Free to Soar

“You have to let it all go. Fear, doubt and disbelief. Free your mind.”

This is what Morpheus told Neo in “The Matrix” before he leaped a great distance from the top of one building to the next. As most everyone knows, Neo tried to jump after him and plummeted to the ground. His mind hadn’t been freed, so he couldn’t make the jump.

This part reminded me of a scripture in Philippians 4:13 that states, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Notice the wording there. Not just “things”, but “all things”. Now whether you’re a Christian or not…whether you liked “The Matrix” or not…whether you believe you actually exist in “The Matrix” or not…they both declare the same thing. Don’t put limits on me. By the freeing of my mind, I’m limitless!

There is power in freedom. As a writer, I understand what it is to be held in bondage. Not physical enslavement, but held captive by fear, insecurity and inadequacy. Becoming a published author was intended for other people, not an African-American woman from a small town in New Jersey. But at some point, my mind was renewed and set free to the truth. The only limits on my life were the ones I set for myself.

I think about the writers I’ve met who came from humble beginnings, faced circumstances that would have broken others and still persevered to attain their dreams. Their minds were freed to soar like the eagle. And like the eagle that not only flies above the storm, but uses the winds to buoy him up, writers utilize rejections and disappointments to hone their craft, make them stronger and better…and fly above. It’s then that nothing holds them back. They can look towards seemingly impossible dreams and goals, claiming them because they know and believe that all things—good and bad—work for their benefit. When the mind is free, life is free. When the mind is free, we’re able to fly.

Think back again to “The Matrix”. At the end of the film, Neo’s mind had been freed to believe in who he was, The One. And what did he do?

He soared.


Sweet Ultimatum
by Naima Simone

Caitlin Madison has returned home after a self-imposed exile. Haunted by the erotic memories of the man she once loved and abandoned, Caitlin is unprepared to come face-to-face with Selig Richardson and the hunger resurrected under his golden gaze. Even as her body craves his touch, she denies him, realizing her reasons for terminating their relationship so long ago are as valid now as they were then.

Six years have passed since Selig Richardson left New Eden, WA disillusioned and bitter after Caitlin Madison’s cold denial of him and his love. Now he’s returned, demanding retribution for her cruel rejection. The payment: her body.

Unknown to Selig, Caitlin has harbored a deadly secret all these years. And as love awakens with each passionate encounter, so does the danger that has simmered for almost a decade. Once again, Caitlin is forced to make a choice between a future with the man she's never stopped loving or crush his heart...and save his life.