Double Portion Inspiration

My teenager! It’s hard to believe that in just a few short months, my oldest child will enter into her 20’s. When she was a toddler, I remembered hearing horror stories about raising teenagers. I’m thankful that I always rejected that notion. I never came into agreement with it. I do agree that parenting is never easy and raising teens is no different. Despite its challenges, I’m thankful for the experience of being a mother. Here’s a few things I’ve learned over the years: ·                      Surrender to the process . We have an obligation to raise our children in the training and instruction of the Lord. Even with that foundational training, parenting is full of ups and downs. Don’t have any expectations that you will be a perfect parent or that your kids will be perfect. There’s NO such thing. You will make mistakes and so will your teenagers. It’s all part of the process...

A new year brings about a reason to ruminate about our long term goals. For example, we choose goals to boost productivity, clean up financial debt or lose some weight. As I've aged I am intentionally choosing to focus on total wellness. My mind and body are not separate although in the past I've treated them that way. For me to be stronger physically, I need to be strong mentally. I've done some deep work to sit in spaces I normally would avoid. Maybe you understand the feeling of an emotion rushing in and instead of understanding it we get BUSY doing something else. We don't want to deal with that annoying emotion.  The only way to healing is allowing hurt, pain, grief to sit with you in stillness. OUCH! It is not easy. But the alternative is me holding onto it. That doesn't work. Those type of emotions (hurt, pain, & grief) come unexpected. They just show up. They never get an invitation but they arrive in our minds. They disrupt our day. I wanted to share so...

Happy New Year! 2022 is here and it has already started with a bang. Disruptions in our world are still happening due to the pandemic. Many Americans have been impacted. Our world continues to evolve. I've resolved within myself, normal isn't coming back and that is ok. I'm giving myself permission to remain anchored in God during these turbulent times.  I've had to unlearn and relearn how to navigate life this decade. I went through a major life transition in 2020 and haven't looked back. I remain optimistic. When a new year arrives we set a new direction. We look forward to discovering a new path forward. We define new goals to achieve in a new year. This year is not any different. Our goals might be financial, work, relationship, mental wellness or health goals. In my experience setting a long list of resolutions, I would break them before January ended. About 8 years ago I was introduced to the power of setting one word of focus. Instead of a list of resolutions...

This year has been filled with devastating news cycles. My heart is saddened. There is so much that can make us feel unsettled. Fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, political unrest, pandemic & division (just to name a few) can bring anyone to their knees searching for answers.  How much longer will this last? How do I find calm in the midst of disruption? Where do I find joy ? These type of questions are the reasons I wrote, " Power Of One: Finding Hope In The Midst Of Struggle ." I wanted to find a way to bring God's light into so much darkness. I wanted to reassure readers that God uses our painful moments. It develops our character and fortitude. No experience is wasted.  When my book launched earlier this year it was a dream come true. Honestly, it was a passion project for me. I didn't know or understand the impact it would have. I didn't care about how many sold. I wanted to do something to fill my cup. Writing and encouraging others fills my cup. I'v...

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...

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.  ...

I am out of prison! Normalcy is returning in the U.S.  COVID restrictions have lifted.  For me that meant taking vacation with my girlfriends. We normally travel annually to meet up. Unfortunately, we hadn't taken a trip since 2017. Although we did the Zoom thing in 2020, we missed the physical interaction of being face to face. The girls trip this year felt different. In fact, it was extra special. The excitement before the trip was exhilarating. No one was really focusing on work, we wanted to start vacation early (wouldn't you?).  The thought of no plans, no housework, no cooking (unless we wanted) and no children asking, "What's for dinner?" We love our families but the opportunity to have solitude with friends is priceless. There was so much to celebrate .  Since 2017, four of the seven kids in our village graduated from high school and started college.  We celebrated one sister being healed from cancer.  We celebrated the completion of a 25 year ...