Chicken Fried Rice

1 lb. cooked cold brown or white rice
Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce
1lb. cooked meat (optional)
1 medium onion
1 bag/can (drained) mixed veggies
3 tsp cooking oil

Dice onions and fry in oil until almost cooked. Add rice and break rice apart while cooking. Next, pour half of the teriyaki sauce onto the rice and coat all the rice with the sauce. Cook mixed veggies if necessary or drain if needed. Add mixed veggies and chicken then mix evenly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Personal Growth!

Personal growth involves permanently changing your reaction to people and situations. You will know you have "grown" when you are able to reflect on your own progress and the things that used to get to you no longer have the same "sting". You have to know yourself and know what you will and will not tolerate to grow personally. It is a good idea to take mental notes of your progress and please believe it takes time. It really helps to be aware of when and how often you have to stop yourself and avoid people and situations that will cause you to become irate and "lose it".

I used to dread going certain places and encountering certain people for fear of myself and my response to the stress they would inevitably cause me. I often held in my thoughts and comments because I did not want to say the wrong thing or insult someone even though they had no mercy on me or my feelings. I honestly feel that everyone has a breaking point and I hope that we never get pushed to that point in any circumstance. But what can you do when someone constantly insults you and your way of life because it is different from your own? What if this happens over the course of ten or more years? At some point, you have to stand up for yourself and set the record straight.....right? What sense does it make to harbor all of these thoughts accompanied by anger and frustration and resentment and disgust when the only person that knows you are fuming on the inside is you? It can cause physical illness and mental instability so a change has to take place. You
should never allow anyone to knock you off track and you should never lose sleep over someone else's actions because the person that caused you so much internal grief sleeps good every night and they often have no clue that you are offended.

I recommend voicing your opinion the best way you know how. This is not a green light to be violent or hurtful but it is the perfect opportunity to get some things off of your chest. The next time someone does or says something you don't like it would be wise to inform them immediately and remove yourself from the situation as soon as possible. I think it is best to attack the problem at its source to stop it from re-occurring.

Only you know where you have to start, and only you will know when you have arrived. My hope is that for each step on your journey you will become Better, Brighter, and Blessed!

We are all Connected By Hope- so stay connected!
Chowan Moore Aforo

Forgive but not Forget

When most of us think about the word forgiveness subconsciously we automatically think that if we forgive someone for something we forget what they did all together, but that is not what forgiveness means at all.  Think about it, it is almost impossible to forget anything.  Some of us can look at a physical scar on our bodies and remember where we were when it happened, what our actions were after it happened and who we were with when it happened.  Hell some of can probably remember what we were wearing when it happened.  Now like I said it is almost impossible to forget anything especially something painful.  Now there are some exceptions like for insistence, if you involved in some type of traumedic situation that caused you to lose part or all of your memory.  So unless you have a medical condition you are pretty much screwed.

As a woman I sometimes feel that I was built to experience pain and started to develop my forgiveness methods in my early teens.  Not only do we start as women to develop them earlier we are groomed to be prepared for heart break we are taught by our mothers, aunts, sisters, godmothers, etc.  It must be part of our DNA.  How many times have you seen or heard a woman get her heartbroken? If you are a woman how many times have you had your heart broken into 20 million pieces?  What did you do after that situation?  Most of us start our therapy sessions whether its retail therapy, rebound therapy, alcohol or party therapy, or just plain old solitary therapy.  Once the therapeutic phase has past we look at the situation for how it was, do some self analyzing and come up with a plan on how we are not going to let that situation happen to us again.  But don't let it be a day when we are alone at home cleaning the house and our song comes on whether it be Sweet Lady by Tyrece, Let's get it on by Marvin Gaye or some other R&B crooner: like the flip of a switch we remember everything that was done to us again and relive the pain.

So let me share with you my definition of the word forgiveness: "acknowledging past transgressions and mistakes made by you to yourself, others to you, etc.  Understanding the circumstances surrounding the incident(s), looking beyond their judgments and the why behind it and coming up with healthy coping strategies to grow from the situations so that you will not be continuously victimized by it or them."  Just like all coping strategies it is up to you to come up with a personal method that you will use to get you through and help you move forward beyond this point.  Now just because you use it once doesn't mean that you won't think about the same incident whether it be today...tomorrow or even 5 years from now.  You just have to revisit your forgiveness strategy/method regularly and revamp it depending on the situation.

Clap for yourself!

As a new week is upon us I have decided to begin this week with a discussion about self esteem. Having high self esteem gets me labeled as a bitch. Low self esteem.....well.....that just feels awful. I've been there and done all that. Some people have shared that they feel good about themselves when they accomplish difficult tasks or make a major move like graduating from college or getting a new job. Personally, my self esteem is always boosted after prayer, putting on the right clothing, and some baaaaad (meaning good) earrings, and saying to myself "Girl, you look good".

I feel that if we don't uplift ourselves, nobody else will! It is important to love yourself, forgive yourself, and encourage yourself. The same way you would give someone else a compliment-start with You! As a social worker, writer, volunteer, mother, etc. I lose sight of what makes me "ME". It is important to look good, feel good, and do good.

Ladies, clap for yourself, celebrate any and all accomplishments, and do something for yourself this week.

Until next time, #stayconnected# We are all Connected by Hope!
Chowan Moore Aforo

The Journey Ahead

"I walked all these miles, I learned all these lessons.  It's as if my new life was the gift I got at the end of a long struggle." Cheryl Strayed

Throughout life we experience trials and tribulations; lessons and blessings.  The road maybe long and tough but the reward at the end is living a life you truly love.  With each test we experience we are accepting God's challenge to determine how strong we are and how far we have come.  If we hold fast to the road ahead knowing in our heart that this journey will lead us to where we were meant to be it will all be worth the extra stress.

Today's Challenge:  Take sometime today and reflect on an obstacle recently that you had to overcome.      While meditating on that obstacle don't focus too much on the problem, what was the blessing that you received from it.   Bask in the glow of that moment of victory.