THIS was the first time I met Mr. Ross, and I must thank him for not hesitating to let us use his beautiful establishment for our most recent book event. It was great to see people like Nadira Budram, Dr. Rose October, Romance Kallicharan, Allyson Sheapersaud, Cindy Brown, Ken Rampersaud, Archie Graham, March Wisely and so many others. I must thank Gypsy Persaud for chairing the programme, and Maria for capturing these precious moments on camera. The authors shared their inspiring journeys, and from all feedback, their stories motivated those in attendance.

Dr. Bowen and Allyson decided it was not going to end there, so we proceeded to a very ‘hip’ restaurant that had delicious food and chatted about things in life that got us to this point. It is always an honour to be in the company of progressive minds with hearts to serve humanity.

We walked a few blocks to our car, laughing at something funny Bowen would have said, and the chill of the night felt great. I love to smile and laugh, and heard somewhere it will make me look young! Talking about looking young! The next day I met a lady at our book event at the Secaucus Public Library in New Jersey; the one and only Shirley Hendricks, a fashionista with a winning personality.

The book event in New Jersey was of a different nature, and more intimate. Patrons joined the authors in the storytelling, and it was powerful. Ms. Shirley shared how her fashion began years ago at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology), and how she navigated as a black woman in a predominantly white world of fashion. At 82, she is full of life, and I see so much of me in her. She will be launching a podcast to motivate seniors to live a full life instead of waiting to die. I believe this is needed, and will be a powerful podcast that will help many to live instead of just existing.

My sister and her 10-year-old daughter were there, and the stories certainly opened up her mind. Zi, who is one of my mentees in Guyana, was fortunate to join us. Our books are now in the library, and we are grateful for their partnership.  After our session, Sara, Nadira and I sat outside Dunkin Donuts and had bagels, chai and coffee while chatting about the challenges of the last few years. Sara was excited that she drove herself from NY to Jersey for the first time, and conquered her fear of going through tunnels.

The person who was going to drive us could no longer do so, and she had no other option but to do it herself. Sometimes we hate it when we are put in a situation to grow, but appreciate it later.

The fitting climax to this empowering weekend was attending Liberty Bible Church with Nadira and Bibi, and celebrating Senior Pastor Michael’s 82nd birthday with him. He is a role model to further look bright for a church he started in his living room decades ago. His son and my friend’s pastor continue the legacy he started. From what I experienced on Sunday, Pastor Joe need not worry, because his three sons are following in his footsteps, especially Jonatan, who is now ministering overseas. That is a blessing.

I always enjoy the worship at Liberty when I travel. I always enjoy lunch or dinner at Stardust when I am in NY, and my friend Nadira made it on the agenda. Nadira took the day off to take me to Stardust. I fell in love, and she also wanted us to attend a Broadway show, but time did not permit.

Now is just the beginning of a powering mission to Africa that God has made possible. In the coming weeks, I will be sharing some captivating stories as we continue to celebrate this beautiful journey called life BEYOND THE RUNWAY.