Joanna Grace Farmer

Liberating One's Self: Healing and Helping Others Do the Same So that Together, We Can Reach Our Highest Potential

Category: mothers

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ancestral legacy / blessings / commitment / daughters / gratitude / love / mothers / purpose / success / ubuntu

ourstory continues to unfold…

I’ve learned more in one week than I could have imagined about the love I share with my daughter. All grown up now and preparing for the next steps in her journey, I’m grateful to be part of it…through thick and thin, I know that we are moving…FORWARD. It’s the last day of our visit and my gratitude for the time we shared is more than my sadness, but the tears still come. Love this young lady. Faith Matthews. Cherish the ones you love. Don’t just tell them. Show them. Give them the best of your listening. Give them the best...

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ancestral legacy / blessings / celebration / good memories / honor / hope / love / mothers / remember / tribute

Mother’s Day 2022 Tribute

Mother’s Day 2022 reminded me of why I have to remember, celebrate, and honor my Beloved Mother. It’s truly a blessing when you have so many good memories of a woman who made a difference in so many lives, in her own special way. I give abundant gratitude to my Beloved Ancestor, Margene Pepper Farmer, for being the kind of mother who left a powerful and important legacy…an eternal legacy of faith, hope, and love. Ase!

birthdays / celebration / cherish / daughters / mothers / solar return / tribute / upendo/love

My 60th Solar Return…

My amazingly wonderful daughter Faith wrote this on Facebook, on February 24, 2022, helping me get My Year of 60 off to a great start. My mom is one of the most resilient people I know. Today she celebrates sixty solar returns! For all the trauma, stress, strain, sickness, injustice, you name it, she’s just grown. And I mean real growth. The mother I grew up with is a different kind of mother today. The relationship we used to have is a different one today. I’m blessed to be a witness to her incredible strength, to her advocacy, and perseverance....

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ancestors / died by suicide / fathers / grief / healing / mothers / suicide awareness / suicide prevention / transition

Remembering for the Sake of Not Forgetting

This blog post shares information about suicide. If you or someone you know is in a crisis, needs help immediately, and is located in the U.S., please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; For TTY Users: Use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 1-800-273-8255.) or the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741. Find more information and resources at www.thestabilitynetwork.org/mental-health-resources/. Remembering can be traumatic…especially in the midst of a tragedy. It’s taken me years, decades even, to write about my parents’ transition to the ancestral realm, about how they died, how they passed on. I dealt with...

ancestral legacy / changemakers / daughters / educators / encouragers / fathers / good memories / hope / insight / love / mothers / musings / wisdom

Happy 57th Anniversary, Mama and Daddy! Rest in peace…rest in power.

Reflection ~I’m celebrating my Mama and Daddy today. Here they are…my Father giving my Mother a surprise birthday party, bringing out her amazing dimples and sparkling personality. I remember that day and so many others…filled with good memories of life, love, and laughter. I cherish these times because my parents were good people. They left quite a legacy of faith, hope, and love…doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. They were united in their belief that “we the people” could and would form a more perfect union. Observation ~Memories can bring pain especially when tragedy is...

adults / children / family / global citizens / good memories / gratitude / highest potential / inter-generational / Jonathan / joy / listening / love / mothers / musings / sons

walking with Jonathan…

I used to walk with him to school, discussing our plans, coming up with all kinds of great ideas. When I first visited Melbourne, Australia to spend time with my precious gift from The Most High, I walked with him on his way to work. Wow, wow, wow…here we are over 30 years later…still walking together…still sharing our plans and great ideas. Oh what a journey…oh what a blessing my Sun is to me. Grateful… 

community activists / community organizers / identity / mothers / musings / Paulo Friere / professionals

The Real Me…

All too often we hide behind our professional masks afraid to show the real me. The “me” that’s just one side of the professional me. It’s as though we can’t really be ourselves. When I turned 55 in 2017, I realized even more strongly how important it is to not hide behind my professional mask. I’m learning to connect that mask with my true identity, the Joanna who loves to live, love, and laugh. Besides my prestigious degrees and well-educated life, I’ve been even more fortunate to experience other cultures through food, language, clothes, and traditions. I’ve also been fortunate...

Black women / children / communication / connect / daughters / encouragers / Faith / good speech / gratitude / insight / inter-generational / joy / listening / love / mothers / musings / quality time / self-care / stress management / wellness / wisdom

reaching out…asking for help

Reflection ~It’s so important to reach out…to ask for help. I was feeling some kind of way today. Being an activist is hard work and I definitely needed a break so I took it. Glad I did…it was a blessing because I know I’m standing on the shoulders of greatness but I’ve got to take a step back sometimes. Remember who’s really in charge: GOD.  Observation ~Who answered my call for help? The one and only, my amazing, incredible, phenomenal woman, my very own Faith, my daughter. Her wisdom is a balm to my Gilead. Thank YOU, Faith. I needed...

Africa / Chi-Town / Chicago / gratitude / happiness / identity / joy / mothers / musings / representation / Sankofa forward / travel / Westside

you take yourself wherever you go…

Reflection ~long hair…short hair…dreadlocks…perms….African garb…regular garb…Chi-Town…Westside…east coast…west coast…down south…midwest…up north….Australia…Africa…if it’s one thing that rings true it’s what my Mama said…Joanna Grace…yes, Ma…her dimples smiled…just remember this…you take yourself wherever you go. Observation ~what would I do without all of the people who showed me just how important it is to be you. :~)