Sycomore Fig

A little over a week ago, I picked my children up after a long day at work, and spontaneously drove them to a park near my undergrad Alma Mater, Long Beach State University. I sat in the car as they talked, laughed, and played. Unbeknownst to them, I captured a moment when my oldest daughter  (the film producer/director of the bunch), set up her iPhone (see rock), taught her brother  and sister a little  choreographed routine, and instructed them when and where to "come into the shot". It was short-lived though due to someone not doing somet hing exactly right (Kimmy is somewhat of a perfectionist), so they all stormed back to the car, got in, and we headed home...the three of them riding in utter silence the entire trip. But, despite the way it ended, I love when I'm able to capture moments like this with my camera....they'll look back on this and smile one day with their own kids, as they reminisce about the day they danced in the park.

2017 has been one of the most difficult years of my life. My mom-in-love and one of my dearest sister-friends were called home to be with the Lord, along with several other loved ones who I and/or my husband knew well. But, even in the midst of unspeakable pain, I could feel God's powerful love sustaining us. 2017, has also been a year of realizing my passion, and allowing God to connect me with individuals who can help bring my ideas to fruition. I've learned to pray more,  trust more, give more, dream more, forgive more, listen more, and love more. I'm looking forward to dreams being realized, visions coming to pass, debts being paid in full, relationships being restored, and my faith walk going to the next level in 2018. Ready or not, here I come....

Being a '70s baby, and growing up in the 80's, one of my favorite songs was "I Can't Go for That", sung by one of the greatest pop duos of all time, "Hall & Oates". Now, the portion of the song that was the catchiest went like this: But I can't go for that, no (no) no can do   No, I can't go for that, no (no) no can do   I can't go for that, no (no) no can do.    To watch the video, go here:   https://youtu.be/ccenFp_3kq8 If you're anything like me, whether as a child, teenager, or adult, you've said 'yes' to plenty of things you should have said 'no' to, and as the new year approaches, there will be plenty of 'New Year Resolutions' and statements of what things we will start doing when January 1st rolls around. Well, I've decided to compile a list of "10 Things I Will Not  Do In The New Year" (and this list is by no means exhaustive): 1. No...I will not go into debt by living abo...

*For this final portion of the series, I thought it would be great if my husband shared some of the lessons he’s learned over the last 19 years of our marriage….so shout out to Takim Raye-Brown for lessons 13-19…enjoy! Lesson #13: Let your help mate, help! As men, we tend to let our pride get in the way because we don’t want to admit that we don’t have all the answers . In doing so, it will cause some frustration in your marriage. You just may find yourself on your knees asking Yah for help, and he answers you by saying, “fool, the help has been lying next to you all this time…duh!” You guessed it, your wife. He saw that we were lonely and knew we couldn’t make this journey on our own, so he created another version of himself, the “wo-man”. I know I can do some great things by myself, but man, how much more could I accomplish by allowing someone who genuinely loves me, believes in me, help and support me to success? I’ve learned that my wife is willing to “ride or die” wit...

Lesson #7: My role as their mother, should never supersede my role as his wife. As much as I love my children, and as much as my daily routine is scheduled around what their needs are (school, homework, football/volleyball practices, etc.), my relationship with them does not come before the relationship I have with my husband. But honestly, I didn’t  learn this lesson until our 2 nd child (our son, Takim Jr.) was born. After we were married, my husband and I waited nearly 4 years before we decided to start having children. On May 25, 2002, we were blessed with the birth of our first daughter, Kimberlyne Dee, and 3 years later, our son, Takim Jr. was born. I was blessed to be a stay-at-home mom for the first 4 years after Kimmy was born, and prior to her birth, we were your typical newlyweds. We did nearly everything together, and meeting one another’s needs was our highest priority.  But, once the babies started coming, I don’t believe I could have ever been prepare...

Coming soon!

Coming soon!