Hope & Alignment
It'll all come together.
Hope Matters
I’ve been blessed to be accepted to participate in this fellowship with 79 other people. Initially, everyone I told was excited about it but me. It felt like this other thing I was having to fit in, with 80+ people to get to know. *insert deep introvert sigh* I didn’t know precisely what to expect. And if you don’t know this after reading the first 8 hopeletters, I need to know things or…mental chaos. However, thanks to a dear friend, I had an idea…still wasn’t enough. Anyway…
Each day of this fellowship, I was asked to do that thing I asked you all to do in the last 2 hopeletters: reflect. Two things stood out to me as I thought about conversations and moments of clarity I’d had:
My origin story is FIRE! (Thank you, Bigma!) 🔥
My journey aligns with who I was, who I am, and who I will be.
The first, I’ll leave to expound on later, ‘cause that’s a biggie. However, the second is something that I already knew based on my faith and Christian beliefs, yet it was solidified in several moments in a few days’ time. So, let me share a little more of my hope with you.
Where you are in life right now might feel like a whole lotta nothin’ good is happening; it might even feel as if nothing good will ever happen. You might be struggling with other people’s life decisions that were thrust upon you or some that you’ve made…or just life in general.
Here’s my truth. I’ve been broken (a lot), yet I’m healing. I’ve been broke (a long time); I can afford to feed Son and me and pay the bills with no gaps. I’ve been confused; I’m walking the path of clarity. I’d relaxed my boundaries in the name of relationship; I’m learning to reset those in the name of honoring myself and my capacity. I’d created walls that didn’t allow people to know or love me; I’m pulling those down. Therapy and prayer are my portion. 😊 (See hopeletter 4.)
But, I digress. Everything, I mean absolutely everything I look back on and at the time felt was something terrible, has played into who I am today. What this helps me realize is that these things - good and bad - shaped me. They taught me how to (and how not to) treat myself and others. They taught me how to live the life I’m currently living. And, I am further convinced that the life I’m living now is playing into who I’m going to be five days from now and beyond. The question I had to start asking God and myself in adverse situations is, ‘What am I to learn from this?’ Y’all, that’s a hard question to ask in adversity, but it can be done. Guess what? It also takes your focus off what is happening and helps you refocus on what to do next or, better yet, the other side of what’s happening, the good things that can eventually be.
This thing I’m saying worked for me is not easy, but it has been worth it, recognizing that these circumstances align with the way I show up at home, with people, at work, and in these hopeletters. My hope for us all is, when circumstances arise that twist us up and make life hard, we will shift our focus, understanding that what’s ultimately happening is alignment with your life’s purpose. Yeah, it may suck right now, but what are you learning?
Here’s hoping. ☕️
Coffee Matters
If you’re new here, I take my coffee very seriously. I carefully choose the beans (roasted by someone else 😏) and grind them for my daily sip. So, I’m a bit of a coffee snob.
I just told y’all that I’m at a fellowship convening. And, did I bring my travel coffee saving grace, Guji Mane Instant Coffee? NOPE. 🤦🏾♀️ So, I’ve been subjected to K-cups and hotel coffee. Now, let me say the hotel coffee is pretty decent. If I can drink it black and not turn my nose up, it’s certainly something I can drink until I get back to my beloved coffee in my freezer.
If you’re interested in purchasing the Guji Mane Instant from Cxffeeblack, here’s what you need to know. Once it’s available, it sells out fast. So, keep an eye out.
Although I’m sipping on hotel coffee this week, I’m still interested to know what you’re hoping and sipping?
If you like what you’ve read and would like to keep me fueled up to crank out more content, you can buy me a coffee below.
I appreciate you taking the time to read this hopeletter about my life and coffee. Please share with a friend who could use a little hope or coffee recommendation.