Here I am again, this same time and place as I was last year.   Celebrating another year of life, another year of growth, inspiration, purpose, and peace.  As the years continue to go by, much faster it seems, I have learned to appreciate each and every one of them for what they bring.  

As a younger woman, with not one single clue in the world, I had a notion etched in my brain that 50 anything was ancient and so amazingly old.  The mere mention of anyone around that age resulted in instant laughter and a sometimes innocent igornant approach towards life.  I simply didn't know any better.  Hindsight is so blatantly obvious at this point in time of my life that I smirk as I remisince on my 'younger' thoughts.

As I continue to age, I realize that it was never what I thought it would be.  The grey hairs are quite bold, yet beautiful in a way that reminds me of my grandparents.  The back aches come and go and with them come a few extra oohs and ahhs.  The need to be out and about just isn't the same as it once was.  

The everything in and about life is just different.

I am in awe of how beautiful life is at this age.  I'm grateful, blessed and so amazingly happy for all that my eyes have seen and all that is to come.  The graceful season of aging in peace, joy, love and an endless amount of blessings, is where I am.

Happy Birthday to me!  

~AJ #51 🎂

This world is so wicked right?!  So many opinions and hatred towards another person just because their melanin is popping. Imagine that!

I will forever be amazed by the ability of society to separate black and white and make one gesture ok for one but not the other.

As Reese stated, “I don’t fit in the box that y’all want me to be in. I’m too hood, I’m too ghetto. So this was for the girls that look like me, that’s gonna speak up on what they believe in, that’s unapologetically you.” Congrats to Angel and her amazing team in this monumental and historic victory!  Keep riding this wave, living life, and shining bright young queen!
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When I see her, I see my nieces. I see the beauty in who they are and I will always encourage them to be the best of whatever they choose and to go after their wildest dreams. After all, the world is all of ours, not just one race.

This has been another episode of Black Girl Magic 💜

​~AJ

To the most beautiful girl in my world... Here's to you!

Here we are once again.  That special day, significant, and absolutely blessed day.  Your day!  Life couldn't get any better if I planted this story into a fairytale with the perfect happy ending.  

There are material things that a person might receive for their day of birth.  Cards, flowers, jewelry, clothes, etc., but there is no gift more treasured than the gift of life.  You are 81 years young on this day.  Wow!  I can only pray as time goes on that I am graceful, elegant, and beautiful as you are.  A true gem in full living color.

I have always loved celebrating birthdays.  So very important and so worthy of the praise given to the special person on their truly special day.  On this day may you smile a bit longer and harder than you did the day before.  May the well wishes from those near and far fill your heart and flow through your soul, and may God continue to bless you, keep you and protect you for years to come.

Happy Birthday, Mom!  I love you so much!  From the moon and back and then all over again for as long as I live.  🎁

~AJ 🫶🏾

The year was 1997, I was 24 years old and had recently moved to Atlanta Georgia.   A friend asked about my dating life.  Single at the time, I said well I prefer to date someone really old, like around 35.

We are still laughing about that conversation to this day.

Throughout the years as I have grown, learned lifes lessons, aged a bit, a few aches and pains here and there, I have a new level of appreciation for aging gracefully.  It's not someting that you ever wonder about until you actually have to.  Birthdays have always been very special to me.  The planning of the birthday dinners, the gathering of close friends and family, the laughter and good cheer.  It simply makes me happier and happier as the years continue to go by.   

I am officially a member of the 50 club!  A half a century old.  Wow!  Does it feel different?  No, it feels just the same as it did when I said the final goodbye to my 40's.  I feel as young as I did all of those years ago when I proclaimed that anyone past the age of 35 was archaeic and old enough for me to date.  Thankful for my evolution.

