(A Reflection on Hot Flashes, Womanhood, and the Privilege of Becoming) I was sitting in an office with the air conditioner on. Fanning myself with a book. And for a moment... I almost complained. Almost. I remember thinking, "Really? In an office this cold?" Then I stopped. Because suddenly, I realized something astonishing. "Oh." This is a hot flash. And just as quickly, another thought arrived. I smiled. Because I realized... I earned this fire. No one told me I was supposed to celebrate this part. They told me to fear it. To hide it. To fight it. To mourn the woman I used to be. As though aging were a tragedy. As though changing seasons meant I was disappearing. As though womanhood came with an expiration date. But the trees do not apologize when they change. Neither will I. I earned this fire. I earned it through every version of myself I had the courage to become. The little girl who looked at the world with wonder. The young woman trying to find her place in it. The woman who loved. The woman who lost. The mother. The dreamer. The immigrant. The woman who carried everyone else's burdens while pretending she was fine. The woman who made it through the days she never thought she would survive. The woman who buried parts of herself... and planted new ones in their place. I earned this fire. And then something curious happened. As soon as I smiled... I cooled. Not because the fire wasn't real. Not because acceptance magically erased discomfort. But because, for perhaps the first time, I stopped meeting my body's message with resistance. I didn't make an enemy of it. I listened. I recognized it. I honored it. And maybe...just maybe... the body we've spent our lives criticizing has been waiting all along for us to say, "Thank you." Thank you for carrying me through every heartbreak. Thank you for carrying my children. Thank you for getting me out of bed on the mornings I didn't know how I would keep going. Thank you for surviving stress I never thought I would survive.

Have a great day everyone! 🌺

Greetings SSA Family, Let’s show gratitude for another year around the sun ☀️. Share your February birthday MM/DD/YYYY. Happy Birthday to all of the February Members 💐🎄🎁🕯️😘🎉🎂🥳🎈🎊🎁🎁 May you find the happiness, your soul desires❤️

Hi everyone I have just reached the 24hr mark of my fasting. I am feeling good so far and I am rooting for everyone. We can do this 💛💛💛

God is so good. My heart is so full. You don’t know this but I'm an ai gospel music creator. I started in July of last year sharing my prayers, story and poetry via lyrics in songs. I've been questioning this. I'm not totally monetized yet and wasn't getting feedback that my music had impact. A few weeks ago there was a shift. Messages from people giving praise to Jesus and God because my lyrics showed them proof of God's love when they needed it. Today I saw someone sing one of my songs on TikTok. Y'all my heart was beating so fast. I felt God's love so clearly. I never doubted He loved me but to SEE it. Just wow what a blessing. AND my TEENAGE sons were proud of me too! Double blessing!!! Lol 💙