Friday Evening Inspired Us. Empowered Us.

On Friday, something rather incredible happened. A friend of mine from school, along with her son and bestie, visited our home and shared a meal with us. It was an amazing evening. Beyond words. I wrote and published a blog column that evening. After publishing, and throughout the weekend, I didn't feel as if the blog column captured the true essence of our evening.

So, I wrote this...

Most of y'all are aware that on Friday, we had the honor of making dinner for a dear friend of mine whom I haven't seen in over 30 years. Her son and bestie accompanied her. Yeah, I was nervous, but after the lengthy hug and tears, the years between seeing each other just melted away.

I think the Universe did several lil' shimmy shakes for that night to happen. It wasn't just about reuniting with my friend after over 3 decades but being surrounded by admirably strong humans.

Prior to their visit, I had been feeling a bit defeated. My voice, whether written or verbal, had crossed the line, according to many, of being too strong. Too judgemental. Because, well...I don't sugarcoat stuff. More so, instead of letting shit roll down my back, I made the decision to stand strong. I stopped telling Lisa to "soften her voice." I put a halt on making excuses for those who made a career out of...making excuses.

Our evening on Friday rejuvenated our souls. Empowered us. Reassured us that we are not alone in our "old fashioned" views surrounding work ethics, respecting your elders, perseverance, being humble, making sacrifices, working hard for what you have, priorities, busting ass, following through, overcoming hardships, taking responsibility, earning a living, manners, tough love, etc

Because of you, Tracy, James, and Elsa, I am a stronger woman. My wife and I are stronger women. You have inspired us in more ways than you know. Y'all are beautiful human beings. We love you so much. We are proud to call you all family. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Sometimes, I write random stuff like this and save it as a draft. I'll either add to it and publish as a blog column or use for an upcoming Facebook post throughout the week.

This time around, I'm using what I wrote for both.

Because Friday evening deserves that.