Bonita
Location: Border of Bushwick/ Ridgewood, NYC — 7/13/2023
Author’s note: I met Bonita outside a loft dance party event near the border of Brooklyn and Queens. One of those fleeting but sweet and powerful exchanges in life.
What does faith mean to you?
00;00;45;06
Faith is everything. Without faith, you try to ‘just focus’ and there's nothing, you just have the non-existent search without faith.
Faith gives you the drive to know that you can be, that you are; it defines your identity. Faith answers the question: "Who am I?" Everybody wants to know: "Who am I? Why am I here?"
If you could give your younger self some advice, what would that be?
00;02;07;03
Don't worry, don't worry. Don't complain. Don't be anxious; simply take it step by step and do what we are supposed to do. Be obedient to the Father and follow the law. Nobody could fully adhere to the law, but our aim is to become perfect, Christ-like. To be like Christ. That is the purpose of our existence.
That’s why we’re here.
Are you proud of yourself?
00;02;40;25
I am. For the most part, what makes me proud of myself is to see my children flourish because that's what enhances me and that gives me the stability to know that I'm okay.
Bonita shared her current challenge of experiencing a relapse of scoliosis. Reminiscing about the past, she recalled confidently walking the streets as if they were her personal runway. However, in the present, she expressed the ongoing struggle she faces, feeling humiliated by her limp and occasional reliance on a cane. Despite these difficulties, she firmly believes in a 100% recovery. Bonita has witnessed individuals in wheelchairs regain their ability to walk through prayer and laying on of hands, which gives her hope and reinforces the possibility of healing.
"We're not supposed to say, 'Why me?'" because, according to Bonita, God replies, "'Why not you? Who are you? Nobody promised you a rose garden.'"
“We all have to deal with that at some point in our life. It’s painful, extremely.”
