As I Get Older…

20 Aug 2013 4 Comments

by ohemmawrites in Creative Writing, Life Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

UnknownUnknown-1

Hello my lovely butterflies,

Today is the one year anniversary of OhemmaWrites.com!!!

I am so proud and blessed to say that I have written my thoughts and shared my feelings with YOU for an ENTIRE year.

In return YOU have inspired, appreciated and supported my initiative unconditionally.

Thank you!

“OhemmaWrites” is not only about my passion for words, but also my love of art.
So be on the look out for brand NEW additions to the OhemmaWrites page.

OhemmaWrites.com will be filled with MORE poetry, MORE music, MORE personal posts and of course MORE positivity!!

images-4

Now, as some of you may know and for those which don’t, I launched the OhemmaWrites website last year in 2012, on my birthday, August 21st!

It was my gift to myself. A project I started and loved. My vision, my work and my words came to life through OhemmaWrites.com and I am still extremely grateful.

images-6
Since the start of OhemmaWrites in 2012 up until today, many things haveUnknown-3 occurred in my life. All experiences were necessary to get me to where I am today, and as much as they moved me, they also grew me.

Officially being a year older and a bit wiser, I believe in the statement, “the more love and knowledge you share, the more that will come back to you .”

So as a 24th birthday gift to myself, today, I wanted to spread my wisdom and share my “OhemmaWrites list of the 24 things I know to be true” based on the years I’ve been alive.

Here it goes!

“OhemmaWrites List of the 24 things I know to be true”

1. Don’t confuse the ppl who are always around with the ones who are always there. There’s a difference.
2. You can be a good person and still make bad choices. It’s what makes us human.
3. Help can come from unexpected people, places and things. Always embrace it and be grateful.
4. Acceptance of the things you can’t control makes everything better.
5.Time makes everything better.
6. Be patient, be still. Things have a way of working themselves out.
7. It’s wonderful, fun and comforting to have an advocate at home, in the workplace and generally in life , but with or with out, your greatest ally must be you.
8. There’s no growth when you are comfortable. Be uncomfortable.
9. It’s okay to not know. (I.e. life, career, relationships…)
God guides best when YOU don’t know because HE does. Let go and let HIM use you.
10. Music can heal. Find that one song that always makes you feel better & don’t be afraid to play it, All the time!..
11. Trust your gut, even when things don’t make sense. The gut doesn’t lie.
12.A person who really loves you never gives up on you, no matter the time, problems or distance. If they do, they never really loved you. Love is patient.
13. Smile at strangers now and again, you never know what they’re going through. Smiling may even help YOU as you’re going through…& You WILL make it through!!!
14. It’s okay to change your mind.
15. Happiness is a choice.
16. Don’t wait for life to throw something big at you before you pause and pay attention. Appreciate and notice the little signs. The details.
17. “Find what you love & let it kill you”- Bukowski ..is the best quote for following your passion.
18. It’s okay to want company but always be content with just your own.
19. Books are beautiful,read some and tell people about it.
20. God doesn’t always give you what you ask for but he WILL always supply all your needs. Even if there is only 1% of faith left in you, don’t let go. Always believe things will turn around and one day they will.
21. “You don’t need a certain amount of friends, only a friend you can be certain of”… & that’s real.
22. Loving yourself is an everyday process, don’t get frustrated. Everybody’s going through the process.
23.At the end of the day, YOU have to live with YOU. Make sure YOU’RE someone YOU can be proud of.
24. Writing, singing, talking, any form of expression is the best feeling in the world. Try it. Often!

Iv’e learned, as I got older…

images

I appreciate you all!!!

My OhemmaWrites subscibers/followers/friends, this year will be BETTER than before. Claim your victory and you shall receive it.

I hope some thing I have shared with you via OhemmaWrites.com has been beneficial.

Make sure to follow OhemmaWrites on ALL social networks and keep YOUR positivity flowing at all times!!

Love you very much!!

Stay you & enjoy,
~ Queen
Xoxoxo

Life’s Greatest Question…

24 Jun 2013 12 Comments

by ohemmawrites in Creative Writing, Life Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

images

First off I must say, I’ve missed all of my OhemmaWrites readers and followers soooo very much!

I haven’t updated this site in a while because as you all know “life” happens.
Still, in the midst of “life” happening, I’ve managed to continue my observations of the beauty and humor in it all.….

