Believe in Yourself: Built by Words, Guided by Faith

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. Actually, scratch that. I was writing before I could remember much of anything else. At three years old, barely tall enough to reach the table, I was already scribbling my little heart out. Now I watch my nieces doing the same, and I absolutely adore it. Writing became my world, my escape, my comfort, my way to understand life and sometimes avoid it.

Most of my childhood feels a million miles away, but the pieces I do hold onto all have one thing in common… words. I had a wild, vivid imagination. I was writing poetry before I even knew what poems were. To me, putting feelings on paper felt safer than saying them out loud. Honestly, that is still true today. People would tell me, “You have a way with words,” and I believed them, not because I thought I was special, but because writing felt as natural to me as breathing.

By junior high, I was the girl who could turn someone’s crush into the perfect love letter. In high school, I was writing reports for classmates for a dollar. This was the late 80s and 90s and a dollar could get you something from the candy lady back then lol. I laugh now because writing is still my job, except it pays a lot more than a buck. I am grateful to God and humbled by God's forever presence in my life. 

After graduation, I added resumes and cover letters to my list. That happened by accident, or maybe not (didn't know it was paving the way to where I am today)  -- I wrote my own resumes and did so well that I started offering to help others, often for free. My joy was not in charging people, it was in helping them land jobs and feel confident in themselves.

Then came the early 2000s, and with them, my curiosity about building websites. I taught myself HTML. Then I learned Dreamweaver. Yes, I was that person typing code line by line, teaching myself to make something from nothing. That same “teach myself” energy has carried me through my whole life.

Today, I use those self-taught skills to build my own books, not just the words, but the designs, the layouts, and the covers. My first book, It’s Not the Journey, It’s the Destination, was published through a publishing company. But I wanted control over my art, my graphics, my rights, and my vision. That is how Essence of Lavender was born.

Now, I create journals, planners, coloring books, and educational activity books for kids. I am working on two fiction books, building toward my dream of turning Essence of Lavender into a full bookstore, my bookstore. And once the time is right, I will teach others how to self-publish in their own style, their own voice, and their own way.

I still design in Illustrator and Photoshop. I embrace Canva and I am learning AI because growth never stops. I believe God gave me these skills and the willingness to learn for a reason, to create, to inspire, and to share.

My story is not just about talent. It is about a deep love for learning, a willingness to try, and a heart that refuses to quit. Every skill I have was earned through trial, error, and prayer. Every word I write carries the weight of my journey, and every book I create is a piece of my heart in someone else’s hands.

One of the most meaningful pieces I have ever made is the notebook I created in honor of my late grandmother, Lena Lavender. I gave it to her on Christmas of 2024, and she passed away on March 27, 2025. Through all my trials and tribulations, one thing will never change. No matter what I do, I will always lift up others as I climb, building a legacy for my nieces and nephews and living out the dreams of my ancestors.

 My prayer:
Lord, thank You for the gift of creation, for the words, the vision, and the ideas that flow through me. Thank you for the people whose paths will cross mine and for the opportunity to inspire and guide them. May everything I make serve a purpose, lift someone’s spirit, and reflect your light. Amen.