Rolanda Perkins

I was talking to someone the other day and we were reflecting on a situation that had me thinking about how things and events and people play a big role in shaping our lives. Ultimately, I feel that the decision is ours to own concerning how our lives can/will turn out. However, we can sometimes let outside influences have a bearing on the choices that we make.   This can go one of two ways. The influencers can have an effect on us and leave a positive or negative impact that lingers for years to come. With that said, it’s very important for us to choose wisely the people that we invite into our lives and then actively and intentionally monitor the role(s) that they play in our life stories.  It’s also OK to grow out of relationships with people when they prove themselves to be unworthy of our time and energy. As we’re going through the process of releasing people from our lives, we might experience feelings of dismay ,  but we soon come to the realization that this is a very necessary

  When talking about our health, we must keep in mind, that there’s a holistic approach to health care. It’s not just one thing, but many different aspects that help keep us functioning. When we’re physically sick, we usually go to a medical Doctor or Specialist to help rectify the problem. Why then, is it so difficult for us to reach out to someone who specializes in mental illnesses??   As I was reading up on this issue, I read that  anyone can develop a mental health problem, but African Americans sometimes experience more severe forms of mental health conditions due to unmet needs and other barriers.  It also spoke about  the need for many blacks in the community to put up a facade of being strong when in fact they are dying inside, adding fuel to the fire. OMG! That statement slapped me right in the face because  I can remember when ….  when I was that person struggling with depression and not knowing what the heck was going on. I can remember trying my BEST to put on a good face

  A lot of times as we interact with others, we can see and hear when they have some type of physical handicap. It’s easy to spot a lot of the physical handicaps that people have. However, in some instances, it’s the invisible disabilities that are more difficult to spot than others, and often people try hard to disguise them. However, we can see in others when there’s something going on that’s not  quite right. As we enter 2022, there have already been lots of conversations concerning people’s mental health, especially as it relates to the past two years that we’ve all experienced together. I’ve come across a lot of great ideas for myself on how to continue improving my health, both mentally and physically. I want to encourage each of you to find for yourselves, what works best for you and  do that !! I also want to encourage us to remember to  check up on our folks more  often this year,  especially the ones who may not always reach out to us first . My prayer for each of us is that

  The other day I was reminded that no matter how long the process  seems if I  want to see the fruit of my labor, I must have patience and be persistent with whatever I choose to accomplish. I understand that when I start,  a thing …  it might  take longer than  expected, for  me to see progress. I might even become frustrated, tired of waiting for change, and even feel like giving up, but I must continue pressing forward. That same day, I heard the story of the Chinese bamboo tree. When planted, the Chinese bamboo tree seed will do nothing until the fifth year. It can be watered and cared for and…  in fact, it must be, for the tree to grow as it should.  It’ll seem as if nothing at all is happening within that 5-year span, and  you won’t see  any activity during that time. However, in that fifth year, because that seed was being watered and cared for all those years prior, it begins breaking through the soil to complete its growth process, into a tree. Once it breaks through the soil