Very Blue Mondays

The most important time of life isn't the date of birth, but simply the time between birth and death called the dash. The dash is inclusive of how you lived, loved, and faired in this thing called life. 

Well, this Monday feels like a pivotal period in my dash. It's sort of like being in the middle of something, not quite at the end or the beginning but in the thick of it. Although there are a lot of uncertainties in the country right now if you had the choice you wouldn't choose to be on the front line, because it's the place of vulnerability. It seems as though a course of events and choices led me here today, however it was by divine design that not only does my career in public service mirror my calling in life it reflects my position in my spiritual relationship with the Lord.

Oftentimes we may feel as though the situation we find ourselves in is a set up to fail because of bad choices, born on the wrong side of the tracks or just hard luck when in actuality the situation you are in is set to run it's course because it's divinely appointed.  It was going to happen anyway and it's bigger than you.   

So in the event you find yourself in hard places, caught in the middle, in the thick of it hold on, don't despair and trust because who knows if you have come to the kingdom for a time such as this; meaning on your job, business, at that church ministry etc, for this particular reason than to lead. 

Women's History Month 2016

In honoring women today my awareness and proclamation is that women not only deserve, but have the right to Equality, the quality or state of having the same rights human, social and otherwise, the right to be treated equal as a gender of the human race. The message to the nation's today is exposing the inequalities of the injustices toward women everywhere and restoring paths to dwell leveling every playing field for all races of women and girls by reforming policies and holding world systems and organizations accountable that violate women and that do not show forth the progression from the 1848 unified demand for equality at the first Woman's Right's Convention in Seneca Falls, NY to the actual date that the Equal Rights Amendment was passed on March 22, 1972 to today March 8, 2016, 168 years later. The call is to not only celebrate the contributions of women near and far, global, ancestral to the present, but to embrace, acknowledge, and resolve the truth that women have natural abilities, capacities and capable, skills and a right to expose their personal power to give of themselves, which is a God given right to give of their time, talent, and expertise.

So, I affirm these words and share my thoughts that its really not about the gender its about the right to give, but some make it about the gender, because of discrimination and exclusion and the invisible man theory excuse me the invisible woman theory and because of this we have to advocate and use our voices to make a difference for women and girls in our families, communities, states, country, and the world. I am a woman, loving it and I approve this message as well as affirm you to celebrate your womanhood today its PowerFul.  What are your thoughts

All I can do is...

“All I can do is trust God” does this denote all I can do is pray and trust in a God, a divine deity that I cannot see, and rest assured that he hears me and will answer. Secondly, trust in God to leave my problems, my issues that he knows better than me or one that I have experience enough to know that when I was little I saw the hard times of my mother and how when we went to church that really was the solace apart from the living hand to mouth in the cold government housing I grew up in or how I have truly come to realize the difference between those with no faith and not to judge to those with faith in a power source greater than human and beyond this earth yet one that I don't sound to sure of knowing. This sound of the statement is one like I tried all else and failed or I've come to the end of myself and resources and ideas the only thing humanly possible is to seek counsel from God, which one are you?  Doesn't leave much for expectation of the imagination does it, or am I overthinking 

To ponder and amuse the curiosity of analysis  I saw a post on this week, stating "all I can do is to trust God" It reminded me of the statement that I often hear from others, "all I can do is pray now' and I thought, this is the best you can do is to trust and believe that a creator greater than your human capacity is able to do this thing, whatever it may be; not in human belief, but with the realization of your need and of Gods sufficiency. He is greater than the need. So, when down to our last no matter what "last" is referring to bit of hope, time on the clock you better go in trusting so that you may come out knowing that you will make it through this.

A message to mothers

It aint about you though mom and yes I said "aint." Your daughter is not you. Yes, what you went through growing up led us to where we are, but times are different now. She is different and we can be better because of the pain you endured.  So, when your daughter comes to you and says I have a problem, think twice before speaking and don't say, are you doing this because of me, are you in trouble and in pain because of me all I done for you, do you know what I went through growing up I worked while my mom didn’t know I existed, I had it hard or maybe not that dramatic, but you get the picture. Its the "me" syndrome. Lets not make her issue about us and lose the moment of open dialogue or just you listening and her sharing for once make it about her and not get so upset because this moment could be an interruption in your perfect world or could it be a mistake or bad choice and you think  how could she. Well I tell you mom it aint about you. She is your daughter and not you. Yes you were young once and this is your alma mater and you want her to attend. You wore those fashions that are back in style now and she should, but allow her to experience life and be a direct expression of her individual person; yes with your DNA and her fingerprint; indeed its a match, yet not the same. Teach, lead by example, and love, by allowing her to show you she was listening all of those years that you taught her.

When you place the focus solely on yourself you give your daughter the extra pressure of living up to your expectation and thinking what would mom do instead of what do I do and form her own decision by what you have taught her. Allow your daughter to be who she is and form her own identity and validate that. Many of us as as women are still doing clean up from damage done to us or by us way back when, because of the struggle with the illusion of not being perfect, perceptions of not being enough, and the expectations to be all things to everybody. We can just let go by acknowledging where we are and declaring that there are no perfect people yet we mature to be better humans.  We can declare "I am enough" by learning to see what we can do and grow in that instead of focusing on barriers and limitations. We can declare that "I will" revisit my expectation of myself and that of others by raising my standard of living and knowing that I have the power to say no and the responsibility to make better choices and live my best life for myself. You see to become a better version of ourselves is not to slight anyone but in fact it sends a message that mothers rock, because of the seed mom placed in us through life. Mothers realize that after a seed breaks through the ground it goes through all of the elements on its own even though there are other plants and living organisms all around until the beautiful plant, tree or flower blooms there is an individual process of growth. Truth is I'm a daughter and a mother to a beautiful daughter and somethings that she's said to me comes to mind such as mom I don't like that I like this, mom I did finish it as you said but I did it this way and no one was hurt, and mom let me do it.  A message to mothers from the heart of a daughter today is "let me grow'  You cannot change yesterday, but you can make it a better day by accepting responsibility for your life today. Be intentional about helping yourself so that you may allow your daughters to live their best life. Believe her life will be better than your worst and best days because she has her purpose, heart and your tools for living that you gave. Now watch her grow.

The Dash

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I had an aha moment when viewing a video by author Farrah Gray about the two most important dates in a persons life birth and when we find out why were born. What are you put here to do?  I thought about a headstone and a grave marker with the date of birth, date of death, and most importantly the dash between the two dates. When we learn why we were born then and only then is death not vanity, its purpose.

I always wondered about the story of King Solomon who had everything said, "all is vanity" or meaningless. He had to have been speaking of those of us who work hard all our days and store up with no purposeful living.  This is sad to go to the grave with purpose, dreams not pursued, books not published, and work left undone; this is vanity and the dash meaningless. We have to finish what we started and what were called to do in life.

I remember reading an article recently that talked about people in hospice care and their main concern before transition being regretting not taking the time to do the things they were passionate about more and using time more wisely, because its precious.

My encouragement on today is to start now with what you have where you are and embrace the fire filled thing that burns within you no matter how old you are if it makes you smile chances are it will bring hope and joy to the world around you.  Know that it's not too late as long as you have breath, just start where you are and live your best life on purpose from here on out.