Double Portion Inspiration

Two years ago, cancer found me. I became a part of a club that I didn't want to join. It's a diagnosis I never wanted to hear. So many people I know have overcome cancer and so many others have succumb to it. It's taken me nearly two years to share my story on this blog. I'm still moving through the cancer process but I'm so thankful to still be here! After waking up in the worst pain of my life in November 2018, Alton rushed me to the emergency room. I was quickly discharged after the physicians told me that a mass on my ovary needed evaluation by my gynecologist. That visit with my doctor never came. After passing out later that evening, the following day I ended up in an ambulance going in and out of consciousness. My daughter was home when the ambulance arrived. I vaguely remember seeing her sobbing and as any mother would do, I gently whispered, "I'm going to be ok." She knew that my situation was dire yet somehow I didn't even ...

Can you believe this was the advice that I gave to a small business owner facing a large hurdle? JUST DON'T CARE ! There are moments in our life that we handle with great care and concern. There are other times when we have to release and surrender away the worry and anxiety. I noticed very quickly that I was spending a large potion of time digesting the fast pace news stories regarding the pandemic. The virus was changing and mutating so quickly the guidelines given seemed obsolete before they were released to the public. We were bracing for a storm that had no "time of arrival". I JUST DON'T CARE ! I am intentional to protect myself and others while I am out in public. I will act as a respectful citizen, but I don't have to hang on every negative news story to feel safe. Psalm 91:11 reminds me that angels have charge over my life. I realized that ingesting all that information was becoming a source of anxiety. When you are faced with situations and e...

Is it over yet?  Has this all been a bad dream?  Will I wake up and life will return to normal?  Will I be able to go to the mall again? NOPE, not a bad dream. This is REALITY!  It's been a rolling change but we have entered a brand new way of living. 2020 has ushered in a new era. A new level of sensitivity to frailty. It has also expanded our level of understanding how connected we are as a globe. It's not us vs them. It doesn't matter if you are a parent in Spain, Bangladesh or the U.S., you are trying to figure out the best way to protect your family from COVID19. I'm adapting to this "new world" by learning breathing exercises to help cope with stress. I notice that certain conversations, social media post or news stories can start my heart beating faster. In my head I think that I'm calm. My outward demeanor is relaxed and tranquil.  My inward body tells a much different story. Lessons From A Retainer Unfortunately, I had to star...

It's been 8 weeks. Eight weeks of a solitude think tank for me. Eight weeks of being at home. Eight weeks of seeing my world quickly evolve. I don't think any experiences in our life are wasted. I believe it serves a higher purpose. I've heard many people say that God is trying to tell us something. Well, He certainly has my attention. The collective breath of humanity will persevere through this moment. Some people will come out stronger, some battered, some with scars and there will be some still wondering what the heck is going on. What are you learning through this process? What life lessons will you take away from this moment in history? I truly believe in the midst of this chaos God will provide clarity .  Clarity to know who God is. Clarity to know how strong we are in Him. Clarity to know our families more intimately. Clarity to know all the "busyness" of life is actually quite distracting. Clarity to understand what matters most....

I'm sure the title of my post offends some, however, it's the only word strong enough to share my level of disappointment and frustration over today's political environment. What happened to the days when we could sit down together and have a decent debate about our views? Sometimes we agreed and sometimes we didn't. So what! We would just agree to disagree and move on. Not today. This political environment is different. Way different. A difference of opinion today means that a person is judged for their beliefs. We're judged by how we vote, what we feel about the issues and where we choose to get our news from. If you believe in one Republican ideal you're labeled a Conservative. If you side with some of the Democratic ideals you're labeled a Socialist or Liberal. There's no middle ground or moderate voice in today's political dialogue. What happened? Whether you believe it or not, families are being torn apart. Friends are ...

BEFORE I've always embraced my body's curves and edges. A little extra love handle never really freaked me out. I'm comfortable in my own skin and I don't feel the need to be the skinniest chick in the crowd. I exercise, eat fairly healthy and take care of my body. Last year during a routine physical, I was made aware of my blood pressure being on the high side. It wasn't crazy high, but it was elevated. My physician asked me to eat less sodium, continue to exercise and return in three months for a follow up to see if it would make an impact on my numbers. In a matter of minutes, I quickly realized why high blood pressure is called the "silent killer". AFTER I didn't feel sick or anything. I needed to lose weight to help combat this concern. It was time to take action. Over the next few months, I implemented a few things that made a tremendous difference. Before I share, realize there's no silver bullet with weight loss. You'...

"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. ...

Let me first start by saying this was a fantastic weekend.  It was full of adventure and milestones.  From celebrating my 17th anniversary, spending time on the track at my daughter's first track meet of the season to running my 3rd half marathon, it was awesome! It's been two years since I've run a half marathon.  I took two years off to focus on finishing my graduate degree and taking care of my health.  Sometimes you have to put your priorities in order and say "no" to some things.  I decided in January to run another half marathon because it would be a great way to lose my holiday weight and get back in shape.  It also causes you to depend heavily on your inner strength that is fueled by faith. Pushing yourself to reach your goals is the most rewarding feeling .  Ready to start the race!   I went into this race knowing that I wanted to finish my personal best.  I felt it could be accomplished with the help of a wonderfu...

