MORE THAN YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT ME!!!

Just sharing a little bit about... stuff too trivial for the profile. These aren't listed in any type of priority.

1. I absolutely love macadamia nuts!

2. I skipped 3rd Grade...

3. I repeated 10th grade (almost twice... (T.G.F. Summer School)

4. My husband went on my prom.

5. There are 23 letters in my complete name (married surname)

6. I have three best friends (you know who you are... or do you???)

7. My first dog's name was Popeye.

8. My first love was a guy named Charles (I can't remember his last name)

9. It's almost one full year (June 2nd) since I began to loc my hair.

10. I still remember my best friend's birthday from elementary school (Melinda Armington, July 7th... and I didn't make that up)

11. My favorite colors are yellow and orange.

12. My favorite movie is "My Fair Lady" with Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn.

13. My favorite alt rock/pop group is REM / Counting Crows / Guns-n-Roses

14. My favorite Old School Hip Hop rappers are Big Daddy Kane, and Rakim.

15. My mother is growing to be one of my best friends (she's pretty smart after all)

16. I sleep with my thumb in my mouth.

17. I recently began learning how to sew.

18. When getting my nails done, I prefer a tropical manicure.

19. I've been working at my present job longer than I've been out of high school. (started 1991... graduated 1992)

20. I never untie sneakers... I just shove my feet in and pull them out. Well... that's it. Leave a few "little known facts" about you in the comments area.

If Only I Had...

If only I had the...

Time, money, motivation
Money, motivation, goal
Motivation, goal, know-how
Goal, know-how, experience
Know-how, experience, time
Experience, time, money
Time, money, motivation…

...of all the things I want to accomplish… all the ideas in my head… I always seem to only have two of the three things necessary for completion. Isn’t it strange that what’s lacking is always the most necessary.


When I originally wrote the above, I was trying to figure out what was keeping me from my purpose... Did I even know what my purpose was? I believe that I do, now. So what's keeping me from it?

To tell you the truth, I don't know. I can think off-hand of a few things. I know that for my ultimate goal I need to go back to school. I know that to go back to school it's going to cost money, which is in short supply. But where there's a will, there's a way, right?

Why is it that the things we know that we know that we know need to be done, there is always a reason not to do it. There always seems to be something missing. There always seems to be lack somewhere... time, money, motivation, the right connections, etc.

Today's Mission, should you choose to accept it, is:

Step 1. Search your heart of hearts and find out what your purpose is... that thing that will fulfill your life... That goal or aspiration you once had that no longer seems practical because you haven't full invested yourself to it...

Step 2. Make a list of what you need to make it happen.

Step 3. Make a non-negotiable deadline to have at least one step accomplished.

Ordinary Appreciation Day

I went to church yesterday... yes, the building is still standing. The sermon was very inspiring and personal. I truly felt that God had sent a message especially for me, though there were several other congregants who responded during the altar call.

The title of the sermon was "Who am I" and the reference was in Exodus when God called Moses to stand before Pharoah and demand the release of the Israelites, and Moses responded, "Who am I?" wondering what made God select him of all people to be his representative.

It got me to thinking... How many times have we disqualified ourselves from something that we are entitled to because we are children of the Most High God? How many times have we said, "I can't because I'm not (choose one) good enough, smart enough, thin enough, educated enough..." I can't because I can't (choose one) sing... write... dance... pray... as good as so-and-so"

Why do we compare ourselves to other people. After God made everything, he said "It is Good." He didn't make one thing and say it's good and then another and say it was better. It was all good! The Bible says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

The people who we feel are extraordinary and exceptional that do extraordinary things started out as mere ordinary people who were given an extra-ordinary opportunity and/or set of circumstances.

Your extra-ordinary time is this... this moment... right now. You, my ordinary friend, are being given the extra-ordinary opportunity to examine yourself in the light of truth, in the light of scripture and find that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. He loves you, truly just as you are! You are called and chosen to be his representative! How exciting!

I know we've all done some stuff that should burn us to a crisp, but that's under the blood. Those sins have already been paid for, for a price none of us could afford. That's why God paid it himself. Yes, that's right. The creator of all heaven and earth... the one true living God of the universe removed his cloak of glory and for a short time clothed himself in a robe of flesh and condescended to us to make himself the perfect sacrifice to pay for our redemption. How exciting and wonderful!

If you find yourself reading this today and do not know without a shadow of a doubt that your sins, past, present and future have been paid for through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the unique Son of God, I invite you to ask him to forgive you. Please know that forgiveness is just a prayer away. Hope and Unconditional Eternal Love is just a prayer away. He's waiting to answer with a mighty Yes... Just ask him to come into your heart and make it His home.

