Tag: black women

How Do You Talk To God?

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A Book Review

When We Talk To God: Prayers & Poems for Black Women by Sharifa Stevens. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

You know the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? So, I’m judging, but positively, though. When We Walk To God: Prayers & Poems for Black Women by Sharifa Stevens is the book I didn’t know I needed. The cover is a perfect gateway to phenomenal content.

This is a necessary book for Women of Color. How we talk to God is, as I’ve witnessed and experienced, extremely different from how other women talk to God. I connected with this book in a way that has brought me unmitigated peace and comfort, and I’m happy to express that.

Here’s the review I shared on Amazon and Goodreads:

Talking To God Is a Form of Art

At least, this is what I gleaned from the prayers, poems, and notes shared by the indomitable Sharifa Stevens.

There are books that sneak in when you weren’t expecting to be fulfilled or touched by spirits and there are books that pull you from dark places and remind you of your worth… “When We Talk To God: Prayers & Poems for Black Women” encompasses both of those descriptions.

There are pieces within this offering that read like sermons. Some feel like testimonies. And others swim across the page, reaching out at just the right moment to grab ahold of the reader and remind them that they are and will forever be God’s child.

I am a sinner, yet I love. I am a sinner, yet I feel. I am a sinner, yet I have solid friendships. I am a sinner… I am a sinner… I am a sinner… Yet, God will never stop loving me.

In the midst of the turmoil and chaos of this wretched world, I cracked open the spine of this gift and found solace.

“When We Talk To God…” offers hope, reflection, strength, encouragement, and the reality that I am not alone on this tedious journey of life, and I am blessed to be able to say that I read it.

And I will, without a doubt, read it again and again, and maybe a few more times for sustainability.

There’s a prayer in this book for you, Black woman. There’s a prayer in this book for you.

When I find a book that makes me feel good about myself and less alone, as well as hone in on biblical scriptures that can motivate, encourage, strengthen, and engage my mind, I am completely satisfied.

And, I am.

Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt is available now! Have you gotten your copy? Hardcover|eBook

Opening Lyrics To Songs That I Love

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#7: H.E.R., Process

I’m just tryin’ to process what just happened/
I’m just tryin’ to express what I’m feeling/
When the pressure gets too intense, burn some incense
Stop and take a deep breath… release it/

©2021 H.E.R., Process. YouTube

This will probably be my favorite segment on my blog in a very long time! Welcome to Opening Lyrics to Songs That I Love!

H.E.R.’s song “Process” appears on her album “Back of My Mind” (Apple Music Edition), released in 2021. The lyrics seem to be about navigating a challenging situation or relationship, feeling like someone is “slowing up the progress” and causing a lot of frustration and sleepless nights.

The speaker is going through an emotional “process” of dealing with this, feeling pushed to their limits, and on the verge of “popping” or “blowing up.”

Lines like “Pushin’ all my buttons/Teardrop, hurting/Say I’m off the deep end/Yeah, right, you’re reachin’ reveal the raw vulnerability and emotional turmoil. 

Essentially, “Process” seems to be a raw and honest expression of dealing with the difficulties and emotional strain that come with a challenging personal situation.

By this point, I guess you have made the assessment that I have a thing for love songs: love lost, love gained, seeking love, and learning how to love. Most of my favorite songs center around love and all things encapsulating love. H.E.R. does an incredible job with “Process” as she pens what it feels to move forward while in the throes of breaking down.

It is oftentimes hard to move on from such a loss. Grief, reminiscence, and the constant wondering of “What did I do?” and “What could I have done to make things better?” can eat us alive.

This song will forever be a favorite of mine. The opening lyrics pull you in to hear the deeper story–to sit down at her feet and vibe with her–to feel her pain. I am here for this kind of carrying on day in and day out.

For the next three Sundays, I’ll share with you my favorite opening lyrics to songs I truly love. Maybe you’ll enjoy it. Maybe you won’t. Perhaps you’ll share favorite opening lyrics to songs you love as well. Perhaps you won’t. Either way, we’re going to have a good damn time.

See you next week!

spinning (again)

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there is no peace now
one person has damaged us
our higher ups f a i l e d
a meeting brought out our beasts
an unsolved problem lingers

On Thursday, March 27, 2025, we received an email from HR about their “investigation”, and I’ll simply say it was a waste of my time. So, I spoke with the center manager of the site where I am placed, and she’ll be working on creating a job for me so I can stay at the facility.

But she’s already said if I’m not doing the genetic testing for cancer screening, she doesn’t want the testing and company connected to it there anymore.

These people have forgotten that I was an employee at the site where they placed me for over 2 years. Upper Management loves me. The staff love me. I interact well with the patients. I am a valuable asset and they know this.

So, prayerfully, I’ll be putting my notice in with my current company in the next month, maybe two, at the latest. And it may not even be that long. The beauty of it all is that I get to stay at a facility where I feel at home because of my history there.

The center manager is going to start getting things going early next week. She was off yesterday and will be off again on Monday. I am prayerful she will be able to iron out all kinks with those in positions above her to keep me there. After she explains what has taken place, I am sure their organization will want to detach themselves from my current company.

My co-worker will be working with her center as well. Her center manager is doing the same thing for her. Our other co-worker has a great rapport with her previous job. She simply wanted to try something new. So she can return there.

