Subscription Page

Please go to www.ErikaKimberly.com and subscribe to my blog!!! The feature is up and running!!! Thank you all!

New link, New look, Same me!

I knew I had to transition from blogger to a more 'formal' platform, one that gave me complete control as an individual. I didn't know that time would come so quickly. I've developed a solid group of readers here and I'm so thankful you all have decided to be apart of my writing life! I would like to ask you to do the same for my new page: ErikaKimberly.com...I'm currently working on creating space for subscriptions so you can have new blog posts sent directly to your email!

Again, thank you for reading and don't unfollow me here. I'll make an effort to post some posts from ErikaKimberly.com to this page.

xo happy november!

Facebook Fan Page

Here are 5 reasons I created a 'Fan' Page on Facebook:

1. I wanted to reach more readers for my blog (www.erikakimberly.com) and more followers for my twitter page (@erika_kimberly)
2. My friend encouraged me because SHE wanted to know more of what I was doing in my Writer life
3. I realized that Erika Kimberly is MY form of branding and I needed to snatch up the name while it was still available
4. On every other social network I have a personal and a writer page so clearly Facebook was the next move
5. I have another link to put on the business cards I'll be creating soon :o)

**here's the link, please check me out and 'LIKE' 

2nd Year of Grad School

I work, I cook, I am helping foster a 4 year old, I write the bulletin for church, I'm an editor, I tweet, I Facebook, I blog, I workout, I shop for others and myself, I pay bills, I write, I coordinate events for church, I obsess over football and basketball, and I try to maintain relationships with family and friends. Needless to say, like most, I live a VERY busy life. But sprinkle a little grad school on top of that list and this is what you get:

That's a photo of what my life will look like until December....

I'm by no means complaining; I'm so blessed to be doing what I love!! But seriously, I'll need prayer and accountability. My laptop, iPad, binder, planner, 6 books (5 shown but one is on my Kindle app), fav Honey do lipgloss, pens andddd highlighter will be put to FULL use this semester!! I'm taking Creative Non-Fiction, Character and Voice, and a Poetry Workshop. *wipes forehead* I know, I know I'm crazy...trust me I've been told!

I want to keep THIS smile on my face before and after every class and assignment because regardless of the stress not only am I blessed, but for the first time ever, I'm completely happy!

EK!

Coping Skills

When I looked at the table of kids, all between the ages of 3-12, I felt my throat constrict so tightly I wasn't sure it would ever release."How could I teach these small lives who have witnessed domestic violence about coping skills? They're soooo young!" But, God showed me the answer through a boy who has left a huge impression on my life. I've never seen someone so young wage such war against their own feelings. I could see in his eyes a plea to be good, respectful, and "normal", but so many times he would misbehave by displaying rage in his classroom and in his home. I asked, openly, what made him angry and he looked piercingly into my eyes and told me EVERYTHING that angered him. He felt like there was a set expectation for him to act out, he felt like his parents never accounted for his feelings, he felt isolated from his classmates, and he was lonely so he did what he could to get attention. (Oh, how I love the honesty of children!!!)

xkcd.com

 I interjected and told him that there was nothing wrong with being angry because honestly, I don't think there is! What's wrong is how we display our anger, not the emotion of anger. I devised a plan for him to cope with his feelings of aggression by writing on a small piece of paper what made him angry as soon as the feeling occurred. Of course, he looked at me like I had 100 heads when I said this but I told him there is always method to my madness! After the words were written I told him he had to put the paper in a box under his bed. Every week, I'd take the box and together we'd throw the pieces of paper away. My point to him was: we cannot let the things that anger us have power OVER us. A year later, I see such growth in him. I see how he smiles, I hear the richness in his laugh, and the eyes that look back to me are no longer full of sadness. (sure there are still some issues but they're definitely getting smaller!) What a difference writing out our pain can make...

When I read the article on the LA Times "9/11: Using Poetry to Cope With Tragedy" the story I just recounted came to mind.

 Opinion.LATimes.com

Do you remember 9/11? I remember it vividly and I also remember sitting in the cafeteria at Central High School my Sophomore year, days after the event, penning my fears in a journal. As I think back, wasn't I creating my own form of coping skills? Absolutely! Writing has always been a channel for me to express my deepest pains and most beautiful triumphs. 

I say all this to say, writing is relevant. In an age where everything has become digitized one thing we can't forget to address is the way small words can impact our lives, our families, our societies, and the world. 

What do you do to cope?