"Never Give Up"

These days that is so much easier said then done because of various reasons in each of our lives. I'm here to share something that has happened in my life that has inspired me to do just that, NOT GIVE UP!!
Sunday I was sitting in church (something I try to do regularly for myself) & the pastor recognized me for something I had done once out of kindness for another person. I did this particular thing because that is what people are to do. A friend of mine was going thru a really bad time seeing how she had to bury her mother/best friend & I just assisted her with getting a project done so that she could focus on what was important right then and there. I did not see it as being much of anything other then "doing unto others..." However the people that were involved have seen it to be a huge gesture of kindness. Ok with that being said, the pastor proceeded to say he was going to ask God for whatever is in my heart that it may come to pass for me. I thought to myself that was so nice he was going to talk to the big man on my behalf, little did I know it was going to be right there with the whole church. A particular person pulled me to the side & went on to say how he had seen an Ora around me & how he had asked God what this was about. God apparently told this man that he (God) had wonderful things in store for me & that he had seen what I was trying to do & honored that. And then the pastor came up to me & said I needed to be watching for whatever it was God was going to bring to me. I recently have gotten back into the church after being burnt, judged & let down by ALOT of people who claim to be Christians. I'm trying to do it for the right reasons not because someone is making me; but so that I can be a better mother & person in general. And this has been hard for me. I have to remember that they are people such as birds are birds. And if I sit on a park bench and a bird does what a bird does then I can't get mad or I can simply try another bench!!!
After this experience I went on about my business & thinking to myself "that is what good Christians are to do and say". So I did not put alot of stock into it. I'm just being honest because that's what good people do as well!! I'm here to tell you that it has not even been one week since all this has happened & those of you that know me well; know that I am a person that looks for signs that something is good or meant to be or not. I have been getting emails from people that want to help me accomplish my goal in helping other people be their best or at least help them find what their best is. And along the way it helps to make me that much of a better person. Because lets face it I'm a show me kind of girl, so I better be living what I'm telling. I've been getting daily readings that help to inspire me to keep going & never give up. One of which said when I feel discouraged or overwhelmed I have to stir up what God has put inside of me & I have everything I need to succeed. This is so true!! I remember asking a group of woman one time, "why is it that we have so many walls to run into when we are trying to do the next right thing?" And the answer was; sometimes God puts walls up for us to get thru to see how bad we want some thing. When I got done feeling sorry for myself I thought that makes sense. Think about it. You hear famous people say all the time "If you want something bad enough you can set your mind to it & accomplish it". So maybe, just maybe God wants to see if we are willing to apply the cost of getting something we claim to truly want, rather just the lip service part of it.
See in my opinion & its just that an opinion, I believe that God puts people & situations in our lives so that we may come out of it on top & where he has meant for us to be. I don't believe that all things we view to be horrible or just bad are meant for that purpose. I also believe that is when the devil is in his prime to attack us. When we are at our weakest moments.
Now I'm not anything other then just a regular person trying to do good & show love. Learning how to do it the right way along the way with the Freedom to make Healthy choices that all of us have at our disposal. I look at these to be affirmations from God that we're doing the next right thing & he is pleased. I have also learned from this experience that settling is no longer an option! Whether it be in a relationship (all kinds) or whatever it is we may want to accomplish in life. My goal is that I want to raise the bar, show my daughter and all of you to not be afraid, go after your dreams no matter what people do or say to you. Remember they are like birds & will act as such!! Never give up, find a postitive in what it is your going thru & remember there is ALWAYS someone worst off then you.
I love music and how it inspires me. So if I may let me give you something to hang on to even if you get nothing else out of this article. Having hope for yourself & others is like having a melody inside of us. Let your melody sing to you!
While enjoying your friends & family this holiday season, please keep our men & woman of the military in your prayers for a safe return to their loved ones some day soon.

"The Little Things"

