Gratitude changes my attitude, which is why Thanksgiving ranks high on my list of holidays.
Every so often, life seems a struggle to enjoy. Some days, the struggle begins before my feet hit my wood floors. In such cases, I start my day itemizing the blessings from the Lord, from waking me up and protecting my family to restoring my soul (Psalm 23). Without a few moments of gratitude, I wouldn’t want to face the day.
Have you watched the news lately?
The same applies to my evenings. If I don’t take time to write down or thank God for at least one positive moment of the day, I may feel discouraged, all was a loss, or the day (excuse the slang) sucked!
Negativity and reality can steal our joy, but praise God, “The joy of the Lord is our strength!” A whispered “hallelujah” can turn our lemons in life into a lemonade party when we have proper focus. Instead of feeling defeated by the day, we feel like we can conquer anything life throws at us.
Gratitude is all about focus.
David said it this way. “The Lord is my strength and mshield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart celebrates, and I give thanks to Him with my song.” Psalms 28:7 CSB
When we focus on God as our Savior, Protector, and Promise Keeper, we can’t help but lift up our voices, our hearts, and our hands.
Therefore, the next time the day doesn’t seem to go your way, remind yourself of Who made the day, Who holds your tomorrow, and Who always gives you a reason to be grateful. It always works for me.
Because I know how hard it is to do something that scares you, but how fulfilling it can be to take that first step toward a goal.
First, a little backstory on why I am telling you to “Do it afraid”: The week before last, I had lab work, and my numbers had gone down (and up) in areas I was winning in before. I knew the doctor’s report before I met with her so at least I wasn’t shocked. I knew exactly that my summer slump included too many batches of french fries, too many birthday cakes when my birthday was not even until September, and too few vegetables, leading to a bunch of lethargy.
When I am tired for no good reason, I know something is up (or down).
Well, as I mentioned, my sluggishness was confirmed when I met with my PCP, that I was not taking care of the physical parts of me. Before she could tell me to go back to doing what I was doing before, I had already planned to change my meals and limit the sugary stuff.
But can we all admit that making a plan is easier said than done?
You don’t have to agree because I know it is true. So, last week I took another step that will help me avoid the temptations that are all around me and all around all of us. For when we set our minds to do something good, we know that the bad stuff is going to show up like never before. Right?
The people closest to me like making cookies. They enjoy fried foods and cheesy, bready stuff, and they make no excuses for eating them in my presence. I give in a lot because, truth be told, I am not that strong right now. I see calamari, Jamaican meat loaves, french fries, and any dessert, and I want to taste it too. Then I am mad when I feel tired or worse.
So what did I do?
I kept my meal plan because I knew what worked for me, but I decided to employ a coach who would help me with the exercise portion. I know this person will keep me accountable to my diet and exercise plan.
Do you see what I did?
I have a counter-move already in place for the challenges that are yet to come. I cannot control what people eat around me, but I can make a move that will help me beat the temptations.
Getting an exercise coach is important to me because I cannot afford to be sleepy and achy and hangry all the time when God is taking me to another level in life. Right? I have to be a good steward of not only my finances but my time, my energy, and the foods that fuel me.
God has me on an upward trajectory, and there is no time to eat cakes and desserts for no good reason and ruin my witness and testimony. That is foolishness.
We are all about learning from our mistakes, not repeating them. Right?
My passion is helping others find their purpose, live out their passions, and be more productive, so why would I poison the well just because everybody’s doing it?
I don’t know. But we do it all the time. We go along to get along, and then one day, we hate the results. The good news is that we can make the change. Now. We nearly always have a choice.
My choice was to find a person to schedule my exercise and help me avoid the foods that make me sluggish and negatively affect my brain. And while I know this is a good thing, and I am terribly excited. I know it is going to be a sacrifice.
Whenever we add something to our plate, we inevitably sacrifice something else.
What will be the sacrifice? I don’t know exactly. And for a control freak that terrifies me, but I am doing it anyway! I am doing it, afraid!
Sure, I know a lot about my health and the foods and supplements that are good for me but the exercise part, nah, not so much. I am naturally thin, but something is missing, and there are experts who know and will guide me to the solution quicker than I can research them for myself. I witness this with my sister and her PT and OT sessions. And she is making tremendous strides!
So while I am timid about someone telling me to stretch this and move that on a regular basis and eat this before and after, I know the benefits outweigh the fear I feel at this moment. Without any hesitation, I am leaning in to allowing someone wiser than me in this area to keep me accountable to my fitness goals because a body in motion stays in motion. And God has blessed me to find a coach who understands my limitations and will meet me where I am.
It does not matter how much we can do. It matters that we do something good consistently.
As someone who enjoys coaching others on how to use their mind to overcome the challenges they have faced in the past, I am familiar with the resistance that occurs on the other end. Often the people I coached or mentored knew instinctively what to do, but the trainee/mentee did not have the wherewithal or tools to stay focused on the plan. Knowing how coaching works, I am anxious about the process and what I will have to sacrifice. But regardless, I will do it afraid!!!
Because what awaits me depends on me being healthy enough to see it through.
So what are you going to do today or this week that takes you out of your comfort zone and moves you into becoming your best self and living a blessed life?