During my hiatus from writing, I was reading.

Recently I finished an AMAZING book titled, “Peace from Broken Pieces”  by Iyanla Vanzant.

Ms.Vanzant, by the way, is one of my favorite inspirational and spiritual teachers!

I would like to recommend “Peace from Broken Pieces” to EVERYONE .

Especially women of all ages.  It is a MUST READ!… Peace-from-Broken-Pieces-Vanzant-Iyanla-9781401928223

Since I love the illustrative and creative use of words, I highlighted a lot of  “Peace from Broken Pieces”. However, there was one passage in particular which I read and instantaneously memorized.

I would like to share it with YOU.

The quote was:

” When you don’t know who you are

Chances are you don’t know what you want,

When you don’t know what you want

There is no chance for you to get it”

……

Powerful. Simple. And makes SO much sense. (Re-read it if necessary!)

This statement changed my life. I’m sure.

The only way to be content, happy and successful is to get what you want but first you must KNOW what you want… Not guess, not think but KNOW what you want. And it should never be told TO you.

Now, go a little deeper and you will find the true foundation for knowing what you want, is knowing who YOU really are….

In essence, it’s all about YOU!  images-1

I personally had to stop and question myself …”Queen, who are you?”

If someone took away the hair from Brazil, the makeup, the nails, the friends, the family, the influence and pressure of society, with absolutely no money and no material things …who would I be?

If I removed all of the uncertainty, the masks, the lies, noise and distractions from YOUR life and asked you, “who are YOU?” …What would you reply?

Unknown

Who are you?

Because until YOU know the answer to that question, getting what you want is unlikely…

Unknown

The first step I decided to take in  figuring myself out  was acceptance and yes, as a 23-year old young woman, I am still learning to accept myself. Everything. Flaws and all.

Unknown-3

I am still in the acceptance phase and not only does it make me truly happy but it has brought about many good things…

I accept my natural hair. I accept my sense of style and what looks pretty to me. I accept my voice. I accept my attitude. I accept my vision. I accept where I’m  at in life and I accept where I’ve been . Most of all, I am grateful for everything, big and small.

Now, if I had to answer the question, “who are you?” At this very moment my response would be:

I am Queen S. Ofori, a daughter, a lover, a friend, a fighter, an old spirit in a young body, a writer, a comedian, a motivator and a child of GOD.

So, to all my beautiful and intelligent  “OhemmaWrites” readers and followers, begin the process of answering life’ greatest question, “Who are YOU?”  I declare new things will happen in your life as you discover the greatness which YOU have inside.

Always rememeber:

” When you don’t know who you are

Chances are you don’t know what you want,

When you don’t know what you want

There is no chance for you to get it”

…..

I want you to get it. So start answering “Life’s Greatest Question”!

It all starts with you.

Love you all.

~Queen

“It” Will Come…

26 Feb 2013 11 Comments

by ohemmawrites in Life Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

images-7

Brace yourself. This story is AMAZING! (Just Saying… 🙂 )

The first semester of my junior year in college was the first time I applied for internships. I was a TV/Film major, so I focused on acquiring an internship under a TV network and/or production company. Ironically, at that time, I was presented with an internship offer for an inspirational and spiritual website.

The website was the subdivision of a major TV-network. I was very interested in the opportunity and I decided to move forward in setting up an interview.

Throughout the process, I only communicated with one person via email. She was the senior editor for the “Inspiration, Love & Family” section of the website. Her name was so pretty and unique. I knew I would never forget it.

When we met, she explained all the tasks I would be performing if I accepted the internship. Duties such as: collecting inspirational quotes and poems, finding influential and captivating stories and coming up with new ideas for the website’s content. Even though this experience was about four years ago, the thought of conducting those assignments excited me. Maybe it was a sign 🙂

Down the line, I was chosen for the website’s internship but I had to decline. I wasn’t able to receive school credit. I ended up interning for a TV network instead. (No regrets! & more about that experience another time…)

Skip to 2012. images-14images-14images-14

As I was preparing to launch THIS blog, I thought of the woman I dealt with from the website. She was such a lovely lady and when I couldn’t accept the internship with the website, she completely understood. She wished me well.

