Official Ana Gibson

You guys, I've been struggling to figure out what to write over the last week. I postponed yesterday because the blog I WAS going to post just wasn't sitting right with me. Today, I still don't even know where i'm going with it. Perhaps nothing major really even needs to be said. I haven't had much on my mind as of late which is unusual. I don't think it's a bad thing, it's just something that I had to pay attention to and accept. That's a part of self-discovery and self-acceptance too. I think if anything, what I'd like to relay to you all today is we all go through moments of silence and it doesn't necessarily mean that something is wrong. I think it ultimately means that God wants us to just listen for once. So i'm listening. What have I been listening to? The real person inside of me trying to grow through the concrete walls of my soul like that little rose that sprouts through the cracks of concrete sidewalks. First things first,...

Am I Really Enough? Calm down. Calm down. I didn't say they don't work. I said when they won't work it's because....It's hard to believe affirmations when we have yet to deal with the underlying voices that scream over top of them. Affirmations are not an easy fix to the deeply rooted insecurities that have defined how we look and feel about ourselves. I can say aloud all the positive words about myself until I turn blue in the face but truth be told, those negative voices are plaguing me, constantly reminding me that I'm Ugly or that I'm not smart or that I'm not confident. Crazy how we believe the lies before we believe the truth, Right?  But yea, affirmations are good, however, they are ineffective if not combined with deep soul searching, figuring out FIRST where those negative thoughts and feelings even came from. We've gotta ask ourselves questions. Questions like, "Why do I think I'm not attractive? Why do I feel incompetent?...

This line from my book, Guide me Home, actually comes from a scene where my character Devin takes a hard blow to the gut concerning his daughter. The hit is so hard, it nearly cripples him in many facets. Faith is the sub protagonist who is also Devin's love interest. The reason she says this is because as she's witnessing him in a moment of frailty i.e.  depressed, angry, fed up, frustrated, etc., instead of writing him off as just another guy who can't control his emotions or simply just being stand-offish, she took it a step further, reflecting on why he's responding the way that he is. Somewhere in the midst of the chaos, it dawns on her that she's had the great privilege of using her innate ability to see past what he was going through so that her own response would be different towards him. I like this quote because to me it shows how mercy and intimacy work together. Devin needed more than sympathy for his misfortune. What he really needed was for so...

Throw The Whole Person Away I love this meme for many reasons. It works well with so many jokes and incidences deemed funny or light heartedly crazy, especially when it comes to breakups and such. But on the flip side, it's not as funny when it involves someone you know. Most recently, I found myself having to confront this line in a much more personal way. I'll explain. Last week, a situation happened to a person I know that got him into a lot of trouble. I won't disclose what it was but just know it really wasn't good. Upon looking at the circumstance, my heart went out to him because I know that he's such a bright and smart young man that made a ridiculous and stupid choice that could literally cost him everything. Knowing the details, anyone could say, "Throw the whole person away," and justifiably so, BUT for me I didn't feel that in this case. The reason why it's personal is because at the time I felt like his decision would impact...

WHO IN THE WORLD IS ANA MARIE GIBSON? And why is she here? Announcer: "Ladies and gentlemen...the moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived. Back by popular demand (in her mind at least), ready to share with the world her life, her stories and her calling, the girl who can eat a can of peas, sing to the high heavens, who's preferred breakfast is French toast from iHop, can make a mean balloon arch, AND makes it her life's mission to wear mismatched socks, I bring to you the incomparable...ANA...MARIE...GIBBSSSOOONNNNN!!!!! WASSSUUPPPP EVERYBODDYYY!  *fans screaming wildly* How y'all feeling tonight?????  (or morning, whichever time zone you're in. It's cool) Welcome to the OfficialAnaGibson Blog. I'm so glad you bought your free tickets to this ongoing event. This is going to be amazing. Are you guys ready to rock out? I'm going to pretend like you guys said yes cause if you didn't... ...

Who Do You Think You Are? I wrote this quote because I was talking to a young friend of mine one evening and out of nowhere, I began to ask her random questions about herself. I wanted to know what her thoughts were. I wanted to know her views, why she does the things she does, why she thinks the way she thinks. And after talking to her for a while, I came to realize that many of us don’t know who we really are outside of what our life events and loved one's voices has said we are. I want to first say, if you're the kind of person that has had nothing but positivity in your life from friends and family and you bask in that identity, that is so awesome. You’ve probably found yourself and this post probably isn't for you. However, for those of us who are just now journeying to find a sense of self after so long of being told what to be, how to act, what to do, and all the other societal standards, this post is for you. HOW YOU DOIN?? HEY GIRL HEY (Or BOY)!  ...