Double Portion Inspiration

It's almost December,  how did that happen? Is the Earth rotating quicker? Are their less than 24 hours in a day? The Fall season is quickly coming to an end and the winter months are ahead.  Almost time to say bye to changing leaves! I look to the world around me for inspiration and lately I've been mezmorized by the book, BREATHE by Priscilla Shirer.  What I crave most about this book is learning how to rest. Our calendars, closet, and work spaces can become overcrowded.  This leads to depletion emotionally and physically. Think about the many things you are holding onto when you should release them.  I participated in my first garage sale and I spent weeks searching through "stuff" in my home I felt could be sold. How do we arrive at having so much "stuff"? I challenge you to sit in your car, open your garage and just look.  What would you see? How about opening your closet (some of us have more than one). What do you see? Some of us ju...

Thanksgiving is a few short days away and most of us are gearing up to eat more that we should while spending time with family. Everyday on my Facebook news feed, individuals are sharing why they are thankful. There's a consistent theme of family being the number one reason to be thankful. But, what about those that aren't thankful at all this year? As much as I'm thankful for the holidays, I realize that there are so many that aren't. They find themselves in a season of grief and pain. For some, it's their 1st major holiday without their loved one. How can they feel happiness and joy when their heart aches for the embrace of their loved one?    How do you make the move from pain to gladness when every single part of the holiday reminds you of them? After my father died, I remember how sharply the grief felt when you have to "move" through all of the "firsts". 1st Thanksgiving 1st Christmas 1st Birthday 1st Mother's...

A few months ago I told you I was going to commit to having more peaceful and encouraging speech.  You do know when you make a commitment like that, you will immediately be tested.  Well it happened to me. I'm striving to be more intentional with the words I use.  Through a recent study, I learned that I will be held accountable for every idle word I speak.  That's right, every empty or casual word you speak, you will have to give an account to God for using it. And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgment day of every IDLE word you speak. ~Matthew 12:36 Here's what happened - while on vacation major damage happened to our rental car.  I was in my hotel room napping (YES, I love to nap) and I received a phone call from the front desk manager. He informed me that damage happened to my car.  I was delirious from being asleep and didn't really get it.  Finally, I woke up and went to see the car. Sure enough this is what I fo...

Beaches and Pools! A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I had a chance to visit one of the most beautiful places.  We had a get away to Hawaii for a week without our kids (thanks Mom for watching them).  I really, really missed my babies but I was thankful for the alone time with my hubby. It was divine! I feel like I live in paradise already. In my home state I'm surrounded by blue skies, palm trees that sway beautifully on a breezy day and the ocean is only about 45 minutes away. What's great about Hawaii though, is the unity of my two favorite landscapes, beaches and mountains . The combination of the two together make for breathtaking views and outstanding photographs! For those who haven't visited Hawaii, maybe you can live vicariously through my experience.  I wanted to share a little about the places we visited and some things I quickly learned about the island.  Here's a list of 10 things I learned about Hawaii : Birds are everywher...

The Summer has flown by. Renee and I have enjoyed a bit of a hiatus.  I've been fortunate to spend time in South Carolina, Dallas, Key West, Naples and Orlando during this Summer break.  School is almost in session and just around the corner are cooler temperatures - Thank God! Even though we haven't been on our blog, Renee and I have spent time this Summer reading and writing.  I had the opportunity to participate in an online session about transforming your speech.  I shied away from this assignment, at first, but I've learned so much along the way. Even on vacation - I rest and read! We are in a world where many people are more interested in being understood vs understanding what the other person is saying. With the amount of words that we use daily to communicate, most of us don't do it effectively. For instance, did you know you communicate in 3 ways - verbally (WHAT you say), vocally (TONE you use) and visually (BODY language)? In fact, 55% of ou...

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted.   If you let it, distractions can make you lose focus and disrupt destiny.   Writing my blog posts is a way to encourage others, t herefore, I need to make time for it.   I’m typing this post while returning home from my family reunion.   I’m blessed that both my mother’s and father’s side of the family have an annual reunion.   It’s such a great time to catch up and reconnect with family members.     This weekend we came together in Warrington, Florida (near Pensacola) where my father grew up.   The city holds precious memories of a time full of laughter, love, and wonderful fun. This would be our first family reunion without the last living matriarch of the family because my dad’s twin sister passed away last year and she was the last of his 7 siblings remaining on this side of Heaven.   Our reunion starts on Friday and lasts the entire weekend.   As a family we pray, fellowship...

