Fife: So Long 2013

Fife Friends, So Long 2013…

Well, one thing I can say is that I am thankful for Veronique MacRae. This is not to discount my other sisters and friends (so don’t take this personal) but she has been an consistent ROCK. In the beginning of the year, I was fighting along with so many others looking for a job, and trying not to let my $100,000’s in student loans depress me and all my degrees feel like a waste of time. V (what I call her) along with so many others decided not to let me stay in the dumps. She forced me to do a vision board, and to start my paperwork for my non-profit!!! (Yes, I will open it in the next few years, it’s in the works!!!!) Saying all that to say, this last entry of the year is dedicated to our friendship!!! Thanks for telling me to write, even when I felt like my writing was not professional enough, and thanks for believing in me and holding me accountable! So yes V!!! I made it and I’m doing my last entry of the year like I promised!!!!

Lessons big and small…

Fries Update: Only Burger!!!! YES GAWD!!! They make some unbelievable home fries. They make them fresh to order and when I get the large it often feels like I need one more order!! They are brown and CRISP!!! Not over cooked and when I get home they are still warm!!! YIPPEEEE!!!! From watching the chef’s through the glass it seems as if they have a special combination seasoning that they throw on the fries right after they are cook!!! AWESOME!!! The customer service there is AMAZING!!! J They also have FAN-TAB-ULOUS burgers!!! My favorite is the Turkey burger on wheat bread with crispy bacon. Even though the other day they were out of wheat bread :/ & yes, I almost cried over the phone as I placed my order. They also have prime beef, lamb, veggie burgers, and many more. So if you get a chance head over to Only Burger and check them out!!!! My favorite time to eat there is on Sunday nights after church when I don’t want anything to hardy!!!! They are a little on the expensive side but hey they are gourmet!!!

Married Life:

My husband is like the most amazing man ever!!! I knew I loved him when I married him, but G-GOLLY, life with him is so much better and I fall more in love with him as we continue to share our lives together. Even though I fuss at him sometimes for overworking and get mad at him for making me eat dinner by myself, I truly realize that he has sacrificed so much for us!!! And I appreciate that he is always willing to compromise and put in a plan in place to make me happy!!! (Yes, he spoils me and I am comfortable with it!!! HA) He is a wonderful provider and I could honestly not ask for a better husband. We travel, we laugh, we cook, and we throw amazing events!!!

Work Life:

UGHHHHHHH lol… well it has gotten better. With the help of a wonderful mentor, I now get to work part time at a counseling office!!! Praise the Lord!!!! But I still have to keep my main job, which has driven me quite POSTALLLLLLLL!!!lol!! I had a supervisor tell me I was a un-achiever because I did not perform a task to his liking. WoW right??? My heart was sooo heavy, because he honestly put words to how I have been feeling this entire year. Not having the dream job I thought I would have, not making the 6 figure salary that goes along with my Duke degree, not being able to open my transitional home, having to put my non-profit on hold, not feeling as if I fit in at church, struggling with belief & doubt, figuring out how to manage money, feeling as if some of my friendships have failed, struggling with writing correctly, and having to relearn grammar tidbits... it spoke to what I had been feeling but was afraid to say Jha you are NOT WHERE YOU SHOULD BE… You should be further along, you should have more in savings, you should be helping more, saving more of the world, making a difference…etc.

After talking with my husband and Jesus, I realized that I may not have achieved what I thought I would in the amount of time that I put on it, but that does not mean I have not achieved anything. I had to go back and look how far I have come with being confident when I walked into a room, being perfectly comfortable in my skin. I was able to go on several interviews, gain two jobs, maintain a healthy marriage, draw closer to my family (Hey MANI & TACO TUESDAY TURN UP), travel to New York (My Favorite Place), watch amazing friends get married (YAY Krystle & Ray/ Tamika & Mike), be able to dine and be blessed by friends (KWAME, MARCIA, ZEBRA), I also am now a Godparent to two beautiful ladies (My loves Shaelynn & Kennedy Godmommy loves you), congratulate my sister on getting accepted to Bennett College & Thailand study abroad program… I mean the list goes on.

I realized that sometimes in Fife, people speak death to your life. People want to remind you of all your bad choices and not congratulate you on your good choices. People want to remind you of your past and laugh at your progress. Sometimes people speak death to you because they feel dead inside and it’s really not a reflection of you or about you.

I am not sure what made my supervisor say those words to me, but like I had to be reminded, I would like to remind many of you who are struggling with the words that people have spoken over you that you are replaying in your head that its not the end. Your story is not over, my story is not over. Even though this year is over, your life is not and it will continue!!! You should be reminded that people spoke death over Jesus. They ran, cried, and mourned his death. They even wrapped his body and put him in a tomb, but in 3 days he got up, and he got up with ALL POWER IN HIS HANDS!!!! Yes, he died, yes he was hung high, yes it was painful, and yes he bled!!! Yes, you may have had to be on food stamps, yes you may have been laid off, yes you may have had to move in with friends or relatives, yes you may have lost your car, yes you may have foreclosed on your house, and yes you may have gotten a divorce, but its not over!!! So I end with this in 2013 to the supervisor who wanted to speak death over me…. Watch me RISE in 2014!!!