I lost my friend yesterday. The Lord knows she was one in a trillion. A true friend can only be found so many times in a lifetime. This woman was a True Woman of God and she loved her husband, children, and family. There was nothing that she would not do for anyone. Her Sweet Spirit is one that makes you feel as if you have Angels in the Backfield. Now she has her wings. Though I and others may not understand things now we know the Lord has a plan. Someone told me that God does not make mistakes. Bravely she had stood against many odds and did not falter because she stood on Christ word and knew she would get to the other side. When we speak of unsung heros this is one case that is such. Her many times of looking adversity in the face and speaking to her mountain that God so galiently moved. She kept the Faith and continued Gods work. Her husband and children were her priorities and there was nothing too big or too small. She loved all that she met never uttering a unkind word to anyone.
I admired her for her courage and cunning. My friend was a great prayer warrior, a great confidant, a great Mom, and wife. I could continue on and on because she deserves so much. But in all this tradgedy and hurt for us all her children, husband, and family we know we must keep praying. That is what she always told me just pray and the Lord will see you through this. Her compassion was unassuming and her Grace so great. I am glad to call her my friend.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Learning and Going Forward
Today is one of a epiphany if you will. The Lord is something he keeps speaking and you have no choice but to listen. The days go by quickly and it all seems like a big blur but each day that passes holds a greater meaning to me than yesterday. I marvel at all that has been done in my life and I can't stop thanking God for all his blessings. There is a renewed faith and I am continuing to see the divine appointments the Lord is making in my life. I just have to keep trusting him.
I am very excited today as the Lord continues to shine down and know my heart. He knows the desires of my heart and that is comforting. I have been so humbled by things that I have seen and heard till it amazes me just to think of what I had been missing out on all this time. There are dreams that people have and especially our young people that need to be nurtured and realized for them. God is the answer. The young people of today go through so much because children of today are not like children of yesterday. There is so much lacking in some homes and most children don't seem to understand that they should thank the Lord for what they have no matter how small. The tragedies of the world are now riding on training wheels because as parents we have not paid attention and gave up the time necessary to listen to that child. There is no easy answer and the struggles one must go through to provide a decent home has gotten ten times harder. The things that we took for granted before high gas prices and food cost we no longer look at the same.
So the moral to all of this is times are changing and we must change with them. The responsibilities are still the same but amplified by daily conditions. The choices we make today shapes our tomorrows. As men and women our stance that we take for ourselves and others must count and go beyond just being here to live we must all make a difference in some way and that by far can take us on a greater high.
I am very excited today as the Lord continues to shine down and know my heart. He knows the desires of my heart and that is comforting. I have been so humbled by things that I have seen and heard till it amazes me just to think of what I had been missing out on all this time. There are dreams that people have and especially our young people that need to be nurtured and realized for them. God is the answer. The young people of today go through so much because children of today are not like children of yesterday. There is so much lacking in some homes and most children don't seem to understand that they should thank the Lord for what they have no matter how small. The tragedies of the world are now riding on training wheels because as parents we have not paid attention and gave up the time necessary to listen to that child. There is no easy answer and the struggles one must go through to provide a decent home has gotten ten times harder. The things that we took for granted before high gas prices and food cost we no longer look at the same.
So the moral to all of this is times are changing and we must change with them. The responsibilities are still the same but amplified by daily conditions. The choices we make today shapes our tomorrows. As men and women our stance that we take for ourselves and others must count and go beyond just being here to live we must all make a difference in some way and that by far can take us on a greater high.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Mah Mah
Grandmothers are the funniest people just like parents. They are always right in some way. Do you remember when your granny told yah “Don’t put your hand in that wasp nest you will be stung!” What did you do? Placed your hand in there anyway and managed to get stung. Well this is a great analogy of how good advice is not always where you want it to come from but finds its way in everything you do. Growing up in a small town with only one caution light was fun and funny at the same time. I can remember when my grandmother who we affectionately called “Mah Mah” was always cooking up a big dinner and our home would somehow become the neighborhood diner. She always said, “You don’t refuse anyone food that wouldn’t be the Lord’s way”.
Well, let us take this and think of our world today and how we have been taught to survive and not pay attention to the suffering or moods of others. The greatest lesson of yesterday is that we could all coexist and still succeed in life. Our ambitions sometimes make us blind to what we are losing in the long run. Are the family dinners you are missing with your families worth the millions of dollars you are trying to achieve? Family is what gives each person their roots and legacies that must be continued from generation to generation. Mah Mah loved family. She would wear her biggest smile when everyone was piling out of the cars with suitcases and bags coming to spend some time. You see time is what is short and what we all take for granted. Mah Mah didn’t. She enjoyed everyone’s uniqueness and tried to bask in every moment of insanity that happened around the house. Her words ring true even now “You can’t say home is where the heart is if you don’t spend time there. The key words here are “Quality Time!” I have to tell you some more about my town next time.
