Brave Heart, Brave Soul. She who is brave is free.

“The strength of my soul was born on the backs of moments that brought me to my knees. “~ S.L. Heaton I was born with a fiery passionate flame. It raged in my soul. I longed to jump off buildings, swing from vines, wield a sword, build a lightsaber of my own, pursue the truth with Wonder Woman’s lasso and pretty much set the whole world on fire. From the time I can remember I’ve been this weird mix of introvert and extrovert. I can be both timid and unreserved at the same time. Red hair aside, most days I’m a quiet fighter. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m far from silent or stealthy. I could never in a million years be a ninja. Try as I might, you can hear me coming a mile away. I’m not loud per say, I just don’t have a mute button. My daddy can and will attest to this fact. After all, my nickname growing up was motormouth. I mean who could blame him? I was always talking. I always had a story to tell or a question to ask. As a little girl I’d spend hours sitting with my d...

"I didn't always know what I wanted to do but I knew the kind of woman I wanted to be." ~ Diane Von Furstenberg Ever heard the saying we all have a little Wonder Woman inside us? I have, and my daddy was the one who repeatedly affirmed this to me every day of my life growing up. My dad was a believer in who I was then and the woman I would become later. He taught me long before it was cool to rise up and be a woman of character and strength. The saying, " She needed a hero so that's what she became" was ingrained into my fabric long before it made the social media rounds. My dad has always been my greatest fan, and while I loved my Barbie dolls right long side my comic books my dad made sure I understood being a strong woman was far more important than ever looking like a Barbie doll. And truthfully my Barbie's stepped in as Superhero substitutions more often than not. I was and will forever be a Wonder Woman kind of girl. I know I'm not W...

As little girls we look up to our daddy’s. They are our first love, our heroes and navigators. They set the example, and if they are good men they set the bar high. As children we watch everything they do with eyes wide open, how they love our mothers, how hard they work, sacrifice and how much they believe in us, their children. My dad is an incredible man, selfless in every way, always giving, with a true servant’s heart. Thanks to my daddy, I was given two of the greatest gifts a little girl could ever have. One, my dad loved my mother and it was evident in everything he did, and two, he believed in me. My mom and dad married in the late 60’s. My dad came into my mom’s life when she needed him the most. He has loved her since the day he met her. Now my dad is a southern gentleman from Alabama and my mom called Philly home. To say they were the least likely pair to meet and marry is not a stretch of the imagination. Four years later I came along. I was an unexpected mi...

Life lesson #29: Don’t grow up too fast. Don’t get ahead of yourself, racing into tomorrow or back peddling through yesterday, believe me,  it can only lead to disaster.  What you can do is create a beautiful tomorrow simply by living in the reality of today. If I could write a letter to my five year old self it would go something like this: Christie, take your time, slow down and don't rush through anything sweet girl! Please, please don't ever forget what Granny always said, “You have such a long, long time to be old, Christie and such a very short time to be young." These are words to the young from the wise, mark my words! Whatever you do, stay close to Jesus honey, He will never, ever abandon you, and just keep your eyes on Him in everything! Always keep your faith darling, even when you feel lost and alone. This alone will serve as the sole key in finding peace in the journey ahead of you. Make sure not to let the aches of this world steal your j...