Happy Sunday folks ❤️ I don’t usually announce that I’m taking a break from social media. I’m a believer that if you feel compelled to do it, you just do it. If it’s for a fast, I always looked to Matthew 6:18 to guide me.
BUT, today I share that I’m taking a break.
I love social media, always have. As a believer, I believe it can be used as a tool for the Kingdom, to point others to Him, to show that every part of our life can give Him glory.
In recent years, I’ve seen the ugly underbelly of it all. Beyond the usual nasty remarks or weird arguments with strangers in the comments section. #cringe
What I see are many people seeking to become a brand. Something to be consumed. Reduced to likes and dislikes and reviews as if we are products, and not image bearers of a true and living God.
I see a push to be influencers, but what are we “influencing” people to do, to become?
I want women who come to my page to know that God is in the business of saving and redeeming and gracing us to do all that He’s asked of us. There’s room at the cross for the unwed mama (like I was), for the depressed (like I was), for the one with crippled self esteem (like I battled).
All of this to say, in a world that seeks to reduce us to products, be the Image Bearer you were created to be. Pull away from this thing if you need to and wrestle through your questions with Jesus. Take the break if you need it. And come back refreshed, not consumed.
My baby sister said yes!! She’s engaged!!! 💍To witness their love blossom from high school through college and now through law school and grad school, it’s been a true honor and treat to see something so special! I’m ecstatic and can’t wait to have a new brother-in-law! #ShesGettingMarried #WrightToBeRoss #BabySisterGrowingUp😭
#fb to a few months ago, with Honor giving me gummy smiles and giggles ❤️
During Honor’s first birthday party, we shared a sentimental letter/video Joshua, Raegan, and I wrote to Honor celebrating her first year of life.
From her first minutes of life, to Joshua rapping to her, from her first steps to her first dance moves, the gift of being home together for a year allowed us to be there for all her first year milestones.
Thought today would be a good day to share our YouTube video with our IG community. I’ve linked it in my bio.
This sweetie pie finished 3rd grade yesterday. She navigated distance learning and then social distance rules in person with poise and grace beyond her years. She even breezed through with 4’s ( A honor roll) the entire year.
Even if her accomplishments were removed, Joshua and I would still be beaming with pride. Having both been deemed high achievers when we were kids, we both know that a child can quickly fall into the trap of tying their worth to their achievements.
We want Rae to know we love her and we are so proud of her, just for being her. We celebrate everything she does and the wonderful, kind, friendly, passionate, empathetic person she is. Our rising 4th grader, love you so much I could burst!
Somebody knows her nose now! These days she’s pointing at everything, spinning around in circles, climbing on to the couch, and feeding herself with a baby fork and spoon. I’m so proud of our California baby 😭
(Sorry not sorry about the mirror, my baby likes to touch it when I hold her up to it 🤷🏾♀️)
Visited @thehuntingtonlibrary this weekend with my family. Walking through the beautiful gardens made me think of one of my favorite quotes, “Bloom where you are planted.” I always interpret this quote to mean you should stop longing for others’ gardens, tend to your own, and be fruitful and grow right where you are.
Because I’ve moved and experienced so many different environments in my life, I would add that it matters where the bloom is planted. A cactus prospers in heat and low-moisture soil. A peony needs a cooler climate and moisture. Switch them, and they both won’t do well. You have to choose the best environment for that kind of bloom.
Monday’s thoughts: Bloom where you are planted, but make sure you are planted in good soil that’s best for your bloom.
Joining @thelifeofasinglemom’s Impact Gala celebrating 10 years of a ministry that has touched over 600,000 single mothers across the world, including this woman here. I celebrate you @jennifer_maggio and God’s vision over your life and ministry. I love the mission “No Single Mom Walks Alone,” and your prayer to ask God to continue to break your heart for the single mother seeps into this organization and beyond. It’s the why for my service on the National Advisory Board and support for the organization with my husband.
If you’re a single mother, rise up, join @thelifeofasinglemom ministry, attend their conference, enroll at Single Mom University,and let God see you through this. Get up, mama! Push! Press! Be the powerful woman of God He’s called you to be!