Let me know below. I really want to see you succeed. And if there is anything I can help you do to overcome your past, please let me know: Leah@reallyleah.com.
Really,
Leah
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
Here is something to consider on Tuesday and the rest of your week. My last two months…
Loved them!!! I don’t have one complaint.
I do need to return to a sense of normalcy, though. Because I am a woman who thrives on routine for productivity. However, I love what I love (sunsets, sunrises, relaxing music, and whatever form of creativity that comes to mind at that moment).
Aahhh, I love those moments! I could replay the highlight reel of the last couple of months repeatedly, but life is not an endless stream of vacations. Or is it? Perhaps there is a way to recreate that holiday feeling even when you are back at home.
First, hone in on the duplicatable moments. One thing I love about a getaway is getting up stinking early to see the sun rise above the water and then getting out to walk, breathing in the fresh air, and having a good breakfast afterward. While I don’t have the beach outside my window, I always have the sun, my holiday vacation memories, and a healthy morning routine. Whether my day starts at 5 am or 10 am (in this case, I’d miss the sunrise), I do pretty much the same thing each day: I read my bible, pray, and then meditate. I stretch, sometimes exercise, and I eat a high-protein breakfast. And I always write. Most of what I write is private or for an upcoming project, but sometimes I write something I must share immediately (usually here on the blog).
Here is a pictorial glimpse into my morning perspective:
I begin with a high-protein breakfast. Ancient Nutrition Collagen Peptides contains 9 grams of protein per scoop (2 scoops per day), and Publix fresh ground almond butter is 14 grams a serving. The Cafe Serenity coaster @ Art, mothers, and mental health.
The day will be what you make it, so rise, like the sun, and burn.
—William C. Hannan
Ultimately, my Motivate-Me-Monday suggestion is to bring one thing you love about your vacation into your everyday routine. Because you should not have to wait another year to feel the thrill you did last holiday. If you don’t mind, please drop your routine into the comments and maybe someone else will benefit from what you share.
Carpe diem! Really,
Leah
p.s. Try it on Tuesday and don’t neglect to include a Morning Prayer to God: Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life. (Psalm 143:8). Amen.
Thanks for Reading Another Motive Me Monday
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
Today’s MOTIVATE ME MONDAY comes straight from the good book, which is the Word of God. Psalms 37:23-24 declares that a person whose purpose is to follow God has their steps established by the Lord God.
So far this morning I have taken over 7,000 steps. Each one, God ordered. He knew I needed the sunlight and the fresh air, and all the benefits to my body. He knew the walk along the beach would do more for my day than merely sitting high and looking down at the waves. Boy, oh boy, was God right!
Keep Stepping
I feel good. No, I feel amazing! I am not hungry or achy. I am good. Not because I walked but because I obeyed the leading of the One who directs my steps. #obedienceHasBenefits
The second Scripture goes deeper, speaking to our natural inclination to miss a step. Because we are trying to be like Jesus, but we are not quite there yet, we will fall or stumble and cease to step. But we should find encouragement in the scripture to never stay flat on our bottoms or our backs. The words in this verse remind us that God will lift us up and support us back into a position to follow Him again. He gives us the posture we need to keep moving.
Moreover the misstep will not take us out, but we will survive and step again. I am living proof that these Scriptures are true. When I made an unapologetic decision to follow Jesus and hear from God concerning my purpose and passion I started stepping with boldness. There was no more fear that I would fall.
And if and when I stumble, I know it is not the end of the world. I know I have the best support system known to mankind in the name of Jesus. The promises I have in Him will lift me back up and I will step again. It is a supernatural faith that creates supernatural results in the natural.
So even if, for some crazy reason, I made an excuse to not exercise and perhaps I began to feel arthritic or something, the Lord’s grace would eventually take me by the hand and help me step again. That’s not only my truth. It is yours too if you are a follower of Christ.
I don’t know what your are facing this week. Perhaps it is a new career, a new move, a new doctor, the same one, or something entirely different. It really does not matter if you believe that God is leading you in that direction. Just do it! Only obey the still small voice in your heart.
Take that step, the next step He leads you to take, and do so for the rest of your life. Do it by faith.
Then, if for some reason, you take a wrong step and fall or stumble (hint: you will), know that God will lift you back up again.
You will never have to stay down for long if you allow God to help you get back up.
So keep stepping this week. And enjoy the journey to wherever God leads you. Amazingly yours. Really,
Leah
Amazingly yours. Really,
Leah
Thanks for Reading Another Motive Me Monday
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
– Peter Drucker
This week, I challenge you to take control of your destiny. If you have been hanging with me any length of time, you already have written goals, timelines, and Scriptures to support them. So what’s next?
Another level!
I realize that some of you are just getting started, and you need a little P.U.S.H. (Prayer Until Something Happens). However, the rest of you need a physical push because “faith without works is dead.” And right now, you are doing more procrastinating than producing.
If the latter describes you, then it’s time to “turn up.” By that, I mean it’s time you and I go for it with zeal and excitement. Let’s show up energetically and enjoy the journey on our way to success and prosperity.
Last week, I truly turned up my artistic game by stepping up my efforts. The abundance of themes for new coaster art was both exciting and overwhelming. If only I had more hours in my day and more gas in my tank, I could have easily doubled the number of coasters I created.
