Good Roots

I think I love this beautiful life.

Happy Sunday!

I love Sunday Forever so much so I am always happy when I am able to share with you.  Sunday Forever is fully from the heart, created with intention and I am excited you continue to read and contribute to this great legacy. I am always pouring into myself, hence the creation and exploration of Sunday Forever. A brand rooted in self-love, self-reflection, and generational abundance. But for me August is always a new beginning, August has been a beautiful month, full of slow and intentional weekends, and finding romance in the everyday moments so I don’t feel so rushed. I am so grateful that God is always faithful. I am working on being more faithful to him, too. I want to always have strong roots, and grow freely in whatever direction my nature directs me. I love that God knows how to fill the cracks with rich soil. During my pause or the questions I have about his plan for my life, he is still working beneath the surface tending to my garden. Isn’t it crazy that we think that disappointments or hardships separate us from his plan, but even in those moments we are still blessed and he has planted us like trees by water, fruitful in every season. 

Like me, I am sure you have felt the heat before. There’s naturally a heat wave across the nation and every day we’re faced with making decisions or being pulled in different directions and constantly having to devise new plans. But hello it’s me again, Abeni with your Sunday reminder to move out of God’s way. And while you’re doing so, tend to your garden so that the next generation can eat from your fruit. I’ve never shared this story with you here but I experienced a company-wide layoff that caused me so much grief. I understand that it’s inevitable and not a reflection of my success but after I wondered why God would allow me to experience more grief after losing my favorite, my one and only sister. It made me feel stagnant in my career, make the spontaneous decision to move, and completely took away my savings I was in a position where I dreaded the cost of being a creative woman entrepreneur, wondering when I would see a return on my investment for all the prayers and seeds I’ve sown over the years. I'm not too fond of how money brings about so much shame but I’m happy to tell you that today I am so grateful for the layoff. My petals may have wilted slightly but my head, my body, my heart, and my roots were always stretched toward the radiant sun, constantly growing, loving, and preserving. 

I’m human so of course I worried what people would say or how it would look. We live in a world that celebrates you when you’re up and can sometimes count out when you’re down. But I am here as a testament of God’s love. God is a restorer and if I’ve learned anything worrying about what society thinks of you or what someone says is a waste of your brilliance. Your story is your story. Your life is a testament to God’s love. And the more we fall in love with who we are, our authentic selves, and our purpose, we can add to the chapters of our lives. 

I think I love this beautiful life. And I love yours, too! So keep stretching toward your dreams, my friend. Kayla and I are so happy to flood your inboxes this Fall and I’ll be back with more announcements about our expansion in Dallas. 

As we continue to move through this season, I encourage you to revisit some of our past stories, recipes, and interviews from Sunday Forever. There’s a wealth of wisdom, inspiration, and delightful flavors in those reflections that might offer you new insights and comfort.

Happy Sunday! I love you! Now go tend to yourself.

Illustrations by Kayla Salisbury