Sometimes we play the comparison game not just with others, but ourselves. We compare our reality to what could have been.
“If I just listened to the Holy Spirit, or my parents, my friends, I wouldn’t have..”
“If I hadn’t done that, then this wouldn’t have happened...”
I know how that feels because I spent years kicking myself for allowing harmful things to go on in a previous relationship. I regretted so many things, and I kept saying, “I wish I didn’t entertain that. I should have walked away sooner, I shouldn’t have even responded to his first message. I should have told someone sooner. I shouldn’t have tried to save face.”
Then God snapped me out of it— I was letting regret consume me, and I kept feeling like my life would look a lot different if certain things hadn’t happened. It was unhealthy and it threatened to rob God of all His glory brought out of my previous seasons.
We can’t keep making guesses about how life would have turned out if certain things would have happened or not happened.
What we can do is ask Jesus to give us His perspective. Help us see where He worked all things for our good. Help us see the anointing wrought from the pressing. Help us own every part of our story.
Let’s not let regret consume us. Be consumed by the truth that His grace carried you and now your story can point to His glory.
Saturdays with my sweeties 💗
There’s something about settling into the woman God created you to be. No longer making apologies for your life, and owning every bit of your story — the good and the bad. It is beyond empowering to revel in God-given grace to be you, fully. Once you get that revelation, you know:
it’s by His grace that you walked through what you have to point others to Him,
it’s by His grace that you can walk in obedience to everything He’s asked of you,
It’s by His grace that you can obey so that it all points to God’s glory, and not to your own.
You are you by the grace of God.
Began the day by worshipping the Worthy One, Jesus, the One us mothers strive to model in our mothering. Now I’m snuggled up with my family watching Disney movies with my family 💗 #perfectday
My mother.
Who fell in love with Jesus and hasn’t turned back. A woman concerned with the Kingdom in all she does.
Always Gorgeous. She’s sported a pixie cut all my life, always put together, dazzling white smile all my days. Taught me to follow some fashion rules and to break others.
Resilient. She married my dad, and supported his military career. Moved thousands of miles away from everything and everyone she knew and loved. Mothered four daughters, often by herself, while my dad was deployed so many times. Now, mothering my autistic little brother.
Humble. She never wants the spotlight, yet loves to shine it on others.
Craft and homebody extraordinaire. Creator of beautiful crafts and decor — the woman wields a table saw to make some mean wood crafts. Baker of homemade breads. Creator of DIY Christmas decor.
Comedian and pop culture Trivia whiz. The one I get my loud laugh from and sense of humor. The one who showed me Golden Girls, Maude, Designing Women, Gunsmoke, Jeopardy, and more. She gave me Hall & Oates, Whitney Houston, and classical music.
Adventure, creativity, humor, style sense, genuine and authentic love, I owe it all to you.
I love you, Mama. Happy Mother’s Day!
My ninth Mother’s Day, and with each passing year I grow even more and more grateful for the gift, honor, and privilege of mothering my daughters. I’m overcome with love for my children, my mother and step mother, mother in law, and for all the moms, moms to be, spiritual moms, and mothers by faith. Happy Mother’s Day to you all 💗
Loving all of me, not just what I feel is the best part of me. I’ve learned that loving my neighbor as myself better mean that I love myself well. Not in a self-exalting way, but made-in-His-image way. Past my insecurities, past my past decisions, the weight gain, past it all. Showing up for myself and staying away from self-deprecating jokes and remarks. It’s been a tough journey but He’s doing a good work in me. 🌷 Show up for yourself and love you, so you can love others well.
Heading into Mother’s Day weekend. Celebrating motherhood, loving on my daughters and my husband, and loving on me.
Yes, me.
A wise, wonderful woman (@9to5chic ) once told me to remember that there’s more to me than just motherhood — I have so much more of myself to share and give, and my value isn’t just tied to the little ones I’m loving and raising. Being a mother is beautiful, but I’m still me. Melonie — without the role of mommy, or even lawyer, daughter, sister, aunt, friend — is still wonderful Melonie. Under all those roles, there’s still a woman with dreams and passions and a purpose.
