Photo Credit: L Chanel Dickerson
Greetings SitiGirl Louisville Family!
I know it has been a while. The last time we spoke, I had made a huge transition from the state of Ohio back to my home state of Kentucky. Life definitely has a way of coming full circle for sure. I haven’t been home in 25 years and have lived and built a life in Cincinnati, Ohio for 17 of those years. To leave all of that behind was hard to say the least.
But God has a way of redirecting and ordering our steps. Kentucky wasn’t in my plan, but it was in God’s plan and we know that God’s plan is always better than anything we can ever put together. This restart has been painfully beautiful. What an oxymoron, right? How can something painful be beautiful? It has been painful to let go of the life I had built. Trying to hold on was hurting me more than it was helping me. How many of us have held on to something way past its expiration date? The very thing we hold dear can be the very thing being detrimental to our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.
It has been beautiful in the precious moments I have been able to share with my family. Being so far away, I missed out on spending time with my nieces and nephews, birthday parties, family gatherings and so much more but now, I get to love on my family and create these precious memories and that are filling my heart with so much joy.
As I am gaining my footing again, I am reminded of the scripture in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” As I am learning to not lean on my own flawed understanding, I am finding the beauty of the own melody in my heart. I am learning that letting go is actually the beginning of not just new beginnings but actually it allows God to shape your life the way he has been wanting to from the very beginning.
So as 2024 comes to a close, I encourage you to choose you first and then choose who chooses you. My soror, L Chanel Dickerson coined this phrase in the beautiful graphic above and it could not be more true. When you choose yourself, your peace, your joy, your well being; you allow yourself the time you need to heal, reset and realign your life. It is not being selfish. You cannot pour from an empty cup but here is something deeper. You cannot pour from a cup you do not have.
So cheers to 2025! May these next 365 years be the best of your life.
With love,
Mariette Wade, SitiGirl Louisville Editor-in-Chief
