By Dawn Onley Your entrance into the world answers four of the five W’s of life. Many will die never having answered the fifth. Why were you born? This is an age old question. For some, the answer lies in the mind waiting to be conceived and in the belly waiting to be born. We…

By Samantha McKenzie I am your heart. Many know me as the organ that pumps blood throughout the body. Others know me as the source of love and emotions. Today, I want a moment to explain who I am, and why I act the way that I do. As your heart, I’m here for you. I…

By Dawn Onley To accomplish anything in life, there is always a way. There is always a chance. There is always hope. If you do not believe the above three statements to be true, they are not true — for you. You don’t need to do anything. You can stop reading at this point. This…

By Samantha McKenzie Many, many moons ago, I worked a short stint at an African-American art gallery. It was sort of a layover job after having my first child – a transition period between maternity leave and finding a new writing gig. The gallery was located in the city’s cultural arts center which was unofficially managed by…

By Dawn Onley For years, I would get really hung up on how people treated me. Loyal to a fault, I would get peeved and even hold grudges toward relationships that weren’t reciprocal. If I supported a person’s dreams yet they didn’t support my dreams, if I helped someone through a trying time yet when…

By Samantha McKenzie When I was growing up in a household of five, I had two main chores: cleaning the bathroom and doing the laundry. We didn’t have a washer and dryer in my home. I had to gather all the dirty clothes from the shared family hamper, load up the shopping cart with a…

By Dawn Onley It goes back to grade school, when you tried to hide the peas and carrots under the mound of mashed potatoes, and you wondered why mama had to give you so much to begin with. She’d turn around from the stove, take one look at your plate, and say: “Eat your vegetables….

By Samantha McKenzie I made an appointment to see a therapist today. I thought I should share it with you because women who hope should also be women who take care of their mental health. I needed to ask for professional help. I have been feeling overwhelmed. The small pieces of my already hectic life have piled…

By Dawn Onley “Pain pushes until vision pulls.” I love this Rev. Michael Bernard Beckwith quote and have found it to be true. We are often pushed by pain in order to grow – which is a reactive state to be in. Have you ever gotten so fed up that you did something? Did you…

By Samantha McKenzie You are beautiful. Let’s not waste too much time debating this fact. It’s true. You were born into a world that was ready and waiting for you. Your arrival was met with the warmth and love of others and your very presence filled the room with an unimaginable joy. Planned or unplanned, someone prepared for your…