It's been a bitter/sweet few days to say the least. The day before I flew to Kentucky to execute a now-successful poetry event for a client, I received a phone call informing me that my father, Bruce Jenkins Jr., was in the hospital here in Maryland and was in pretty bad shape, but stable. I flew out to Kentucky the next day (Friday) praying he'd still be with us when I returned. I made sure this was a very short trip (24hrs) so I could also see my 3 daughters perform in the Easter Sunday play at my home church, New Samaritan Baptist Church. I flew back on the earliest flight possible on Easter Sunday and got the chance to experience their brewing-greatness. However, shortly thereafter, I received a call from the hospital saying my father took a turn for the worse and we needed to make our way there. It would be our last chance. Fortunately, we got the opportunity to see him one last time, but, unfortunately, he passed away that evening. Although grieving, we've begun the homegoing planning process the next day (yesterday, Monday), but today is also my youngest daughter's 8th birthday. We've yet to tell the girls to shield them from having to deal with the rollercoaster of emotions we're dealing with at the moment given the two happy occasions I just mentioned just occurred and is currently occurring. We'll break it to them this coming weekend. While helping to plan the funeral, I'm also in the final planning stages of 2 back-to-back poetry events; one at South Carolina State University on this Thursday and the other here in DC at Howard University on Friday. Needless to say, I'm in a challenging place mentally, emotionally, and logistically. Usually, I don't post detailed posts like this; especially about the death of a loved one, but I thought it'd be, feel, and look weird (somewhat inappropriate) for me to continue enthusiastically posting and promoting about my events in a couple of days without sharing/mentioning the passing of my father. While I'm working my business, I'm also working through all of what I'm feeling. I'm ok... and I'll be ok. I just appreciate all of the condolences and support for our family during this tough time. Just know we are comforted in knowing that our earthly father is home with our heavenly Father... so all is well. Thank you all!

🎉Please join me in congratulating our very own @Joshua Clark, also known as Roses, for joining the Judge’s panel of Yecheilyah’s Annual Poetry Contest‼️ 👉🏾Head over to Instagram and let’s show the power of this community by sending him some love! 🌹 @sculptedrosescompany

For the first time Sculpted Roses Company hit it's monthly profit margin goal 🌹 Now to keep the momentum going ‼️I will be making a video later tonight but wanted to share with my Poetry Business Family 🙏🏾

Happy Friday, Everyone! Yesterday afternoon, after 2.5 years of keeping the name of my future LLC close to the vest, I finally did it--I present to you: Petals and Thorns Holistic Services (PATHS) Mission: PATHS (Petals and Thorns Holistic Services) empowers individuals, organizations, and artists through writing, poetry, and creative practice. We support personal, professional, and artistic development while cultivating meaningful connection. Our spaces honor the individual and organizational culture, using approaches authentic to them to unlock their potential and achieve their goals. Other Wins: ✅️EIN ✅️Domain #1: PATHSHolistic.com (Primary) ✅️Domain #2: PetalsandThornsHolisticServices.com (safeguard) ✅️Email #1: [email protected] (Primary) ✅️Email #2: [email protected] (safeguard) ✅️Logo and taglines "Where expression meets connection" (community) "Poetry. Art. Transformation. Healing." (Corporate) UP NEXT: - Repurpose my ThePoetLadyRose.com website into: PATHSHolistic.com 🌹 - Repurpose/refresh my LinkedIn Thank you, @Christoph Jenkins for your leadership and example. Keep going, EVERYONE! Signed, La Toya A. Hampton, MSW - The Poet Lady Rose Spoken Word Poet | Voice Liberation Strategist | Intentional Event Curator Founder, Petals and Thorns Holistic Services LLC (PATHS) [email protected] | 971-600-1065 Where expression meets connection.

Let's see those logos... and if you don't have one yet, describe how you want your logo to look!