I figured she would be a great person to talk to because the website I was considering an internship with, had a lot in common with “OhemmaWrites” . Therefore I did the “Queen thing” and I wrote her. Unfortunately my email was re-sent back to me 😦

I tried contacting the website to see if she still worked there. She didn’t. At the time I didn’t think about searching for her through social media and since I had no other contact information of hers, I left it alone.

Although I really wanted to speak with her and let her know about my website, plus possibly get some helpful feedback/input, I didn’t stress it.

images-9

Then last week, the morning of February 19th, as I was half asleep I heard my phone notify me of an email. I opened one eye to see where it was coming from. It turns out it was an article from a well-known site and instead of putting my phone down, I opened the email. The first thing I saw was the name of the lady I was looking for. I actually said wow! I never doubted the name, thinking it could be anyone else. I just knew it was her.

I clicked her name though the email and it led me to her personal page. Not only is she a writer of articles, she’s a minister, author of several books and the editor-in-chief of a brand new website.

I jotted down her listed email address and twitter handle. I couldn’t wait to contact her. Although I wasn’t sure if she would remember me and the whole internship situation, much less even respond back, I wrote to her anyway.  YOLO! (You. Only. Live. Once.)

She responded back right away. THE SAME DAY. She remembered me!!!… & God-willing we’ll be meeting up and having coffee next week… 🙂 🙂 🙂

images-1

What was amazing to me about this experience was the assurance it gave me about life.

After I had searched and couldn’t find any information, I never expected to speak to this woman again. I let it go. I let things be. Her name, that email which led me to her, in essence came to me. Very effortlessly might I add. I didn’t have to struggle for it, I stopped asking around. I just lived my life. That email woke me up from my sleep, I wasn’t thinking about finding her anymore. I left it in God’s hands, knowing that if it were meant to be for us to get into contact, we would and we did.

My message for YOU is:  Whatever you’re stressing, whether it be a person, place or thing, job, money or wedding ring…just let it be. Keep living. Leave it alone. When you’re truly at peace and you least expect it, what you were once searching for, will come right to you. There won’t be a logical explanation behind it and there won’t be any complications. When circumstances are right, everything you need will be available.

Just trust life and certainly trust God.

Know that whatever  your heart is after, if it’s for you, in its own time “IT” will come…

images-7

On the “Be Encouraged” page (https://ohemmawrites.com/be-encouraged/) find a message from Ms. Oprah Winfrey. She speaks on “having faith like a mustard seed”…

Featured this week under Ohemma’s Words, (https://ohemmawrites.com/ohemmas-words/) is my poem “Billet Doux Pt. 2” . “Billet Doux” in french translates to “love letter”<3

Lastly, “It is Written…” (https://ohemmawrites.com/it-is-written/) has the “7 Ways to Stop Hurting Yourself” a powerful article written by Angel of MarcandAngel.com!

Thank you all for your continued support and feedback/comments on OhemmaWrites.com! It is very much appreciated.

Stay you & enjoy,

~Queen

For the Love of A Dream…

12 Feb 2013 6 Comments

by ohemmawrites in Creative Writing, determination, Inspiration, Life, Love, motivation, Music, Poetry Tags: , , , , , ,

images-2

 “For the Love of A Dream”

What would you do

For the love of a dream?

 How far would you go

To view sites imagined…

As precious as they seem

 Could you risk all you had

And cry countless days?

Not knowing but believing…

 You are somebody great.

 What would you do

To make all your wishes come true?

 To have a prayer finally answered

& the statement come to life, “what’s for you is for you”

 What would you do

For the love of a dream?

 Only your heart knows the vivid colors it has seen.

By: Queen S. Ofori©

images

On the “Be Encouraged” page (https://ohemmawrites.com/be-encouraged/ ) find a little appreciation from yours truly 🙂

Featured under “Ohemma’s Words”, (https://ohemmawrites.com/ohemmas-words/) is my original poem titled “My Possession”…

Lastly, “It is Written…” (https://ohemmawrites.com/it-is-written/) has some powerful love advice from the Facebook page of “Relationship Matters”.

Happy (Early) Valentine’s Day!! XOXOXO

Stay you & enjoy,

~ Queen

The Beauty of “NO”

22 Jan 2013 8 Comments

by ohemmawrites in Life Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

images-3

“I’ve learned that working with the negative can make for better pictures…”~Drake

Quick story: I have a close friend who was dating a guy over the summer of 2012. She really liked him. Everything was going well and then he started to act funny towards her. My friend has a very no-nonsense attitude, so the minute she noticed his actions she told him how she felt. He became distant and they stopped speaking. She never understood why things didn’t work out. She wondered for a while, “what could she have done to change their outcome ?”. To her, it felt like rejection but as time passed she got over it.