And it’s best for us because yesterday, Friday, March 28, 2025, we had another meeting with our supervisor and a rep from HR was on the call – they wanted to monitor us. And the supervisor has no wherewithal of what she’s done wrong, just ignorant, and must’ve thought we were going to just sit there and take her power point explanation and the act of trying to gaslight us.

NOPE! She got her hind-end handed to her professionally by all three of us. We came correct in our interaction with her and called out her lies while holding in our anger and forcing ourselves to be polite under the active re-triggering we had all been subjected to.

She said something offensive that truly struck a chord in me and before I knew it, I was breaking her down like IKEA furniture, and my younger co-worker (she’s in her early 20s) said to me, “As soon as you started talking and using all them big words, I know you lost them cuz it went over their heads, but I was listening, and I was like, “YES, TRE!” Needless to say, she was proud of me.

I am proud of both of them because we have endured an event in the workplace we never wanted to and now the damage is done. Our image of Human Resources is sullied and is forever etched in our minds as a department WE (women of color; Black women) cannot trust.

spinning (the beginning)

Brooklyn: Not Just a City In New York

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A Book Review

Brooklyn by Tracy Brown. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

Recently, I read what is and will be Tracy Brown‘s final gift to this world. Brooklyn is not just a tale of a struggling child turned teenager turned adult, it is the tale of what childhood trauma can do to a person who never receives the help they need.

There are things in life we simply cannot “pray away” without using the knowledge God gave us to seek someone professional to help us when our mental health fails us.

This book is a whirlwind of pain, destruction, and the ultimate death of a soul who just could not find peace.

The review posted on Amazon is as follows:

“I Didn’t Think It Would End the Way It Did

And I am honestly unsure how I feel about the cliffhanger. Knowing that the author is dead and a second part to this gruesome tale is nowhere in sight, leaves me feeling a bit angry. I also feel as though there was no other way it could end.

I am somewhat conflicted.

The book is insane! There were so many plot twists, I almost couldn’t keep count. Brooklyn was selfish–as a matter of fact, that is an understatement. She was downright ruthless and was forever crying wolf and “victim.”

She destroyed countless lives even right down to her best friend, Angel, and still thought the world owed her something. I have never known anyone like her, and I pray that I never meet anyone like her.

Her sister, Hope, had hope in her but Brooklyn was a lost cause. There was nobody or nothing that could save her. With each chapter I read, the more I disliked her and wanted her to grow up and recognize that the real world oftentimes takes a few struggles for you to survive it. And in that truth, it’s not the end of the world when those struggles take place.

I think the author did a magnificent job introducing a layered character to her readers who not only moved through various changes in her life but came back to the one place she never wanted to return to–home.

Ironically enough, it is the very place where she would breathe her last breath. I intend to give this book another read maybe a year or two from now.

I am certain I will find many things I missed this time and I look forward to it.

The author, if her spirit can feel these vibes, I hope she knows she nailed it with this book! God rest her soul.”

This book is the last of the three books I received as birthday gifts for my 44th birthday this past April. The author, Tracy Brown, will never get the opportunity to share her words with her readers again; she died in May 2023, at the age of 48.

Sisterhood Powers Through It All

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A Book Review

Single Black Female by Tracy Brown. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

Last night, I finished reading the second of the three books by Tracy Brown, purchased for my birthday as gifts from my best friend, and I truly like this one so much more than Hold You Down.

Don’t get me wrong, both books are sensational and the author does a great job introducing developed and layered characters to us in each delivery. Still, something about Single Black Female will stick with me for many years to come.

Below is the Amazon review I submitted:

“I Got Emotional So Many Times

And I am not afraid to admit that. “Single Black Female” is the story so many Black women can relate to.

I love how the author, Tracy Brown, depicts each character. We get a full view of each of their personalities, and it’s a believable fictional tale. I found myself connecting with each of the four women: Ivy, Coco, Nikki, & Deja. I feel like there’s a sliver of each of them within me.

Their bond and closeness reminded me of true friendship and sisterhood. I got so emotional during several chapters and at the very end as well.

It is a breath of fresh air reading a happy and positive ending. One that showcases the women having a delightful conversation and enjoying themselves amongst the peace and somewhat quiet of Brooklyn for a “picnic.”

I teared up simply thinking about the women closest to me and about my brothers and my baby sister, and how hard I would war for all of them if I had to–be it against authoritative figures or their friends and loved ones.

The power and authenticity of love and its effectiveness of a genuine friendship know no bounds and can withstand any evil. And Tracy Brown does such an amazing job portraying that with this book.

I highly recommend it!”

If you’re looking to pick up a book that will stir something alive in you and make you remember just how grateful you are for friendship and love amid turmoil, this book will do exactly that.

“Who’s Gonna Tell Him?”

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Because I felt like sharing a little something that sat down in my spirit and had itself a peaceful rest.

Michelle Obama and one of her many clapbacks. YouTube Short

Long, Overdue Venom: One-Lined Poem

Lady Obama spews long, overdue venom in the direction of a
man who believes Black people aren’t suitable for various
jobs birthed of and around their upper echelon counterparts;
and it’s a clapback doused in class.

Happy Friday, beautiful people!