Hope...

Good morning lovees!! It's a beautiful day!!

As I sit here today thinking of all that is going on in my own life, I realize it's nothing. It's nothing compared to what someone else woke up to today. Someone, somewhere woke up to the news that they lost a loved one. Someone, somewhere is waking up to the realization of the devastating news they received about their health yday. Someone, somewhere is concerned with how they're going to feed their family due to a recent job loss.  There are so many hurting people out there!!

My friends, I tell you, it can always, always be worse than what you are currently going thru!! And understand, I'm not trying to minimize anything that you are going thru!! I just want you to know that you don't walk alone!! There are so many other people going thru things.

If you woke up this morning with a heartbeat, please, please know, there is hope!! The God above ain't done with you yet!! So get up, get dressed and face the day!! When you are running out of strength, lean on someone stronger, a friend, a relative or better yet, the great Almighty! If He can hold the moon in place at night, He can surely hold you up daily!!

Have a blessed day friends!!! Know that you are loved today!!

Love and hugs...

Edification

Good afternoon lovees!!! Such a beautiful day today!! I just love summer weather!!! Thank you God for the beauty of the sun/Son!!

Edification...what a beautiful gesture! And yet, how many of us practice it? The dictionary describes it as this...to instruct or benefit, especially morally or spiritually; uplift. I believe to edify someone is one of the kindest, most loving gestures we can show one another. When done within the bounds of a relationship, it can truly change the dynamics and bring two people incredibly close....in my opinion.

So what does edification look like? It can be a gesture, it can be words spoken, it can be touch, it can look like whatever you deem appropriate. Holding a door for someone or even carrying their bags is a form of edification. Taking a chore off someone's plate is a form of edification. There are many ways to edify someone.

Now, let's talk within the bounds of a relationship. I'm a bit old fashioned myself, so hang on to your hats as I proceed here...lol.

LADIES, I believe that a man should be treated as a king within the home. Even if you're just dating. I believe that the man should find his home a place of refuge and want for nothing once he walks through the door. I believe that in doing this, it does a few things...1, it allows him to know that you have his back. 2, it encourages him. 3, it shows him he's your priority. 4, it should empower him to know that you will take care of him at all times.

MEN, if you've found a rare gem that will treat you in such a way as this, then by George, you had better treat her as your queen!! Give back to her all that she gives to you! Suffer through the ballet and the mall. Suffer through a tearful conversation and allow her to just be. Tuck a card or a note in her handbag. Text her just because and let her know you're thinking of her. Give her your time.

Ladies and gentleman, I believe if we treated each other the way I have described above, we would have less to fight amongst ourselves about! Let's start edifying each other! Lift each other up! Love one another!!

Have a blessed day friends!!!

Love and hugs...

Mothers day...

Good afternoon lovees!!! What an incredibly beautiful day today is! I am so very thankful for this day!

Today is a day to honor Mothers! Maybe your mama is with you today and y'all have spent the day together. Maybe your mama is working. Maybe your mama is out of town. Maybe your mama is standing on Heaven's shore looking down on you today. No matter where your mama is. Love her. Let her know how much you cherish her!

You see, parenting isn't an easy job. Kids don't come with instruction manuals. As a mama, all we can do is our best and hope that God takes over when we can't be with our babies. And one day, when all of our kids are grown, we hope and pray that we've done our job right with God's help.

Today, I am so honored and blessed by each one of my babies. I'm so very proud of them all! They are still a work in progress, as we all are. But I couldn't be more proud to be their mama!! Thank you God for blessing me with such amazing babies!

Mamas, today, as you're rocking babies or reading stories, as your traveling to and from, enjoy every blessed minute! All too soon your time with them at home will be gone and you will miss it!! So go ahead, read one more story, rock a little longer, sing one more song! Leave the dishes til tomorrow. In the end, they won't matter. Your time with those babies will!!

Have a blessed Mother's day y'all!!!

Love and hugs...

Busy...

Good afternoon lovees!! Such a beautiful day!!! Thank you God for the Sun/Son!! I'm so thankful for each day! I don't ever want to be too busy to be thankful for all of my blessings!

Busy...whew, there's a word!! We are all so "busy" anymore!! But what are we really busy doing?? Busy is a relative term if you ask me! It's a term to justify your goings on in a day. Don't get me wrong, some folks truly are busy, and I know that! I've had my share of busy days. But it seems lately we are all too busy to make time for each other. We're busy with this and busy with that. Busy making plans and busy making a life. But without the ones we love, what kind of life do we have?

At my age, I've started losing classmates and people close to me. Most recently, just this week. Every time this happens, it reminds me just how short this life truly is! It truly is just a vapor! We are not promised tomorrow, or even your next breath! Neither am I! Maybe, just maybe it's time we stop being do dang busy!!

