Good Friday #603: The Audacity of Hope (Friday, July 20)

Today, I'm sharing two stories on the same topic. Neither of the stories are the same, but the one thing they all have in common is that these women all remain hopeful, in spite of their experiences.

So it is with life; you always have to remember to keep hope alive.

A post shared by Gessie Thompson (@coachgessie) on Jul 16, 2014 at 9:49am PDT

Stunning in White! @yayaje shares her journey! #whitedressproject #fibroidsawareness #wecanwearwhite

A post shared by TheWhiteDressProject (@wecanwearwhite) on Jul 15, 2014 at 8:50am PDT

Good Friday #602: White (Friday, July 13)

• Up to 80% of women will experience uterine fibroids by the age of 50.
• While many have little or no symptoms, 1 in 4 experience symptoms severe enough to require treatment.
•  African American women are three times more likely to experience fibroids than other races

I can not begin to explain what it feels like to actually feel your body fighting against itself To be in pain every day, knowing that this is just how it has to be Wondering if you can skip having surgery or a blood transfusion this year All this just to have an opportunity to hopefully have a family... & everyone in your life thinks they know what the best thing for your body is... All while trying to trust God, Live your best life, have clear skin, good eyebrows, snatched waist, help others & celebrate the people you love... It f’n sucks... #PCOS #1in4 #endometriosis #fibroids #womenshealth

A post shared by Brandi (@bmneal) on Oct 17, 2017 at 9:42pm PDT

Good Friday #601: No Regrets (Friday, July 6)

"...you are the sum total of all your experiences, good and bad..."

To live with regret is to question the experiences that brought you to where you are today.

1997/1998 I had bought my first two buildings in South Side Jamaica Queens and I was pulling in almost $1500 a month in positive cash flow from them. I was working at phone company getting all the overtime I wanted. I was still living at home with Ma-Dukes. I was running a hustle where I would pay for grad classes in cash then submit receipts to get reimbursement from Verizon. Once I got check back from them I would file for financial aid then get grants and loans for the year and get reimbursement from school as well. I was easily pocketing extra $125k a year. What did I do with all that surplus cash from my mid 20s? Did I invest in stocks,start businesses or help my friends get started? Nope. I bought hot whips with vanity plates, gambled and spent money like it was going out of style. Clubs, clothes and rims got the majority of that cash. I did pretty well in life despite the dumb sh*t, but I sometimes do the math on what those wild years really cost me in lost opportunities. The buildings that are going for $3M+ now were going for about $150k. I could have bought 10 of them back then with the money I was making....but I chose drop tops and Club Cheetah. #tbt #dumbo #hindsightis2020 #foolish

A post shared by Jude Jean Paul Bernard (@jjpb) on Jun 14, 2018 at 4:48am PDT