It just came natural...

Best friend

You are the man that I dreamed of... for in my heart I have no doubts,

You are my best friend, companion, and the one I can’t live without,

You are the essence of a sincere, God-given heart,

Yes, you are his precious work of art.

You came out of nowhere when I could not see,

Thanks for taking a chance and believing in me.

Natural

You are not perfect but you are the one for me,

It took a while to notice you,

But now you are the only one I see.

I don’t have to pretend with you,

You encourage me to live, love, and do.

You make me laugh like no one else can,

You are my rock, my prayer partner, and my man.

Black, Bold, and Handsome

You are black, successful, and strong,

Every day I am with you,

I hear a sweeter song.

Your dreams and passion drive me too,

You never know the impact,

So always keep that view. 

Taking that Chance 
I believe in standing with you through the good and bad,

I am down for you and it is just not a fad.

I am glad God sent you in my world

And yes, to answer your question, I will forever be your girl.

My Random Thoughts- "Lifting Each Other Up"

I shared this through a Facebook note on July 15, 2014. My friend sent it to me today(4 years later) so decided to repost it on my blog. Sometimes we need to revisit the same messages!

So I was on social media only to run across a video that had
over 4,000 shares.  It was a video of a
young girl with daisy dukes “twerking” her booty in the air on stage.  This video was only 36 seconds long. In this
video the girl on stage was said to have a menstrual cycle stain on her shorts
as well her hair piece fell off.  Embarrassing!
I see many videos on social media today. So many videos make me laugh, but all
I could do was look at this video and say this is very sad.  I begin to read the comments below the post.
There were thousands of comments shooting the young lady down and slashing her.
People called her a 304 basically. The new term “THOT”. They said how nasty and
disgusting she was.  She probably had
discharge from chlamydia and so on. People were saying really horrible things.
As I read these comments, it really hurt my heart. It wasn’t even me.  I wondered how many people who were
commenting had ever had a moment where they did something embarrassing. How
many of them went to a party drunk looking ridiculous? How many of them went
out half-naked in they stilettos thinking they were cute? How many of them have
ever fornicated? How many of them have never made mistakes? But most
importantly, how many of them have taken time out their day to uplift someone
who didn’t even really deserve it.

I may not be the person to get on stage and twerk with booty
shorts on. My mama raised me better then that and those personal convictions
have kept me from making a lot of negative decisions. But I have made mistakes
and God’s grace has protected me. I have messed up in different ways. I haven’t
made the best decisions, but God’s grace is amazing towards me. I don’t feel
that it is in my character to judge or even say that it is nasty. All I can say
is that it is sad.  Before God cleaned us
up and before he sent his son to die on the cross for our sins. We were all
nasty, but now in him we have “Amazing Grace”.

As I looked at this video, I didn’t want to tell this girl
that she was nasty. I felt like I just wanted to reach out and save her. I
wanted to reach out and give her a hug sister to sister.  I wanted to tell her that you are beautiful
and demonstrate your talents and your worth through your knowledge to lead the
world. I didn’t want to tear her down, but lift her up. She had been torn down
enough, but who was there to lift her up.  I begin to think I wish more women were like this,
but yet most are so quick to pass judgment. I want to see others do well! Maybe
it is the teacher in me. I want to be able to see my students grow up to be
successful. I want to see them conquer and surpass all the stereotypes in this
society. I want my African/African American boys to not get caught up in drugs
and jail. I want my African/African American sisters to be able to stand
against society’s expectation of broken hearts from premarital sex, STDS, teen pregnancy,
and so on. In order to see this then we must not judge those who may not even
deserve it, but encourage our sisters and even brothers around us. So let’s
start today and dare to be bold and different.

Fear is a liar!

FEAR IS A LIAR

   www.googleimages.com

It was just one of those days. You know! One of those days where nothing seems to be going right. One of those days that you would rather just be left alone. One of those days where you have worked your butt off and you still come in last place.

Truth be told, we have all had those days where we have felt defeated and stressed out. I have come to realize that even on THOSE days, we must rise above the fear that tries to come against us.

So I was riding in my car on the way home after a long afternoon. I begin thinking about all that had transpired in one day. Isn't it also funny how when one defeat occurs then you think of all the other defeats you have experienced in life? We concentrate on these things so much that we forget about the victories.

 I shook it off! I refused to let the devil get glory in what seemed like the worst timing ever. I begin to thank God for the the victories. I begin praising God in the midst of my situation for the perfect timing in which my life existed.

 I have come to the understanding that everything in my life happens for a reason so I can chose to make the best out of it or give in to worry. I can choose to take lemons and turn them into lemonade or I can choose to listen to fear.

At that very moment that I begin to praise God then this song by Zach Williams came on the radio:


When he told you you're not good enough
When he told you you're not right
When he told you you're not strong enough
To put up a good fight
When he told you you're not worthy
When he told you you're not loved
When he told you you're not beautiful
That you'll never be enough
Fear he is a liar
He will take your breath
Stop you in your steps
Fear he is a liar
He will rob your rest
Steal your happiness
Cast your fear in the fire
Cause fear he is a liar

As tears begin to flow down my face, I knew God had heard me and this scripture came to mind.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. Psalm 139:14


We have all had those days but it gives me comfort just to know that God is with me. He is leading every area of my life.
Footnote: Some people are not meant to be taking where God is trying to take you. We have to leave some people behind. God is getting ready to do a new thing in your life that is going to blow your mind.

