From London to NY to London in 96 Hours

I have ALOT going on in my life right now so this is definitely not the opportune time for me to be in London. Among many things happening, one of the most important is that I am closing on my first home any day now. I am moving back to my old stomping ground--Harlem USA and I have been in contract for the last year. If you currently own a home then I am sure you can imagine what a challenge it is to close on a place from a different country. Last weekend, I flew back to NY in order to get some things in order on this front. I have also been doing some press for the developers of the building that I am purchasing so in addition to packing my apartment, talking to lenders and looking into movers, I spent some time conducting interviews and taking pictures for various newspapers. I am sure this sounds exciting but in the midst of all that I have going on, I found myself asking on more than one occasion exactly how I "had managed to spread myself so thin. . . again and again."
(to the left is a picture of my friend Simone, a member of Allen, and Jamila a former colleague of mine from the firm who I invited to attend the retreat.)
In addition to tending to matters relating to my purchase, I had also planned to attend the Greater Allen Cathedral Women's Retreat. Thoughts of the retreat had me so excited that even though I was so exhausted from work, the excitement about experiencing all that God had in store for me at the retreat, kept me a wake every night
(to the left is a picture of my friend Yolanda who is also a member of the dance ministry)
I have attended the Women's Retreat every year for the last 5 years and I didn't plan on letting the fact that I am in London effect this commitment. Everyone thought that I was crazy for taking a 14 round hour trip back to the states and over the last several weeks, even I had moments of doubt but as I prepared for the 7 hour flight after working 72 hours during the week, I knew that the timing of the retreat could not be more perfect. I had been physically, emotionally and spiritually drained and I needed the solitude of dwelling with God and only the retreat could provide what I so desperately needed.

Unfortunately, the retreat did not totally go as I had planned. I am definitely a planner. . . things in my life are organized a certain way and when plans do not work the way that I intend them to, I tend to loose it . . . and loose it I did. The Word for me this weekend was that I need to "stay focused." Things happen. Life happens. The important part is not the details of "what happens, happened or may happen" but how you respond to the chain of events can make all of the difference in the world.

Although I battled various attempts to steal my joy, the retreat was a blessing. It was several days filled with teaching, preaching and meditating. It felt so good to be in the midst of God and His people. . . the members of Allen who have become like family. I miss ministering with the dance ministry and I was looking forward to seeing the piece which they had been working incredible hard on the for the last few weeks. I had the opportunity to dance with them during praise and worship during the retreat and also during service on Palm Sunday. It was a tremendous blessing to minister with them and praise God through dance. For me, dance ministry is truly the highest form of unadulterated worship and honor that I have to offer to God. The last few weeks have been rough but the retreat rejuvenated me, restored me, encouraged me and gave me the tools to engage in life more powerfully.

In addition to having a wonderful experience at the retreat, my mom is returning to London with me. It's been several years since we have had the opportunity to vacation together and I am looking forward to sharing a little piece of my life in London with her. She's also going to have the opportunity to see some of her cousins that she grew up with as a child. They have not seen one another for about 30 years. It should be an exciting time for my mom, and I am looking forward to all that God has prepared for us.