In the end, I developed a couple of Ocala Florida Gator coaster styles, a bejeweled “You, Rock” collection, and a Jazzy-themed coaster. Some are the original sandstone with cork backing; others are larger ceramic tiles with little feet to protect your surfaces. You can check them out at http://www.reallyleah.com/shop. If you live in Ocala, you can purchase them at the Gallery on Magnolia (on the downtown square). The artwork is either from photography, videography, or graphic design and induced with my own flavorful style.
NEW DESIGNS
Please check them out. I hope you enjoy what you see. I hope you think of someone who might enjoy these as a gift to celebrate a special moment. Maybe you’ll even download a digital image for your own projects. Moreover, I hope you feel inspired to press the accelerator on whatever you are talented enough to produce!
Today is the day.
This week is the week.
Let’s give it to God the Creator and make it happen.
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31
We’ve got this because God has us. So kick it into gear and create your future. Really,
Leah
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
There is a proverb that states something to the effect that we make plans but the Lord orders our steps.
“A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.” –Proverbs 16:9 (CSB)
Well, my heart was all into launching a financial eBook by the end of the month. I was so excited coming off the conference earlier this month. But I did not count the cost and now I cannot see how I will make my deadline unless God directs my steps and does the impossible. Nevertheless, I am going to finish what I started. I just don’t know quite when. Still, I share all of this to motivate you and I to continue the course, regardless of the delay.
There are many reasons we might miss a deadline: life happens unexpectedly, sometimes our commitment level is not where it needs to be, distractions can hinder our progress. Here at Really, Leah, we keep it real.
We must stay motivated, regardless. Even when we don’t see a win in sight. As for a win I mean we don’t see how we will make our deadline, or win the contract, or get a good diagnosis. Whatever a win looks like.
Our attitude determines our altitude, especially during times of adversity. We could get mad if we don’t win, we could give ourselves an “F” and stay we should have never tried, or we could tell the people who did not chose us to “kick rocks,” or worse, we could give up hope of ever feeling better when the test results still look the same. But who would that hurt and what would we learn?
We would never tell a builder to forget it, stop all construction, because they didn’t complete our dream home by the deadline. No. We would not.
We understand that products, permits and people all create an environment that requires us to be pliable. Of course, a good contractor should build those variances into the contract but there is nothing wrong with asking for more time to get where we want to be.
Whenever we make an attempt at something in life, whether it is to write a book or to get healthier, we must treat it as important, especially when we believe God has put that project on our heart. That does not mean there won’t be a battle to win, or that we won’t have distractions. Regardless, stay the course, and pursue your goals regardless of any obstacles or criticism.
EXCUSES
One of the reasons I am uncertain that I will complete my book by the end of this month is because I used time and energy needed to edit my manuscript on helping a friend and relative run for a local office. I was unrealistic about the time factor because I had not worked with a political campaign in years. And although, I was vocal about not getting pulled into this recent election, my commitment to see a friend win took precedent.
In the end he did not win. Now, was that a waste of time? Surely it was not. I learned so much about elections, the political process, why we need debates and other ways to challenge the records of incumbents, raising money and overcoming voter apathy.
I think that sometimes when we don’t “win,” we think it was all a waste of time but that is only true if you think so. I gathered fodder for another book! And I guarantee you it will be used somewhere.
Nevertheless, I did not make my original book deadline and here are a few of my excuses:
I had a birthday on Friday and took the day off from writing.
My sister had a birthday party on the Sunday before, and there was pre-planning to do that took me away from writing.
My grandmother had a 100th birthday celebration on Saturday, and I did not write.
As previously mentioned, the election took a lot of my time and energy and wasn’t officially over until Tuesday, the 19th.
I helped friends raise money for their charity last Tuesday and Wednesday, so I lost those days.
I did not account for how all the above would affect my writing schedule.
Had I listed all my obligations ahead of time, I would have realized how hard it would be to complete any manuscript in the time frame I had set. I established an unrealistic goal and chose to believe I could do more than I could.
To rectify the situation, I am actively working to finish the book as soon as possible. I estimate that I will need at least another month to ensure the quality and accuracy of the work. However, I assure you that I am fully committed to delivering a well-crafted document that meets the reader’s expectation.
For anyone waiting to purchase, I apologize for the delay and appreciate your understanding, support, and patience. The wait will be worthwhile.
REMEDIES
Oh, by the way, if you find yourself where I am today, you may need a refresher on time management, so here goes:
Set clear and achievable goals.
Break them down into smaller tasks and create a schedule or a to-do-list to keep you on track.
Prioritize tasks and focus on one thing at a time.
Set small milestones and celebrate those achievements.
Eliminate distractions by creating a conducive work environment.
Establish a routine.
Sleep well, eat well, and take breaks in between writing to exercise and get sunlight.
Lastly, I don’t want you leaving here without being motivated to stay in the game. You and I have this (with God’s help, of course) and we can come away with a win, whether it is in our publishing deadlines, our health, or our business affairs. I have done so in these areas many times, and I assure you that this is how we get back up again.
Reflect on what went wrong: Identify the reasons for missing the deadline and learn from the experience. (Just as I did above when I listed all the other activities I was involved with simultaneously.)
