Dear Maliyah 

A friend said to me, “Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.” 

I didn’t know what she meant, until I knew what she meant.

I can’t unsee it.

And I had no idea. 

I had no idea that mistreatment of black people did not end with the Civil Rights Act back in 1964. 

I had no idea t...

Dear Maliyah,

This past weekend I got to go to my spot. The spot where the world seems silent and all I can hear is His gentle voice.

It’s been a place of refuge for me for so many years. I can think of countless moments in my life where I have felt helpless and the only...

Dear Maliyah,

My world was shattered this last week.

I was forced to come face to face with the reality of this world. Of the sinfulness of humanity. Of the evil that prowls and lurks, eager to try and ruin the lives of His children.

I received news of such injustice and...

Dear Maliyah,

Before you, I lived in a box.

A box where people who didn’t do the right thing didn’t fit. Those who struggled to be kind couldn’t be a part. And if they had a hard time making friends they didn’t belong there.

My box was for those who didn’t have struggles....

Dear Maliyah,

I have learned that prayer has the power to change lives, but the heart behind a prayer matters even more.

I prayed all growing up. It was modeled by so many people around me, and so it became a part of my life. I prayed for those who were sick, a math test...

Dear Maliyah,

Tomorrow is a favorite day of mine…Cinco de Maliyah. The day you were legally named a Colander. The day that reminds us of so many truths. Like how our Father heard my dream of wanting a sister and granted it. How He created you with extreme intention and...

Dear Maliyah,

Today you didn’t have school because it wasn’t a safe place to be.

Today half a million kids didn’t have school because of the threat that was posed against schools.

Today the reality of the hurt, anger, and danger that is woven into this world took away yet...

Dear Maliyah,

You can’t be everything and do everything.

So don’t even try.

From the outside, my life has always seemed perfect. I have always been the girl who did it all, and did it well.

I got good grades and now I have a great job, I’ve traveled to different part of th...

Dear Maliyah,

Did you know that even back in 1963 our Father was fighting for you? Fighting for your future? Fighting for you to be a part of our family?

Martin Luther King Jr. Day has become one of my favorite celebrations. I love celebrating someone who so passionately...

Dear Maliyah,

If there is one thing I have learned in life it is this: You don’t have control over it.

And secondly, if life isn’t at least a little uncomfortable, that probably means you aren’t fully surrendering it to Him.

Want proof?

Here is a blurb from something I wro...