On February 15th, 2020 (my birthday), I had one of the most powerful talks of my life with my dear friend Jaymara. I was going through a tough season, and I stopped posting on social media while I dealt with life. Jay sat me down and let me know that when I am absent, my presence is missed. She told me that the work I do online has value. It was news to me.
My upbringing prioritized getting paid and going to church. I grew up believing that you know a person’s value by how much money they make, what they’ve accomplished, what they can buy, how often they help those who can’t help themselves, and how many church services they attend. Finding value in my unique forms of expression have been hard because they’re not on that list.
I will forever be grateful to Jaymara for teaching me that my presence has value, what I have to say has value, and that my insights are helping people. She constantly reminds me and encourages me to keep going and doing what I feel led to do. She is the reason I started blogging on a regular basis….
Today, as I was in the shower, and idea came to me. I’ve been honestly struggling financially, and the relief that I was anticipating in the form of my tax refund check was significantly delayed. For some reason, I was flagged and needed to verify that I was the actual person who filed my taxes. I filed on my birthday, so I should have received that money already. Now, with this delay, they said it may be up to 9 weeks before I get my refund. I want to cry but that won’t solve anything. I had big plans for using the money. My daughter and I some essentials (new clothes, shoes, etc.). And we made plans for some fun and getaway time. We decided to do a small staycation (since the money isn’t enough for a vacation). We plan to treat our city like we’re tourists and check out Chicago restaurants and tourist attractions, and maybe an overnight stay at a hotel in the suburbs. However, now since that money hasn’t arrived I’m really struggling to make ends meet and have no idea when it’s coming. (Asking for your prayers that it comes way sooner than they said.)
Anywho… the whole point of this blog post is that while I was in the shower thinking about my finances, the idea came to me to share a blog post every day for 30 days with the invitation for you to offer small gift of support if you find my work valuable. I’m calling it 30 Days of Giving (as I am giving my gift of insight and you have the opportunity to give back to me if you are willing).
There a multiple ways to support my work (via PayPal, Ca$happ, etc.) but one of my favorites is through my Buymeacoffee page.
Through the site Buymeacoffee.com you can send me a $5 gift, similar to a tip. It’s the equivalent of saying, “Thanks for that post. Here, buy yourself a cup of coffee.” Since I don’t drink coffee, I call my gifts “matchas,” so you can visit my page on their site to buy me a cup of matcha. 
I love this option because it’s secure and easy and you can give one matcha or several. Once you visit my page on their site, you can send me matchas as a one-time gift (choose the Support tab), or you even join a membership to give a specified amount monthly, or annually (choose Membership tab).
I’m not really big on asking, but right now I’m honestly in need. So if you find value in my work, you can visit my buymeacoffee page today to send a gift, OR visit my Support page to find numerous options you’re probably more familiar with.
All gifts are truly appreciated, regardless of amount. Money is tight right now so what might seem like an insignificant gift to you could make a huge difference for me. Thank you for reading. Thank you for following. Thank you for liking my posts. And thank you for being here. It all matters to me.
Thank you if you’re able to give a small (or large gift), or if you’re able to purchase a membership. I am currently thinking about offering a special membership opportunity where supporters will get to hear recordings of my music that I never share with anyone. I am a budding songwriter and I am looking to start being more comfortable sharing my music and I think doing it with a small group of supporters might be a great way to step out of the fear of it to do what I know is one of my greatest and strongest gifts. I’ll post more about that in the future. If you’re interested in being a part of that special membership group, feel free to comment below.
Thank you again for reading and for your kind support. I so appreciate you.
Blessings!
Marlene Dillon Empowerment Specialist
Co-Founder of SISTAMoms with Yvonne Monique Livingston LLC
Here’s a link to visit my Buymeacoffee page.
Here’s a link to my Support page.
Blessings always!
MDillon Designs & Publishing 