Fast-forward to the beginning of January 2013. One day my friend was in her house preparing to go out and her television was on the news channel. As she walked opposite of where her TV was to grab a jacket, she heard the news reporter say “a man is wanted for the shooting of his ex-girlfriend and the murder of the ex-girlfriend’s mother”. For some reason my friend’s intuition (I call it God’s voice) told her to see who that man was. However, by the time she got to the TV the guy’s picture was taken off. She just sat and paid attention to the story and then the picture was shown again. The same “wanted” guy shown on the news channel was the guy she dated in the summer time!!!

I have asked my friend for permission to share her story and my outlook.The lesson I received was this….

images-5

At times, we as human beings want things to be ideal and go our way. This can be in relation to anything; our career, education, love life, even the traffic flow on random highways, etc…And when things don’t go as planned and/or we feel rejected, we get disappointed.

As I’ve gotten older, I have become aware and accepted that life will NEVER go the way I’ve planned! So I don’t really plan much. Don’t get me wrong, I have goals and things I want to accomplish but the way I will go about achieving them is not set in stone. I am open to “life”, everything expected and unexpected. I’m no longer basing the life given to me on my time-frame. I am also open to INEVITABLE rejection…

In my friend’s situation, it seemed the “no” she received was from the guy she was dating. I believe the “no” was from God. The guy’s rejection allowed her to avoid something bigger than she could have ever imagined. He obviously was capable of murder. My verdict is the “no” worked out in her favor.

images-9

My friend is now thankful for her “no” and besides that word being said, it is also wise to say it. Not EVERY thing is meant for you and your well-being. “No”  can  save you from things seen and unseen and it can also promote you in its own way.

I say, be appreciative of all the “no’s” you’ve ever received and/or had to say. When you’re late to that interview and/or work, when that guy/girl doesn’t call back, when you don’t get accepted to that program, and even when you get lost along the way….BE THANKFUL.

KNOW that everything will work out for YOUR good. For I find there to be so much power and beauty in the word, “NO”!

*On the “Be Encouraged” page (https://ohemmawrites.com/be-encouraged/” https://ohemmawrites.com/be-encouraged/ ) find a touching and motivational one-minute clip.

*Featured this week under Ohemma’s Words, (https://ohemmawrites.com/ohemmas-words/) is an original poem titled “My Possession” by yours truly!

*Lastly, “It is Written…” (https://ohemmawrites.com/it-is-written/) has two poems from one of my favorite books of all time, Langston Hughes’ “The Dream Keeper”!

Stay you & enjoy,

~ Queen

~P.S. Remember 🙂 ….images-13

Save the Date!!

01 Jan 2013 12 Comments

by ohemmawrites in Life Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Unknown-12012. What a year! A year that came and went, filled with memories that will never be forgotten.

Unknown-2• Top of this year, January 17th, I celebrated the 5th anniversary of receiving my driver’s license. I should’ve also been getting the “Best Driver Ever” award! 🙂

• January 19th, my adorable niece turned 5 years old and January 20th, a piece of my heart went on to be with the Lord. The only Grandmother I had left and ever knew, passed away.

• March 14th, I bumped into an old friend who taught me a lot of new lessons and March 15th, I performed at a showcase. I still get excited when I look back at the footage. I can actually say “I did it!”

• April 8th, my gorgeous baby niece turned one and on June 23rd, my family had my Grandmother’s home going service.

• July 22nd, my Uncle who was also my friend, passed away unexpectedly. I gained a second angel.

• In August, my writing was published for the 1st time in a national magazine and on August 21st, as a birthday gift to myself, I started THIS blog!  faith

• September 8th, 2012, my oldest niece turned 12. Boy, how time flies! And on September 30th I was baptized, which was a beautiful experience. I also lost another Uncle…

• October 2nd, my prince/nephew turned eight and October 15th, for the first time in my life, I went to a Brandy concert. (Loved her since I was a child!)