Set a new goal: Create a revised timeline or set a new deadline to get back on track. (I’m in the process right now, and this time it will be clear and achievable and broken down into manageable mini-goals and not just a hunch.)
Find support: Seek encouragement from friends, colleagues, or mentors who can provide guidance and support. ( I am inviting my writer and editor friends to join me on this journey.)
Celebrate progress: Recognize small milestones along the way to build momentum. (I already know some places to eat and a thing to buy myself to keep me happily writing and rewriting.)
Stay positive: Focus on your progress rather than dwelling on the missed deadline. (I’m keeping my eyes on the prize.)
Learn from it: Use the experience as a learning opportunity to improve your time management skills and prevent future delays. (I needed to get in the groove for writing longer pieces, and now I know what it takes to accomplish my goals).
Hey, setbacks happen to us all. It is how we respond to them and learn from them that determines our success.
Stay motivated. And stay the course. Really,
Leah
Thanks for Reading Another Motive Me Monday
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
An Extraordinary Motivational Monday: The reality of tragedy and triumph
“I don’t pray for results I just ask that I get the strength to give it my all…I am so blessed in this life.” – Coco Gauff, 2023 U.S. Open Women’s Champion
It is incredible how tragedy and triumph, congratulations and condolences can share life’s stage of erraticism. On one day there is tremendous satisfaction and applause about a championship win, like Coco Gauff’s at the U.S. Open. And then the next day there is this somber silence, a day full of observations, in recollection of one of the worst acts of terrorism in history. Today is 9/11.
Americans over the age of thirty will forever recall where they were and how they felt seeing the Twin Towers fall to their knees and those nearly imperceptible images like flecks of ash on a screen, of people jumping into the air, as a building burned around them. We will never forget. And yet, we are forced to move on.
Gauff wasn’t even born when four American planes were highjacked by Islamic terrorists. She would enter a nation that had been leveled, fearful, and hopeless only years before. “Our freedom was under attack,” said President George W. Bush.
But God gave us the strength to carry on. Psalm 147:3 reads, “God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” When there is brokenness of our heart or our flesh, we need it delicately attended to as not to cause further damage. God is masterful in how to bring us through those times when the earth below us is shattered and seems all hope is gone.
Christians define our tough times as trials and tribulations, as stated in the Bible. We are assured that we will not get out of this life, without them. As frightening as the realization is, it should also create a sobering awareness.
We have a one-up on “life”. We should posit, I know I will have trials and tribulations, so when I do have them. I am not unaware. God will help me. Even if it breaks my heart or hurts me in some way. God has already promised to heal and bind it up.
James wrote, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. (1:12 NIV)
We are not in control of what happens around us. No matter how hard we try. And we should try. But we can absolutely control what happens inside of us, in terms of our emotions. Even if it requires us to get medical help to do so.
God will always meet us where we are. Which means it is alright to cry for moment, but we should not be depressed for weeks. We can get angry for a moment, but we should not allow such anger to turn into rage and vengeance. Sudden situations may occur that change our trajectory in life, but we should control the extent to which we allow a bad moment to turn into a miserable life.
Let’s be adults. Even young adults, like a nineteen-year-old Gauff, who reasoned that she had lost a match along the way to her triumphant win on Sunday, but she would use her loss to ignite her to her biggest victory, yet.
The results in life, as in sports, are not always as we would prefer. I don’t have to imagine that somebody’s team lost over the weekend. Sorry.
Life is not always filled with the colorful pictures we post on our vision boards or Instagram feeds. Sometimes the moments in life are dark, they are private and the tears we cry, burn so intensely that we cannot imagine facing another day.
But I assure you that if you are still living, and reading this post, you know that the sun goes down and the sun rises again. Therefore, my tender advice is that we should too.
There is something special for us to do in this topsy, turvy world of highs and lows, joys and pains, splinters and splashes along a beach’s sandy terrain.
You and I have a purpose, and there is a God that loves our socks off! Seriously, He loves us from our toes to our nose.
Furthermore, the Creator of the Universe, is way big enough (omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient) to carry us through all our roughest moment, and He is gentle enough to soothe our souls. I cannot imagine a time when I have thought about how much God loves me that it has not blown my mind, quieted every doubt and insecurity about myself and life, and filled me with joy once again.
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:18–19 NLT
So, today, a really rough time for Americans, it is also a time to acknowledge that we are still here. As a country, we survived. We are not where we need to be as a nation, or as close as were as a country for the months following 9/11, but we are not as we were on that date in 2001.
Since then, we have experienced several, hundreds, maybe thousands of blessings (depending on how grateful you are). So we may never forget the losses or the pain we felt, but we should never regret that life goes on—babies are born, games are won, books get written, and dreams come true. And when the next trial comes, because it will–whether small or unfathomable–may we remember to pray as the psalmist in chapter 18 verse 1, “I love you, O Lord, my strength,” I know you will help me get through this.’”
This is my prayer for you today.
In loving memory of all who lost their lives, their loved ones, and those who gave their lives to help them. Peace,
Leah
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
If I delight myself in Him, He will give me the desires of my heart. When I commit my ways to Him, trust Him, He will act!
