Last month she sat down with me and shared her vision for her book and her company, and advice for those wishing to follow in her footsteps.
La Monica Smith, a long time abstinence advocate and an abstinence educator with a Metro Atlanta faith-based organization, was inspired to write A Meeting in the Ladies Room: Life Lessons for My Little Sisters in Christ , a timely devotional after conducting an abstinence program for some amazing young women at a group home in Decatur, GA. Filled with a sincere desire to go beyond her job responsibilities with its federal grant program restraints, to minister to the spiritual and emotional needs of these young women as well as other urban teen girls, Smith set out to relate biblical principles to real-life situations teen girls face in this fast paced, media-driven society.
"The Bible admonishes older women to teach the younger women to be 'discreet, chaste...good', but unfortunately we have missed the mark. Urban young women in particular, are faced with increasing rates of sexually transmitted diseases, low self-esteem, and a sexual identity that's distorted through the negative images and lyrics of today's pop culture," says Smith. "Through our own unwillingness to expose the bad choices we've made along the way, to take the time to mentor a young woman or just to speak out with love and compassion when we see a girl heading down the wrong path; those of us who are older and wiser have inadvertently become part of the problem," she continues. "Now's the time to gather our little sisters together and call 'A Meeting in the Ladies Room,'" suggests Smith.
A Meeting in the Ladies Room is a short, easy to read compilation of eight life lessons that readers can easily relate to, with such catchy titles as: Good Blocks Best, The Grass Isn't Greener on the Other Side, It's Just Cut Differently, Keep Your Lovin' On Layaway 'Til You Can Afford It, and If the Wedding Ring Doesn't Fit, You Must Not Submit.