• In November, I was voted treasurer of my choir, and in December I paid off one of my oldest credit cards and THAT is a big deal ladies and gentlemen!…

Meaningful occurrences in my life I always try to write down and most of the time I do. It is not because I won’t remember but actually being able to see a list of all that I’ve been through, boosts my confidence; not in myself but in the Lord. I am happy to know that whatever life throws at me, predicted and/or unexpected, God is ALWAYS there.

images

Isaiah 43:2

When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Every person and/or event that is significant should be cherished. The evidence of your strength, the warmth of your joyous days and life-changing moments, should always be documented. It’s all apart of your testimony!

Should you go through a situation which you are unsure of, knowing a date can make all the difference because if God did it before, HE’ll do it again.

So going forth this year, whenever something remarkable  happens– don’t forget to save the date!

images-2

Happy New Year family!

On the “Be Encouraged” page (https://ohemmawrites.com/be-encouraged/ ) find a simple reminder that can KEEP you at ease, for THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!

Featured this week under Ohemma’s Words, (https://ohemmawrites.com/ohemmas-words/) is my original poem titled  “Healing Phase”.

Lastly, “It is Written…” (“https://ohemmawrites.com/it-is-written/) has the top 10 reasons YOU should keep a journal in 2013!

Stay you & enjoy,

~Queen

Appreciate the Darkness

06 Nov 2012 4 Comments

by ohemmawrites in Life Tags: , , ,

I am a New Yorker & this past week certainly was tough. Hurricane Sandy came slow and left quick but made quite an impression. Ms. Sandy had me living in the dark! Some people still are. No electricity and I had no hot water. I actually thought I had it bad, until I went outside the morning after and noticed I wasn’t the only one without electricity. Everyone in my neighborhood was without power. As I read the paper and listened to the news, I learned there were many others throughout the tri-state area who had also been affected and lost their homes. Tragic stories of flooding, fallen trees, etc… I realized I didn’t have it bad at all. So I did not complain. I just learned the lesson.  As everything has a lesson wrapped up in it…

Until this hurricane and being without electrical energy, I never cared about being able to charge my phone and/or laptop. I flipped on switches in my house naturally and water was always cold and ready for me in my fridge. It took complete dimness to make me value the light and not just in my house but within my life.

It may sound crazy but I am actually grateful of being stuck in the house post Hurricane Sandy. The silence allowed me to calm down and think. I was able to go outside, look up and really see the stars at night and whenever the wind did pass by, the sound was music to my ears.

I am truly thankful for the darkness because I got to spend time with my family, as well as my friends.

All this to say, in your moment of darkness, don’t always be so quick to run from it because there’s a blessing in everything and things could always be worse.

In life, appreciate the darkness. It is a teacher but it doesn’t last forever.

Prayers go out to all who are still recovering from the storm…

On the “Be Encouraged” page ( “https://ohemmawrites.com/be-encouraged/&#8221; https://ohemmawrites.com/be-encouraged/ ) find a video clip of the GREAT Mike Tyson. He’s giving a lesson you don’t want to miss!

Posted under “Ohemma’s Words”, (https://ohemmawrites.com/ohemmas-words/) find a poem written by me at age 15. It’s titled “Days Like These”. I’m sure we’ve all had one….

Lastly, “It is Written…” (“https://ohemmawrites.com/it-is-written/&#8221; https://ohemmawrites.com/it-is-written/ ) has the “ABC’s of Success” by Wanda Hope Carter 🙂

Stay you and enjoy,

~Queen

Welcome Back!

28 Aug 2012 Leave a comment

by ohemmawrites in Creative Writing, Life, Love, Poetry Tags: , , ,

New week, new challenges…So Ohemmawrites.com has new material!!!

We all have decisions we must make. Even choosing not to, is a choice of its own. Therefore, I wrote a unique note of inspiration featuring a link to Martha Beck’s article, “Get Unstuck! How to Make the Right Decision Every Time”. It can be found by visiting  “Be Encouraged” or click:         https://ohemmawrites.com/be-encouraged/

Posted under Ohemma’s Words, (https://ohemmawrites.com/ohemmas-words/) find a birthday poem, written by me at 12 years old and another of my works titled, “Love at 1st sight”… Oh la la la!

Lastly, “It is Written…” (https://ohemmawrites.com/it-is-written/) has a new addition of simple & stimulating words and of course I included my favorite quote of all time 🙂

Stay you & enjoy!

~Queen