✨ “The Truth I Never Said Out Loud” ✨
(Story-time with your girl, BrandiJ) Let me go ahead and pull y’all in real close… because today? Yeah, I’m sharing something I never thought I’d say out loud. Not because it was messy, not because it was secret, but because it was mine. One of those grown-woman decisions you tuck deep in your pocket and […]
The Night the Red Dress Met Intention
A Story About Intentional Dating & Romantic Connection He called a week ahead, told me the vibe, sent a song the morning of, and showed up with intention. 💋 He’d mentioned before that he hadn’t been on a good, planned-out date in a minute — but when he did, he wanted to take me. At […]
Maybe Grandkids Aren’t in the Cards: Learning to Love the Life My Kids Choose
Y’all, let me be real with you for a minute. Growing up, I always pictured myself being that grandmother one day. 👵🏾 You know, the kind of grandma whose grandkids came running through the house like my nieces and nephews did when I was young with my parents. Back then, their dad and I would […]
Mother & Daughter Cruise 2.0: Choosing Peace, Freedom & Fun
This will be the second cruise for me and MaKenzye, and it’s already become something I want us to keep as a tradition. Once a year, just me and her—our own mother & daughter trip. Last year we had an amazing time, and now here we are again, bags (almost) packed and ready for round two. […]
The Last Time I’ll Love Like This
Because I’m in the Last Quarter of Life, and I’m Done Settling By BrandiJ If I’m being honest, this season of life feels heavier than I expected—but it also feels sacred. I’m almost 49. That means I’ve got more days behind me than I do ahead, and baby, if that don’t make you stop and […]
Legacy, Love & Letting It Sink In
By BrandiJ A few weeks ago, I took a trip to Ohio with my parents—Mama is 81 and Daddy is 86—and it was one of those moments that hit different. I was the one behind the wheel 🚗, grateful not just to be able to drive them, but to still have them here with me […]
About the Woman I’m Becoming
About the Woman I’m Becoming I really enjoyed starting my blog journey by honoring my big brother Billy. That first post was raw, real, and necessary. But as this journey continues—through healing, growth, and everything in between—I felt like it was time to pause and take a closer look at me. Not the parts that […]
💌 A Letter to Billy: Five Years Later Published on May 21, 2025 By Brandi Johnson (BrandiJ)
Dear Billy, Unreal. Five whole years. Five long, hard, life-altering years without your voice. Without fussing about your eczema flakes on the bathroom sink—Lord, that used to drive me crazy! 😅 But if I had you back, I promise, I’d never fuss again. I’d cherish every little thing. This morning, I woke up with the […]
The Call That Changed Everything: Honoring My Brother Billy
Introduction May 21, 2020, is a day forever etched in my soul—the day I got the call no one ever wants to receive. The day everything I knew cracked open, and nothing would ever feel the same again. This isn’t just a story about loss. It’s a story about love, about legacy, and about finding […]