Lions, Idol, and Crowns...OH MY!!!

It's been almost a year since I told y'all the reason for this blog. Here's a refresher.

January 30, 2015

 

Lions, Idol, and Crowns...OH MY!!!

So in my bio I mentioned God told me to start this blog over a year ago. Why the wait?? Let’s take a look back into summer 2013.

I was an editorial intern at The Gadsden County Times in Quincy, Florida. Just completed my sophomore year at FAMU. Devin Taylor and Brandon Hepburn were both drafted by the Detroit Lions and Candice Glover won American Idol.

What does that have to do with me? Well, Devin and Candice are classmates and we all graduated from Beaufort High School in Beaufort, SC. And Brandon graduated from FAMU. His wife was actually my life group leader for Every Nation Campus Ministries lol.

Where does that leave me? Just a girl trying to support other people.

I was making Instagram and Facebook posts congratulating Devin and Brandon and encouraging people to vote for Candice. I was so happy when they all accomplished these great achievements. They displayed great humbleness and perseverance. Between seeing Devin at school and church I probably heard him speak 10 words lol. Candice won after auditioning for the third time. When Candice won my FAMU classmate Gladys said she thought about me because I was a faithful supporter.

The night Candice won I made a post for her and then another one for her and Devin. I was actually scared to post the second one. 

Then along came an angel sent by God named Ms. Angel. She sent me a message via Facebook.

“Hi! Just wanted to say I love your posts. Keep lifting up our young people and showing others that they too can reach for the stars. By promoting them and their accomplishments you are showing others that they can be positive too. You are as much a winner as Devin and Candice. Keep up the good work. Angel Ryan.”

Wow!!! I was so humbled to receive praise from a complete stranger. I told her supporting is what I do best lol.

That same night we started planning a Facebook Page to showcase young people from The Lowcountry or even fan clubs for Devin and Candice. At this time I was beginning a “Where Are They Now?” series at my internship and developing a newsletter for the BHS Class of 2011. “Where Are They Now?” was to promote local athletes who were excelling not only on their playing field but also in the classroom. Living in Quincy and Beaufort I have seen so many student-athletes graduate high school, receive an athletic scholarship and the next thing you know they’re back home taking up space. The newsletter was intended for my classmates to share our accomplishments amongst each other. I even shared those ideas with Ms. Angel. She gave me so much advice on how to get started. Our conversation ended when she told me I was a rare individual and I would go far in life.

So all these great ideas. What did I do? Planned but never executed. Still Ms. Angel was in my corner. December 2013 she gave me her number and told me to keep her updated. What did I do? Nothing. Didn’t even save her number. Shame? I know. But the idea and her words never left me.

Let’s fast forward to fall 2014. I’m a videographer for the football team. Still being the supportive friend. And still thinking about Ms. Angel. So I came up with a template for this blog. And Micah became my accountability partner to make sure I worked on my blog.

It's the week of The Florida Blue Florida Classic in Orlando. Now this is a huge game. It's my first time attending The Classic. So of course I’m excited.

The Thursday before we leave for Orlando, I see a Facebook post requesting prayer for Christina Ryan and Angel Ryan. Christina was Miss Beaufort High 2007-08 and a classmate of Devin and Candice. All this time I didn’t know she was Ms. Angel’s daughter. The post came from Miss Beaufort High 2008-09. I read the articles about Christina on the Beaufort Gazette’s website and was devastated. My heart went out to Ms. Angel. The next day on the road to Orlando my friend could tell something was bothering me. So I explained Christina was burned badly in an apartment fire and her mother made a hard decision to take her off of life support.

A few things ran through my head. Freshman year in high school hearing Christina say, “This is Christina Ryan your Miss Beaufort High with your morning announcements.” Though I didn’t know her personally it was a sad time and like I said my heart went out to Ms. Angel. I’m Miss Beaufort High 2nd Runner-Up 2010-11. I wanted to round up all the queens to do something. Send flowers, start a scholarship fund, something to help Ms. Ryan. And then God was like, “Remember the blog?”

It may not seem like much to others. But it was important for me to start this blog after Christina danced her way to heaven. In 2013 I wrote one article for “Where Are They Now?” and I never started the newsletter. My hope is to revamp those ideas and include them in “3…2…1.” 

Now you have the back story to “Release with BreAllyse.”

BUT WAIT...THERE’S MORE!!!

"A Different World" is my favorite show. As stated in my bio “Release with BreAllyse” is derived from the phrase “Relax, Relate, Release.” Whitley Gilbert (played by Jasmine Guy) was instructed by her counselor (played by Debbie Allen) to not stress but to “Relax, Relate, Release.”
 

So I’m trying to find a picture of Christina for this blog entry and what do I find??

By the way if you didn’t know Debbie Allen’s sister is Phylicia Rashad. I just love her. Look what else I found!!!

It’s amazing how God works. He's bringing everything full circle. I thank Him for sending an angel named Ms. Angel to encourage me. And if you were wondering, I now keep in contact with Ms. Angel lol.

"Persistence and patience pay off." ~ Angel Ryan

Relax, Relate, Release,

BreAllyse