by Danielle N. Hall

1/7/17

One of my favorite holidays is Thanksgiving. While I’m grateful daily, it’s a national day of thanks where people pause to reflect on what and who they’re grateful for. Of course this is typically celebrated with family and friends sharing a meal full of all types of goodies. A couple of my personal favorites are my mom’s high demand potato salad and her macaroni and cheese. Surprisingly enough, she doesn’t eat mayonnaise so she has no idea how the salad tastes, but her potato salad is SO good that it’s often requested for both work and family functions. Ok, I’m getting hungry now just thinking about it! While I’m a fan of both the mac & cheese and the potato salad, what really make me happy are words of life: real soul food.

At a time when I began embarking upon my most recently completed endeavor, I wasn’t exactly sure how it would develop or even how it would manifest. I received the card below from one who is extremely dear to me: one whose leadership, mentorship, and friendship I value greatly. 

Minister Michelle D. Bennett is one who I give thanks for often.  Who I am in Christ today is largely in part due to the inspiration and impartation received from her. Just as a baby requires careful handling and appropriate nurturing, so do babes in Christ. While I had been attending church for quite some time and had been an active choir member, I lacked true relationship with God. After having briefly been under the tutelage of Minister Michelle, radical change began to occur.  Being gentle enough to gracefully communicate, yet being firm enough to push you beyond your comfort zone are among the many effective leadership assets that she possesses. I’m grateful to not only have been under her tutelage, but to also call her sister and friend. When one is a teacher, the relationship is assignment driven. When one is a friend, the relationship is affection driven. Proverbs 17:17 (MSG) reads: “Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.” 

Something I also know about true friends is they will not ever leave you hungry. The card that I received was just the type of nourishment my soul needed to help me get through moments of self doubt and moments of procrastination. Every person that is in your space may not be worthy of the title “friend”. If you are hungry and your “friend” doesn’t offer you food or the means to obtain nourishment, then you may want to reconsider that person’s position in your life. Those who are your friend will feed you things as lovely as my mom’s potato salad and her mac & cheese. Know this: “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb: sweet and delightful to the soul and healing to the body.” Proverbs 16:24 (AMP) 

If you come to my house then you should plan to eat…as a matter of fact, that’s exactly what “Danielle’s Place” is all about: it’s a spot where you can stop by and get some soul food.