Brown Girls Publishing

It's that time again! You know. When you get the notion to step out and use your gift and talent to inspire and encourage the world? Yep, it's that time for me! Time to put in work!

I'm so happy to announce that I've been signed to Brown Girls Publishing which is ran by no other than Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsly! If this isn't a writer's dream come true, I don't know what is....well, maybe an NAACP award and a movie deal, but I too believe that is coming!

I hope you follow me on my journey as I share my work in progress along the way the title? Running On Empty! So you won't have to wait forever, here is a blurb that I hope gets your wheels to turning!

"Set in Texas in the late 1970s, the journey of life through the heart of a seven year old is shaken as she has no choice but to become her own saving grace due to no guidance for the present or future."

Love Will Find a Way

It’s lovers’ day, a day set on printed calendars and the automatic timing in our hearts. Whether we know the origin of Valentines Day or not,  most of us are anticipating something special to happen or to be reminded how loved we are by that special someone. 

What if someone is waiting on you? 

In the busyness of everyday living,  fighting to create our own foundation, a hiccup in life can happen; we get consumed in our own world,  neglect our loved ones,  dropping the ball where it matters most and breaking hearts along the way. 

It hurts like crazy when friendships are shifted, devastation sets in when families become detached, leaving lives in shambles. But just as Lionel Richie sang so many years ago,  "Love Will Find A Way." Albeit I believe it has to come from a selflessness love zone.

A moment is all it takes to start the healing of broken hearts. "I'm truly sorry, " "I understand, " or "Let's talk about it," can do a tremendous work in the relationship department of any kind.  Instead of ignoring the pain of another you possibly ignited, why not take the first step in acknowledging where things went wrong and grow from there. 

This Valentines Day, there may be someone waiting on your love or the reconciliation to believe in love once more. Instead of waiting on your own fountain of love to flow your way,  why not pour back into that special someone who needs it most. 

                      1 Corinthians 13:7-8(NIV)

                It always protects, always trusts,                               always hopes, always perseveres.
                               Love never fails

XOXO ~Keshia Dawn

Loosing Is Winning

Play big or go home! It's all about winning, right? I mean who wants to lose at anything? Not a game, and especially not in life.

But could we stand to loose the reins a bit? Especially when we only think we're winning.

Have you ever held on to something far too long?  Did it become more of a burden than actually enjoying the purpose of it being there in the first place? Let's face it,  we hold tight to things beyond the moment of need and alot of times that can be detrimental to our lives.

We hold on to our pretty pink pumps when our halves are up and bunions start growing. We hold on to attitudes way past being apologized to and we clinch for dear life to the fact we could have almost gotten into those high-waist jeans if it weren't for that cheeseburger.

Geez.

We even hold on to the toothpaste tube too long,  so long that we spend more time fighting to get the little paste that's left rather than grab a new tube and enjoy the freshness.

Oh, how many times, ladies, have you held on to a number in your phone which is linked to the guy who has broken your heart repeatedly instead of deleting it all together and just accepting that if it were meant to be...it simply would be?

Right.

This one I know all too well; holding on to what seems incurable heartache from years ago making it impossible to receive the beauty and love being offered in the present. It's all because the familiar feeling of what seems to be an inch of love,  strokes our ego and makes us feel a part of something we long for. Yep,  even if it no longer serves you.

Familiar is like my favorite pair of Christmas pajamas I wear year round (in between washes) because they feel so snug and bring me just the comfort I feel I can only accomplish with them. But those same familiar, snuggalicious, body warmers are the same pajamas that nearly suffocate me in the summer's heat. When I try to keep what I'm use to all because I'm fearful changing my direction will leave me feeling (naked) uncomfortable, it leaves me restless, bothered and searching for air.

In actuality that's what happens when you loose your hold on others who aren't willing to hold you back; it leaves you feeling exposed, uncomfortable and maybe even alone. But the beginning of things aren't always the best; sometimes you have to stick it out through the turbulence of the unknown in order to get to your peace.

It's best to keep in mind that it is indeed okay to loose yourself from people who no longer bring you comfort or care about your world.  In some cases it's not imperative to have to totally lock the door behind them but rather, like my pajamas, knowing they have a special place in your life and that is ok to fold them up and move to a different season; You always know where they are.

Loose the grip of what is in your comfort zone and what is familiar just because it shows up. A tornado shows up in tornado valley but it only brings devastation. Hmmm.

When you loose the emotional, physical, mental and even soul-ties which bring you heartache and discomfort, the ball is in your court. You're the coach who calls the shots, the referee who controls the game and with that combo there is no need for a score keeper. When you loose what isn't productive but what can potentially be poison, the winning begins and ends with you.

~Keshia Dawn

Vision of Love

Most of us have settled in the new year. We have visions and promises of 2015 being all that and a bag of chips. Our vision boards are filled with images of our dream jobs, vacations abroad, paid off credit cards and of course love and more love.

Our education prepares us to seek out our favorable and lucrative career moves. Visiting the Post Office all dolled up for our passport identification sets us in the right direction to vacation on beautiful beaches and tops of snow-filled mountains. Even our budgeting and making bills one our priorities helps us reach our desired credit score.

What about love?

Being amongst other singles who feel as if they are ready to build a love relationship, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has cut and paste the words or symbols which define love, on  to their vision boards.

Yes. I really did!

Though I'm excited about it, it hasn't always been this way.

Now It's easy to admit how ready I am for the mushy, huggy type stuff while holding hands in the park kind of love, because I've worked out the kinks in my heart. But at one point I ran from love, afraid of what it would or would not do for me. I was especially scared of what it could do to my happiness and peace, being that love had been presented in a negative way once before. To say I was extra fearful of being vulnerable is an understatement.

Then I got sick and tired of pushing love away and its opportunities it brought with it. Deciding to come clean with myself about my fears put me on a path to work on building my relation-self, i.e., forgiving myself and others, falling in love with the best me I could possibly be.

Having a wonderful relationship with my future beau is very much in my vision, but I knew I would never reach him without finding all of me. 

Mind. Body. Soul.

Once I searched out my truths by recognizing I had been harboring a negative definition of what love is and where the fear had come from, I took to readjusting my thinking, beginning with the love I felt I deserved for myself. Then I had to realize my true hearts desire and became dedicated to reversing the way I had accepted and even given out love.

I may be at a point where I now freely allow myself to be sought after by love, but one thing remains and is very important to hold on to; being able to receive and accept the love you deserve always and will forever begin with the love you have for you.

~Keshia Dawn