It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

My favorite time of the year has always been around the holidays. I look forward to the food, fellowship, fun and films. Once September rolls around I begin searching out the list of new movies to be aired on BET, OWN, Hallmark and Lifetime. Particularly, I find myself searching for those movies where the main characters look like me and in recent years the television networks have understood the assignment!

Last year was vastly different though, primarily because everyone was still wading through the uncertainty brought on by the pandemic. The usual "hustle and bustle" seemed to be missing as we were relegated to internet interaction with family and friends with whom we could not visit on account of the social distancing restrictions still in place. The air emitted a strange chill devoid of the anticipated buzzing of catch-up conversations, hugs, laughter and warmth. Concerns were mounting as the surge in Covid-19 cases continued to dominate the headlines of almost every media outlet across the country. Many opted to stay at home clinging to hopes of a not too distant future where we can all gather again. During this time I depended solely on what was on television to provide some sense of normalcy. Each holiday movie cultivated an atmosphere for that which I desperately needed - peace and tranquility.

Fast forward one year later, and a whole lot has changed! Although we are not our of the woods yet the rumblings of normalcy are being echoed across the globe. The highways, byways and airways have been reopened. Today is the first day of December, thanksgiving is already one week behind us, and it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. As is my custom, my movie list is queued and ready to go and I want to bring as many of you on this journey with me as will come. With that being said, each day this month I will tell you about a holiday movie I have watched and offer my reflections on it.

I am Onica, the Prayer Strategist! I create spaces for persons to: get past their hurt, embrace their healing, and live into their wholeness. How I accomplish this task is by helping persons turn their thoughts, tests, and the text into talks with Jesus.

The goal for these posts is to have fun, give you a glimpse into my way of thinking about picture and scripture, and to expound on the messages of hope embedded in these stories. It is my prayer that you will share these short reflections near and far. This too is our act of spreading joy to the world!

We have so much work to do together. Will you join me?