Those words refreshed my soul, and I hope they refresh yours too. Let’s bask in the love from our precious babies, confident and comfortable in knowing that motherhood is part of our purpose, not all of our purpose. Don’t forget about you this weekend. ❤️
Ended the month by sitting on a CLE (continuing legal education) panel discussing California’s data breach provisions and the impact on the banking industry. ⚖️✊🏾
My new headshot at my new firm 🙌🏾 I LOVE this photo of me. It represents God’s restoration.
When I went to law school, it was a struggle for me. I was balancing single motherhood, my classes, extracurricular activities, and jobs. When I graduated, it was one of the proudest moments of my life. A few months later, when I passed the bar and began practice as a law firm associate, I felt like I was on top of the world.
Then, it was all gone a year later.
God led me to leave my firm and law practice for almost a year. Then He led me to my clerkship. Then He moved us across the country, where I studied for another bar exam, and didn’t work for over a year again.
I remember praying and asking God to practice again. I remember cheering friends on while their careers progressed, feeling that mine was done. I followed God to where I felt He was leading me further away from practice.
Now I see why the waiting was worth it. When my path wasn’t making sense, now I look back and see He was ordering my footsteps. He used every resume gap, every experience, to lead me and my family into a beautiful new season. And, He restored everything I thought was lost, down to an amazing new headshot.
Follow God. He is faithful and knows what He’s doing. I’m a witness!
J•O•Y!
A couple of weeks ago, my marriage therapist shared that often idealists, like me, have trouble recognizing and celebrating the desert season being passed through on the way to the promised land.
The “almost there” on the way to the dream isn’t worth much celebration when there’s so much work to be done.
But even when there’s work to be done, you can celebrate the progress you’re making.
There’s growth.
There’s progress.
And, there’s ALWAYS joy.
In the push to grow and build, we can celebrate all that God is doing, find joy in the desert while we await the promises to come!
J•O•Y!
JUSTICE!
Happy Sunday folks ❤️ I don’t usually announce that I’m taking a break from social media. I’m a believer that if you feel compelled to do it, you just do it. If it’s for a fast, I always looked to Matthew 6:18 to guide me.
BUT, today I share that I’m taking a break.
I love social media, always have. As a believer, I believe it can be used as a tool for the Kingdom, to point others to Him, to show that every part of our life can give Him glory.
In recent years, I’ve seen the ugly underbelly of it all. Beyond the usual nasty remarks or weird arguments with strangers in the comments section. #cringe
What I see are many people seeking to become a brand. Something to be consumed. Reduced to likes and dislikes and reviews as if we are products, and not image bearers of a true and living God.
I see a push to be influencers, but what are we “influencing” people to do, to become?
I want women who come to my page to know that God is in the business of saving and redeeming and gracing us to do all that He’s asked of us. There’s room at the cross for the unwed mama (like I was), for the depressed (like I was), for the one with crippled self esteem (like I battled).
All of this to say, in a world that seeks to reduce us to products, be the Image Bearer you were created to be. Pull away from this thing if you need to and wrestle through your questions with Jesus. Take the break if you need it. And come back refreshed, not consumed.
My baby sister said yes!! She’s engaged!!! 💍To witness their love blossom from high school through college and now through law school and grad school, it’s been a true honor and treat to see something so special! I’m ecstatic and can’t wait to have a new brother-in-law! #ShesGettingMarried #WrightToBeRoss #BabySisterGrowingUp😭
#fb to a few months ago, with Honor giving me gummy smiles and giggles ❤️
During Honor’s first birthday party, we shared a sentimental letter/video Joshua, Raegan, and I wrote to Honor celebrating her first year of life.
From her first minutes of life, to Joshua rapping to her, from her first steps to her first dance moves, the gift of being home together for a year allowed us to be there for all her first year milestones.
Thought today would be a good day to share our YouTube video with our IG community. I’ve linked it in my bio.