Double Portion Inspiration

This summer I spent time with my daughter and Goddaughter. They've both successfully made it through their freshman year of college. During our time together, I asked for their top pieces of advice for high school Juniors and Seniors. Here's what they shared: Continue to build relationships in your Junior year . They stressed the importance of building relationships with teachers, counselors, and coaches in your Junior year. They will be important in your Senior year when asking for letters of reference and recommendations.  Apply for as many scholarships as possible.  There are so many scholarships available. Provide yourself time to apply for as many as possible. Use a calendar system to help remind you of scholarship deadlines.  Apply for college early in your Senior year of high school. Most colleges will open up registration for college admissions the summer before the fall semester begins. Take time to apply early so that you're not stressed by any deadlines.  ...

  For years, Roslyn and I have provided inspiration through our blog. It's been a way to bring calm to everyday chaos. Well, we've decided to join our years of business experience and form DPI,LLC ! DPI,LLC  is a high impact consulting firm focusing on leadership training, business strategy and talent management.  It's an opportunity for us to encourage through consulting services for small business owners, corporations and faith based organizations. In this chaotic time, DPI is here to: Take the fear out of starting over Assist organizations pivot during a pandemic Identify your value proposition in the NEW marketplace Equip Executive Leadership & their staff in the area of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Change is inevitable and we want to help you navigate it with innovative solutions! Ways to support us: Visit our website for more information:  https://www.dpi2.com/ Like our Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/DPI2LLC Follow us on Instagram: ...

I normally try and put my kids to bed with a book or Bible lesson.  The other day our Bible lesson came out of Psalms 103.  This text of scripture is full of description about God's character.  Here's just a sampling from the chapter: He is merciful and tender toward those who don’t deserve it; he is slow to get angry and full of kindness and love. 9  He never bears a grudge, nor remains angry forever.   (Psalms 103:8-9) I knew my 12 year old understood the words that illustrated God's character but I was pretty sure my little one didn't.  I wanted to make sure he knew just how much God loves him.  I wanted him to know that God's love is constant whether he made good or poor choices.  There's nothing he can do that will cause God to love him less, just like there's nothing that causes God to love him more.   His "works" won't change God's love.  He's the same yesterday, today, and...

It's hard to believe that in just a few short months, I will have a teenager in my house.  People always tell you to treasure every moment with your child because time flies.  I now realize....they were right.  It seems like just yesterday I was holding her in my arms for the very first time.  Where does the time go? At a tender age of 13, she's only five years away from adulthood.  I only have a few short years to teach her all about life and the challenges it can bring.  We've surrounded her with positive friends, taught her God's word, taken her to church, and engaged her in extra-curricular activities.  Out of all the experiences we've provided her with, my sincerest desire is that at the end of it all, she has her OWN relationship with Christ . As parents, we must encourage our children to nurture their  OWN relationships with Christ.  Their faith can't only come through us.  They have to learn how to stan...

The red velvet birthday cake was delicious! I love posting about my kids.  I reviewed some previous posts and realized that most of them were about our youngest.  With him being 4 years old, it's easy to write about his adventures.  Well today, I'm writing all about my daughter.  The past seven days have been amazing for her.  She turned 11 this week and it's hard to believe how rapidly time flew.  Even though people always tell you to enjoy each moment because they fly by quickly, time still seems to evaporate when raising kids. Not only did she turn 11, she also: Finished her track season by reaching personal goals in the long jump & 400 events Completed her 8th year of dance with a beautiful recital performance Promoted to 6th grade (middle school-YIKES!) The activities of this week allowed me to reflect on her beautiful life.  It hit me that in only seven years, she will be an official adult and leaving th...

Just a few days ago, I was confined to the pediatric unit of a local hospital because of my son's health concerns.  What I believed would be a quick trip to the emergency room soon lead to a four day stay.  It was one of the hardest experiences for us because our son is only four years old and it's difficult to see your children (at any age) in pain or discomfort.  Sleeping in a chair, holding down my son for daily sticks to draw blood, and frequent nurse visits became the norm.  At times I would try to hide my tears because I didn't want him to see me upset.  It was his first time ever being in a hospital and at one point, all he could say was, "Mommy, I'm scared".  A part of me felt helpless because you must depend on the medical professionals to provide the care he desperately needs.  This time, a kiss on his "boo-boo" wasn't going to help. On the day we were released from the hospital, my sister asked me a simple ...

  I love this time of year when so many people are graduating.  My oldest son will complete his last year in elementary school and will soon step into the hall ways of middle school-YIKES, every mother's nightmare. Graduation time is f illed with great expectation and positive energy.  The whole world and all it has to offer is ahead of you.  The graduation ceremonies are a huge step of leaving the past behind and walking towards a new future.  This feeling of moving forward  is usually faced with anxiety and uncertainty.  You are unsure of what the future holds but you have graduated to a new place. I believe that graduation should not happen only to those who are in school.  One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to think that le arning stops when we leave the educational process.  We must forever be challenged to learn and grow .  Many of us are living " stagnant " lives because we won't utilize the creative and produ...