Double Portion Inspiration

My son's senior year in 2018 was hectic (actually that's an understatement). I remember there were so many details to finalize, parties to plan and then get him prepared to head off to college. It was the year he picked his college (not an easy process) and started flying to pursue his aviation dream.  My life was moving fast as I juggled work and the mounting details of his senior year. I would be standing in the kitchen and constantly rattle off questions to him. Did you fill out the FAFSA form? Did you apply for that scholarship? Did you study for your test? Did you hear from the admissions office? Did you write that essay? Did you sign up to take the SAT? My son would look at me and say, "MOM, RELAX!" I look back now and think about how stressed I was ALL the time. I transferred that stress onto him with all my questions. Life was breathless and frazzled for me. I had so many to do list - my list had list. Have you ever felt like that? I didn't know where to s...

It is almost Summer and many families have booked their 2021 vacation. I visited my mom for Mother's Day and I could tell by the traffic on the highways, people are already traveling. It was a beautiful moment to surprise my mom on Mother's Day weekend by bringing her sister to surprise her. They had not seen each other in 15 months. I sat on Mother's Day reflecting that a year ago this type of family reunion wasn't possible because of the pandemic. What a difference a year makes! In our home we've been celebrating many birthday milestones. I picked a perfect beach cottage for us to finally get away. We like to keep it simple, just have fun at the beach. Before vacation, I get so excited thinking about what I want to do each day. I'm cautious now not to make ANY plans. You can pack numerous activities into your vacation and come back needing a vacation from the vacation.  The only vacation plan we had was to visit the beach everyday. Well the first two days of...

  A few weeks ago, I shared my cancer journey. Did you get a chance to read it? If not, here's the  link . As a result of the diagnosis and the surgeries that followed, my body was thrust into menopause . It was a shock to my system. Many women I know are either in this season of life or close to it. I wanted to share some of my challenges to let the guys in our life know what the heck is going on.  Just know, this can be a sweet time in a woman's life or it can literally be hell on earth . (Most likely, it's hell on earth).  For simplicity sake, menopause is the time in a woman's life when there is a decline in reproductive hormones. A woman normally reaches menopause in her 40's and 50's.  Ok guys, here's 5 things to remember: She's probably HOT !  Meaning temperature hot. Personally, the hot flashes are the worst part of menopause. It's not just a typical hot either. It's an internal flame that comes out of nowhere and literally stops my abili...

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 ...

If you knew, in just a matter of hours a brutal beating of your body would take place, what would you do? If you knew that you would have one last meal with your friends before your horrific death, what would be your demeanor? If you knew, in only hours, your head would bleed profusely due to a crown of thorns being jammed into it, how would you react? If you knew your mom would have to witness your back being ripped open and your hands and feet nailed to a cross, could you even sleep? What about if you knew, your shed blood and broken body would redeem people who would never even say thank you. How would you respond? If you knew ...... I've wondered about the answer to those questions. Today in church our teaching Pastor taught about the excruciating pain Jesus endured before dying on the cross. Simply, it was difficult to hear. It birthed inside of me a spirit of gratitude for His supreme sacrifice. To know that His passion for us was so strong and deep...

When was the last time you rested? Not just a few hours of sleep in the evening or even an afternoon nap. I mean, taking an entire day to REST. Our world is so full of  activities, work, sports, cleaning, cooking, caring for kids and so many other distractions that we often lose sight of the commandment that God gave us in the 20th chapter of Exodus. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10  but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11  For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. This is one of the longest commandments given as part of the Ten Commandments shar...

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...

Confession…….relaxing is hard for me.   That’s why the message at church today was just for me.   My pastor talked about the necessity and benefits of relaxing.   He pointed out that even God rested from creating the heavens and earth.   Genesis 2:1-3 (TLB) Now at last the heavens and earth were successfully completed, with all that they contained. So on the seventh day, having finished his task, God ceased from this work he had been doing, and God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he ceased this work of creation. I've come to realize that I can be a workaholic .  Gosh, I can’t even believe I’m saying that out loud.  It’s amazing how much we can deny certain truths about ourselves.  Between being a wife, mommy, career woman, blogger, involved community member, church volunteer and runner, there’s not room for much more.  My days normally begin at 6:00 am and end around 1:00 am.  If ...