This birthday was special.  A milestone if you will.  A coming of age and a firm grasp on what life is all about and what matters to me.  Finally, I feel as though I have arrived into that magical space.  And this arrival didn't magically happen when the clock struck midnight, this has been in the making for some time.  There is no turning back.  Full steam ahead and open to whatever this next chapter has in store for me.  I wanted an intimate gathering with those I hold close to my heart and that's exactly what I got.  The cake planning took on a life of it's own and it's safe to say I completely fell in love with it.  It was as important as my outfit choice for the evening.  Simply beautiful.  

Thankful to God for another year of blessings.  His grace and mercy that continues to keep me and cover me is never taken for granted.

This... is 50!
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~AJ 🎂

There is definitely a shift in the atmosphere.  Everything has been packed away and perfectly stored until next year!  I can hardly believe it myself.  I am one of the first people to pull out the storage bins with most everyone wondering, 'why so early?'  In some way, I am sure my entire year is planned around the grand unveiling of my treasured and loved decorations.  

Literally, no signs remain that Christmas existed within the walls of my home.  Except for finding a bit of glitter here and there one might wonder if my heart was a big ole lump of coal.  Oh, far from that my friends.  If they were hiring for a stand-in for Mrs. Claus I would be a perfect fit, with a few minor tweaks here and there.

The holiday season is one of great joy and it always has been for me.  The laughter seems deeper, the hugs so warm and comforting, the love always sincere, and the memories are the icing on the cake.  I come from a family of celebrations.  We make promises to keep it simple but we just don't know how.   

Traditionally my decorations hold their ground until right after the New Year.  Making the decision to start 'the great takedown' the day after Christmas will go down in history at my house.  Have I confused the world with this grand gesture?  Well, maybe not the world but a few of my friends are looking like the wow emoji.

When I moved into the house mom asked why I didn't choose to put my decorations in the garage.  I gasped and said, 'In the element?!'.  Oh no, I want them close by, just in case I need to catch a glimpse of sparkle and what is to come.

After the lights were boxed, the ornaments packed away with care, and the figurines wrapped tight, I missed everything just that quick.  Smiled and reminded myself I do this every single year.  The space now feels a tad bit naked, however, it will soon feel like normal and the countdown will start all over again.  How many more sleeps until the next Christmas?  Oh, quite a few, but I'll be ready...

​~AJ

I wake this morning with such joy.  With admiration and profound thanks for a day as special as today.  A day that is all yours mom!  A beautiful day indeed to celebrate a beautiful and phenomenally fabulous person.  80 turns around this universe and you continue to do it all with style and grace.  You are so beautiful in every way.  

Decembers have always been my favorite.  A month of holiday cheer, time with family, making memories, and celebrating another blessed year of life with my dear mother.  

As time moves in a constant motion forward we never know what is waiting for us around the corner.  What obstacles are ahead and where our feet will take us next.  We remain firmly planted in our faith knowing that whatever journey we take it all starts with the glory, love, and grace of God.  

When we asked mom what she wanted for her birthday she said I have everything I need.  In my mind, I'm thinking but surely you want something.  Maybe new jewelry or perhaps a pretty new coat.  My mom loves flowers so much, and flowers she received.  Cards, sentimental gifts, hugs filled with love, amazing food, and an overflow of happiness.  Joy lives within her soul.

If I could carry a tune I would sing for the entire world to hear, but since I cannot I'll just sing it to you.  "🎶 Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear mother, Happy Blessed Birthday to you, and many more. 🎶"  

With love from this end of the universe to the next, I love you so much mom ❤️

~AJ

I remember the conversation like it was yesterday.  "I want to date someone really really old, like around 35."  I said it with such ease and conviction that the small audience listening at the time surely thought I was kidding.  I assure you I was not.  24 years old and barely knowledgeable about anything of significant value, I was simply just speaking my mind and if given the opportunity, I wouldn't change a thing.  Every single moment in life is part of setting a tone for what is to come.  

The last of anything is always something to remember.  That last slice of cake.  The last swig of juice left in the fridge that when gulped seems to be the most satisfying thirst quencher on the planet.  Or, the last ticket for that flight you have been procrastinating about that seems to have been waiting just for you.  

