in the series, The Road to Memphis, first, and I knew I had to finish the rest. I learned later that the series was written about Taylor's own life and family. My mother bought me every book and I read them all... some more than once. I was stuck on "The Cassie Logan Saga" for years, learning and growing with every page that I read. I cried when the series ended, but I knew it was time for me to be the source of my own strength.

Write a one minute "Thank You" note to someone.

​
​TLR,

Thank you for your presence. Thank you for loving me, leaving me  and losing me. Because of you, I was able to find myself. You taught me strength. You taught me patience. You taught me selflessness. You taught me how to stick up for myself and to resist bullshit. You taught me that I deserve only the best, even when you could not be that for me. You were spectacular until you weren't, but I appreciate every day I spent with you, growing in peace and in self-love. I hope... and pray, that wherever you are in this life, you're well. Be blessed. Stay blessed.

Renée

I do this often; I step back from writing and doing some things I love in order to really reflect. Sometimes I write without blogging, and that's okay. When I'm ready to share my thoughts, you get them full force... so here it goes!

Write a quick love story. The story must end badly.

​... and after everything they had been through, they found their way back to each other again, as the universe had promised. Their love was strong, beautiful, passionate and worth it. They had the type of love that moved mountains and conquered enemies. Their love had been reconciled. All the pain of the past had vanished and they established a new and deeper trust. Their love had become more meaningful this time around. It was work, but it was amazing. They could feel it when their bodies collided.

They spent their time together trying new things and going new places. They explored life and their worlds together. They visited each other more frequently and took each other out on dates that made the world stop. This time around, they focused on learning each other in a way that they had never done before. They learned to truly love one another and they grew in that love. They grew in that happiness. Everything was right in their world.

One morning, while she was at work, she received a message. She assumed it was the usual "good morning, i love you" message that she had become so accustomed to. However, it was not. Instead of her loving message, she saw a picture. The picture was the love of her life, hugged up with another girl, in a way that he should only be holding her. She knew, in that moment, that the past three years had been a lie... an utter and disgusting betrayal to her, her self esteem, everything that they had built, and everything that she had once believed in. She realized in that moment, that she had built him up, only for him to tear her down.

Her heart broke. He left. Nothing was the same.

Name one thing you have lied to yourself about. Why did you do this?

I lie to myself about love all the time. I keep myself in bad situations... even toxic situations because I love the idea of love and being loved. I hope and I pray that things will run smoothly and continue to grow, but they never actually do. 

Happy Tuesday Fam!

I'm so glad you're all here! I've been absent for a couple of months, but I've been spending some time figuring out what is most important to me, what I want and need for myself and how to familiarize myself with the state of happiness.

I’ve started writing this post and several others, plenty of times. I’ve thought about and jotted down everything I wanted to say in different notepads and notebooks. I’ve created documents that just didn’t make the cut. Now, I think I’m ready.

I don't generally tell stories that I do not feel are my own to tell, but this one hit me harder than most and due to whatever my role is in the life of others, I was affected. I was triggered. I'm not writing this post for anybody to sympathize with me or for anybody to feel sorry for me, because in hindsight, I'm okay, but my mental was thrown off in the worst way yesterday and I need to write it out. What you do next is up to you, but if you're interested in my heart as an educator, please, keep reading.

I've been binge watching season seven of one of my favorite shows, "Once Upon a Time," an ABC show about our most beloved fairy tales in their most twisted forms. The show plays on the love of our childhood heroes, but in their most "unDisney" forms as they search for their real, happy endings. 

As I am coming to a close on my time here in Haiti, I have been considering my future in great detail. Everybody keeps asking me what I want to do next. Where do I want to go next? What will I do? How will I continue on? Sometimes the answers seem simple, and sometimes a bit more complicated. I don't think I know exactly what I want, or where I'll go, but I know that I'm not keen on searching for "home" any longer. My favorite line from "Once  Upon a Time," is this: "Home isn't a place. It's where your family is."