A few weeks ago, I had one of those surreal moments where I could literally be in the moment and truly realize how blessed I am. I had just finished eating dinner with the Wakefield clan in Annapolis and all of a sudden per Cameron’s insistence we broke out into our own little dance party…
Girl, You Got People
“Girl, you got people!” This is one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite fall books “October Suite” by Maxine Clair. In the book, the main character, October Brown, is a single woman who goes off Up North to the Big City to become a teacher during the 1950s. She soon finds herself…
Becoming Ida’s Daughter
When I typically introduce myself to others, I normally identify myself as a sister, an auntie, a friend, a singer, and a writer. I rarely if ever say that I am a daughter. Now that both of my parents are gone, it’s uncomfortable to stand as their daughter without a lot of uncomfortable conversation about…
A Three-Piece Suit at Kennywood Park
One of my absolute favorite childhood memories is of a perfect summer day in 1991 when my father took me and my brother, Thomas, to Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh, Pa. For those of you unfamiliar with the awesomeness that is Kennywood, let me just say that it is THE best amusement park in the country…
Becoming a Grown-Ass Woman
I had a recent interaction with an unlearned, wet-behind-the-ears, 20-something who, in the immortal words of Real Housewife Kenya Moore, came for me when I CLEARLY did NOT send for her. I could have LET.HER.HAVE.IT., but something in my spirit held me back. If this same incident happened a few months ago, I would have…
Ida’s Angels
You may have heard of Charlie’s Angels but those skinny white chicks ain’t got nothing on my big sisters, the amazing daughters of Ida Mae Turner Lakins, whom I affectionately refer to (at least in my head) as Ida’s Angels. Thirty years ago she gave them the extraordinary task to not only go out in…
B.Y.O.G.: Bring Your Own Greatness
One of the challenges of being the youngest of nine siblings is that I have ALWAYS looked up to other people to have the answers. Before I even THINK about trusting myself to have the key or the best solution, I just know that someone older, richer, wiser, whiter, bigger, or seemingly more talented than…
Lean On Me, Sister
I had the pleasure of catching up with one of my best friends on Easter Sunday right before I began my current job. We hadn’t seen each other in some time so it was great to hear about how she was balancing things with her career, her marriage, and being a Mommy to two beautiful…
One Bad Alto and God’s Grace
One of my favorite singers in the world is a woman from one of my home churches in Baltimore named Sheila Thomas. Sis. Sheila wasn’t one of those emotional singers who wailed and sweated or reared back when she hit a good note or even closed her eyes if the song got real good to…
Getting Over New York
Anyone within a 10-mile radius of me in the last decade has probably heard me wax quite poetic about my desire to become the next Susan Taylor in the editorial world. (If you don’t know about the AWESOMENESS that is Susan Taylor, the former, fantabulous editor-in-chief of Essence, I need you to stop reading this…
The Complicated Song of America
Like most people, I find it very difficult to wrap my mind around senseless acts of violence like the bombing at the Boston Marathon yesterday. While I offer my deepest prayers and condolences, sometimes it just doesn’t feel like enough. That’s when I just have to dig in a little deeper and trust that even…
Confidence is a MotherF*&%$@
(For all my sanctified friends, please get to the end of the post before you start praying for me. Well, pray for me anyway, but just pretend I didn’t start a blog post with an abbreviated curse word for the next 10 minutes. ) One of my favorite moments of my 30s thus far was…
The Ink Well 