As I reflect on my 40s, I can honestly say wow with great conviction.  There are levels to it all, but this literally takes the cake.  Full of lessons about life, self-worth, peace, and evolving.  I knew the exact moment my leaf had turned over into a brand-new season and I welcomed it along with an invitation to stay for the rest of my days.  Reflecting on times when I was clueless, unable to love myself and mentally shackled by the thoughts of others.  If freedom was a feeling, it would be everything within me.  My, what a difference a day makes!

I will always love birthdays, especially my very own.  The well-wishes, the calls, the cards, the hugs, the friends, and most importantly the family.  This year and the years to come I am blessed and thankful to spend my special day with my dear mother.  Let the memories be made and the laughter fill my soul.  May this last year of my 40s be one to remember.  Chapter 49, here I come!
 
Happy Birthday to me... 

~AJ 🥳

Have you ever looked back on your life and wondered how you arrived at the place you are in today?  What if you had taken a left versus a right?  Did you make the absolute best possible choices for your life, or could you have done better?  So many questions, with very few answers.  At some point in time, most adults ponder over all of these things and even more before determining what course their lives will take.

Growing up, I was insanely shy, almost to my detriment.  I rarely spoke up for myself, my head hung low, and my voice was so light you could barely hear anything I had to say.  Being teased quite often in grade school didn't help with overcoming my meek personality.   From the way I walked, the way I dressed, to my face's shape, I constantly felt like I was fighting an uphill battle while going in reverse.  Many years after graduating from high school, I sensed a change in my demeanor.  Although still very shy, I began to embrace who I was as a young woman.  Looking back on the kids who teased me in school, I now realize it was necessary for my growth as a woman.  
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🎶 Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear momma, Happy Birthday to you! 🎶  

If I could scream from the highest mountain top I would let the whole world know that today is your special day and just how much you mean to me.  It's not everyday that angels come to greet us here on earth but I know that is just what you are.  A smile that can light up a room, a heart made of pure gold and a spirit that is unmatched, you are truly one of a kind.  As I took time to have a moment with God this morning I thanked Him for you.  You have selflessly been our nurturer, provider, care-giver and shown us the meaning of compassion, love and humility.  What do you give a person who has all of those things?  Any and everything that puts that beautiful smile on your face.  

When you admire a person so much you can't help but wonder every little thing about them.  Did you always know you would be a wife and a mother?  What were your dreams?  Where did you tell your friends you would go when you graduated?  What music did you dance to?  Who taught you how to draw?  Do you know how much your are loved?  

​This year seems to have been a blur at times.  The challenges and obstacles placed before us have only made our faith stronger and our testimonies worth hearing.  May the flowers brighten your day, may the gifts serve as a token for how much we care and may the love shown to you on this day overflow into the next, and so on and so on.  
 
Wishing I was there to celebrate with you this year.  Even though the miles separate us I carry you with me through every single step I take because you showed me the way.  I honor you, I adore you, and I love you from this side of the world all the way across this magnificent universe, right back to you.  Happy Birthday to my favorite person in the world, my Mom! 🎁

I love you always and forever...Your Lisa 

~AJ

Singing, "It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me, and I'm feeling good".  As I woke this morning to my cats meowing because they knew it was time to eat, I fed them, opened the blinds, asked Alexa what the temperature was and felt a little offended when she didn't say or at least sing Happy Birthday to me.  I mean she should know me by now seeing as though I talk to her every single day.  Gotta research the newer versions because that is just unacceptable!  

Once I got over that minor setback I spent a little time talking with God.  Thankful for the past year that has shown me so much, tested me in ways I would have never imagined and pushed me closer and closer towards my dreams, all of which have brought me to the exact place that I am in today.  Trusting in Him to direct my path to lead me to what is next.  Reflection is a huge part of my life as it allows me to adjust as needed and forever remain thankful.  Make changes to anything that doesn't naturally flow and allowing myself to acknowledge that I deserve all the good that has come my way and all that is to come.