Today I had an aha moment while in church. See as I sat there waiting for service to start I was thinking about what it was I was going to blog about & then it hit me "The Little Things". Today's message in church was about simplicity & I thought to myself, this is exactly what God wanted me to blog about. The pastor was delivering his message about how we always want more in life, when in fact God wants us to live a life of simplicity.
See we as human beings think that we always need "more" verses living with what we already have right in front of us. When in actuality the little things are what makes us the happiest, when allowed! We think that we have to want more in order to get more when what happens is that we loose the importance of just that. What is really important in life. Think about it; if you were to die was it that important the dishes did not get done or the emails did not get updated?
Or would you regret not spending those last minutes with our loved ones & all their beauty?!
I try to live a simplistic life and those of you that know me know this to be true. Some view this as being negative when in fact its my way of trying to focus on whats important to me. See for me it can be a little thing such as a soft whisper of "I love you", or a crazy sloppy kiss from my beautiful daughter (she will be 2 on Christmas day), a simple "nice to see you again" from someone that has only met you once before. Or when you don't think people appreciate when you are trying to do something good says to you "oh by the way I like what you had to say on..." it does not take much to let someone know how important they or what they are trying to do is. Send a sweet email, leave a nice note or call someone & leave a voice mail. So that you don't have any regrets and those of importance to you will know.
When I got home from church today I decided to research alittle bit about what the word simplicity means & this is what I found. Simplicity often connotes or expresses beauty, the quality of being simple, freedom from being difficult. See people tend to complicate things and make them more difficult then something truly is in an attempt to avoid facing what the real issue may be. I believe this is why some people tend to stay so busy that they don't know how to enjoy the little things in life. I was always so wrapped up in helping other people fix there problems so I did not have to look at my own. Then one day God took that from me & told me through a friend that maybe it was time I started looking at my own issues. That was a few 24 hours ago in what I believe to be preparation for problems to come.
As I embark on another part of my journey and struggle with some of my own trying times from recent life changes. Wasting time trying to make sense of why things happened. I have to remember that it is just that a waste of time! Because the only one that can or will make sense of this is God & that all I can do is control the control ables. My daughter is a dream come true for me something that I did not think was possible. When I watch her & partake in playtime it is then that I'm reminded on a daily basis to slow down & remember what is truly important, "The Little Things".
Slow down enjoy the simplistic beauty that surrounds you & is free for us to drink in. See folks none of us are promised tomorrow or even the rest of the day so live like its your last & with no regrets.
As always please keep the men & woman of the service in your prayers so that while they are over fighting a war for our Healthy Freedoms that they are kept safe for their return to us someday soon.
Embrace your journey & enjoy the little things!!

"Motivation"

There are different things in life that can motivate us. It may be that someone loves us so much that motivates us to do great things in life. It may be our children that motivate us to do good for the sake of their little lives that we hold so dear in our hearts. Believe it or not it may just be an ugly experience in life such as the break up of a family. I know your thinking "Jen how can that motivate us?"
Let me explain... I recently went through a break up of my family. I invested everything I had in to this relationship. Made sacrifices that some of my family members were mad about. But I did that because I wanted something I did not have as a child, a close family. Don't get me wrong my family may not be as close as I necessarily want; but if something happens to one of us we rally together for one another. See I have been so busy chasing after what "I" thought would make me happy, that I never allowed myself to ask "what motivates you?". Going through this break up has caused me a great deal of anger and pain. Pain for both myself and the children. Then one day while talking to a great friend, I said "will this anger ever go away?" and he responded "Jen let the anger motivate you before it destroys you." As Oprah says that was my AAAAHHHH moment if you will!
Don't get me wrong the pain and anger are both still there but now I'm trying to let it motivate me instead of control me!! That was a powerful conversation for me. One that started the change of my life.
I have since started to write my book, joined a writers group and allowed myself the right to receive support instead of being the one to give it. And I've been getting wonderful reviews so far from people on my book. A hidden talent that I never knew could or would become anything.
So people what I'm trying to say is that yes even something life changing and potentially life shattering can be what it takes to motivate us. Today I can show my daughter while teaching her that things are not always as bad as they seem at that moment. And if we take the time to put our anger aside to look for the good in a bad situation we will be able to find at least one. I have found quite a few!
Ultimately "we" and "we" alone are responsible for what happens to us in life. And "we" can choose our Healthy Freedoms in life. If "we" allow our self!! So go ahead give yourself permission to be motivated to do something good for yourself today, you'll be glad you did. I dare ya!!!!
Please don't forget as we come into the holiday season to keep all of our service men and woman in your prayers for a safe return to their families.

I'm Back & on a mission.

I can not even believe it has been almost 1 yr since last being on the blog. Things kind of got to be a mess for me. But once I realized that God is trying to push me into making a Healthy decision for my life then things just seemed to start making more sense.
See what I'm trying to say is that we are all human beings & we all go thru trials & tribulations in life. And that's OK as long as you don't allow yourself to stay stuck. I believe that is Gods way of testing us to see just how bad we want things in life. My sister puts it best "just do it & stop crying about it". Her & I had this conversation about how she is so sick of people complaining about their situation but doing absolutely nothing to change or better themselves. Whether she realizes it or not that was the beginning of my new thinking. I have been accused of not doing anything myself to change my current situation, but those people need to ask "so what steps are you taking to change & how can I help".
The only way "WE" can help each other to be the best "WE" can all be is not to be critical or judgemental, rather offer help instead. All we do when judging another is give that person an excuse not to want to do better them self & help hold them down. Now don't get me wrong there are people unfortunately in life that don't want to see us succeed & we have to ask our self is that a healthy choice to give us healthy freedoms? Because in the end the only person that truly holds us down is self & the only one we have to answer to is God.
Alright people I'm back & on a mission to continue my job as one of God's little angels just trying to help make a difference while I'm on this earth.
As always please remember to keep our soldiers in your prayers for a safe return to their loved ones.
Good night & God Bless