  Christmas is days away and there are many of us excited about spending time with family and friends.  The anticipation of receiving gifts, eating holiday favorites and laughing over old stories make this time of year my favorite. Today however, I was reminded of those that might not be happy this holiday season.  Over the course of a year, my husband has suffered the loss of his mother and one of his best friends.  In the midst of a joyous season, I know he will miss their smiles and conversations.  He's not alone . There are so many experiencing their "firsts" without loved ones.  First time holiday shopping without them.  First Christmas.  First dawn of a new year without their warmth and love. They are members of a club that no one wants to join .  What about those sitting in a hospital this year while they watch their family member cling to life?  What about the parents waiting for...

Fall in Los Angeles (2013) It's hard to believe that Fall is upon us.  Wasn't it just yesterday we were saying, "5, 4 ,3, 2, 1, Happy New Year"!  One thing I've learned along my life journey is that time waits for no one.  Whether you're ready or not, Fall is here and we must say goodbye to the long, sweltering days of summer.     I recently studied the cause of seasonal changes.  It's more than just a change in temperature.  Seasons are the result of the Earth's yearly orbit around the sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis.  The closer we are to the sun, the warmer the weather.  The further away we are, the colder the temps.  What a metaphor for life!  If we changed just one letter in the word s-u-n, it would be the word S-O-N. Seasons in our life occur the same way it occurs in the atmosphere around us.    Floral blooms in Springtime     Spring -The time in o...

Ready to enjoy the weekend! Excitement. Pure Bliss. Exquisite. Peaceful. Those are just some of the words I can use to describe our girls weekend on last week.  4 best friends + perfect weather = The most amazing time! How can I sum up a weekend that we wait for all year long?  Just think about it....  No kids.  No husbands. No schedules.    Roslyn and Kwani catching up  Just three days to catch up, eat like crazy, and soak up some sun.  We start the weekend with hugs, pictures, and long talks.  We weren't in our resort room long before the conversations started to emerge.   Late nights and early mornings were the order for the weekend.  We were so grateful to have this time together because great friendships are good for the soul .  Our relationships should be developed and nurtured through good and bad times.  It's similar to our relationship with Christ. This year's trip was a li...

I'm healed!  Thanks for your prayers. After being home for eight weeks, I am happy to share that I returned to work two weeks ago.  For eight weeks I focused on my recovery and total health.  Despite the difficult first few weeks, it was the most glorious party of one.  I can't remember having that length of time to reflect, restore, and refresh my mind, body, and soul.  Sure, you take time off after giving birth but there's a baby to pour your energy into.  This time, it was just me.  In God's perfect plan for my life, he carved out eight weeks for me to grow and focus.  As I prepared to return to work, my sister asked me to share my biggest lesson.  What did I learn from my time of stillness?  I can sum it up in a few short words..... The ability and power to hear and focus on my thoughts .  Yes!  A thought.  The simple ability to think.  Sound easy?  Unfortunately,...

 Waldorf Astoria Hotel Naples, FL (one of our favorites)  Roslyn and I love to travel.  We are blessed that our families are able to travel together yearly.  Whether it's a road trip to a family reunion, a beach trip with our girlfriends or a peaceful week in the mountains, our vacations are always an exciting time.  We are busy moms, wives, and career women who work hard so naturally we should play hard!  Even God rested during the time He spoke creation into existence. Genesis 2:1-2 (NIV) Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.  By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.   A "time-out" is necessary for reflection, restoration, and relaxation.  We thought we would list our top 3 (ok, we gave you 4) travel spots to help inspire you to take a well deserved break.  North Carolina/Te...

A week ago my life was interrupted and it only took seconds........ It started out as a regular Sunday. This particular morning, my son kept complaining of a belly ache but I didn't know why. Suddenly he hiccupped and I knew within my gut that he was getting sick to his stomach. To avoid a disaster over the rug, I ran him into the kitchen. I slipped and in a split second, I was on the floor face down yelling for my husband. The pain radiating from my face and foot brought me to tears. Kneeling down next to me was my baby boy. He was in my arms when I fell and the incident caused him to scream uncontrollably. I was helpless . In that moment I was dependent on someone else. I could not help my son or myself. When you are an independent person, it is hard to find yourself in a place where you must depend on others. Why did this have to happen now? I didn't have time for this in my life. Didn't God know I was a wife, mom, successful career woman, community and church volunteer ...