Psalms 37:4
Last night, I had the privilege and honor of being a speaker (on finance) at the EWOF 100 Women in White three-night conference. As a natural writer, I have a talent for scribbling words on a page, but speaking to people requires other skills I don’t use as much. I need to, but I really don’t talk in public that often.
God pulled me out of my comfort zone and gave me peace about participating. It was a great experience and I am glad I did. As a member of the audience on Wednesday night, the night the conference began, I received many takeaways from the other speakers. Had I not been on the dais for Friday, I would have returned anyway.
With any new experience there is an opportunity to learn. As I prepared to present, I learned a lot about being flexible, editing, and the need to put the audience first. When I showed up to speak last night, I really wanted to leave it all on the table (by offering access to an e-book I have been writing simultaneously while preparing my speech). Unfortunately, that did not come to fruition. I missed our Motivation Monday, too. Overall, I was too busy pouring into this presentation and being distracted by community engagements to which I had obligated myself.
Humbly, I ask for your forgiveness for missing our Monday. Despite my moderately sedentary lifestyle, wearing several hats is still challenging. However, I hope to make it up to you as a reader and any new readers from last night by completing that financial e-book.
Over the years, I have conducted financial talks or led workshops, with huge gaps of time in between. And each time, I prepare a ton of material and only use a tiny portion. Sometimes, the audience is family-oriented, sometimes seniors in high school, and like last night, sometimes it is women. Well, this time, I will finish giving you all the wisdom God has placed on my heart to take us from where we are today (and we all are at different starting points) to where God desires us to be. Like my presentation last night, the book is Desire: Giving what you need to get what you desire.
My goal is to complete the project by the end of this month, my birthday month, as it represents the start of a new year in my life. I hope that sounds good to you. I will share the chapters in another blog so you will know what to expect and if this could benefit you. My premise is that if we all were using this tool called money in the way God designed us to use it, we could be the problem solvers the world so desperately needs, starting where we are (buying someone’s groceries, giving a mom a new dress for an interview, paying for a college student’s books, building homes for veterans, saving women and children from sexual trafficking, funding medical research, etc.). We are the chosen people for such a time as this. I believe God wants to get money to us so He can get it through us, and that we would not be selfish hoarders, only in it for ourselves. God’s kids want to glorify Him, which means doing what Jesus did. And when Jesus saw a need, He planted a seed.
Again, the book will be available in a few weeks. I hope you will read it, take your notes–which is how information retains best in our brains, and put into practice the parts that apply to you. Readers can also enjoy listening to the book as you go about your day. Yes, the text has audible capabilities, and if you don’t know how to do that, you can email me, and I will help you access that feature, or I may post a FAQ on the subject.
In the meantime, be fruitful and multiply the seeds God has given you with a new level of generosity. And enjoy this videoclip from one of my mentors, Dave Ramsey. It will excite you about what we can do together to change the world when we master money and don’t allow it to master us.
Have a prosperous weekend. Really,
Leah
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
Be Productive and Persistent with all that God has placed in your realm of responsibility:
Spiritually – be the Christian (Saint and Jesus Follower) you confess to be.
Emotionally – be the stable, joyous, reasonable person you believe to be.
Physically – be the healthy, active person you were built to be.
Relationally – be the spouse, family member, and friend you need to be.
Financially – be the generous and prosperous person you are meant to be.
Use the talent and gifts you have to make the world better than you found it.
We are all in different stages and seasons in life. My Monday, August 28, 2023, may not look like yours, which is why comparing ourselves to others is unproductive. Going from where you know you are today, requires honesty.
Where are you today in terms of your spiritual, emotional, physical, relational, and financial life? Are you on course with your plans for this month? We are only four days away from a new one. Are you doing well with your goals?
If you are not where you had hoped to have been by the first of September, I want you to follow these steps based on my example of not being where I need to be with my new exercise and eating plan.
Examine why you have not met your goal.
Take a sheet of paper and divide it into four columns.
In the first column, write down the goals you are behind on or haven’t started:
I am not using my exercise and eating plan.
List any barriers to accomplishing your goals for the month in the next column.
I did not get to the grocery store until late.
I lost momentum.
The meal plan is not convenient for me. Keeping everything in my phone, on an app, is not going to help me remember to open the app.
I get too busy to work out.
Use the third column to list what you can do to get back on track.
I will print out the meals for the week and put them on the refrigerator. I need the recipes printed, too, placed in a folder, and left in the kitchen.
I need to make a schedule to do my exercises and stick with it.
Lastly, in column four, give everything in column three a deadline.
I will do everything tonight before bed.
My Example of the Four Columns to Refocus
You can use this process for your financial and business goals, relationships, etc., whatever you are responsible for that is moving you from where you are now to where you hope to be.
During your honest assessments, you may find that you are trying to do too much at the same time or that non-priorities are zapping your time and energy. Either scenario needs a proper solution so that you can reestablish your productivity and persistence in the areas of your purpose.
Don’t lose sleep worrying about yesterday. Today is the day. This week is the time. To refocus on the Master plan.
And if you find that you are exactly where you need to be on all levels, then journey on! Keep doing what you are doing. Your gifts, talents, and abilities are sure to make room for you when you give your whole self to this beautiful opportunity we call life. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10). Really,
Leah
Thanks for Reading Another Motive Me Monday
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
There is no reason to dread another Monday if you take Eliphaz’s advice to Job: Thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee, and the light shall shine upon thy ways. (Job 22:28). Simply put, we, like Job, must remember to Stand Strong Even in Strenuous Seasons.
