Happy!!

Good afternoon lovees!!! Ahhhhhh what a beautiful day! I'm over the moon excited by this weather! I just love it when the sun shines!

The past few months have really been challenging for me. And yet, I've learned so very much! About life, about business, about love, about me. I have the best group of cheerleaders a girl could ever ask for!  Y'all know who you are and you keep me going! Y'all have held me up and held me in your arms! Even tho I kept sliding out, you kept holding on, thank You!  I'm so lucky and so blessed! I love you all!

While talking with someone the other day tho, they said something that struck me. They said, as long as your happy. And I started to think...what makes us happy, doesn't have to matter to anyone else! Or, even make sense!! You see, this isn't their life to live. This is yours! This is mine. Obviously, there are boundaries we should stay within in regards to some things. But outside of that, if it makes you hapoy, don't let anyone else steal your joy!

Maybe you're newly dating someone. Maybe you're newly single. Maybe you've changed careers. Maybe you're thinking about changing careers. Maybe you're moving out of state. Or already have. Maybe you're thinking of starting a new business. Whatever the case may be, if it makes you happy, DO IT!!! 

You see, we only get this one go round in life, so you need to make the best of it! Enjoy life as it comes. Someone out there wasn't blessed with today. Someone out there isn't blessed with all that you have. Be happy!

Have a blessed day friends.

Love and hugs...

Words of affirmation...

Good afternoon friends!! It's so incredibly beautiful out today! If you woke up today, be thankful! Get out there and get the stink blown off ya! Enjoy this weather!

Words of affirmation...my fave! It's my love language! I love a good compliment, but oddly enough, compliments are hard for me to take...lol. I guess it's because I try to remain humble.

I LOVE to spread compliments around!! And I mean them genuinely, not like the girls in the Mean Girls movie...lol. It's fun and rewarding to see someone's reaction when you say hey, I like your........fill in the blank. Quite often they're taken aback by it, because most folks aren't used to getting compliments.

I like to take it a step further though, and show my appreciation for something someone has done. Maybe it's something small they've done or said. I try to always make sure I thank them. Maybe it's been something bigger that really helped me out. Maybe it's just having been there in a time of need. Whatever the case, you can be sure that I will shower you with appreciation!

For a while, I would think (and still do at times)...mayve I'm too much, too hard to handle. But I'm realizing, I'm just enough. Because A, I'm just being me.  And B, most folks just don't know how to take compliments because we are so not used to getting them. We're also not used to being showered with love and appreciation for the things we've done.

So let's start a new trend!! Let's compliment people and let them know just how much we appreciate them! Maybe, just maybe, we'd see relationships flourish.  Maybe we'd see children doing better at home and in school. Maybe the world would be better if we were all just a little kinder. Try It! It surely can't hurt!!

Have a blessed day friends! Remember, be a blessing!

Love and hugs...

You were not designed to be abused...

Good morning lovees!! So thankful for another day above ground! I'm thankful for each and every blessing in my life at this moment!

I need to be serious for a moment....and understand, this is hard for me to write, and I apologize for oversharing. That said, if I were to ever do consider being an advocate for something, it would be abuse. You see, I've walked that road. Love has hurt me. Love has called me names. Love has hit me. Love has raped me. Love has controlled me. Love has told me I'm not worthy. Love has taken many things from me. I was lucky. Tho I still carry scars, none of them physical, I walked away, seemingly unscathed. I allowed my experience to build me into who I am today...

Today, there are women out there, maybe even some of you, who are being abused in many, many different ways. Why do they stay you ask? Because mental abuse supersedes physical. They've been told they're not worthy of more. They, in their abused minds, believe they deserve nothing more than the abuse. My beloved, I'm telling you right now, you deserve so much more!!! God did not design your heart, your mind, your body to be abused!!! You were designed for love.

Maybe you're scared right now because you find yourself in an abusive situation. Maybe you have no one to talk to. Maybe you need to find the strength to leave. I advise you to seek help. There are agencies that can help. But you can also find a friend to confide in. Find a pastor. Find a relative. If you don't have anyone, I'll listen. If you know someone who is going through something like this, LOVE THEM!!! Love them through! Unless you've walked it, you can't understand it, don't try. Just love them and let them know your home is a safe haven. Let them know YOU are a safe haven.

You are so loved today friends. And you are so AMAZING!!! Have a blessed day today! Go out and be a blessing to someone today.

Love and hugs...

Setbacks are comebacks...

Good morning lovees!!! April showers are upon us again. Even so, it's a great day to have a great day!!

Life is so crazy is it not? Every day, life throws a multitude of circumstances at us. Some good, some bad. And het, each and every day, we have a choice to allow these circumstances to make us bitter or make us better. It's like a baseball game. Life is one heck of a pitcher, you can either learn to hit or you can strike out.

As some of you know, this last year has been quite challenging for me. And it doesn't seem as if 2017 is gonna give me a break anytime soon. Each day, I am faced with a new set of challenges. And yes, there are moments when I want to scream! Sometimes, I do. But then I realize how blessed I am on so many levels, and I choose to relish in that. I choose to wake up and be thankful for what I have. I choose to take each challenge and use it as a stepping stone toward my goals. My steps aren't always easy, but I'm able bodied and can still make every step!

Today, I pray that whatever circumstances you find yourself in, you are able to see the silver lining. I challenge you to take each setback as a chance for a comeback. Use each challenge as a stepping stone to get you to your goal!! You've got this friend!

