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Things Nobody Says Out Loud: A Brown Girl's Journey to Happiness: Foreword

Foreword By: Moquahontas     This is the story of an African American woman's journey through life, hardship, addiction, loss, and sadness...and the remarkable resilience she had to muster in order to get to the other side where joy, peace, unconditional love, and forgiveness reside.       This is the story of Sydney Jennings, a loving wife and mother who loses herself and almost loses everything that she holds dear because her of her mental health and alcoholism, brought on by loneliness, financial hardship, and marital discourse. Through self discovery, therapy, a renewal of faith, and the support of her friends and family, Sydney finds long term sobriety from alcohol and finds joy in her life, once again.      Sydney's story is important because many of us in the African American community, including myself, have very little cultural references with regards to substance abuse and mental health. Many of us are raised to "pray about it" and to not seek therapy or cou
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Accepting My Diagnosis By: Moquahontas       During both of my stints at a popular local Psychiatric Hospital, I've learned that I have what is considered a dual diagnosis. This means that I suffer from several mental illness diagnosis in addition to my allergy and addiction to alcohol.       Thankful to have health insurance that covers my treatment, and also to be at a hospital with an excellent reputation for successful rehabilitation, I intend to learn all there is to learn about being Bipolar I. I was recently diagnosed and that was a whirlwind for me. I truly believed that the projects that I was maintaining successfully was due to my amazing ability to organize, prioritize, multi-task, and complete them in record timing. However, I've since learned that the feeling of invincibility is attributed to a defect of the disorder called mania. I truly believed that I was invincible. I was juggling all these projects, daily, while working along side my co-workers a

Adventures Away...I hope...and pray!

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Abstaining from Alcohol By: Moquahontas      Last week, I relapsed after 81 days of sobriety. Abstaining from alcohol has been one of the hardest things I think I've ever tried to do, besides graphing linear equations. After my husband caught me, tongue in bottle, attempting to slurp the last of the moisture from the creases of the bottle, I simply started to cry. I hadn't even realized that I'd taken a swan dive right off of the sobriety wagon.        Prior to that, to be quite honest with you and myself, I was drinking long before I put the bottle to my mouth that Saturday afternoon. My sponsor, Jackie is a Big Book fan (which I totally understand) and often quotes paragraphs from the AA Bible via text message. She asked that I call her every day and that I attend 3-5 meetings per week during my first 90 days. Needless to say, I stopped calling her around a week before I relapsed. I missed several meetings. I began looking for ways to run errands an

We did 11 years ago...and we still do!

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Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Hugh F. T. Little, Jr. May 24, 2015 Live...Laugh...Love Finally, on May 24th, 2015, Hugh and I decided to make it official and get married. We've always referred to each other as husband and wife, and for the most part, most people in our lives regard us as a married couple.  We married at Millenium Gate Museum's Monument in Atlantic Station. We had a standing-only ceremony, outdoors, and the weather was beautiful.  The Groom wore a Gray cotton blend Hugo Boss 3-button suit and pink tie with black Stacy Adams shoes. The Bride wore a white satin and silk blend Badgely Mischka "Goddess" gown with a pearl beaded sash, white Steve Madden snake skinned sandals, and a handmade birdcage veil with pink baby roses, made by The Mother of the Groom. I also wore my grandmother's contra di orjo (Cape Verdean good luck charm) and my mother's pearl earrings, with the pearl necklace and bracelet that was a gift from my new mot