The Women's Empowerment Group

Outlaws are defined as people who have been thwarted from the family unit, because of  some perceived broken family laws. Sometimes becoming an outlaw can be the best experience one could ever experience. It forces one to define boundaries and to never allow anyone to cross them again. It is a period of assessing and reassessing and finding out who you are and who you are not. It allows you to see more clearly and to become more of yourself. One can render themselves a door mat for people to walk all over-- if they never set boundaries, Setting and maintaining boundaries are an important part of developing healthy relationships. In the moments of setting boundaries , it can be very lonely, people may turn away because you no longer allow free reign to your space and time. Or due to growth you no longer respond as they like. Don't be afraid of being lonely or alone when it means that you are in possession of yourself.  Especially when you are walking in your truth. Being i...

As I reflect on 2018, I am just amazed and at awe of how God has grown me, things that have pained me for years are slowly moving away and I am beginning to see the "me" that I have worked so hard to master..Broken places are being healed and love is beginning to peak through to reveal its magnificent power, Life is messy and at times it can feel almost overwhelming, it can literally take your breath away. But at the end of the rope is where God steps in and takes charge,.. if you believe it.. He makes things that were once muddy (clear)..he tells you who you are and who you are not. He is honest with you even when the people around you are not. He soothes, he comforts and most importantly he restores. We all walk around with the facade of busyness, I'm too busy to spend time with you, I'm too busy to call, I'm too busy to check on you..Busy, Busy, Busy. But I have come to know that the busyness that we experience-- is really just you making time for ...

I have been writing for the past five years, writing about my journey to wholeness. I started out as a fragmented person. One who had pieces of herself but nothing seem to connect. Over the past five years the pieces have slowly begun to come together. I can see the remnants of a whole person forming. But one day I realized that after all of the work, I still struggled with right and wrong.  I had spent so much time in trying to stay on the right side of everything, that I failed to see that I was afraid of what I perceived as wrong, I was afraid of the judgement, the side eyes that I would receive if I ever did anything wrong. Being on the right side of everything at times is tiring and boring. It forces us to chase perfection. The right side is judgmental it separates us from the real world that is filled with right and wrong. My right is your wrong and my wrong is your right. There are a plethora of views. Everyone has their perception of what is right or what is wron...

Sometimes a stranger's words can resonate with us on a deep level. As I was going through my day I ran into a stranger that said to me in a random conversation that " Only you can make you happy" This resonated with me on a lot of levels, it stopped me in my tracks and forced me to become present in the spirit of his words. Sometimes we can become so entrenched in attempting to make others happy that we neglect to tap into what makes us happy.And forget that we are only capable of finding our own happiness. Sometimes our happiness can become lost in serving others. And sometimes we can find that same happiness in the act of serving. This paradox allows us to not become too self-serving. When we can find the balance between serving ourselves and others, we can find the essence of  truly being happy. Happiness is a state that is only designed by YOU. When we can see happiness in the smallest/largest thing ie., the treees' blooming, the sun shining, having food an...

There has been a few times in my life that I have become fully in tuned with the universe. In the moments of being in tuned with the universe, amazing things become crystal clear to us. When we can quiet our hearts and minds enough, we can hear and see what the universe is saying to us. The universe is made up of many forms of energy. We can derive energy from the smallest piece of the universe. In our hurried and frazzled lives it is extremely important that we stop and listen to the small whispers that the universe occasionally lends us. The fluttering of a butterfly--or the gentle spirit of an innocent lady bug that appears out of nowhere. These anomalies can heal us on a deep level, they show us that our deepest needs are seen and heard by the universe. And the universe has simple remedies to heal us, if we can become open enough to its quiet solutions. The more I live the more I learn that the universe is full of solutions, we just need to be able to hear...

There is a time in everyone's life that we must turn the page- so that we can move on to new things in our lives. Turning the page merely entails accepting things right where they are-- while taking steps in a new direction. Turning the page is deeply rooted in acceptance, acceptance of who we are and where we stand right now. When we can strip off all of the "could haves" and "should haves", we are left with "what is"--and "what is" --is the present moment. The present moment is a place that allows us to stop and take in all that is..it is a place that is free from the past and the future. It is a place that allows us to feel our own breath and our own heartbeat. It is a place that allows us to see and feel the rain and all of the beauty that it beholds. It allows us to feel the kiss of the sun on our faces. And most importantly it allows us to see all of God's magnificence in its entirety. In these moments we are one with all..and...

Fear is an amazing emotion it can fuel us or fight us. When used effectively it can be the spark that pushes us to a new level. I choose to reject people or things that use fear tactics to stop us. I have come to a point in my life that I am willing to take the risk of losing everything to preserve the core of who I am. At my core, lies a fearless source that knows the power that lies in and through standing up to those things that fear us. When we address the core of fear, we find that it is merely old tapes that we have created ourselves, some have some real aspects to them, but most are our own pre-conceived notions. Fear mongers are real, they are normally people who have no power in themselves. And they choose to attempt to fear others to gain power in themselves. At the core of fear-mongers are people that are lacking in their lives and have chosen to take the focus off of their  own lives as not to resolve what ails them. The remedy for fear-mongers..is...

