A New Leaf

Hello Beautiful People!

It has been a long time coming and that is because for the month of July I decided to take a much needed break from blogging. I needed to get away in order to hear from God on some things and refresh. Sometimes it's easy for me to get caught up in pouring into other people without filling up my own tank. I ended up feeling lifeless and uninspired because I neglected to find time to recharge. One of my favorite quotes of all time is from TD Jakes sermon entitled New Rooms. He says, " If you don't take care of yourself you won't be available to take care of anyone else. You must find time to feed your gift." He then goes on to share his philosophy on how to nourish your gift; which is finding five different streams that "feed" you as an individual. For example, in order for me to feel rejuvenated I chose to read, paint, exercise, pray and surround myself with positive and motivated people. All of these things helped me feel enriched and ready for this tremendous next season that I'm stepping into.

I CANNOT wait to fill you guys in on some of the amazing things that I have been working on lately. In the upcoming months the blog will be featuring some projects that are foreign to the original content that formed ByMaureé in the beginning, but I truly believe that these projects will be an expansion of God's intent for the blog.

Also, shoutout to my beautiful new friend Nkemm who allowed some friends and I to roam around her beautiful flower shop, A New Leaf, and take some heavenly portraits. If you are ever in the Lincoln Park or South Loop areas you have to stop by one of their stores. If you are a lover of flowers and plants like me, you will LOVE this place. Whenever I walk into A New Leaf I feel like I'm stepping into an oasis outside of the city that is brimming with roses, palm trees and peonies. I also feel like the name of the shop couldn't be any more fitting.

Speaking of a new leaf, I am experiencing a profound amount of "newness" in my life right now. Nothing seems to be like it was a year ago, if not even a month ago! Stepping into new territory can sometimes be frightening, but other times it's a breath of fresh air. I never want to get to a point in life where I stop experiencing new things. As of now I am embracing the changes and allowing myself to say yes to the unfamiliar patterns of God.

Top: H&M / Skirt: Thrifted / Shoes:  Topshop — Top: H&M / Skirt: Thrifted / Shoes: Topshop

Word of Wisdom: Don't ever get to a point in your life where you feel like you "get" God. His plans for your life are way BIGGER than you could ever wrap your head around. You'll never be that smart.

With that being said, keep your heart and mind open to the unexplainable ways of God because you never know when He's about to turn over a new leaf.