When I truly decided to get up from my deathbed, nobody could stop the promises of healing from coming true in my life. I began to see and feel healthy even before I could fully embrace it physically. In my mind, I had decided or decreed that health would be mine again, and before long, I was not the only person who could tell that something had changed not only on the outside but on the inside as well. My outward glow transcended the natural and illuminated my way forward.
We all experience tough times and challenges in life. It rains and pours on everyone. However, there is a grander plan (a purpose) for your life than the moment you feel stuck inside right now. So often, it takes us being tested and trying to walk in true comfort, peace, and success. But don’t let the test defeat you—triumph over it.
As the cliché goes, it is not over until it is over. There is a God who knew you in your mother’s womb, and that same God has a purpose for your life. So don’t cry about the storms (and if you do, don’t cry for long), but decree a thing that God has said about you and see it established.
Decide to be healthy.
Decide to be kind.
Decide to be prosperous.
Decide to be generous.
Decide to love others as yourself.
Decide.
Stand Strong on God’s promises.
Stick to your decisions.
And let God light your way.
Benson’s Commentary posits, “Thy purposes shall not be disappointed, but ratified by God. And in all thy counsels and actions, God shall give thee the light of his direction and governance, and of comfort and success.”
That sounds like God’s favor to me. So make a decision today to know God better and witness the Light of God shining over the course of your life.
Decide and go forward with favor. Really,
Leah
Thanks for Reading Another Motive Me Monday
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
Complete is defined as having all necessary parts, elements, or steps. Nothing is missing when we are complete.
We can associate people with the term, as in a highly proficient or skilled person or having a full life.
On the other hand, “complicated” is defined as difficult to analyze, understand, or explain, as in a complicated person or having a twisted life. We should seek to have all parts of our life working together and in the way they were designed to function. Nobody wants their knee trying to be their hand or their ear trying to be their mouth. And under those conditions, we extend more time than necessary getting to our expected destinations. That’s complicated.
There should be no discussion on which lifestyle is best.
Be Complete, Not Complicated
We should never say, “Oh that’s unattainable.” Because living a full life or becoming proficient in a skill is completely possible!
The necessary parts of a full life include living out our spiritual, physical, emotional, relational, and financial goals on a consistent basis. Let’s use weekly as a time frame. By prioritizing our agenda based, purposefully, on where we seek to be by the end of the week, we can begin creating a complete life.
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo da Vincio
The plan is to build a sensible calendar in which we don’t have too many proverbial eggs in any one basket. We know we need time for our spiritual development, and our health, we need to work and give something back to the world, we need dedicated time with family and friends, and we need to steward the tangible things we have been blessed with. We schedule all the things we know, prioritizing our big needs, and once we have done that, we can fill in our calendar with the trivial things or emergencies that will come up.
A complete life is better than trying to have a work-life balance because a complete life engages with every aspect of who we are and why we exist at all times. It is not about changing hats to fit this crowd or another, it is always about being the people God created us to be.
We humans need completeness and fullness of life, not complicated, drama-ridden days and nights. I am not perfect at this by far, but I am learning enough to help myself and others be authentic creatures, living better, blessed lives. Remember, character performances are best left on stage, and thrillers are only useful for story tales, but “simplicity is the essence of happiness.”
Let’s Uncomplicate This
One of my favorite proverbs on life reads, The path of the righteous is as the light of dawn, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day. (JPS Tanak 1917). I challenge you to seek and find this type of lifestyle, one that makes you shine. If you need help, please contact me: Leah@reallyleah.com or write a message below.
I really want to see you succeed. Sincerely,
Leah
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
Because I just did, and I know how hard it is but how fulfilling it can be to take that first step toward a goal.
First, a little backstory on why I am telling you to “Do it afraid”: The week before last, I had lab work, and my numbers had gone down (and up) in areas I was winning in before. I knew the doctor’s report before I met with her so at least I wasn’t shocked. I knew exactly that my summer slump included too many batches of french fries, too many birthday cakes when my birthday was not even until September, and too few vegetables, leading to a bunch of lethargy.
When I am tired for no good reason, I know something is up (or down).
Well, as I mentioned, my sluggishness was confirmed when I met with my PCP, that I was not taking care of the physical parts of me. Before she could tell me to go back to doing what I was doing before, I had already planned to change my meals and limit the sugary stuff.
But can we all admit that making a plan is easier said than done?
You don’t have to agree because I know it is true. So, last week I took another step that will help me avoid the temptations that are all around me and all around all of us. For when we set our minds to do something good, we know that the bad stuff is going to show up like never before. Right?
The people closest to me like making cookies. They enjoy fried foods and cheesy, bready stuff, and they make no excuses for eating them in my presence. I give in a lot because, truth be told, I am not that strong right now. I see calamari, Jamaican meat loaves, french fries, and any dessert, and I want to taste it too. Then I am mad when I feel tired or worse.
So what did I do? I kept my meal plan because I knew what worked for me, but I decided to employ a coach who would help me with the exercise portion. I know this person will keep me accountable to my diet and exercise plan.