Well, let us take this and think of our world today and how we have been taught to survive and not pay attention to the suffering or moods of others. The greatest lesson of yesterday is that we could all coexist and still succeed in life. Our ambitions sometimes make us blind to what we are losing in the long run. Are the family dinners you are missing with your families worth the millions of dollars you are trying to achieve? Family is what gives each person their roots and legacies that must be continued from generation to generation. Mah Mah loved family. She would wear her biggest smile when everyone was piling out of the cars with suitcases and bags coming to spend some time. You see time is what is short and what we all take for granted. Mah Mah didn’t. She enjoyed everyone’s uniqueness and tried to bask in every moment of insanity that happened around the house. Her words ring true even now “You can’t say home is where the heart is if you don’t spend time there. The key words here are “Quality Time!” I have to tell you some more about my town next time.
The Weather Rolls
Today is very gloomy outside. The darkness that is attached to the rain is giving me the opportunity to reflect on what is important. I was watching a television show last night about family and in the end the husband realized that all he needed to do was look past anything petty and what he wanted was right at home. Family is important to each of us in a different way. The one link that keeps it all intertwined is Love for one another.
You forge relationships with your peers that become lasting bonds and friendships and one must learn to cherish all the moments that are sincere. God placed us on this earth for many purposes and I have always known that I am here to help someone. But in all the helping I have to embrace change and let go of the past. The past can be a dangerous thing if you let it. The thoughts of yesterday you allow to follow you can sometimes ruin your today and tomorrows. The heaviness you feel in your heart, that feeling of guilt, and the feeling of letting someone down when you can't keep allegiance to them and pay homage to their memory is what we must turn around. We must feel good about our next move and know that just because we want to say we have fallen short does not mean we have. We are our own worst critics and we condemn ourselves sometimes more than others. The light in the dark is that we realize who we are and how we matter to ourselves and others and cut ourselves a break. Human beings are creatures of habit and when you hold on to what was you block the blessings and happiness of what is. One is not a failure because you can't hold on. "Let it go!" I have heard these words echoed from many places.
You forge relationships with your peers that become lasting bonds and friendships and one must learn to cherish all the moments that are sincere. God placed us on this earth for many purposes and I have always known that I am here to help someone. But in all the helping I have to embrace change and let go of the past. The past can be a dangerous thing if you let it. The thoughts of yesterday you allow to follow you can sometimes ruin your today and tomorrows. The heaviness you feel in your heart, that feeling of guilt, and the feeling of letting someone down when you can't keep allegiance to them and pay homage to their memory is what we must turn around. We must feel good about our next move and know that just because we want to say we have fallen short does not mean we have. We are our own worst critics and we condemn ourselves sometimes more than others. The light in the dark is that we realize who we are and how we matter to ourselves and others and cut ourselves a break. Human beings are creatures of habit and when you hold on to what was you block the blessings and happiness of what is. One is not a failure because you can't hold on. "Let it go!" I have heard these words echoed from many places.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
School Days
Well I am sitting here trying to plan my Back to School Event which I have been contemplating since April. The nonprofit organization which I am the Program Director of is Creole Creation, Incorporated. Our mission is broken down into three segments Housing, Education, and Higher Quality of Life. This event focuses on our education initiative. We would like to help families get their children ready for back to school with school supply help. As the rising prices of today not only make us choose between, food, gas for the vehicle, and utility cost. Our quality of lives for the things that are essential to our children may not always come first in the grand scheme of things. The sacrafices we must make as parents already have us reeling into overdrive to figure out how one will afford all the things needed for the upcoming school year.
The uniforms are a large chunk of the budget along with personal items such as socks, and undershirts for girls or boys. Though the schools mostly have children wear uniforms for any size family this can also tax on our budgets. The School Days Project Initiative is one that is a year long thing that does not just stop at the beginning of school. As we forge forward there will be other facets that will be opened to help the teachers in the classroom as more supplies and funding is found to gather the much needed supplies for them as well. There are several parishes that we are focusing on and hope we can give some relief for those teachers as well trying to have a home budget and a classroom budget. The corporate and local sponsorship needed for such a thing is in the process of being sought and I am in great expectancy that this initiative will be seen as one of a great help to all who come into contact with it. Families are suffering and there seems to be no end to this vast famine of financial possibilities. The jobs are not paying much as when you look at the gas it took to go for the hours you're given one finds that they may have only made a few dollars past the fuel expense. These are the realities of today and we see all that people are going through.
I still remain human in the worst of conditions and try to understand the problems of families. The help that we give can mean alot to some and even if one has not reached as many as we wanted we have tried to give some relief to those who need it.
