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SANKOFA: Time Travel
Sankofa is an Akan Twi word from Ghana that means “to go back and fetch it.” It’s a concept that encourages people to learn from their past

Delphia Simmons (Founder of Thrive Detroit)
Feb 184 min read


My Parade
Some years ago, I read a headline that made me smile: “Detroit Wins—America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Named No. 1 in America.” It had been

Delphia Simmons (Founder of Thrive Detroit)
Jan 34 min read


A Tale of Bell
“I do daywork” is what I remember hearing her say. It would be a few years before I knew what that was and more than a few decades before I

Delphia Simmons (Founder of Thrive Detroit)
Dec 30, 20244 min read


Journey to Gray
I spotted the first gray hairs on my head when I was still in high school. They refused to go unnoticed, standing out in texture as well as

Delphia Simmons (Founder of Thrive Detroit)
Nov 7, 20245 min read


What We Do
I have always loved the movie It’s a Wonderful Life; the title, Jimmy Stewart’s acting, and especially the overall message which has stuck w

Delphia Simmons (Founder of Thrive Detroit)
May 19, 20243 min read


Hoarding: My Way
Now that I’m in my sixth decade of life, I can admit to my unique habit of hoarding. Except for a couple of things, I finally stopped in my

Delphia Simmons (Founder of Thrive Detroit)
Feb 28, 20244 min read


FAVORITES
In that moment, the dog bite represented physical things that require medical intervention. I have had my share of those this year. While in

Delphia Simmons (Founder of Thrive Detroit)
Dec 24, 20232 min read


A Balm in Berlin
As I write this, I am in Berlin, Germany at the end of a two-week experimental treatment program to help restore my full eyesight.

Delphia Simmons (Founder of Thrive Detroit)
Dec 13, 20233 min read


OF ALL THAT IS GOOD
During this time when so many have come to the aid of others, without regard to themselves, these words are offered. High on the mountain...

Diana Creel Elarde
Oct 2, 20231 min read


What’s in Your Jar?
Lately, I’ve been trying to untangle the difference between thanks and gratitude. It’s so easy to use them interchangeably. But I realize

Delphia Simmons (Founder of Thrive Detroit)
Sep 22, 20233 min read


Trust In What You Cannot See
Not able to sleep one night (possibly because I had fallen asleep before my usual 9PM bedtime and awoke several hours later and couldn’t...

Cynthia Johnson
Sep 8, 20234 min read


You Are Not a Mistake
You may have made bad choices in life. You may have been in places and have done things that are embarrassing, but you are not a mistake....
Michelle Manns
Aug 28, 20232 min read


Mirror Mirror
As I write this, it’s been almost two years since I have been able to see my image clearly in the mirror. I have counted the mirrors in...

Delphia Simmons (Founder of Thrive Detroit)
Aug 1, 20233 min read


Time Tells
For more than five years, my mother and I have shared a weekly ritual: Sunday brunch, just me and Ma, or Mumsie, as I sometimes call her.

Delphia Simmons (Founder of Thrive Detroit)
Jun 6, 20234 min read


I’m Still Writing
But time and lived experience--what some call earned wisdom--have since taught me the value of NOW and how much there is to learn when we gi

Delphia Simmons (Founder of Thrive Detroit)
May 8, 20236 min read


Thorns or Prickles
I read a bit of trivia that surprised me and challenged something that I had been believing most my life. I love a challenge, especially...

Cynthia Johnson
Mar 23, 20234 min read


When We Judge
Casting judgement is a reflex, a weapon that each of us wields and uses without realizing our guilt or that it cuts both ways....

Delphia Simmons (Founder of Thrive Detroit)
Mar 21, 20236 min read


Lemonade & Stitches
Throughout my childhood, wherever we lived, there was always a vibrant, organic community made up of friendship, trust, and a sense that...

Delphia Simmons (Founder of Thrive Detroit)
Feb 9, 20234 min read


Cynthia J. Johnson - Life Coach, Living Life
"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience." --Pierre Teilhard de Chardin...

Cynthia Johnson
Feb 2, 20233 min read


My Angel
Fifteen years have passed since one of my more memorable encounters with my angel. I say this with certainty and the belief that angels...

Delphia Simmons (Founder of Thrive Detroit)
Dec 9, 20224 min read