August’s Gift: Community and the Legacy We Create

Legacy & Community

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Legacy & Community 💕🎗️

August has come to a close, and as I pause to look back, one word keeps echoing: legacy. This month reminded me that every step I take is not just about me—it’s about the community I serve, the family I nurture, and the future I’m building through the work of advocacy.

Most Memorable time in August!

Recovering from a car accident in July could have easily slowed me down, but instead, August became a month of unexpected blessings. I found myself sitting at dinner with Ryan Clark—an experience that reminded me of the power of connection and the importance of showing up even when life feels heavy. Those moments of community reminded me that we are never walking this road alone.

On a deeply personal note, August also marked a milestone: my son turned 16.

He is my first child, my trait warrior, and a living testimony of God’s grace. His very presence reminds me that my purpose is rooted in more than just my own journey. The complications surrounding his birth could have left me hopeless, but now I watch him grow into a young man, and I know without a doubt—I am here for a reason. His life is my reminder that legacy is not just about what I leave behind, but what I nurture right now.

Advocacy has been both a struggle and a gift. It has required adoption of a calling that I didn’t always feel ready for. It has demanded creativity and persistence. It has pushed me to engage with my community in ways I never imagined. And through it all, I see that advocacy itself is a form of legacy—each story told, each event organized, each moment of showing up creates ripples that extend far beyond me.

But August also carried a lesson: life does not always go as planned.

Unexpected detours force us to adapt, to shift, to reimagine how we carry our vision forward. If we don’t allow ourselves to adjust, we risk losing sight of what really matters. In those shifts, I found God reminding me that purpose is not about perfection—it’s about presence.

As we step into September, Sickle Cell Awareness Month, I carry with me the spirit of August. I carry gratitude for the community that surrounds me and the legacy that is unfolding in ways I never expected. Advocacy is not just my calling—it’s a way of ensuring that others know they are not alone, that their voices matter, and that their stories will continue to echo long after today.

Community and legacy—that is the gift August left me. And for that, I thank God.