Double Portion Inspiration

2020 was a crazy year.    How many times have we heard that? I've heard it so much that I'm tired of hearing it. Even with 2020 being a year like non other, our mother became a published author! During a pandemic and in the midst of chaos, she followed God's will.   For nearly 10 years Roslyn and I have both wanted to write a book. We've written in our private time, but we knew at some point, God would take our broken pieces and allow us to share it publicly. Never in our wildest imaginations did we think, mom would become published before us. We didn't even know she was working on a book. She's a very private person so it doesn't surprise us that she kept the project all to herself.   In the book, "Age-Old Wisdom Sayings", she joins three other writers, Marsha Deveaux Johnson, Iris Deveaux Anderson and David Johnson to share priceless words of wisdom. The power packed 55-page book records sayings of old that we've heard so many tim...

 Happy New Year.  Welcome to 2021. Why does it feel that the holidays come and go so quickly? I always enjoy the end of year traditions that allow me to connect with my family and decompress from the holiday rush of December. Here we are already almost halfway through January. In 2020, I had the unique opportunity to deliver via Facebook & Instagram words of encouragement for the church every Friday at 12pm. My pastor asked me in March 2020 to provide a few words of comfort as the country navigated the new coronavirus. I thought this would be a temporary assignment. The new virus turned into a pandemic and our worlds evolved abruptly. The rest is history... Life was changing so swiftly. My pastor's vision was to provide hope to congregants during a difficult time of isolation and uncertainty. It was a moment during the day to PAUSE and reflect. I was humbled by the request.  What would I say?  I was navigating the same uncertainty as everyone else. Every time I a...

Renee and I love this time of year. Some of our most precious memories come from celebrating Christmas. We plan to spend time away from work to purposefully pause and reflect on God's provision this year. We will reconnect with our kids that are home from college. We are going to cook, bake and eat. Then in January look forward to a detox to shed any extra pounds.  Before all of that, we wanted to pause and wish each of you a very Merry Christmas. This year is different but the hope of Jesus is a bright star that guides us. Hope was born in a manger. It's an expectant hope that cradles the brokenhearted. Those that are experiencing loss, we are praying with you. Until we meet again in the new year - safe passage and seasons greetings. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles:  Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace .  ~Isaiah 9:6 NLT

 As a young girl I remember being afraid to speak in public. I was an introvert. People would describe me as quiet and shy all during my childhood. My sister, Renee, on the other hand was always an extrovert. She is outgoing and can strike up a conversation with ANY stranger.  My mom would put us in oratorical contest where we would recite poems in front of hundreds of people (SCARY). She would also volunteer us to read scripture during youth Sunday church services (SCARY). I did NOT like it. I would have knots in my stomach thinking about speaking in front of all those people. I remember reading the story of Moses in the Bible. He was commanded to tell the big mean king Pharaoh, "let my people go." Imagine being the one given that assignment. Moses came up with many reasons and excuses on why he wasn't the person to go to the king. "But Moses pleaded with the Lord, "Oh Lord, I'm not very good with words. I never have been , and I'm not now, even though...

In a recent blog post I shared about my menopause journey and 5 tips for the men in our lives. Here's the  link  in case you missed it. One of the side effects that I didn't mention is weight gain. It can be such a big part of the menopause journey that it needed its own post. If you're between the ages of 45-55 (average age range for menopause), you might have noticed weight gain in your mid-section. You may also find maintaining your weight is much harder than it used to be. I started looking into the correlation between menopause and weight gain after gaining 10 pounds in 3 months. At first I thought the weight gain was due to COVID. Late night eating, less active days and cooking new recipes can wreck anyone's weight loss plans. Couple that with menopause and it's a horrible duo in any woman's life. Just know that it's not just your body going through changes.  Women are more likely to gain excess belly weight, especially deep inside the belly, as they g...

We all have people in our life that are unlikable. Maybe they are annoying, unpleasant, mean, rude or just overall different than us. Ok, most people won't admit it but we all know people that are unlikable. We also encounter those that live with a different set of values. This unique world, allows our paths to cross with all types of people. We interact with those we like, love, and dislike. That's our reality. This pandemic shows how we are all interdependent on one another. I came face to face (through Zoom) with someone, and we don't share the same values. I was rubbed in all the wrong ways. Now, I naturally can deal with many different personalities but this person was just...I will save that comment to myself. How do you handle interactions with the unlikable? What if the one that's unlikable is in your own family? Again, NO one wants to admit it but it is our reality. We find many reasons and ways to distance ourselves from people, not just geographically but eve...

As this year ticks away, a shared experience for all of us is that we've grieved something this year. We live in a world where we can walk into success and struggle all within the same day. This past week I have felt anxious, happy, afraid, and relieved. It's been a new skill set to navigate all of the chaos, commotion, emotions and unknown of this year. This year has been exhilarating in some moments and exhausting in other moments. I grieved not being able to see my mom regularly or feel her hug (Hi MOM! I know you are reading this). I missed being able to see my only niece go to prom or attend her graduation. The same for you - maybe it was a missed graduation, funeral, baby birth, wedding or loss of employment. Living in an intersection of two extremes takes effort. I want to encourage you quickly with words that were written in the midst of adversity . I'm naturally wired to be positive and optimistic. But this year I've thought about the person who's natural a...