Tabitha Brown - Feeding the Soul (Because Its My Business): Finding Our Way to Joy, Love, and Freedom

To Moma and Daddy:

Thank you for giving me life and for always encouraging me to be me!

Be sure to keep your eyes open for my popular TSAsTabitha Service Announcementsand some of my favorite easy vegan recipes from my YouTube and TikTok channels.

But look here, honey. I know youll be looking for measurements and things. And if I have them, Ill give them to you. But in Tabs kitchen, we cook by the spirit. Like I always say, if you need an exact recipe every time you cook, you dont trust yourself. Lets trust ourselves, and however much you are moved to use, thats what you use.

Recipes in This Book

Honey, how yall doing? Yall alright? Trying to hang in there?

Listen, I understand. I really do. And because we all have either gone through something, are currently going through something, or are about to go through something, I thought Id share my heart and story with you. The elders in the church of my childhood back in Eden and Ruffin, North Carolina, used to sing a song called How I Got Over. It was a declaration of not just the faithfulness of God but their own persistence through both good and hard times. It was a signpost that pointed directly to the ways they chose to live and love in order to make it to a point where they could say, Hey, yall, Im good. I made it to the good part. In a way, this book is my How I Got Over declaration to you. It is filled with both affirmations and inspiration on how to live your life with an abundance of love, joy, peace of mind, and freedom.

You like that?

Very good.

Its such a powerful thing to rise out of the depths of darkness. Ask me how I know! Theres an old saying I used to hear from my mom. When asked how she was doing, she would respond, Ooh, I thank God I dont look like what Ive been through. Isnt that the truth? I know some people will say, Oh, Tab, your life is amazing! Well, thats because they are only looking on the outside. They are only seeing the fruit instead of the roots. Honey, remember, the same day we plant our seeds is not the same day we eat the fruit. It takes time before the harvest comes. Sure, today I dont look like depression. I dont look like anxiety or migraines or autoimmune illness. I dont look like any of those things, but guess what? Ive been through them all. There was a time when I didnt think I would ever make it out of a very lost and dark place.

But I did.

And when I received my breakthrough, I made a sincere promise to God that because He brought me out of the darkness, I would always try to be a light for others to follow suit.

So, honey, Im writing this book to bring you some light. I want you to know that you are loved. That you are not alone, despite what the journey might look like right now for you. More than anything I want to inspire you to be your best self, and maybe even make you laugh a little bit along the way. If you happen to cry a little, too, thats your business. The world is tough right now. Theres enough sorrow and frustration to go around. More people are struggling with depression and anxiety than ever before. The fear of the unknown has caused so much stress and fear. But know this: Whatever it is you are feeling right now, whatever you may be going through, it will pass.

I wont lie to you. It probably wont happen overnight. It may not end tomorrow or even the next day. But Im a living witness to the fact that life will not always be hard.

There was a time in my life when I just knew I had it all. In the new year of 2008, I made a vision board and posted images and messages like Working Actress in 2008 and Brand-new Mercedes on it. Id taken my headshots, and, baby, I was ready! And that year I worked like never before. I starred in several independent films and bought a house and a Mercedes. In my mind, I was living the dream. This vision board thing is wonderful, I thought.

But then, in 2009, a proverbial storm came tearing through my life and uprooting my dream. I couldnt book a single job as an actress. My dream car was constantly breaking down. The house wed just bought in the desert was causing us more harm than good. It was too far away from LA. Too far from the village wed created in our first five years of living there. Wed created such an amazing circle of friends who became our family, our village, but we were so far away from them that no one could ever come to see us. Everyone came for the housewarming, but we went from people coming over every Sunday for dinner to a few friends coming once or twice a year.

I was miserable and feeling so lost. But then, I heard in my spirit a lesson I will never forget: Be specific, Tabitha. You asked for things and you were blessed with them. But you didnt specify the details. See, honey, Id prayed for a house, but I didnt pray about where that house should be. Id prayed for a car, but I didnt pray about affordability or getting one in good condition. The lesson? Be careful what you ask for; you just may get it. And when you do get it, are you truly prepared to maintain and keep the very things you requested? Be careful about praying for more without praying that you are ready for it when more comes!

I also figured out that while storms will inevitably come, we must maintain our hope for a better tomorrow. We must be willing to refine our asks and learn the lessons these storms are sent to teach us. Nowadays my prayers look a little different. I say, Lord, prepare me for what it is I think I want. Prepare me for the blessings, so I will know how to keep them when I get them. And Lord, sustain me through the storm with hope, faith, and joy.

This book is my gift to you. It is a gift of love and light so that you will not just survive what youre going through, but thrive in the midst of it. I want you to experience true joy as you read these stories from my life. Because, honey, who doesnt need joy? Who doesnt need hope? Hope is the ultimate driver of our faith. Its the very thing that helps so many of us get through our day. Faith allows us to believe that things will get better. It pushes us to keep going even when everything else says, Give up!

I believe the words of civil rights activist Ella Baker, who once said, Give light and people will find the way. Thats what I mean by feeding the soul. My prayer is that every story, recipe, and TSA (Tabitha Service Announcement) will get you that much closer to reclaiming your hope and restoring your faith. Feeding your soul with all this joy helps feed me at the same time, honey. Laugh and cry, a little or a lot (whichever, because thats your business). The goal is for you to know that you are seen, loved, and heard. Then you can turn right around and pass that same love and joy along to someone else.

When you turn the last page of this book, I want you to know, without any doubt, that you can go on. Those country church elders would probably say something like, Run on and see what the ends gon be. Thats it! No matter what things may look like right now, no matter your circumstance, keep going, honey. And while youre on that journey, I want you to know that you are never alone. I want to draw you into my arms with my words and wrap them around you in a big ol Auntie Tab hug. I want the numbness to finally melt away, and for you to feel all of who God created you to be!

Its time to get back to you. To discover your true self, maybe even for the first time. To allow those parts of ourselves that have been hidden to be released and shine. Its time we all get back to understanding ourselves. To connect again to what makes us come alive. Lets climb new heights together and gain new insight on ourselves, our relationships, our careers, and anything else we dream of improving.