Do you see what I did? I have a counter-move already in place for the challenges that are yet to come. I cannot control what people eat around me, but I can make a move that will help me beat the temptations.
Getting an exercise coach is important to me because I cannot afford to be sleepy and achy and hangry all the time when God is taking me to another level in life. Right? I have to be a good steward of not only my finances but my time, my energy, and the foods that fuel me.
God has me on an upward trajectory, and there is no time to eat cakes and desserts for no good reason and ruin my witness and testimony. That is foolishness.
We are all about learning from our mistakes, not repeating them. Right?
My passion is helping others find their purpose, live out their passions, and be more productive, so why would I poison the well just because everybody’s doing it? I don’t know.
But we do it all the time. We go along to get along, and then one day, we hate the results. The good news is that we can make the change. Now. We nearly always have a choice.
My choice was to find a person to schedule my exercise and help me avoid the foods that make me sluggish and negatively affect my brain. And while I know this is a good thing, and I am terribly excited. I know it is going to be a sacrifice.
Whenever we add something to our plate, we inevitably sacrifice something else.
What will be the sacrifice? I don’t know exactly. And for a control freak that terrifies me, but I am doing it anyway! I am doing it, afraid!
Sure, I know a lot about my health and the foods and supplements that are good for me but the exercise part, nah, not so much. I am naturally thin, but something is missing, and there are experts who know and will guide me to the solution quicker than I can research them for myself. I witness this with my sister and her PT and OT sessions. And she is making tremendous strides! So while I am timid about someone telling me to stretch this and move that on a regular basis and eat this before and after, I know the benefits outweigh the fear I feel at this moment. Without any hesitation, I am leaning in to allowing someone wiser than me in this area to keep me accountable to my fitness goals because a body in motion stays in motion. And God has blessed me to find a coach who understands my limitations and will meet me where I am.
It does not matter how much we can do. It matters that we do something good consistently.
As someone who enjoys coaching others on how to use their mind to overcome the challenges they have faced in the past, I am familiar with the resistance that occurs on the other end. Often the people I coached or mentored knew instinctively what to do, but the trainee/mentee did not have the wherewithal or tools to stay focused on the plan. Knowing how coaching works, I am anxious about the process and what I will have to sacrifice. But regardless, I will do it afraid!!!
Because what awaits me depends on me being healthy enough to see it through.
So what are you going to do today or this week that takes you out of your comfort zone and moves you into becoming your best self and living a blessed life?
Let me know below. I really want to see you succeed. And if there is anything I can help you do to overcome your past, please let me know: Leah@reallyleah.com.
Really,
Leah
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
This weekend, I was at my family reunion on my maternal grandmother’s side. When asked several times, with wide eyes, how did I look so good, I responded, “Jesus.” I paused briefly before blurting out an oversimplified but weighty answer to all who dared to ask. They had a right to do so. I was a sick puppy for a good while. And I looked like it too.
To one new acquaintance/cousin in the family (hence the reasons we need reunions), when I shared that I once had a mylar mask across my lovely brown face, which made me look terrifying, and the doctor said it would never go away, she asked, “How did it go away?” I didn’t pause this time. I answered, “Jesus,” and tagged that I was also using the Mary Kay skincare that my esthetician-trained mother is selling. (I used to show pictures of me and that horrible mask, but then I remembered my little cousin telling me not to share those pictures anymore. I probably frightened the poor child. Instead, I below is a blurred family photo that I hope doesn’t scare you.)
Family Gathering (Blurred)
I share all of this because I recently heard a pastor say that only 5 percent of Christians have ever led someone else to Christ, and I thought, well, no wonder the world is such a mess. And then I thought of how a person might get to the point where they can share their faith without turning someone off, and it hit me–relational evangelism. People should begin telling the people they already know about the God they serve. And if that person’s heart is ready to receive, then presto, change-o! Seriously, we socialize about everything else: Did you see that new movie, hear about the new restaurant, or try that new product? Conversations around everyday questions could lead to, “Have you considered a new way to handle that problem or heal your disease—Did you try Jesus?”
Cultivating relationships with people makes it possible and has to be the most obvious first step in leading people to Christ. Every saint (Christ-follower) ought to be able to share how you prayed about a difficult moment in your life and then express how God turned it around for good.
The people around you the most can already notice the difference and may have read your testimony on a Facebook post, but there is nothing like you verbalizing it loud and clear when they are near. “Jesus! He is the answer.” Then ask, “Do you know, Him?”
I challenge you to add God to your everyday conversations with the people around you (like your neighbors) and watch your ability to share the love of Christ become easier, increasing the number of people you lead to a personal relationship with Christ.
Start today. Many of us have been there and done that and “got over,” right? So why not share it? Start with your testimony whenever you hear someone complain or whenever they express curiosity about a blessing you have received. We know our blessings did not come by osmosis or via the generosity of the universe. No, we acknowledge that our good favor always comes from the only true God, who created the universe and sent His Son, Jesus, to pay for our sins and heal our diseases.
So go forth and seek an opportunity to share your peace that the world did not give and cannot take away, the joy that comes freshly supplied each morning, and the reason why you look so good these days.
