Whew, the 1st Person who ever loved me passed yesterday morning. Mom closed her eyes, dropped a single tear, smiled and went into the full presence of the Lord. She is healed.
She remains my Champion… my Shero. Next to God, Mom’s hands, heart and words have been the most comforting & the most powerful in my life! She taught me lessons until her very last day on earth.She knew without a doubt she was loved and that we would do anything for her. We knew she loved us. Never once have we questioned it. We stood together and we fought together. Her ability to fight and defy the odds was nothing short of amazing. She lived her life on her terms and she lived life well! Her journey was truly a journey of continual impact, courage, astonishment & God’s grace.
It feels like part of me is missing. I’m not sure how to live life without Her presence but if I can be half the Women she is, I know I will be okay. What my heart feels… the love… the pain… the heartbreak… is unexplainable. But what I do know is I’m honoured to be the Daughter of the King & the Daughter of Harriett Lillie Bandy Reynolds!
-Wendy M. Reynolds
#ILoveMyMomma #MommasHands #WellDoneMom
#GodsGrace #SheToldMeWhoIWasCreatedToBe #EmergeWMR #DareToLiveWMR #NoRegrets
Are you kidding me?! Listen, all it takes is one person, one call, one moment, one opportunity, one shot… one WORD…and life forever changes. Don’t give up. Don’t believe the lies (Its too late. Nobody cares. You’re the wrong color. You’re the wrong size. Too many disappointments. Been hurt too much. Too tired. Not good enough. Not strong enough. You messed up beyond repair…) Please! I mean really… Are you kidding me? Get a grip. If you only knew truly how much “more than enough” you really are. The enemy’s job is to keep you from knowing who you really are- what you’re really capable of… how simply amazing & incredible you are… he is afraid of you & of your discovery of… of you.
It has been a while since I’ve sat consistently at the computer in the early mornings and wrote off the cuff. I started to scale it back some as I took some heat from people (in actuality, one person) who insinuated I might have been a little hypocritical. “How can you write all of those encouraging words when your life doesn’t appear to be where it should be?” Those words weighed heavy on my mind and on my heart for various reasons (I’m human, you know)- partly because of from whom they came from and partly because yeah, I have been experiencing waves of difficult times in my life. But so what? Life, right? I mean we all go through things- and how can we ever grow- how can we learn, how can we help others if we have no experience, no heartache, no heartbreak, no victories… nothing to draw from. I can talk of pushing past fear, because I have been afraid- getting unstuck because I have been stuck- overcoming mistakes, because I have made plenty of mistakes- disappointments, heartbreaks, bad choices, regrets, betrayal, hopelessness… all of that. And because God’s grace proved to be much bigger than all of that, I can speak on hope, fearlessness, faith, peace in times of choas, being fortified, comebacks, purpose, greatness…
Thank you to those who reached out to me and said Happy International March 4th Holiday!™ Something I know God gave me 8 yrs ago to encourage us on our journey.
You ever had a dream and folks hated on you because of it? I mean they might not have come right out and said “I hate you” or “your dream is stupid”, but their actions proved it. They belittled you, conspired against you- looked for every opportunity to make you feel that what you believe is umm… delusional- that you’re on the wrong path- that your dream is unobtainable and foolish. Because they don’t see it. They don’t understand it or buy into it— because guess what? It’s not their dream. They may never buy into it until it becomes something they can see or something that benefits them.
st and most dangerous wars are fought. What you think about you, about God, about the world and your place in it directs your steps and frames your future. It is why the enemy spends so much time trying to infiltrate your mind and sabotage your thoughts. It is why the Word of God cautions us to renew our minds- to have the mind of Christ- to think on things that are true, honest, just, lovely, pure, of good report, of excellence… If you think on the opposite and feed into negativitiy, not only will you be robbed of your peace- but you’ll be robbed of the very thoughts of who you are. You will find yourself slowly but surely defining yourself by the world’s standards and mentality- swapping your God given greatness for a cheap worldly view of greatness, relinquishing your birthright and place of authority to “measure up” to the world’s “low” standards. You will end up feeling like you are lacking something, feeling like a failure or a disappointment- searching for approval from folks- trapped in a “whirlwind of busy”– busy playing catch up to everyone else- sacrificing sleep, good health, family,… just to be who the world says you should be but aren’t- therefore, never feeling good enough. Are you feeling me? Are you getting this? You’ll end up chasing after “less than” when you’re already more than enough. You’ll end up living a life of regrets over a life that wasn’t even meant for you in the first place! It’s a trick- a deadly trap!
I’m proud of my work. It takes discipline, hard work, commitment, sacrifice, passion and great fortitude. I often sit up late and get up early. I endure the “Why are you at the computer again”, “Why are you not doing it this way”, “Why don’t you have something out yet”, and the “Why are you writing? People don’t buy books any more”. I can endure it because I have finally come to an understanding of what my words represent and what they offer.
How do you start your day? I like to start the wee hours of my mornings this way: Quiet. Peaceful. Meditative Prayer. Reading. Listening. Writing. It really helps set the tone for my day. It also helps in maintaining discipline in my life. It would be so easy just to jump out of bed and start moving without much direction or focus- running around like a chicken with its head cut off, as the old saying goes. But having a set ritual (for lack of a better word) gives me time to get my mind settled. It gives me a chance to get in tune to the Spirit of God- the rhythm of His grace.
I can look back at some of my most happiest of times as well as some of the lowest moments and see how I’ve changed, see how I’ve stumbled, see how I grew… Life. Sometimes I just shake my head.
