Hey Reader,
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In spite of the dumpster fire 🔥 that we live in (those of us in the United States), I had a good week because I really intentionally reveled in gratitude. 🙏🏾 And then on top of that, my Chicago Sky won over the Indiana Fever in an INCREDIBLE game on Sunday. 🏀🎉 And then yesterday, I got to see A’ja Wilson and Angel Reese play and it was dope to see a legend and a legend in the making square up with respect. 👑👑👏🏾

But one of the things that has made this week AMAZING is that my friend, sis, mentor, and client Fawn Weaver’s book Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest became an INSTANT New York Times bestselling book!!! 📚🥃🏆

And I’m so so proud of Fawn, and so proud of the Book Avengers (what we called the team that helped make this launch happen 💪🏾📖). I was able to work alongside them to create a comprehensive launch and marketing strategy for this outstanding book. And let me tell you, being in the room with her, witnessing her passion and dedication firsthand? It's something else. This woman is not just an author and a CEO; she's a force of nature. Grab a copy.

When I called Fawn to congratulate her on making The List, she said “Luvvie, you’re batting 1,000 on books hitting the list!” She’s not wrong, and that’s truly a flex I’m proud of.

It’s been a good week, in spite of…

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RANT

The United States is embarrassing and we gotta be in the Bad Place

The United States is out here acting a whole fool, and I'm convinced we're actually going to wake up at any moment and realize we are in The Bad Place. I mean, seriously, what in the fresh hell is going on?

First off, can we just stop putting crusty old white men in charge of EVERYTHING? 🙄 I swear, it's like we looked at all the progress we've made and said, "Nah, let's go back to 1950." We've got a whole country full of brilliant, diverse minds, but somehow we keep ending up with leadership that looks like a retirement home field trip. 👴🏻

I hate it all. This is trash. 🗑️

Meanwhile, whichever old white man gets elected this November will ultimately determine who makes the most important laws in this country for the next 50 years. And if Cheeto Satan is the one, he would have placed 5-6 SCOTUS justices himself. 😱 And frankly, that's a worst-case scenario. The fact that there's even a possibility of him getting back in office and potentially appointing more Supreme Court justices is enough to make me want to build a bunker and hide until 2075. 🏃🏾‍♀️💨 It's like we're living in a bad political thriller, except it's real life and there's no hero coming to save us.

The whole system is trash, y'all. The checks ain’t balancing and all of this is giving hellish and I hate it so much for us. 😖

This simulation is glitching, and we need a hard reset. Until then, I guess we'll just keep watching this dumpster fire and hoping that somehow, someway, we'll find our way out of this mess. But in the meantime, can someone please hide the keys to the country from any more old white men? For all our sakes.

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REFLECTION

God’s blessings are abundant.

Earlier this week, I woke up feeling a kind of gratitude that hit different. You know that feeling when you're just overwhelmed by life’s goodness? And it’s not because everything's perfect, but because you realize simply how blessed you are. 🥹

I am living inside the answered prayers of my foremothers. The prayers I was never bold enough to pray but God deemed me fit to answer. And those prayers still cover me. I just know it. 🙏🏾

Truly. It all blows my mind because my life is a miracle. ✨ Who and where I am today is a miracle. My life’s path could have gone so differently so many times. So to be here today overwhelms me in the best ways. I revel in gratitude cuz the goodness of my life is a reflection of God’s grace in my life. How can I take this life for granted? How??? 🤔

I am wealthy in so many ways, and I’m not even talking about money. The way I’m surrounded by an abundance of purpose, of love, of community. I feel swaddled and held by God, and it’s humbling. Because when you realize that your life is the manifestation of generations of hope and struggle, your gratitude is amplified.

Safe. Held. Cherished. Not because life is perfect or easy, but because I can feel the presence of something bigger than myself carrying me through. 🕊️

I'm sharing this with y'all because I want you to take a moment and look at your own life, especially if you’re going through rough times.

Reader, where are you living in the answered prayers of those who came before you? Where are you experiencing abundance that goes beyond material wealth? Sometimes we're so busy chasing the next thing that we forget to acknowledge the miracles we're already living in.

Take a moment to pause. Take a deep breath. 😮‍💨 Look around at your life and recognize the blessings - big and small. Acknowledge the answered prayers. And most importantly, let yourself feel that gratitude. Let it wash over you and remind you of how far you've come. Because we are living, breathing miracles. And that's something to be eternally thankful for. 🙏🏾❤️
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RECOMMENDATION

Check out this Prayer Journal​

I’m spending more time lately being intentional about spending time with God. And sometimes, I need to write my prayers, not say them. I have a prayer journal that I use, and I grab it whether I wanna jot down gratitude or ask for help.

It gives you prompts, gives you space for reflection, and even lets you create a prayer list. You can do these same things in a plain journal (I know we all over like 20 of them. Oh, just me? Fine then 😅). But I prefer something that has the full-on intention of prayer as my space to do this.

Also, for me, writing my prayers down feels like more of a release than just saying them because I get to SEE them. The visual learner in me feels like God is reading them along with me. It’s like I’m legit handing over these things, once I write them down. It's like you're handing over your burdens and saying, "Here, God. You deal with this because ya girl is tired." 😴

And lemme admit something. Sometimes, I fall asleep as I pray (I really be like “lemme pray and then go to sleep” but then my head hits the pillow and it’s a wrap 💤) for me it’s more concentrated for me to write my prayers down. Usually in the mornings, before my day starts. God, you know your daughter. I’m a work in progress so… you know. Flawed and all.

So here's my challenge to you: Get yourself a prayer journal and use it as much as you’d like. Because cultivating that honest relationship with yourself, with God, and with others? That's where the real growth happens. 🌱

Now, I wanna know - what are you deeply grateful for right now? Reply to this and let me know, because we're all in this growth journey together. 🤝🏾