When you experience rejection, rise above it. When you experience betrayal, rise above it. God will give you the desires of your heart. God will provide you with the right thing at the right time. So don't let fear overtake your life.

So I say this to you! To the sister who feels like your best is not good enough....you are amazing.  To the brother, who feels defeated by life....push on.

God is doing a new thing and we can't let fear get in the way.

God set the vision!

When God sets the vision, we can believe that it shall come to pass when we choose to walk in his will...

Wow God!

After college, I graduated with my degree in Education. I wanted to conquer the world at that point only to find that their was a crisis in Education. No one was hiring! There was a freeze on hiring and budgets were being cut shorter and shorter in Education. 

I was appalled!

You mean to tell me that I had done ALL this work only to be unemployed.

The devil is a lie. 

I soon got a job at a charter school. There were no public schools that were hiring.

Furthermore, I soon understood why this school had several vacancies. The school had several issues that no one would even believe if I told it. I wanted to quit and throw in the towel. Give up this career and start over! This is not what was in the textbooks. It end up being a blessing in disguise as I developed tough skin, creative thinking patterns, and a quick mind to act. God sent people to bless me along the way and it was a stepping stone for where I am today. 

Soon, public schools were hiring and I took my place as a second grade teacher. I taught second grade for five years. In those five years, I was awarded rookie teacher of the year. I took a leap of faith and moved to a new town and district. The same year I was astonished to find out that I had gotten teacher of the year my first year on the campus.

I have faced battles, but my good days outweigh the bad ones. I have found joy in the simplest things. 
Then, there are those moments where you want to give up, but God sends one more unexpected gust of air that pushes you. 

Now here it is...

As a child I had a dream that I would be teaching Special Education students. I woke up from that dream wondering where did it come from. I even kinda laughed at the dream.
Now I teach SPED. I get to work with amazing students all across the school. The thing that I once thought was impossible as a child became the vision God truly had for me.
I have met so many people along the way who have blessed me. I have worked with amazing teams of teachers. I get happy at the simplest things. I smile outwardly and cry inside when my students make progress. I believe that God will bless their minds to be the hope of our future.

Yes, I know there will be hard days, but God has a vision for my life. Some things have not yet come to pass, but I am believing what he said in Jeremiah 29:11. He knows the plans for my life and they are good.

He know the plans for YOUR life. Use your words to claim good! 

Adriann Takes a Stand Book Release

Book Trailer

Just be you!

                                                                                                                www.googleimages.com




I have never really been out to a please people, but really more after about the age of 24-now as I have chosen to focus on deeper goals and things that really matter.


I have seen it through my eyes based on the lives of others that it is true that people will forget the 10 million good things you have done and fault you for the one. People will always be people whether there is fault to find or not.  And beyond that, I am no dummy to realize that it would not be any different for me under the right circumstances.
So I just choose to love as God has loved me but I am very careful to those who I surround myself with. Honestly, I rather have a small circle of real people than a huge circle of phony ones.

It is even more evident in today's world of social media where people will blast someone on a viral post. They will comment, "I would never do that." They are stupid. I always knew they were A, B, and C back then." All in the while I'm thinking, 'Be quiet you didn't know nothing'.

We take so much time bashing people instead of trying to lift them up that it is ridiculous.
We live in a world of hypocrites who believe others can't fall in the midst of their own struggles.

But the question is:

What would your viral story look like if it was exposed? or
What would your life have looked like if you weren't rescued by grace?

I want you to remember today that people don't define your story. You have the choice of how you handle things and where you put your choices.  You can either live a life of wisdom or defeat.

I am grateful that I have allowed God to define my story even though I haven't always done it right and will continue to make some mistakes.

Artist Tauren Hills says it best when he says,

 "On the mountains, I will bow my life
To the One who set me there
In the valley, I will lift my eyes
To the One who sees me there

When I'm standing on the mountain
I didn't get there on my own
When I'm walking through the valley
I know I am not alone!"

God is always with me. He doesn't leave me alone in the valley, but at the mountain tops I shouldn't forget how I got there. My life is not defined by the riches or lack of. I am the hands and feet of a God who truly loves all of us.

So if we are not the voice and hands of compassion then who will be. 

You are not alone!

I work part time at a tutoring center outside my regular teaching job. For some reason that day, the students on my schedule were late showing up for their session. My coworker next to me asked if I wanted to start a session with one of her students.

I responded with a "yes" and jokingly said, " I am lonely over here." The little girl she had chosen hurried over. I had worked with her before and she was very quiet and kind. As small and cute as she was...she peered over her pink glasses, looked at me with a serious,concerned look, and begin to speak.... She said, "You don't say that. No, don't you feel that way. You are never alone. God is always with you. I know because I accepted Jesus Christ into my life and I know."

My coworker next to me and I were like "Wow" in astonishment as she had said it with great conviction, compassion, and force. I stated,         " You are right. I am never alone. You go girl."

I had to pause and think...

What about those moments we feel lonely and incomplete? What about those moments of solitude when we feel like God has forgotten about us?
It is human nature to feel lonely, but when I remember that I am not really alone then it does something to my demeanor. My head is no longer hung down, but raised up in knowing that God will never leave us despite challenges or imperfections.

Those words speak to me. "You are not alone. God is with you."

I do have moments where I feel lonely, but it is okay because I know God has so much more for me and he does for you too.

Thank you Lord for reminding me today that I am never alone.