This week was hard emotionally.
Some really great highs. Some really low lows.
But that’s what healing looks like sometimes, right? That roller coaster of emotions, that constant work of trying to move through the mess and not get stuck in it.

What I didn’t realize was that in the middle of this week—on one of my hardest days—God was already at work, healing me in ways I never saw coming.

Let me set the stage.

On Wednesday, I got a text from my big brother, Jermaine, asking me how I was doing. And let’s be real—that was a God thing all by itself.
God always knows when to have this man check in on me.
We just know when the other needs a little extra love, and it’s a gift we both treasure more than words could ever explain.

Anyway—Jermaine checked in.
And he’s the kind of person I can be 100% real with. No filters. No sugarcoating. Just bold, transparent, honest me. Because at the end of the day, I know he loves me. He’s got my back. He sees me. He always has.

I told him everything.
The stress.
The struggles with decisions I’ve made.
The weight of missing my husband.
The sadness of preparing to leave students I love at the end of the year.
The overwhelming pressure of life and classes starting next week.
It all just came pouring out.

And do you know what he said?
He didn’t offer advice.
He didn’t offer clichés.
He didn’t try to fix it.

Instead, he said:
“Thank you for your gift of vulnerability. I see you and I hear you. That is a lot… You are doing exactly what God has designed you to do, and this is your next.”

And when I tell you—that rocked me to my core.
I sat there and just breathed it in.

Something so simple.
Something so impactful.
Something so healing.

The Power of Being Seen

How often do we rush to fix?
How often do we say, “I’m so sorry you’re going through this,” or “I wish there was something I could do,” when the truth is—there is something we can do?

We can be still.
We can listen.
We can see them.
We can hear them.

Because sometimes, that’s all someone needs.
Sometimes, we don’t need a solution.
We just need to know we’re not invisible under the weight of it all.

Sometimes, hurting people just need someone to hold space for them.
Sometimes, I just need someone to let me unload all the weight for two seconds, to remind me that it’s okay to say, “Wow, that is a lot you’re carrying—and you are carrying it.”

And that’s enough.

Because tonight, I’m reminded: I AM managing.
It’s heavy, it’s messy, but I’m still here.
And God is still working.

The Morning After

After Jermaine’s text.
After I cried and prayed.
After I knew that Jermaine and his wife were lifting me up in prayer, covering me in love I could feel even across the miles…

Something shifted.

The next morning, I felt lighter.
I felt like I could breathe again.

I woke up smiling, with my favorite Christian song playing in my head.
God was already moving.
But He wasn’t done yet. (Is He ever?! The answer is—NOT EVER!!!)

The Hallway Dance Party

As I was getting ready to grab snack for my class, I started humming Good Day by Forrest Frank.
If you know me, you know I can’t help but sing out loud sometimes—worship just pours out of me even when I’m trying to keep it tucked away (hello, crosses around my neck, tattoo on my wrist… my kids know!).

I came into the hallway humming, and one of my students—who was putting her inside shoes on—looked up at me and said, “Hey!!! I know that song!”
And before I knew it, she was singing along.

It was a moment.
A pure, Holy Spirit moment.

I decided to stop worrying about being too much, too loud, too bold—and just be.
I let God continue healing my heart right there in the middle of that hallway.

My student and I sang and danced our way all the way to the other side of the building.
Full blast.
Full joy.
Full freedom.

No fear of who was watching.
No second-guessing if it was okay.

We were having a GOOD DAY.
No matter what they say.
The sun was shining down on me.
The birds were singing praise.

And I realized something: God wasn’t just lifting my spirit—He was healing a piece of me I didn’t even realize needed it.

The Room Was Different

The classroom felt different that day.
The energy was lighter.
The eagerness to learn was alive.
The smiles were wider.
Everyone was so focused and happy—it was awesome.

And the day didn’t end there.

God showed up again.
He sent my big brother Jermaine to the school early to pick up his kids—just so I could get the world’s best hugs from him and my little J.
God knew exactly what I needed.

Healing in His Timing

I write all of this to say:
God shows up.

Is it as fast as I would like?
No.
Is it the way I thought it would go?
Also no.

But the fact is—He is doing it.
He’s healing me in His way, in His timing.
One layer at a time. One breath at a time.

One of the layers of my onion was healed this week, just by God showing up and reminding me: “I see you.”

I know the pain hurts.
I know it’s easy to blame or get mad because healing doesn’t come as quickly as we want.
But healing doesn’t work like that.

God heals us how and when we need it.
We just have to be still enough to notice it.
We have to take a moment to relish it.
We have to take a moment to see it.

If I wasn’t sitting in this season of stillness, if I wasn’t constantly looking for God’s healing hand, I would have missed it.
I probably would have brushed it off as coincidence.
But not now. Not anymore.

If You’re Hurting

If you’re hurting…
If your word for 2025 is something else—
Take a moment. Self-check.

Where are you with your word?
How are you doing with it?

I know the pain of healing.
I know the tears.
I know the days where you feel like nothing is moving forward.

Healing can take so many forms.
It can come through a text, a song, a hallway dance party, or a hug you didn’t know you needed.

I’m here.
I hear you.
I see you.
Just like Jermaine sees me—I see you.

And even more than that—God sees you, too.

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

—Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

Even here. Even now.
God is working. God is healing.
And He’s not done yet.

Love and Hugs Friends!
Keep Walking the Healing Path