I remember last year around this time I was so excited. I knew my 50th Birthday was a few months away and I had geared up to do this personal campaign called “FiftyToFifty” where I would (the 50 days leading to my 50th birthday) spend individual time celebrating with the folks and celebrating folks who made a difference in my life as well as write everyday about a life lesson learned. Then I would welcome 50 and do something each month to celebrate life! Ohhhhh… sounds so great, even now. And hey, I managed parts of each of that. But I what I didn’t realize was that during those days leading up to my 50th, my Mom would face illness and the challenge of discovering what that illness was. Shortly after turning 50, during the week of Thanksgiving, she would receive a diagnoses and the fight (which we are winning) kicked into a whole different level!
Although not surprised, my heart is grieved at the condition of our country. The public show of hatred that has reemerged in our country (as well as across the world) is heartbreaking. Just like a midnight sky, darkness can be seen in every direction we turn. And many people love it. They love the chaos. They love the division. They love the fact that old wounds are being ripped open. They love the fact that we are beginning to look at our neighbors, our coworkers, and even our friends differently- that we can’t trust our world leaders to do or even know what’s right. Yeah, we are in dark times and many like it and are ignorant to what they are opening themselves up to. There is a spirit of hate that has been stirred up something fierce. It is bringing waves of violence, destructive pride, a false sense of privilege and painful violations. But in the end, it will be consumed by its own snares and devices.
Had a great conversation with a young man who is finding & feeling his way up from bad choices and the serious consequences that followed. One of our great takeaways was “you can never find your way back to a place that no longer exist.” We often try to get back to where we use to be before our heartache, before our failures, before our betrayals,… but our experiences in life forever shape & change us, as well as reveal us. The old can never truly be recaptured. We can’t ‘unreveal’ or undo,… but we can rise, we can “be” and we can journey forward- knowing that everything we have gone through will serve a purpose & all that we truly are is more than enough.
Hello Self- It’s been a while since I’ve talked to you- actually it has been quite sometime since I’ve even looked at you.
It’s been quite a while since I have just sat down and put the pen or pencil to the paper or even sat at the computer and written off the cuff. It’s been a little tough. Times are tough. Because of that, the pencil feels so heavy when I lift it. People have been going through – the world often feels as if it is having a nervous breakdown and sometimes I just don’t want to write about it. “Well, Wendy, write something else.”
Some days, as we move forward, we need to remember some things. Remember the good that has been around us, remember the people who sacrificed for us and who we sacrificed for, remember WHY we fight, WHY we love hard in spite of the hard headed and some times hard hearted folks we encounter, remember the lessons learned, the difference we made/make, remember how God always shows up…
I’m honored to be the niece of Ernest Doyle, a member of “The Courageous Eight” of Selma, unsung heros of the Civil Rights and The Voting Rights Act.
So yesterday was my birthday (although I celebrate the whole season). I had a great day. At some point during the day, my Mom told me the story that only she could tell: “I was in labor and didn’t even know it… and then my water broke… I reached the hospital at 7:30pm. The doctor checked me and said, “Yep the baby is probably coming today but don’t expect delivery anytime soon. You’ve got a long wait… hours.” The doctor turned to exit the room but before he could even reach the door, you were coming! All of a sudden, the doctor could see your head! He was yelling, “Ohh.. don’t let her come!” There was barely time to get you to the delivery room. Minutes later, at 7:42 pm, you were in the world. I had one sharp pain with you and I haven’t had one since!” Gotta love my Mom!
I was talking to someone this morning who said, “Woah…You’ll be fifty in a few months. Tell me how does it feel to almost be FIFTY? Have you been reflecting? Are you nervous or depressed?” I’m not sure really how I “feel”. I’m not really “more” reflective because I’m naturally a reflective person. Fifty…hmmm. I have never viewed fifty as old or as the beginning of the end. You have to know my family. We have never put a lot of emphasis on age. Overall, I think we embrace daily living and we look good/youthful doing it (Great genes & Grace)! Literally laughing out loud over here! I don’t internally “feel” much different. Now my thinking and desires have changed thoughout the years. How I see myself, people and the world around me has changed as God has revealed more of myself to me and as I have experienced the ups and downs of life and relationships. But I’m good. I’ve learned a lot through my experiences- some of which I plan to share with you over the next few months. I know what is important to me. I know what I want at this particular point in my life. I know what I’m good at and what I have to contribute to the world around me. I know who my real Inner Circle Friends are (and who they are not). I know some of the personal changes I still need to work on. I’m learning to embrace all of me- even my flaws. I not only love me, but I like me- Wendy the Brave, Wendy the Silly, Wendy the Wise, Wendy the Flawed, Wendy the Rock Star, Wendy the I Get It Wrong Sometimes, Wendy the Warrior, Wendy the I Don’t Know All The Answers, Wendy the Phenomenal, Wendy the Would Y’all Just Go Sit Down Somewhere, Wendy the Drum Major, Wendy the Compassionate… God’s Daughter. Divinely defined.
Always at the right time do I come across this letter. It was written to me by my (maybe ten year old) nephew André Reynolds nineteen years ago. At the time he was dealing with illness and a teacher who had not yet grasped how amazing he was, how sick he had been or why he was missing so much school. She just thought he was a slacker (but still making all A’s and B’s). She told him, “You’d better get your act together!” My favorite line in the letter reads, “I never knew fifth grade could be so hard.”