The uniforms are a large chunk of the budget along with personal items such as socks, and undershirts for girls or boys. Though the schools mostly have children wear uniforms for any size family this can also tax on our budgets. The School Days Project Initiative is one that is a year long thing that does not just stop at the beginning of school. As we forge forward there will be other facets that will be opened to help the teachers in the classroom as more supplies and funding is found to gather the much needed supplies for them as well. There are several parishes that we are focusing on and hope we can give some relief for those teachers as well trying to have a home budget and a classroom budget. The corporate and local sponsorship needed for such a thing is in the process of being sought and I am in great expectancy that this initiative will be seen as one of a great help to all who come into contact with it. Families are suffering and there seems to be no end to this vast famine of financial possibilities. The jobs are not paying much as when you look at the gas it took to go for the hours you're given one finds that they may have only made a few dollars past the fuel expense. These are the realities of today and we see all that people are going through.
I still remain human in the worst of conditions and try to understand the problems of families. The help that we give can mean alot to some and even if one has not reached as many as we wanted we have tried to give some relief to those who need it.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Parents Pay Attention
The summer always reminds you of cookouts and having fun. The thoughts of a teenager are all a blur, and for some not so important. As a child growing up in the country and having close knit ties to family the real world seems so far away. The thought of what you want to be when you grow up and how famous you want to become seems a goal very far fetched. The nervousness of leaving home, getting your school supplies ready for the upcoming year and knowing there are changes ahead give fears that come in spurts.
Everything that was described gives one the indication that Life is really about to begin and there is so much that can be accomplished. As parents try to sift through their children’s lives and keep track of their every move it becomes apparent that the hedge of protection that you place over your children only bounds as far as the front door. The hedge of protection that will go through and through is that of the Lord.
Mah Mah always said as a parent one can only give children the tools to make an informed decision and it is up to them to apply all the principles. The feeling of being invincible on demand is the call of most children. Giving them the illusion they cannot be touched. Nothing will happen to them so they think. The problems that plague the young people of today are multiplied by the failing economy, ultimate peer pressure, and a society of mixed messages from different perspectives. The real truth is finding out that as children grow into responsible adults there will be pitfalls and things to deter their path but as parents and family alike we must be the ones who give them direction and help nudge their most intricate movements. The freedoms that we have in this country must be looked at as commodities as so many have charted different courses and can’t seem to find a sure sign of success. The one thing that sticks out is the failures of life. As parents we must pay attention. Become our children’s cheerleaders, coaches, and pure encouragement. The futures of our children can be shaped by what we say from the tongue so help your children along. Parents are the path in the wilderness and the light in the dark.
Everything that was described gives one the indication that Life is really about to begin and there is so much that can be accomplished. As parents try to sift through their children’s lives and keep track of their every move it becomes apparent that the hedge of protection that you place over your children only bounds as far as the front door. The hedge of protection that will go through and through is that of the Lord.
Mah Mah always said as a parent one can only give children the tools to make an informed decision and it is up to them to apply all the principles. The feeling of being invincible on demand is the call of most children. Giving them the illusion they cannot be touched. Nothing will happen to them so they think. The problems that plague the young people of today are multiplied by the failing economy, ultimate peer pressure, and a society of mixed messages from different perspectives. The real truth is finding out that as children grow into responsible adults there will be pitfalls and things to deter their path but as parents and family alike we must be the ones who give them direction and help nudge their most intricate movements. The freedoms that we have in this country must be looked at as commodities as so many have charted different courses and can’t seem to find a sure sign of success. The one thing that sticks out is the failures of life. As parents we must pay attention. Become our children’s cheerleaders, coaches, and pure encouragement. The futures of our children can be shaped by what we say from the tongue so help your children along. Parents are the path in the wilderness and the light in the dark.
Calling on the Lake
Prayer Lake is an awesome place. There was so much waiting for the group of eight ladies that attended this retreat. The things learned about themselves and the beauty to be taken in is just one that cannot just be described. You must go there. Each of the cabins that were scattered about the grounds exuded its own personality and imparted its own welcome and embrace. The peace one feels when the grounds are entered is one that can only be of a great Anointing of God. The true peace and fellowship that can be done there is worth all that is experienced while you are there.The sights are heavenly. To be embodied by nature and know one has come with conviction and seeking the presence of God.
This is what drives such a peaceful retreat away from today's society of going through your day in warp speed. Time seems to stand still in this place because you are learning so much. The owner of the property was in the midst and imparted words of wisdom and opened up her home. The anointing that lay on her life is great and it is quite obvious while speaking with her that God is not through with her yet. Her loss of her husband and life partner gives her a greater wisdom to be shared with others and allows her to speak to many of the human conditions. The calling on Prayer Lake does not end with one trip. The grounds seem to call you back when you exit the grounds. It leaves a lasting impression and also great pride that you experienced a slice of heaven.
This is what drives such a peaceful retreat away from today's society of going through your day in warp speed. Time seems to stand still in this place because you are learning so much. The owner of the property was in the midst and imparted words of wisdom and opened up her home. The anointing that lay on her life is great and it is quite obvious while speaking with her that God is not through with her yet. Her loss of her husband and life partner gives her a greater wisdom to be shared with others and allows her to speak to many of the human conditions. The calling on Prayer Lake does not end with one trip. The grounds seem to call you back when you exit the grounds. It leaves a lasting impression and also great pride that you experienced a slice of heaven.
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