Sister U Matter!

Have you ever dreamed of something? I mean really dreamed. You had a desire to do or be something and you took the steps to walk out the dream. Well, I’m here to tell you that dreams do come true. As a matter of fact, the real walk generally turns out even larger than your biggest dream.

A few years ago, my desire was to hand out inspirational cards to women beings (my phrase for any aged girls through adult women) that I encountered. I mean I could be having a general conversation with a woman (a real conversation) and literally see myself handing the woman an inspirational card (a dream). I just wanted to pass out special notes to remind women beings of their worth and value and to inspire them to look for the good within themselves.

Well, I want to report that to date I have distributed at least 3000 cards since September 2016. The part that really humbles me is that others are eagerly handing them out on my behalf. (Remember my dream was of me handing out the cards. Now I have many hands handing out the cards!) The cards are all over the world in places that I could have never imagined. They are in women’s shelters, middle and high schools, teen and women advocacy programs/centers, beauty shops and even Afghanistan (I never even imagined that the cards would be in other parts of the world); and the biggest part of my dream come true, the cards are now on college campuses. You talk about bigger than I could have ever imagined...WOW! It’s just so humbling.

So, keep dreaming and working towards making the dreams a reality. Dreams do REALLY come true!

Remember…Sister U Matter!®

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental illness is very real and affects many more people than you may think. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, research shows that mental illnesses are common in the United States, affecting tens of millions of people each year. Estimates suggest that only half of people with mental illnesses receive treatment.

There is such a stigma related to mental illness especially in minority communities. This stigma keeps people from getting the help they need for fear of being judged and/or rejected by their families and friends and there is a common misperception that being diagnosed with a mental illness is a sign of weakness. I have actually heard people being treated for a mental illness state that they will not take their medications because they don’t want others to think that they are crazy. My question: If you were diagnosed with any other ailment that affects your physical body, would you take the prescribed medication to treat it? The same applies to our mental health.

Did you know that….

• One in six U.S. adults lives with a mental illness (44.7 million in 2016) (www.nimh.nih.gov)

• Approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 (21.4%) experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life. For children aged 8–15, the estimate is 13%. (www.nami.org)

• According to the World Health Organization, mental illness results in more disability in developed countries than any other group of illnesses, including cancer and heart disease. (https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealthsurveillance/fact_sheet.html)

• 70% of youth in juvenile justice systems have at least one mental health condition and at least 20% live with a serious mental illness. (www.nami.org)

• More than 90% of children who die by suicide have a mental health condition. (www.nami.org)

For more information regarding mental health awareness, click the following links:

Sister, join in this movement, get informed and help cure the stigma related to mental illness. Spread the word…Sister U Matter!®    

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Don’t wait to do what you know you are purposed to do. Take a step, even if it is a very small one.  Start today. Start right now. That step could be even as simple as starting to discover what your purpose may be. Our life span here on Earth is so short and unpredictable. We truly can be well and living one moment and the very next moment, not well and/or not even living.

I am encouraging you in this way because I have witnessed (I’m sure you have too) and so many others are experiencing the sudden loss of a loved one. In many cases, the loved one was still so full of expectancy regarding all of the things they would accomplish with the rest of their lives and sometimes with a second chance at life. But suddenly and catching their loved ones by surprise, they leave this world still full of all of the purpose, hopes and dreams that they had come to cherish and anticipate.

Don’t wait. Live your purpose. Tomorrow is not promised. (To be really honest about it, the rest of today is not even promised.) Trust me--there will never be a perfect time. There will never be perfect conditions. There will always be something that seems out of sync but don’t let that stop you from moving forward towards achieving your purpose, your hopes and your dreams.

Spread the word…Sister U Matter!®

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You Are...

Nurturing

Outstanding and Original

Perfectly you

Quite essential

Reasonable

Strong

You are absolutely you. You are one of a kind; a masterpiece!

 Embrace you. Love you. Forgive you. Appreciate You.

Remember…Sister U Matter!®

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The Christian community just celebrated Resurrection Sunday also commonly referred to as Easter Sunday. It’s an annual celebration of the risen Christ which demonstrates, among other things, His almighty power even over death.

That got me to thinking…Are there some areas in my life that need to be resurrected? You know the things in my life that have been declared dead, expired, gone, lifeless or even lost. Things like big dreams, grand plans, outlandish heart’s desires, etc. What about you? Do you have any of those?

Well, I encourage us today to take inventory of those “lost”/“expired” things and determine which of those things need to be resurrected. (Warning: Be careful with this assessment because some dead things in your life need to stay dead. Trust me on this one!) Just because it looks too big or nothing seems to be happening on the surface doesn’t mean it won’t work or it can’t work. Those things are not impossible; difficult maybe but not impossible.

Spread the word…Sister U Matter!®

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