What Arizona Taught Me

When I landed in Arizona, it was close to midnight. I was exhausted, my luggage felt heavier than usual, and even my thoughts seemed to weigh more than normal. But I was committed..committed to walking into a new phase of my wellness, mindset, and relationships.

This wasn’t just another business retreat. It was a leadership experience at the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain..one that would become a spiritual checkpoint I didn’t even know I needed. And as I approach 43, I can now say that Arizona didn’t just refresh me, it reintroduced me to myself.

Day 1: The Desert Whispers Freedom

That first morning, I laced up my sneakers, unsure if I was even built for hiking. I’m more of a “robe and room service” kind of girl, but something in my spirit said, go outside.

The air was crisp, the silence was alive, and the mountains felt like wise old teachers. Every cactus looked like it had witnessed generations of women rediscovering their strength.

And then, in the middle of that sacred stillness, I heard Him, softly, clearly, lovingly:

“Just be a daughter.”

I froze. Because I knew exactly what He meant.

I’ve spent most of my life leading, fixing, producing, providing. But in that moment, God was inviting me to just be. To stop managing everything and simply receive.

Freedom, I realized, doesn’t always come through action. Sometimes it’s born in stillness, in the quiet knowing that you don’t have to earn rest. You already belong.

The 100-Year Cactus

As we hiked down, our guide said something that stopped me in my tracks:

“A cactus must live at least 100 years before it grows its first arm.”

One hundred years of standing firm. Soaking up light. Rooting deep. Building invisible strength before ever expanding.

It hit me..how often have I tried to rush my own growth?

That cactus reminded me that before you expand, you must first be unshakably grounded. God won’t grow what isn’t yet strong enough to hold the blessing. True legacy requires patience.

So maybe the season I’ve been in this slower, quieter one, wasn’t a delay. It’s preparation. A strengthening before the stretch.

The Surrendered Cactus

Then I saw something I’ll never forget: two cacti side by side. One alive and thriving, the other completely dry and hollow.

Our guide told us that the dead one had given its water so the other could live.

Whew. I had to stop and take that in.

Because that’s how transformation works, something always has to die for something greater to live. The parts of us that used to hustle, to control, to please, they don’t get to go where peace lives.

That cactus didn’t lose its life, it transferred it. It became the foundation for another to bloom.

And maybe that’s what surrender really is: a sacred exchange. The old me releasing so the new me can breathe.

Lesson 4: Sitting in the Rain

Later that evening, after a long day of business sessions, I decided to sneak down to the pool for some R & R. The desert sky started to dim, the air shifted, and before I knew it.... torrential rain. Not a drizzle, but a full, cleansing pour.

My first instinct was to grab my things and run inside. But something in me said, stay.

So I sat there, cross-legged, right in the middle of it all. I closed my eyes and began to pray and meditate.

That’s when I heard it:

“It’s just a storm.”

And then He added,

“What do storms do?”

They pass. Every single time.

So I stayed. Letting that Arizona rain soak my skin, wash my worries, and baptize my next season.

That moment felt like a rebirth. The woman who always ran from discomfort learned how to sit in it, peacefully, faithfully, knowing the storm isn’t forever.

(And thank God I’d finished most of my shrimp tacos before it started pouring!)

Day 2: The Dancer on the Mountain

The next morning, I woke up sore but curious. Something in me needed to go higher.

So I hiked again, me, the non-hiker..and when I reached the top, something overcame me. I flowed into my Dancer’s Bow yoga pose. Arms extended, one leg lifted behind me, heart open wide toward heaven.

That pose represents balance and surrender in motion. You can’t hold it with tension; you have to trust your center. It’s the perfect mirror for womanhood: strength wrapped in grace.

And there, on top of that boulder, I felt unstoppable, not because I conquered a mountain, but because I remembered who I was on top of it.

Dinner with Alignment

That evening, I sat at dinner with some of the most brilliant, faith-filled business owners, women building legacy, not just success. The salmon was perfect, the laughter was abundant, and the energy felt sacred.

It was confirmation: when you’re aligned, you attract the right tables. You don’t have to fight for your seat..your peace already reserved it.

Arizona Changed Me

I came to Arizona expecting rest. I left with revelation.

I learned that stillness is strength. That storms pass. That surrender feeds life. That patience is progress.

Arizona reminded me that dryness isn’t the absence of life—it’s where roots grow deepest. And as I step into this next season of my life, I’m carrying these lessons as souvenirs of the soul.

🌞 10 Affirmations Arizona Gave Me

1. I am safe to surrender; God’s timing never misses.

2. My roots are deep enough to sustain my next branch.

3. Every storm I face is temporary and cleansing.

4. The woman I once was made room for who I am becoming.

5. Stillness is not weakness..it’s sacred preparation.

6. I am balanced, beautiful, and brave enough to trust the process.

7. What’s meant for me will always find me, even in the wilderness.

8. I attract tables that feed my peace, not my pressure.

9. My growth is divinely paced; my timing is divine.

10. I am God’s daughter..and that will always be enough.