It's 9:11 pm in Chicago. I'm sitting on my porch swing because it is a perfect summer evening, weatherwise. It's cool. The air is fresh. There is a slight breeze whispering in the trees. But it's loud, very loud. Kids screaming. Fireworks blasting. Trains rolling by. Music bumping in cars. Police sirens everywhere. Grown adults screaming and fighting. A teenager on the phone working so hard for that girl to ask him over. Tonight is not a peaceful evening on my porch swing. But as I sit here wishing these kids would stop screaming to the right of me, I look to the left of me and what do I see? Tons and tons of fireflies. They are lighting up the empty field that is filled with trash because nobody cares about the beauty of the land. And they just keep lighting up. Two lights here, Five Lights there, One light hete, 10 more over there. It's so beautiful that all I can do is smile. I smile because it's a sign of something special. They only come out when the seasons transition. It's the first night that I've seen them this year. And they don't stop being a light in that empty field. Then God reminds me that's what he has called us to do. There are desolate places that don't look like much of anything. They look uncared for, unkept, ignored. But that's where the fireflies choose to fly tonight and give light to. It brings Beauty to that empty field.

Where is God calling you to be a light in a desolate place? To be Beauty in a place that is often ignored? And just like the Firefly, will you just keep glowing and glowing?

"Daddy thank you so much tonight that the Firefly was Beauty for me on such a hard day."

"You're welcome baby girl. Just a reminder of what I've called you to be. You know what it means to be in darkness and how much a ittle bit of light can pull you out of it. I will never leave you in darkness and the fireflies we're just my simple reminder to you."

#PorchSwingLife #SelfCare #KissOnMyForeheadFromGod

A day on my porch swing... this is life.

Its 9:04 pm in Chicago. I'm sitting on my porch swing. It's humid. It's raining. The air is thick. Normally, I would not be sitting out here but I just made a Father's Day video for my Daddy and am pretty emotional. So I had to go to my place of peace, my porch swing. While I'm sitting here, God started singing to me. That's right! The church bells are ringing! I sit here so excited... and so bummed at the same time. I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THE DAILY BELLS! How could I? That's how #PorchSwingLife started! I even used to set my alarm so I wouldn't miss it... and it's been so long, I forgot. All I can do is close my eyes, smile...and listen to the song. Hearing it seems to bring me right back to the time where I was so focused and centered. It triggered feelings of peace and joy. Then God reminded me how often we get so distracted, we easily forget - and take for granted - the simple things in life that give us life. We get so consumed with filling in the emptiness of our souls by doing, by buying, by numbing, by pretending that we forget to just be... be still... still enough to listen and hear... still enough to feel.... still enough to rest while he is singing... in my case, he sings everyday at 9:00 pm and I've been missing his sweet serenades... and I need to relearn what it means to just be his baby girl.

Back to the basics.
Alarm has been set again.
I will meet you at 9:00 pm on the porch swing Daddy... to be.
Just be.

‪#‎PorchSwingLife‬ ‪#‎SelfCare‬ ‪#‎KissOnForeheadFromGod‬

Its 5:29 pm in Chicago. I'm sitting on my porch swing. Thunder. Lightening. Torrential Rain. Loud rain drops banging on the top of cars. The dry ground thanking the rain gods for quenching it's thirst. The flowers gearing up to bloom brighter. People yelling and running using whatever they have to cover their heads as they seek dry shelter. Little kids screaming every time thunder sneaks up and roars! and me...the only one on her street, swinging back and forth watching it all. And it's not normal rain...it's flood rain. It's the rain pounding so hard, it's louder than the Green line train that just passed. It's coming down so hard, you can see it in color.

This is what my inner self feels like today...for months actually. Tumultuous. Intense. Longing. Hard, soft, hard again.

And then God reminds me, rain, as inconvenient and troublesome as it can be, is also cleansing... it is cooling off Chicago after such a hot and humid day... it's feeding the earth so it can keep growing... it's giving free car washes to those who don't take time to wash them...it's also giving you peace and quiet on your block to think of Me.

"I did pray for that yesterday, huh Daddy? That I could sit out here without all the neighbors yelling, music blasting, air smelling like kush... but some quiet on my porch swing?"

"You did baby girl. There will always be noise...even on the inside of you. Seek the noise that brings you peace. Seek my voice in the trees, the wind...and today, in the rain."

"I could get used to this noise Daddy. Rain some more please."

‪#‎PorchSwingLife‬ ‪#‎SelfCare‬ ‪#‎KissOnForeheadFromGod‬

It's 10:07 pm in Chicago. I'm sitting on my porch swing. I've been inside all day because anyone that knows me knows I loathe heat...the icky sticky uncomfortable burning sensation brings out an attitude in me I'm not fond of. Today was predicted to be 94 degrees. Fate was decided for me. As I laid trying to go to bed, something was drawing me to my porch swing. Probably a desperate need for comfort. I anticipated it would be loud, muggy, humid, still stale air... but my City greeted me with unexpected kisses! A cool breeze that didn't stop making music with the rustling leaves. The breeze that brought my heavy spirit to life. The breeze is getting stronger and stronger. It feels like a dance sequence that first asks me to dance, slowly walking to the middle of the floor, then finding our rhythm together until we connect and steal everyone's attention. This cool breeze was like a blind date that was love at first sight, unexpected and beautiful. I don't want it to end. I close my eyes, the street is quiet other than the trees and leaves singing, i swing back and forth as my hair blows in my face and my tshirt does the wave from being puffed up. This. Is. Heaven. Not what I was expecting. What if I had missed this because I thought it would be different? What if I let my hatred of heat block me from wind's love for me?

And then God reminded me.... "Baby girl, life is full of unexpected moments. Life can change in an instant, in a moment. But I will always draw you to moments of peace in this crazy journey of life unexpected...if you listen."

"But Daddy, sometimes listening is scary because I don't know what to expect. Sometimes you ask too much."

"And that's why I long to give you these moments of peace.... more and more as we go...now shhhhhh...close your eyes, feel my wind kisses on your cheek...and trust me."

"OK Daddy...can you smother me please? "

And in this moment, the wind fiercely started blowing...blowing kisses.

‪#‎PorchSwingLife‬ ‪#‎SelfCare‬ ‪#‎KissOnForeheadFromGod‬