Hello April
Hello April 🌿
There's something gentle about arriving here.
Not rushed.
Not forced.
Not trying to prove anything.
Just present.
March felt like a quiet return…
back to writing,
back to reflecting,
back to me.
And this month?
I'm not chasing momentum.
I'm allowing alignment.
I'm choosing:
💕consistency over pressure
💕peace over performance
💕presence over perfection
Some things don't need to be announced.
They just need to be lived.
April, I'm ready…
not because everything is figured out,
but because I trust who I'm becoming.
✨ Your story was never wasted.
✨ Your voice. Your vision. Your victory.
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Thank You, March
March, you asked more of me than I expected.
Not in loud ways. Not in ways that could be easily explained. But in the quiet, steady ways that require presence, patience, and honesty. You were not a month that rushed. You were a month that lingered. A month that invited me to sit with where I am, instead of constantly reaching for what's next.
There were moments this month where I felt clear and grounded, and moments where I didn't. Moments where I moved forward, and moments where I stayed still longer than I thought I would. But I'm learning that both can exist in the same space. Progress doesn't always look like movement. Sometimes it looks like awareness.
March, you reminded me that healing is still happening, even when I can't measure it. That grief can be present without taking over. That my voice doesn't have to be loud to be consistent. And that showing up, day after day, even in small ways, is still something to honor.
You also gave me something I didn't overlook, you gave me rhythm. The discipline of writing. The quiet return to myself. The ability to sit down and put words to what I'm learning in real time. That matters more than I probably realized at the beginning of the month.
So as I prepare to move into April, I don't feel the need to rush past you. I want to acknowledge you. To thank you for what you revealed, what you held, and what you allowed me to see more clearly.
Thank you, March, for meeting me where I was—and for not asking me to be anywhere else.
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Creative Block - The Series
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On January 17th of this year I set out to confront my creative block. I had not been writing in a long time. I decided to not only confront my creative block but to really get back to writing.
One of the things the process did was take me back to where it all started, which is my blog. I have been blogging since 2008 and I would write at night when my sons went to sleep. During that time I had a teenager and a toddler. Trust me, at night was the only time I could get my thoughts out.
Earlier this year, I started getting on here every night between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. I'd get on my blog and write or I'd write in Microsoft Word. Now, I don't always write or type and I've been telling my clients recently to use voice notes or dictation to assist with my blogging. That's really been helpful for me.
My Creative Block Series talks about crying when you need to, being patient with yourself, being honest with your support system and that there is value in at least trying. I hope that you enjoy this series and I look forward to your feedback.
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And It's Ok | Evolving Takes Werk Podcast
Has anyone been stagnant? I'm amazed at how I've not completed the podcast. For the season, how I have not been writing or blogging. I have still been creative a little bit Canva and still creating content for clients. However, writing has been hard. Is it a writer’s block? I’ve also had to deal with onset of depression and some disappointing things happening in my life. I can only go so long with saying, “I’m ok.” When clearly I have not been, and you know what? That’s ok.
That's ok to be where you are and to feel how you feel. It's ok to reflect on that it's been rough lately but today is good. When you think about practicing gratitude and being present it’s important to be true to how you feel in that moment. Being thankful for what you have, being thankful for what is and is not. And practicing mindfulness, being present in that moment and saying you know what today was good a good day. For instance, right now, I am typing out my blog for this podcast. I’m grateful for creative energy right now. Learn to be fully present daily and in return be thankful that today isn't like it was yesterday or heck, like it was last night.
Sidenote, the last two nights have been rough. I’ve not felt like the best version of myself physically and it showed up looking like another stroke. I’m super thankful that it was not and I the opportunity to spend the night in the hospital where so many wonderful people cared for me. For the last 48 hours I had to sit in the space that said, ‘You know what Arlinda? It's OK that you don't feel well and it's OK that you've come to the emergency room. It doesn't make you less than anything to say you I'm not feeling well.
The experience that I had was amazing. I met so many nice people. I'm in the hospital taking tests, I'm giving out oils, I'm exchanging phone numbers and we are affirming young black women. Oh my God! They had such beautiful hair and nails. I'm both ill and encouraging, I don't know how that happened, but it did. Because I've suffered a stroke, I think it's important that whenever I feel signs that things are off with me, my thought is, “Oh no! I need to get some help.” That's what I did, and it all worked together for good for me and for the people that I encountered.
Listen to the rest on "And It's Ok" on Spotify
Originally posted on 12.12.2022
Infused By Arlinda McGlothin-McKinley
After a failed marriage Lindar enters into a situationship with a love interest from her past. He infuses and inspires Lindar to become a writer. Lindar has to learn many difficult lessons, including how to love herself. Once the relationship ends she goes on a quest of redemption to prove to the world and to herself that she is truly something special.
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March Madness ~ It’s Rebuilding Time
If you love basketball then this is one of your favorite times of the year. March Madness. It all begins with teams waiting to see where they’re going. Once they know, then fans have to decide if they can make the trip or if they are going to grab some wings and head over to someone’s house because not watching is not an option. I can’t tell you who’s still playing or who’s favored to win but my heart belongs to some small college off Victory Parkway. Yeah, I know.
One of the most moving parts of the tournament for me is when a team loses. I even make sure I watch the highlight video at the end to see the reactions again. No, I don’t want teams to lose and no, I don’t find it entertaining. I find it relatable. That after all of the hard work the game was lost and the tournament is over.
These players work hard. They train hard. They invest so much time and energy for their team to be the best. They all want to win. Some of these players have been practicing since elementary school for this moment. Yet, even when the result doesn’t go the way the team expected, guess what? They are still a team.
As a basketball mom I’ve seen some ugly loses. There were some tears and some disagreements but the team was still a team.
Just like in ministry there will be trying times. But after the ugly loses, the tears and the disagreements you’re still a team. Even when you’re mad, you’re still a team. Even when you want to quit, you’re still a team. Just like any athletic team, ministry is hard work.
When a team loses a tournament they get back to getting better. They get back to lifting. They get back to running. They go watch film and they build more team chemistry. It’s a rebuilding time.
I remember when Alex played at Concord and he received this bulky piece of mail. Inside of it was a detailed manual on what he needed to do in order to get ready for the next season.
We have a manual too and guess what? You don’t even have to carry it around if you believe it to be bulky because there’s an app for that.
Let me put some Bible on it
Don’t get weary in well doing you’ll reap if you faint not. ~ Galatians 6:9
Forget what happened before. Keep pressing for the mark. ~ Philippians 3:13
And if it didn’t work out, it still works together. ~ Romans 8:28
Keep in mind that the enemy isn’t after you. He’s after what you’re called to do. He’s after your purpose, your assignment. Years ago Joyce Meyer had a sermon series called The Battlefield for the Mind. There is a battle for your mind but you have to protect your gates. Be mindful of what you listen to, of what you read and of what you watch. Make time for God so that you can hear from Him for yourself.
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 NLT
Originally posted 3.31.2018
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