Have a blessed day friends!

Love and hugs....

Find your voice....

Good morning lovees!! What a beautifully chilly snowy morning we're having! Thank you for the snow mother nature, but I was quite enjoying the sun, can we have it back, pwease?!?!?? Lol!!

As I'm getting older, and with all that I've gone through, I find myself wanting peace. I don't have time for useless conflict or constant bickering. I just don't. Not only that, I don't like negative emotions. I try to remain positive and upbeat every day. Negativity wears on me and I can't do it. I can't, and I won't, or try not to.

Not only am I a positive girl, I'm a giver by nature. Maybe you are too. When you give and give, people take and take. As givers, we have to be careful we don't give too much and leave nothing for ourselves. It's easy for us to be taken advantage of. It's also easy for us to lose our voice. We don't like or want conflict, so we say nothing. We have to stop doing this. There is nothing wrong with healthy discussions that bring forth resolution. Read that again. Healthy conversations are good for us. Unhealthy ones aren't. We don't have to show up for every argument we are invited to. We can choose to walk away from unhealthy conversations and situations.

Maybe today you feel...stuck or trapped. Because you are afraid to speak. Find your voice. Lean on other's for strength, but find your voice!! You don't have to speak unkindly, you just need to speak. If you don't,  it will fester inside of you and that's not healthy. Do whatever you need to do today to find your voice and use it. Your mind, body and spirit will thank you.

Have a blessed day friends. Even in the cold and snow, it can still be a blessed day, if you choose it to be.

Love and hugs...

Use what you have...be a blessing

Good morning lovees!!! It is so beautiful out today! I just LOVE the sun/Son!!! Thank you thank you thank you God for waking me today!

When I took to writing on facebook, I never ever could have imagined the impact it would have. As I mentioned the other day, folks have shared with me how affected they have been by my writings. And how they daily look forward to it. There are some days, when the words just won't come, and I post nothing. But there are other days when it's freeflowing and I feel as if I can't stop. I can't explain it. But I know this, I am thankful to God for my gift and am so beyond blessed by the responses I've received.

That's the topic today...gifts. What is your gift? How can you be a blessing to others? You don't have to be an elaborate writer to be a blessing. A quick little note to someone to say I'm thinking about you can be such a blessing!! There are other ways to be a blessing as well... A quick hello in the grocery store. A wave while driving. Holding the door for a stranger. Helping a stranger put their coat on when you can see they're struggling. Carrying groceries. Paying for someone's coffee who is behind you in line. Telling someone to have a good day. Asking the cashier how her day is going. Praying for someone. Offering to babysit, to give a stressed out mom a break. Offering to take The widow shopping when no one else is around...

The list goes on and on and on. There are a million different ways you can be a blessing and use the very gift(s) you were given! It doesn't have to be an elaborate gesture. It just has to come from your heart!

I challenge you today to strive to be a blessing to ALL you come in contact with! It's easier than you think! Have a blessed day friends.

Love and hugs...

Life is precious...

Good afternoon lovees!!! Such a beautiful beautiful day out!! Thank you God for another day!! I'm so grateful to be given another day. I'm so thankful you woke me up today...

I want to share something with you today. Something that's on my heart.  Suicide is, in my opinion, more prevalent now than it ever has been before. We live in a world full of hurting people. Not ever having any thought of it myself, I can't explain it. What I can tell you is this...when someone shares with me that they've considered this, first, it literally takes my breath away. I have to calm my spirit so I myself can breath. I'm not saying that for selfish reasons. But to let you understand that I find life to be so precious, that when someone tells me they've tried to take their own it hurts my heart.

When I've been given this information, the first thing I do is thank them. Why? Because I understand the kind of courage it must take to open up and admit that to someone. To bare your soul to someone and let them know about something so painful, is not an easy task. But I also believe there is healing in talking. In letting someone in.

Life is so precious friends. YOUR life is precious. If you are reading this right now, please please know that you ARE loved. Know that you ARE important. And that yes indeed, your life DOES matter!! Please don't ever think you're less than. Please don't ever think you haven't done any good in this world. If you need to talk, I'll listen. If you need to cry, I'll lend you my shoulder. If you need to scream, I'll cover my ears, but stand beside while you do. If you need a friend, I'm here...

Today, be a blessing to someone friends. Someone out there needs your smile, your hug, your hello. You have no idea the hell they may be going through. Have a blessed day.

Love and hugs...

Humbled...

Good morning lovees!!! Such a beautiful day! The sun/Son is shining!! Thank you God for waking me today and giving me another day!

Everyday, or almost everyday, I try to post something positive to share with y'all.  Everyday, I pray that my post will somehow be a blessing. I don't do it for applause. I don't do it for my own selfish gain. Just to encourage others, as I myself sometimes need to be encouraged.

Every once in a while, someone will send me a message, or see me out, and say how they love my posts and try to read them every day. Then sometimes I'll get a message that just leaves me speechless. When the words I speak leave such a mark that someone says it kept them going, or that I've been a Godsend, I'm rendered literally speechless. I'm humbled to think my words have that much capability. Thank you God for giving me the words to say daily.

I say all of this to say...THANK YOU!!! Thank you so much for reading. Thank you so much for your kind words. I want you to know, I want each and every one of you to know, that I am daily blessed by y'all! Truly!! I'm humbled by your "applause". And thankful for your kindness.

I hope that each of you has a blessed day today!! Know that you're amazing!! Know that you're thought of. Know that you're loved.

Love and hugs...