God Bless you today!

Baggage Free

I love this picture. The woman/women in this picture are so free. Wouldn't it be nice to just be free to dance. Free to feel reckless in the enjoyment of the moment. Enjoying the moment of who you are, where you are and what you are doing without any thought of the next moment. When I look at this I see one woman. A woman who has just found victory, escape, deliverance, breakthrough... A woman determined not to sit or laydown anymore. A woman with confidence in who she is. A woman who loves herself. A woman who has just discovered her own strength, her own beauty... a woman who has discovered herself. I love this picture.

What do you see?

Ready or Not...

Phew... had a wonderful weekend. I usually read blogs while I'm at work and I've been off for a few days. This morning, while still at home, I decided to check in on a few pages that I read... DC10's and my friend Tanya's. DC's page had some interesting comments on it. A lot about relationships. Some of them made me bristle a little about how direct the young ladies were with what they had to say. So, i've decided to make a few of my own opinions moderately public for viewing and comments as well.

Since it's such a multifaceted topic I'm going to spill out different components over the next few days.

I believe first, before seeking a spouse. A person should be sure that they are complete and whole. That may seem a bit redundant, but let me explain. By complete, I mean that they are a well-rounded individual complete with a career/job, education, personal relationship with Christ (not necessarily in that order). Personal questions that can be asked may be (1) Am I able to afford the lifestyle that I want with the job/career that I have? (2) Have I Completed my personal educational ambitions? (3) Do I spend time developing personal interests, hobbies and goals for continued personal development (4) Do I know what my purpose in Christ is?...Am I on track to pursue it? (5) If/When I get married, how long am I expecting it to last?

When determining if I am whole, some questions that could be asked are "My heart has been broken before... is it healed, or have I just become numb or desensitized to the pain?" Am I well-rounded, do I have outside interests and activities... am I willing to include my new partner into these. Am I ready/able to complete my spouse? Am I ready to be an instrument for God to use in another person's life?

WHEN THE STUDENT IS READY, THE TEACHER WILL APPEAR

Have you ever found yourself doing something, very ordinary... something that you do almost all of the time without thinking about it and then suddenly, your mind wanders... wanders to a place you hadn't thought about in years. A place where if you actually had to drive there you would need mapquest and a field guide to get there. That happened to me this morning. I was working, typing or...whatever they pay me to do around here and then I blinked. When my mind's eyes opened, I was in Kindergarten sitting Indian style in a semi-circle. I was in Mrs. Richardson's classroom at John Wister Elementary School. I was listening to her play the piano and sing our morning song... Good Morning, to you. Good Morning, to you. Good Morning, Good Morning, Good Morning, to you. I could see her light-skinned face, her red hair and big pearl earrings and matching necklace. I remember her sitting straight and tall. Speaking loud and clear and strong. I could smell her perfume. It all seemed so tangible. I could even remember that P.I.A. Michael Davis that made my cry on my first day of school. I can still clearly see pictures hanging in the classroom of African Kings and Queens (not that I remember their names), but I remember learning about far off countries... Ghana, Mali, Ethiopia. I remember it seeming to important to her for us to learn our heritage... to learn for learnings sake. I remember her teaching us the poem, I am Somebody. We recited it well-enough but the meaning of it was lost on most of us. At least on me, at the time. Mrs. Richardson was of the generation that saw and experienced hoses and dogs being turned on them for trying to get an education. A generation who knew what it was to be denied things necessary to add life to their years. A generation that was impassioned and hungry and wanted better and was willing to work for it. As my attention returned to the task at hand, I thought about how I didn't learn much about those great Kings and Queens after that. I realize how I've neglected to pursue the knowledge on my own... more concerned with my own plight here and now; completely ignorant to how history is intertwined with my story. What's worse, I've passed that onto my children. How would Mrs. Richardson feel about that? (God Rest Her Soul). I remember her and other teachers like her... Older, Proud Black Women. Mother's of the community, with deep vested personal interest in the success of each child under their care. The struggles they endured and won against produced a quality of character that is seldom seen today among people of my age group. It's even more rare in some of our children. How did we go from being Kings and Queens in our own right as a people. It seems our struggle as a people has become so personalized that as a people we mostly fight each other. Will there ever be another charismatic leader that galvanize our peoples to bring the Unity back in community?

I now realize how good I had it in front of that piano. I know realize that Mrs. Richardson taught me much more than how to tie my shoes and button my shirt straight. What she taught me was never written on a blackboard or a worksheet. It was in her speech. In her posture. In her character. I miss Mrs. Richardson. I'm sorry she'll never know how she affected me. I'm sorry it's taken so long to learn what was so plain and in front of my face everyday when I was 5.