Encouragement

Unapologetically Weird Growing up family events put me in a perpetual state of anxiety. My cousins were not my friends. In fact, they barely spoke to me. It made me feel like such an outcast at the time. I remember dreading holidays and only got through them with either a book in my face or with the help of my I-Pod shuffle. I just never fit in. This didn’t follow me into school though, I found my own friend group pretty easily and was happy to spend time with people I related to. As I grow older though, the feeling of being ‘the outcast’ has made its way back into my life. It's not always easy to embrace our uniqueness, especially...

Dear Single Moms in Baton Rouge, We are a little over a month into the new year, and reflecting on life seasons and growth is often helpful in motivating ourselves for what the year has to offer. I was a single mom for three years, and when I think back to my moments as a single mom, several words come to mind that describe me at that time: survivor, warrior, worrier, depleted, and lonely. I had the most wonderful gift in the world, my baby girl, but with the blessing came immense challenges. At the time, I was the only single mother at the job that I worked, so my work ethic and performance had to rival those with much more resources,...

Unresolutions {Part 1} My family lived a ludicrous year 2023. We dealt with 11 months of recurrent-boil-raising MRSA in both our kids (and the attendant dozens of doctors' appointments). Our older son was bullied at school, and we spent almost the entire academic year battling an administration that refused to address the problem, file the appropriate (and legally required) paperwork, or change his classroom environment. We had put our mortgage in forbearance, not knowing that would mean having to pay back a 5-digit amount all at once at the end of that period despite the mortgage company's casual assurances. A child brought a weapon to our older son's school, and the school administration neglected to inform the parents for over 2...

A Tribute To The Work Bestie Ever since I was the ripe, old age of 15 I have been a “working girl.” I have always reveled in the idea of making my very own money and the feeling of independence that it offers. I have been employed in many factions and various types of work but one thing that all of these occupations have in common is that each one provided me with a friend that I especially enjoyed working alongside. That one person that you looked forward to surviving a shift with, that made it fun, and allowed lasting memories to live with you. In the past I have picked up weights and wiped down gym equipment with my buddy Adam...

February Is CHD Awareness Month :: Know The Signs February is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Month. Here are some statistics: - There are 40 types of congenital heart defects. - 40,000 babies are born in the USA with CHD every year, that equates to 1 in 100 children. One child every 15 minutes will receive a diagnosis. - Around 25% of children who have CHD will need heart surgery or other types of interventions to survive. - CHD is a leading cause of death in infants and children, twice as many children will die from CHD as they will from all forms of childhood cancer combined. Yet childhood cancer research funding is five times higher than CHD research funding - Baton Rouge does NOT have a...