Passion is an amazing tool that lives inside of all of us. It is our passion that drives us into most of the things that we endeavor on this journey. Passion is that thing inside of us that attaches to our thoughts and gives them the fuel to turn mere ideas into reality.It is the silent urge that screams "oh so loudly" in our actions. I am convinced that our passions are at the root of our pain as well as our pleasures. We can be passionately in pain or passionately in pleasure. Pain passion comes from a place of hurt..it at times can force us to act..(good or badly) just to soothe the pain. Pleasure passion is derived from a need place-- a place that needs something to feel good. When we can come to know what type of passion is driving us..we can begin to channel our passions and filter them through God's plan for our lives. It merely takes operating from a place of " how may I serve " and then allowing your passion to take that idea and expand it into som...

Pauline Respress, BBA, M.Ed., I woke today with a quote from Marianne Williamson resonating in my head..." Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us." Thoughout the years I have many accounts that I can remember that when I began to shine my light of possibilities from within, I shrunk due to what I perceived others would think of my light. We all come to this planet coded with a divine gift.and it is our fears that stop us from shining our divine light. Our fear of how powerful our light could be.--our fear of the possibilities. Possibilities are tuck safely in our imagination, they lie dormant until we tap into them,by tapping into our source and asking HIM to download them into our earthly realm. But if we are holding onto fear of the unknown, resentment or pain of the past-- we can't receive God's magnificent plan for our lives. Fe...

As I venture on to this new phase in my life, I realize how important it is to have HOPE. Hope is the thing that we perch our wings on, it is the anchor that allows us to soar into new territory. Hope is necessary to allow us to continue dreaming--- it stabilizes our soul, and allows the spirit to take charge, as to take the mind, to places we can only imagine. Hope merely requires lying down all of our preconceived notions and believing in our heart and minds that, what we desire and dream are in our reach. Hope without action is futile, hope is an action word it must have words and behaviors connected to it, in order for it to metamorphosize before you. Every step we take toward that in which we hope, gets us one step closer, to that in which we envision. Each step teaches us how to manage the next. However, the key is to embrace each step and allow them to teach and mold us into our new self. Life is a series of releasing the skin of our old selves as to make way f...

I had the pleasure of meeting three beautiful young ladies-- while on assignment. All three touched my heart. They spoke to the little girl inside of me. I would like to devote this blog to them. Khushali You are beautiful and extremely smart you have a spirit that is inquisitive, you ask questions-- and that is a very important characteristic. Because in order to get to answers, we must continually ask questions. Remember this Khusali..(whatever dice we are rolled in our life)..are rolled to make us stronger. Our hurt and anger in life makes us stronger. Hurt and anger if used properly builds our character. It teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. So embrace the hurt and soothe it with compassion for yourself and others. Never allow others to define your destiny..You are GREAT and anything you believe you can achieve.. You Can !  I see your greatness-- and in order to get to it..you must see it as well. Study and work hard and you will achieve all of...

As I ponder over my life, I realize that I have wasted way too much time..worrying over other people thoughts and behavior. Time and age teaches us that worrying and angst robs us of the present moment. It stifles out creativity and forces us to stay stuck in our thoughts.Thoughts that are about what someone said or something that we could have done differently. I declare today that I will never allow thoughts of what could happen or should happen..stop me from enjoying my life at its fullest. If it means not talking to people that trigger bad thoughts or not allowing myself to become entangled in other's messes.. then that is what I must do. Life is way to short for worrying and angst, both waste precious time, that could be applied to more fruitful and meaningful things. As the years roll by and I approach yet another birthday..I realize just how much I have grown..how even those who have attempted to rob me of my inherent spirit..no longer affect my existence. There is a hi...

This journey is teaching me a lot of things, but the most profound lesson that I have learned is that in order to have love in our lives, we must be the love that we want to see. It is easy to be hate, because hate does not require much work, hate does not require-- practicing forgiveness or understanding or compassion; it merely requires finding reasons to not do the work required to get to more love in our lives. Loving at times --can be messy, it requires letting down all of our guards and diving into unknown places --while abandoning all of our fears and reservations. Loving is an action word, it is the rolling up of our sleeves and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable enough-- to take the punches that sometimes accompanies getting to love. We all come equipped with artificial guards that protect and soothe us--they are the warm blankets that protect us from the world. But sometimes in order to get to more love-we must be willing to lower our guard and share the love...

