Reach UP Magazine

09/01/2026

"Who do you call when you’re having a bad day? Or, who do you want to share good news with?

Relationships are important in life. They can bring joy and comfort.

But sometimes, certain people make us feel anxious or bad about ourselves. And yet we feel we must be close to them because they are family, or they have been in our lives for a long time, or we must be nice to everyone and let them in.

The truth is, you have the responsibility to decide who..." (continue reading:) https://myreachup.org/how-close-can-they-get-to-your-heart-you-decide/

08/31/2026

REACH UP beginnings: "Summer of 2003…. I had been asked to speak for a women’s retreat at a church in the inner city where I’d worked for nine years. Many of these ladies were my friends from the ministry or on my route in East New York. I lived as they did in government housing.

They knew that I knew what it was like to hear gunshots in the night (or day), smellmarijuana through the windows, sweep up coke vials on the sidewalks, stop up holes with steel wool in my apartment so rats couldn’t squeeze through, guard every belonging so that it wasn’t stolen, walk ‘on guard,’ outside constantly aware of who’s around, wear little to no jewelry so as to not attract an attack – as well as why brown water comes through the faucets in the summer.

They may not have known that in my apartment the holes in the flooring were..." (continue reading at) https://myreachup.org/about-2/founder/

Summer of 2003…. I had been asked to speak for a women’s retreat at a church in the inner city where I’d worked for nine years. Many of these ladies were my friends from the ministry or on my route in East New York. I lived as they did in government housing.

08/28/2026

"My experiences in the inner city taught me to become a master at what I call “Selective Seeing.” I focused on seeing what was pretty, not on what was wrong or ugly. It’s a skill I still use today. Selective Seeing helps me to be content with my surroundings and be happy for any small improvement I am able to make. I’m satisfied, even though not everything has been done, and I refuse to compare my surroundings with other people’s.

Try Selective Seeing for yourself. Tape a colorful picture you like to your wall. Let it bring you joy, even if it isn’t in a frame. Stick a flower in a glass on a bare table. Make your bed. Sweep the trash from your walkway. Notice "... (continue reading at;) https://myreachup.org/selective-seeing-sees-beauty-everywhere/

I hope you enjoy this Home Life Special Edition. Trust me, you don’t have to live in a custom home to make use of these articles. Not at all! We aim to inspire Reach UP readers in all kinds of living arrangements. In fact, this is part of our DNA (what we build on), a…

08/27/2026

Thank you Amanda Chambers. We agree! :)

08/27/2026

"I hope you enjoy this Home Life Special Edition. Trust me, you don’t have to live in a custom home to make use of these articles. Not at all! We aim to inspire Reach UP readers in all kinds of living arrangements. In fact, this is part of our DNA (what we build on), a core value of Reach UP.When I shared an apartment in New York’s inner city, aka ghetto housing, I set out to make my side as homey as possible. Just to set the scene, I had twelve-foot ceilings which made room for a four-foot-high loft over the sitting room that was just big enough for my bed. In winter, it was bitter cold partly because daylight (and wind) streamed through the rotting wall by the clawfoot tub. The biggest hole in the floor (you could see into the basement) was just in front of the refrigerator.

With little money and no skills to fix these problems, I focused..." (continue reading at;) https://myreachup.org/selective-seeing-sees-beauty-everywhere/ .

I hope you enjoy this Home Life Special Edition. Trust me, you don’t have to live in a custom home to make use of these articles. Not at all! We aim to inspire Reach UP readers in all kinds of living arrangements. In fact, this is part of our DNA (what we build on), a…

08/26/2026

"Who says it’s too late to get your high school degree? Just because you have children, or because you’re older than the average high school student, or you didn’t have enough credits to meet standard graduation, doesn’t mean it’s too late to go after your education. There is always time — and hope.

Never give up!

Tasha Michelle Hayes had a goal and she went after it. She had three children and no man who helped with the support. Her many challenges didn’t dim the promise she made to herself: “I’m going to be something in this life!”

Here’s what she told Reach UP"....(continue reading at) https://myreachup.org/somebody/ .

Who says it’s too late to get your high school degree? Just because you have children, or because you’re older than the average high school student, or you didn’t have enough credits to meet standard graduation, doesn’t mean it’s too late to go after your education. There is always time .....

08/25/2026

"I was forced to turn my first trick at age fifteen. Here’s what happened: One day I was walking down the street crying. A man pulled up next to me in his car and asked me why I was crying. He said it was too dangerous for me to be on the streets by myself and wanted to take me out to lunch. I didn’t feel afraid or anything. There were no warning signs. I felt okay. So, I got in the car, and we went to eat.

After that this man would take me out to the movies. He bought me clothes. He took me to bars. He introduced me as his girlfriend and started telling me no one would ever hurt me again. He said that he didn’t know what was wrong with my ..." (continue reading at:) https://myreachup.org/leslie/ .

08/24/2026

Have you seen this story? "I thought I was losing my mind. I was lying in bed when I heard a voice sneer, “Just look at her,” like I was something nasty. Then I heard laughing. I jumped up, shaking and crying. I cried out, “God, please help me! I am so tired of living like this. Show me what to do!”

My life did not start out easy. When I was two years old, someone slipped a mickey into my mom’s drink at a party. She was never the same after that. Her mental health went downhill, and she could no longer take care of me.

Since my father was in prison..." (to read more go to:) https://myreachup.org/perfectly-imperfect/ .

I thought I was losing my mind. I was lying in bed when I heard a voice sneer, “Just look at her,” like I was something nasty. Then I heard laughing. I jumped up, shaking and crying. I cried out, “God, please help me! I am so tired of living like this. Show me what…

08/21/2026

"I was a liar, a loser, and a thief. I was a drug addict and alcoholic. I stole from my friends and my family.
That’s who I was. It is not who I am now. But, like everyone, my story had its twists and turns.
From the time I was very young, I remember fighting and craziness at home. After my parents divorced, I felt like I never fit in. I was constantly trying to gain the approval of others.
As a single mom, my mother did her best as a single mom to provide for my younger brother and me. She even tried to teach us about Jesus. Somehow she found grants so we could go to Christian schools. We did not have much money, and my mom had us on every government program she could find. She worked multiple jobs and put herself through nursing school. “Wow!” is all....(continue reading at) https://myreachup.org/your-story-is-not-over/?_gl=1*f97fp9*_ga*Mzg4Nzc3NzM5LjE3ODczMjI4NzA.*_ga_3Q40WEVEL5*czE3ODczMjI4NjkkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODczMjI4NjkkajYwJGwwJGgw .

  I was a liar, a loser, and a thief. I was a drug addict and alcoholic. I stole from my friends and my family. That’s who I was. It is not who I am now. But, like everyone, my story had its twists and turns. From the time I was very young, I remember…

08/20/2026

HOPE comes in many forms. Everything from a friendly visit to an article in Reach Up Magazine that can be read and re-read in the privacy of one's own space. YOUR tax-exempt donation can provide HOPE to women who are underserved. Thanks. www.reachupmag.org/donate