A “Letters Never Sent” Blog Series by Ra’Mone Marquis Some people become parents through biology. Others become parents through sacrifice. Through consistency. Through protection. Through staying. Through love powerful enough to reshape someone’s life. Titles can be earned emotionally, not biologically. And when I think about “mom” and “dad”… I think about my maternal grandparents. I think about the two people who chose me. Dear The Two Who Chose Me, I don’t even know where t

We talk about letting go like it’s the finish line. Like once you decide the old version of you doesn’t get to lead anymore… everything just falls into place. But that’s not how it works. Because removing a leader without appointing a new one creates a different kind of problem. An empty space. And empty spaces don’t stay empty for long. The Danger of the Default When you don’t intentionally choose who leads you next— something else will. Not purpose. Not ali

Learning how to reinvent yourself isn't the problem. Most of us know what changes we want to make. The biggest problem? We keep changing at the surface while deeper structures shaping our choices remain untouched. That's why reinventing yourself feels like an endless cycle of starting over. Meaningful reinvention doesn't happen overnight. It takes around five years. I'll walk you through why most attempts fail in this piece, how to assess your current self, the mindset you ne

Writing has always been my refuge. My words—through journals, poems, and stories—have long been the place where I feel safest and most understood. Sometimes that’s a blessing… and sometimes it means confronting emotions I’m not always ready to revisit. Truthfully, I already felt like I had already been carrying enough…...more than enough! Yet after completing a successful blog series Rising Through the Fire , performing “They Saw Ashes…We Saw Wings” during Black History Mont

You’ve done everything right. You’ve prayed until your knees ached and your words ran dry. You’ve waited with the kind of patience that feels less like a virtue and more like a slow erosion of hope. You’ve plastered on optimism like armor, even when it felt paper-thin. You’ve accumulated good karma like currency, doing positive things, helping others, creating healthy distractions—all while glancing over your shoulder, wondering if the universe is keeping score. And still. No

When I first released 10 Days and a Curtain Call , it was written from a place of intensity. It was bold. It was reflective. It wrestled with pressure, endurance, faith, identity, and the emotional performance many people carry in silence. But over time, I realized something: The conversation wasn’t finished. Not because the first book lacked honesty — but because growth creates new perspective. The Deluxe Edition exists because the themes of the original work deserved deeper

Rising Through The Fire Blog Series — Final Chapter There was a time I thought the fire was proof of failure. Proof that I wasn’t praying right. Proof that I wasn’t strong enough. Proof that I deserved what was happening. I used to look at my life and see trauma stacked so high it felt like identity. Depression. Grief. Spiritual confusion. Abandonment. Self-doubt. Faith that felt fractured. And somewhere in all of it, I started believing those things were me. Not experiences.

Feeling Ignored by God? Listen....... There is a kind of silence that feels peaceful. And then there is the kind that feels like punishment. For years, I have prayed. Not casually. Not performatively. Not spiritually poetic. I have begged. I have cried out. I have asked for healing. For clarity. For a break. Because it has been nonstop for seven years and counting — trauma stacked on trauma, grief layered over grief, pain compounding without pause. And the response? Silence.

“Smiling while drowning is not strength. It’s self-abandonment.” There is a version of me people know. He’s charismatic. He’s strong. He’s articulate. He leads well. He makes people laugh. He shows up. That version of me has walked into rooms emotionally empty… and still energized everyone inside of them. He has led meetings while mentally spiraling. He has empowered others while crumbling by the second. He has stood on stages, spoken life into people, and then gone home feel

“Just because no one sees it doesn’t mean it’s not real.” For a long time, people thought I was okay. Not just okay — thriving. They saw my humor. They saw my personality. They saw the version of me that made rooms lighter, conversations easier, and moments more enjoyable. That version of me was infectious. It drew people in. It made them laugh. It made them feel good. What most people didn’t know was that it was also a mask. And it was intentional. The Battles That

For the last seven years, my life has felt like a storm that never passed. Not a quick thunderstorm. Not a bad season. A storm that lingers. A storm that layers darkness, pain, trauma, and exhaustion on top of each other until you forget what sunlight even looks like. I’ve been on a rollercoaster I’ve desperately wanted to get off of, but no matter how tight I’ve gripped the safety bar, no matter how loud I’ve screamed for it to stop, the ride kept going. Loop after loop. Dro

Michael Jordan missed more than 9,000 shots throughout his legendary basketball career. These failures didn't define him. They became his stepping stones to success. "Your mistakes don't define you" - we've all heard these powerful words and wondered about their origin. Oprah Winfrey shares this belief. "Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction," she says. Walt Disney's story tells a similar tale. He went bankrupt before building his empire. Each experience

There’s a peculiar kind of strength that lives in people who keep smiling when their hearts are breaking. It’s not the strength born from brute force or unwavering certainty—it’s the quiet resilience of those who know what it means to lose, to hurt, and yet choose, day after day, to carry on. It’s a strength that isn’t loud or glamorous. It doesn’t parade itself for the world to see. Instead, it softens in the corners of your expression, hidden beneath a gentle smile, a polit

Most people struggle to show themselves compassion during tough times. Many of us know we should be kinder to ourselves, yet we find it easier to show compassion to others. Research demonstrates that self-compassion helps reduce suffering during challenging periods. Studies of military personnel revealed that soldiers who practiced self-kindness experienced fewer symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). People going through divorce showed better recovery and managed

The Black community's stigma around mental health creates huge barriers to care. Sadly, only one in three African Americans with mental...

Every 11 minutes in America, someone dies by suicide. That’s over 49,000 lives lost last year alone. Behind each statistic is a person...

Chosen families redefine traditional concepts by highlighting relationships built on mutual love and shared experiences rather than...

In the hollow of my bones, a landscape of loss, Memories like shattered glass, cutting deep across The terrain of a life where safety was...

Everyone has felt their reputation, relationships, or standing suddenly crumble at some point. That gut-wrenching feeling hits hard when...

In the intricate tapestry of human experience, two powerful forces often find themselves at odds: faith and fear. These emotions,...