Sometimes when we are stepping into our greatness, our light shines so bright that it can make people retreat from us. Some people can not understand putting all of your trust in GOD and his majesty manifesting in your life. Some people may go away from you, but remember that it is not about you. It is about them not being ready to see your light. It is about them not understanding that when you place all of your energy into something.. that something will happen in your life, something will show up..something will manifest. This is an universal law. I hate to say that it is envy, because I think higher of people. But sometimes it is just that..envy. Envy is an emotion that we all have--but it is also an emotion that can be redirected to empower us..not bring someone else down. I use my emotion of envy to better myself. If I see that you have something that I would like to have, instead of hating on you, I turn it inward to figure out how I can better myself to get that in which ...

Life is wrought with painful experiences, but this journey is teaching me that when we can be come strong enough in ourselves..we can literally kiss the pain. And the pain then turns into a crystal clear understanding. It tells me that like a wounded tree, time, seasons and care cover it ---and heals it right before our eyes. The life cycle of a tree tells us much about life, it teaches us that our most close relationships change and metamorphoses into new forms. And our goal is to patiently wait and embrace the new form. The pain requires kissing it over and over again until it no longer hurts--and we see it for what it really is...love covered and tattered by our experiences. If their is pain in your relationships, absorb the pain--then in a quick and strong motion..kiss the pain..tell the pain --that it does not belong in you in the form of hurt. Soothe the pain with as much love as you can muster..then send it back to the hurting in the form of love, care and patience. Our...

As I was preparing for an event recently, my sister- n- law stated, in regards to a recipe, that-- " You c an add but not take away " This quote resonated with me-- because it spoke to how I view relationships. In our most sacred relationships-- such as family-- we can add to them by infusing our love, but we can't take away the love that already exist. The love of family is bonded and grounded with a long history sealed by blood and a phenomenal genetic DNA. Our love for our family of origin will always remain intact, these are the people who know us the best, who know the little child that lies inside of us all. The goal is to add all of our God given gifts to our family--- because like a beautifully woven quilt.... our piece is very much needed to make the quilt whole. At times we need to step back and reassess what gift needs to be infused to better the quilt..to take the quilt in a new direction. Some quilts require takin...

Life is full of learning curves, just when we believe that we know it..something comes up to shake up what we believe we know. This is a recursive thing that happens in life, what we know gets shaped into new things everyday.The task however is to stay in a state of learning..allowing each day to carry us into the next--- knowing that things can change and morph into something new each day. The more I learn the more I believe that when we stop taking things that we experience personally..then and only then can we allow in the light of learning and growth. Ask questions and explore-- because these are the only tools that allow us to get to more knowledge.When we stop asking questions and exploring we stunt our ability to grow. In life-- we must literally wipe the chalkboard clear at the end of each day, saving only those things that we have learned..and using them to aid us --as we journey on. I am committed to excellence and this commitment requires that I take my punches on the...

The more I live the more I learn that love is the utimate healer of all that ails us. Got pain in your life? heal it with love. People being mean and nasty to you..heal them with love. Love changes things it allows us to take the focus off of ourselves and begin to operate from a state of compassion and understanding. Our world is so filled with people who are hurting and filled with deep pain, they don't need us to give them back what they give you..because then pain merely perpetuates. What they need is for you to cover them with the the unchanging Love of God. Buddha calls it namaste..I come to you in Peace. When we can operate from a state of Peace, we can flow a new energy into our environment. We can single-handedly change the core of the energy around us....and when love meets pain.. it soothes, it cradles and restores those around us. Operating from a state of love at times can be very challenging; because, there are some who repel love, they are in such...

This journey has taught me a lot over the past few months. I have learned that until we step out of our own way, we can not accomplish all that we dream. All that we aspire to have and be in our lives. The possibilities in life are endless when we can  begin to see life as a series of small occurences that connect and form what we know as our reality. Each occurence builds upon the last and we begin to see that the intricate puzzle begins to make sense. We see how everything if given the chance holds some relevance and really truly matter. The hard choices and experiences that we have..shape us into who we are destined to be. Each experience teaches us and ecologically balances our internal equation.When we can allow life to carry us to where we are suppose to be..we begin to accept things right where they are with the understanding that things will make sense at its appointed time..so we allow ambiguity to become our friend by trusting that no matter the outcome,...

Sometimes in our life... the people that enter our lives can give us that thing that we truly need. Sometimes our needs have become so suppressed that not even we can see or feel them.Then someone comes and frees us in a sense. They allow us to move around in our own self-imposed prison.They touch us in places that unlock our spirit allowing it to take on a new meaning. It is scary and exhilirating all at the same time. It teaches us the lesson of time and space and how truly sacred it is..It teaches us that in order to become more of ourselves, we must get out of our head's and explore..Exploring our own feelings, exploring those things that make us feel alive. Dreaming and Imagining are great tools, but living and doing are better, living and doing allow us to connect to the human experience, to become a part of it and feel it, breathe it and embrace it. I am an observer of life, I love observing the things that make me feel good, I get a sense of being a part of the entire exp...