A Circle of Lessons

Within the last couple of years, I have joined a circle of friends that are interesting to say the least.  This wonderful group of friends includes men and women and for many of them they have known each other for twenty plus years.  It falls within reason to say that they have all experienced trials and tribulations in their personal lives as well as issues amongst each other.  Given the fact that there are more men within this circle often times these disagreements are overlooked and the friendships move on and continue to strive.  Nevertheless, I feel as though some of the sisters are less capable of doing the same thing.  I have discerned some feelings of low self-esteem, or a feeling of being inadequate. Often times those of us who are wrestling with such issues, make it uncomfortable and irritating for the others who are around them, which is totally uncalled for, taking the time to work on ourselves as individuals would lead to much greater sister-sister relationships.  After knowing these ladies for two years now, I’ll be the first one to admit we are all beautiful and special in our own way. 

Finding my place and staying true to me within this body of friends has been one of the hardest things I have ever had to tackle.  Because I am strong in my personal believes just going along with the flow would not work for me and being me seemed not to work for some of them.  But I realized that they had something to offer me in the area of personal growth, therefore I have committed myself to learning the life’s lesson that would lead to a better Mandy.  One area in particular in which I have grown is how to share my best and personal friends with others.  Given the fact that I am an only child from a single female home and was abandoned by my father, I developed serious trust issues.  Having a close group of friends in high school was easy, but finding a best friend was not always easy after that.  In my opinion women seemed to dislike my strong will to always look great and/or my desire to be the best at my endeavors. As long as I agreed with them or said things to boost their egos, female friends were around.  Nevertheless, while matriculating through college my best friend came along and after introducing her to my new circle of friends, as a result I ended up with two very special friends.  I have also learned the real meaning of forgiveness.  I have witnessed and experienced some very disrespectful things done with our circle, but the majority of us keep on loving each other.  Lastly but not least, I have learned that when others refuse to grow as individuals it is OKAY to cut your ties and move on.  You see a good life for a woman is a well rounded life that has balance; she knows when to stay and when it is time to leave.  She’s a woman who knows herself in-depth, who is not afraid to look in the mirror, one who can face her fears and make adjustments, a lady who is not afraid to walk alone if necessary, one who is willing to walk with others, a woman who celebrate herself as well as others and who is not afraid to go after her dreams, one who is  spiritually rooted and seeks wisdom daily, now that’s a POWERFUL SISTER!  LET’S BE POWERFUL SISTERS TOGETHER AND LIVE LIFE WELL!

In addition, don’t be afraid to learn just where you are, in the past I was accustom to running from situations and relationships that made me uncomfortable, now I look for the lesson in it before moving on if that is what is best! 

Love your sister,

Mandy

Remembering 911

Sister’s Expression would like to send out condolences to all the survivors of 911 (September 11, 2001) and to the family members of those who lost their lives.  Indeed, this tragedy will never be forgotten by Americans.  And although, words can never replace the Americans we lost on that day, it is important that we NEVER forget the ultimate sacrifice that they rendered without having a choice.

The Sister’s

Brutal Truths

During a recent conversation with a friend I realized one of my personality traits; I can sometimes be brutally honest!  During our dialogue, she shared with me that her reason for reaching out to me was because she knew I could be counted on to tell it like it is!   And although, I appreciated the call from my friend, what I could appreciate even more is her ability to receive what I had to say.  There’s nothing more irritating in the area of SISTERHOOD than having a sister ask for the truth and she not be able to cope with your response.  And because of that many friendships between women have been lost.

So let’s talk ladies…. Recently, I have allowed a new friend in my circle and the tables have turned.  I now find myself on the receiving end of her brutal truths.  Now in all honesty, I’ll be the first to admit, it is a little easier when you are in the position of giving advice.  Nevertheless, being the receiver forced me to deal with some emotions that encouraged me to allow these experiences with my new sister to be character building.  You see character building in my opinion help develop one’s inner person, which sets one aside from the norm in the area of relationships & personality. 

So here I am fully engulfed in a conversation with this new sister and she is giving me some hard facts to face in regards to another relationship in my life.  So here is where the BIG DECISION ARISES…do I get offended (when this happens it‘s usually because we’re not ready to face reality and it’s easier to direct the anger towards someone else) or face reality (which requires being totally honest with one’s self).  When the road of offence is chosen sometimes the receiver starts judging the life of advisor.  Others accuse the advisor of not being sensitive, etc., and some even go the extreme of ending a perfectly good friendship. 

Therefore, I would like to encourage all of us to be totally ready to receive advice from your sister when you ask for help.  Again, the number one way that I recommend for being ready is by being HONEST with YOU before asking.  If you know that you are married or with a buster…be willing to hear that!  If you know that you are exactly what your sister is describing concerning your personality or whatever the topic of discussion is, be ready to hear that!  I’ve heard many men say, “my boys are friends for life & girls can come and go”.  I only wish that sisters had that same kind of commitment and cohesiveness.  So many times sister lose each other over men and situations that are simply NOT WORTH IT!  Moreover, if you have a sister out there that you have not spoken with in a while because of some simple or minimal issue please consider mending things! 

Love Ya,

Mandy