I am often asked this question - How do you "fit "it all in? How do you get it all done? Life is really one big juggling act - and just for the record, I don't get it all done.  You might feel like me, as soon as you resolve one conflict another life "curveball" is right around the corner. Life can be intense - between traveling (last month I was in New York, Philadelphia, Dallas and Tampa), cooking, writing, working, exercising, raising kids, and keeping up with my own "extracurricular" activities - life can be overwhelming.  Do you feel the same way? I am in that season of life where most of my time is spent in a car shuffling the boys to school, baseball or driving to the grocery store. I treasure every moment as the days are passing so quickly.  My morning meditation often times happens while driving. How do I attempt to "fit" it all in: I start with sacred mornings; my time ALONE thinking, praying, and meditating sets the t...

Roslyn and I love to pray for others.  It's a pleasure for us to agree with people about their individual requests.  When I reviewed some of the recent prayer requests from friends, family, and associates, I realized that many of them had a common theme.    They needed healing !   Psalms103:2-3 shares:   Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases ...   This simple verse is powerful!  For many of us, it's easier to believe that our sins are forgiven but we struggle with the latter part of the verse where it shares that the Lord heals ALL our diseases.    WHY?   Our healing is a finished work of the cross.  By HIS stripes we are healed!  Don't doubt it.  Declare it in your environment, despite how you feel or the diagnosis you may have just received.  Let the following scriptures minister to your needs....

"Why can't they see in me what I see in myself?"   "Why can't I get that loan to start my business?"  "How could they tell me no"?  "Why didn't I get into that university"?   "Will I ever get married?"  "I've worked all my life for this, only to hear NO...UGH"  Have you ever had moments with these type of questions?  You applied, asked for, competed, studied and the final answer was REJECTION ! You believe you possessed the ability to achieve your goal, but someone comes along and tells you NO .   It can start you down a journey of losing confidence in yourself.  You think, "maybe I'm not that good" simply because you were rejected. Rejection is a natural part of life.  We don't always receive what we dream or prepare for. But that doesn't mean that denial is the end of the story.  Sometimes we have to put in a bit more work, try again or patiently find another path. ...

2015 Christmas Photo Mt. Dora, FL Photo Credits: Delana Brooks It's been quite some time since I posted.  I looked back and realized that I last posted in November.  I'm so thankful that our blog is a joint effort and my sister held it down for the past few months.  My world is a little chaotic with two kids in sports, finishing up studies for a industry designation all while being a mom, wife, chef, church & community volunteer.  Whew!  I'm tired just thinking of it. This was supposed to be a post at Christmas but I never found the time to post it.  I still feel inclined to share it so here we go..... During the holidays, my 7 year old son asked, "Mom, have I been naughty?"  My initial thought was, "of course you have" but I didn't want to crush him.  I figured he was asking because it was the holidays and a common question is, "have you been naughty or nice?"  In the American tradition, Santa Clause knows if you've bee...

With the power of social media, we can be captivated by the lifestyle of others (celebrities, friends, acquaintances, etc.).  When we do this, we lose sight of the journey that has been carved out just for us.  We can mature into a space where we accept where we are (reality) and then decide to make small steps as a catalyst for greater change. In my last post,  we talked about the excuses we use to derail achieving our New Year's Resolutions.  It's been less than 14 days, have you remained true to the goals you set for yourself?  Ok, back to my original point. When we view our life through the lense of someone else, we lose focus of our own journey. We want to RUSH our results and sidestep our road to success. We must HONOR AND RESPECT our own journey! When we finally get to the gym, we can look at the sizes and shapes of those around us.  If we focus on the one that "weighs" less than us or runs faster than us, then we think our body shape or pe...

A new year is here - 2016 is in full swing.  It is incredible to be blessed to see another year.  Renee and I took a hiatus from blogging to unplug, refresh and recharge for the new year.  The feeling in the air is a fresh start, a new outlook, strong optimism on the outcome for the many days ahead.  I wish I could bottle all the positive energy in the atmosphere. Did you make a resolution, set an intention or talk to your loved one about your 2016 goals? Most people have strong intentions but many failed attempts .  You want to lose weight but just don't feel motivated to start or sustain an exercise regimen.  You want to slash your financial debt, but one of the department stores just had their largest sale of the year and you blew that goal within hours of setting it.  What about wanting to be more organized?  Well, the load of clothes you washed on Saturday still sits in the dryer a week later. What causes our failed attempts at...