Life is so very, VERY precious!!! Stop taking it for granted!! Stop being so "busy"!!! It takes less than a few minutes to send a text to someone to say I'm thinking of you or to just say, I love you!!! What if, the next text/phone call you received was to tell you that your loved one passed? How would you feel about "busy" then??

Have a blessed day friends!!

Love and hugs...

Redeemed...

Good afternoon lovees!! It's my favorite day of the week...Sunday!!! Sunday to me is a day to refresh and prepare for the new week ahead. A day to let go of the week prior and put it to bed. It's in the past, and we don't live there anymore...

Sitting here relaxing and listening to some music today I am reminded of that very thing, the past. The song is called Redeemed. The artist talks about the struggles of his past, the hauntings of the ghosts that lived in his past, being bound in shackles of all his failures, wondering how long it will last. Then he goes on to talk about the voice of Jesus saying son stop fighting this fight that's already been won! He talks about being redeemed!! Thank God redeemed!!

Friend, I want to talk to you today about your past. Maybe you've got skeletons you don't talk about. Maybe you've done things you're not proud of. Maybe you've faced addictions. Maybe you've faced abuse. Maybe you've faced fears. Maybe you've faced challenges time and time again. Maybe you've faced losses. Whatever you have faced, my sweet friend, you don't have to let it define you! You don't have to carry that burden with you! You don't have to let it define who you are right now. You don't have to let it drown you!!

Today is a brand new day! A fresh start! It's a day to renew and refresh! You don't live in that past anymore beloved!! You live in the present, the here and now! If you can't stop living in the past, it will affect everything in your present and quite possibly your future. So, take that rearview mirror off your vehicle of life and toss it! There's a reason it's smaller!

Start right now, start looking forward. Start planning for your future!! Spell it out, write it down. You can even write down your past, but you must discard of it. Burn it, toss it, or bury it, just stop dwelling on it! Be thankful for today's blessings and tomorrow's opportunities.

Have a blessed day friends! Make it count, be a blessing!!

Love and hugs...

Plant a seed....

Good morning lovees!! Such a beautiful day!! Thank you God for touching my heart and waking me this am! Thank you God for all of my many blessings.

I just love this time of year! Fall may be my favorite season because of the beauty and splendor of it's  artistry. But spring and summer are my favorite times of the year! Everything is so fresh and new! The smell of fresh cut grass. The smell of flowers blooming. The sound of the birds singing. Clear summer skies lit up with a thousand stars. All of it, I love all of it!!

I don't know about you, but there is something freeing to me about summer. It's like ok, winter is over, let's open the windows and air everything out. Do some spring cleaning. Plant some flowers. Plant a garden. I'm no gardener, but I can only imagine the pride that comes from planting a seed and watching it grow into something fruitful.

Nature goes through seasons, just like we humans do. Maybe you're going through a season of change right now. Maybe you NEED to go through a season of change. Change starts from within. Start with you. Plant a seed. Then, water it and watch it grow. What do I mean? Well, maybe you need to gain inner strength. How does one do that? First, plant the seed. So, the seed is strength. Then, water it...with books or research. Next, fertilize it...with advice from others you know who have inner strength. Finally...utilize what you learn. Maybe you use that newly found strength to make a major decision. Maybe you use it simply to become a better you.

Whatever the case, I think you understand the concept. So, do a little soul searching. Maybe a little spring cleaning. Rid yourself of stinking thinking and put a little positivity in it's place! Don't be afraid to ask for help! Sometimes it takes a few "farmers" to make a garden successful!!

Have a blessed day friends!!

Love and hugs...

Aspire to be better...

Good day lovees. Another beautiful day upon us! I am so thankful for every new day! Every day brings new opportunities and new inspirations!!

In this life, I don't aspire to be anyone or anything, except to be a better me than I was the day before. My aspiration is to be the best me I can be. And to be a blessing to all I come in contact with.  That said, I draw inspiration from all sorts of sources! I have had amazing women, and men for that matter, in my life who have inspired me to be the strong, independent woman I am today. Some have been close relatives, some have been friends, some have been clients, and some have been complete strangers.  I have faced trials in life that have continued to inspire that strength and made me humble as well. I have watched different TV shows and been inspired on some level by them. Even some of the goofiest shows have inspired me. Lol!

But my greatest source of inspiration comes from the one who holds the stars in His hand. His artistry is so amazing and inspiring! His heart inspires me to be better each day. I am so thankful that even when I am unlovable, He loves me still. And He knows my heart!

I pray that I may be the inspiration in someone's life as many others have been in mine. Have a blessed day friends!!

Love and hugs...