Isaiah 61:7 (ESV) 7 Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy. In case you haven't heard, we're turning 40!   Yesterday I shared the significance of this number and how Roslyn and I decided to celebrate.  I thought it would be fun to share a little about our photographer.  We searched high and low for the perfect photographer and found it in Brian Adams Photographics. From the moment we spoke with him on the phone, we knew he was the one. His ideas were edgy and fun. He was just what we were looking for. All we had to do was share our vision for the shoot and leave the rest to him. Immediately he had visions of a roof top and a tandem bike.  Our meeting with Brian We immediately embraced his warmth on the day of the shoot even though we were meeting him for the first time. We ...

The smile you see is not always the "happy" I feel inside. Can you feel this pain?   My outburst or erratic behavior scream to show you the hurt I'm enduring. How can I make you understand? Am I in this alone? I'm sinking into a dark abyss of depression.  Exhaustion & nausea after surgery If you've ever experienced pain, one of the above statements might have applied to you.  You endure hurt with many questions, that oftentimes never get answered.  The pain could be financial, physical or mental - in some cases, it is all three.  Loneliness, confusion, sadness and anger are some of the emotions felt during times of pain. I catch myself smiling deep within my soul because, through God's grace, I discovered the other side of pain- healing .  When you linger with pain for a certain length of time you start to adapt it as your normal state of being.  This is the danger zone , because healing will eventually come. Don...

As many of you know, Renee and I love to run.  This past weekend I ran 4 miles while my son was in baseball practice.  Most times I run when he practices on Saturday morning.  We usually are at the field for over 3 hours so instead of sitting, I use my time wisely and sneak in some exercise. On the path I normally take the sign, SPEED BUMP AHEAD , caught my eye.  I'm not really sure why, but it did.  I have run past this sign many times before.  Maybe it was the pretty yellow flowers that are blooming on the tree located next to the sign (I love color).  I've recently been asked to pray for many people in situations that are scary and completely out of their control. In life, don't you wish we had signs like this - SPEED BUMP AHEAD? If we did, we would know to slow down or prepare for the next bump coming our way.  But life just gives us "bumps" without any warning. Our job is to live life to the fullest always moving forward towards ...

African Elephant A recent trip to Zoo Miami with my boys left me hot and curious.  The 3.5 mile trek through the zoo really leaves you believing you have escaped to another country.  My oldest rode a camel and my youngest son attempted to feed a rhino.  These beautiful and massive animals are nature at it's finest.  It  appeared like it was "mating" day at the zoo.  I had to explain certain poses formed between two animals that just kept me laughing on the inside. What keeps these animals "held" in their surroundings? The great feature of Zoo Miami is that you get up close and personal with the animals.  It almost feels that you can reach in and become a part of their habitat.  The bears, lion, tigers, and elephants are huge.   I wonder why they never try to live free .  The snakes are caged and have to deal with constant visitors banging and clinking on their glass homes.  The monkeys swing from tree to tree but never swin...

Who would ever think we could win it all? Let's Go Bengals! I am so proud of my son's  travel baseball  team ( PPO Bengals Orange ).  Our team planned for months to travel to Disney (ESPN Wide World of Sports) for Memorial Day weekend.  We spent days and countless hours fundraising to pay for the hotel accommodations and new uniforms. Watching the action! The boys spent numerous time with practices, trainers and scrimmages.  We finally get to the end of a grueling Spring season. They make it to the playoffs and lose in the 2nd round.  One of our starting pitchers ends up in a cast. Despite all of this, we head off to Disney to compete. Funny enough, our boys had a new energy as they walked into the ESPN sports complex.  Bright eyes shined as the boys realized this was NOT one of their normal tournaments.  Teams from across the country (Canada, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Kentucky, etc.) came to battle and hopefully win. The PPO Bengals O...

Taking on hurdles! The weekend is hours away and it's already week three of our running series.  Everything you need to start in a training program was discussed in the previous weeks.  If you missed it click here .  By this time you probably have your shoes and training attire.  Maybe you've even signed up for your first 5K.  What happens when you are well into your training program and an injury occurs?  A broken toe, a sprained ankle, or a pulled hamstring.  They all represent a number of injuries that can attempt to derail you from the ultimate goal of finishing the race.  That's the hurdle I had to face just a few months ago. I was two months into my training program when I found myself face down on the floor in intense pain and unable to move.  Just seconds before I slipped on the floor trying to run my son into the kitchen before his upset stomach spilled all over the carpet.  It took months to build my endura...

Happy Friday! Starting next week we will begin a new blogging series called Finish Line Fridays .  Many of you have asked that I share my running tips and the blog seems like the perfect place to reveal my great training tips and resources.  As the date of my half marathon draws closer, we will cross the finish line together.  Stay tuned and stay inspired! (Posted by Renee)

     Our country is captivated by the NBA basketball finals.  The hometown team, Miami Heat , are in a race to win the coveted title of  "National Basketball Champions".  Our city goes into hysteria every time the Heat take to the court in hope that they win and get one step closer to winning it all.      My husband is a die hard Heat fan and faithfully watches every game.  I sit on the couch trying to seem interested but in many games the Heat are losing by the end of the 3rd quarter and I go to bed thinking that they will lose.  To my surprise, during this playoff season, I wake up in the morning and find out the Heat made an amazing comeback and win the game.       A few weeks ago I was talking to my niece and she was sharing with me a new bible verse she had learned at school.  It said, "Patient endurance is what you need now."  I asked her what does "en...