Building relationships with others can provide a way to share Jesus in a way that is not obnoxious but natural and effective. Everyone in your immediate circle should know you love Jesus and what He has done for you. That is your gateway to someone’s transformation.
Now, let’s start talking.
Really, Leah
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek. (Romans 1:16 )
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
You may not know it but I share a lot about my sister’s new physical therapy journey on my personal Facebook page. I share less here because most documentation consists of videos and this is a place for reading. However, I was busy getting this horse collection together this month and came across this photo of my sister standing tall next to one of the horses in our downtown historic district.
The picture above reflects who she once was, and I believe she will be again in many ways. It also shows her love for horses, far before I had any, along with a backdrop of the buildings that still pepper our sunlit skyline.
If you love the equine industry, Ocala, Marion County, or any part of the sunshine state, you will enjoy having a piece of it on your countertop.
Each pair of coaster art (the pictures are my own and set on sandstone in a way that never fades and is water resistant) includes one easel for display or a unique table setting!
Find the pair you like or invest in the entire collection, here.
Your income does not have to stop your child from having a good education!
On Saturday, July 1, 2023, I attended a Freedom From Public Education Seminar at the Ocala Christian Academy. I did not know what to expect but I left with more knowledge than I think the majority of parents may have about their educational choices. As a result, I wanted to share some of my takeaways for a parent, grandparent, or guardian with a young child who may need an alternative approach to education.
Takeaways a few of you will find useful.
July 1, 2023, marked the first day of legislative changes for School Choice. Signed on March 27 by Governor DeSantis, HB1 went into effect the day of the event (July 1)! Read the Bill or get a synopsis in layperson’s terms of the Legislative Updates.
Step Up For Students is a state-approved nonprofit scholarship funding organization that helps administer several scholarships for Florida schoolchildren. Parents can now send their child (even those with special abilities/diagnoses) entering kindergarten or above to a private school near them using scholarships: https://www.stepupforstudents.org. Step Up For Students empowers families to pursue and engage in the most appropriate learning options for their children, emphasizing families lacking the information and financial resources to access these options. They see this as their mission to help public education fulfill the promise of equal opportunity. You need to apply by September 2.
http://www.GoFlCa.org will help you start a micro-school and “rescue kids and teachers” from government-run public schools. A micro-school is a new term for me but a relevant concept for these days when education is about far more than ABCs and arithmetic.
FPEA – Florida Parent Educators Association is an organization that helps parents home-school. They do home schooling together and offer several educational conferences throughout the year. https://www.fpea.com.
May God bless you in your decision-making. I trust that He will lead you in the way you should go. Really,
It can be hard to get back into the groove after a holiday break. Some of us are moving around, but we are not going anywhere. Perhaps it is because we have too much leftover barbeque on the brain, and we had too many of yesterday’s desserts. Or maybe we’re feeling weighed down by something that happened last night. If that’s you (too). I hope the quotes below will help us get our groove back. And regain focus with a little humor.
Midweek Productivity Reminders
By the way, what do you do to avoid summer slumps?
Cheers to maintaining focus while finishing the week strong!
Really,
Leah
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
Today, on the “Fourth of July,” we Americans celebrate our independence from tyranny. Thomas Jefferson penned the preamble of the Declaration of Independence on July 2, 1776, highlighting the freedoms established. The pronouncement still penetrates the hearts of most Americans with bursts of honor and gladness and even emotional fireworks when read:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
I say it often, and I will say it forevermore. Those words are why so many people risk their lives to come to this country. Because there is something special here in America, and we should never take it for granted.
Today’s Daily Article episode clarified the “all men are created equal” portion of the preamble in their podcast. I will reshare it here:
All men prohibits all exclusions, racial or otherwise.
Areis in the present tense and thus includes you and me.
Createdpoints to our identity and status as created by God “in his own image” (Genesis 1:27).
Equalmeans that each of us is as valuable as all of us.
Sadly, the words do not represent the heart of every American because every American is not relying on God to help them love others as He loved us all. But at least the Founding Fathers had the insight to include these words–“all men are created equal.”
This situation reminds me of when Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say the Son of Man is?,” and they answered, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others Jeremiah (one of the prophets).” And then Jesus asked them directly, “But who do you say that I am?” Then ole quick-draw Simon Peter spoke up, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” You could probably hear a pin drop in the desert sands when Peter said this because the Jews were waiting for the Messiah (they are still waiting), and the Pharisees were not trying to crown Jesus “King.” These were dangerous words, but Peter knew the Truth. To which Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon Bajona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:13-17)
In the same respect, I do not believe that Jefferson thought of these words alone. I believe God put it on His heart because equality for all mankind is what God wanted for the new world.
Oh, I could go off on tangents and say that this country is “this or that” in negative form because of what my broke cousin said and because of what the president said. Or I can say this country is what I believe it is based on what God has revealed to me.
To me, America is beautiful because it is a land of all types of people, with all levels of socio and economic status, of all races, ages, talents, and abilities, consisting of approximately 340 million males and females, with one remarkable commonality— we are all loved by God so much so that Jesus gave His life that we all might be saved.
I believe that America is a land of freedom and opportunity for everyone, just as much as I believe God gave His Son for our salvation.
What do you believe?
On this Fourth of July holiday, I hope you will allow America to be your land of freedom and your residence for earthly opportunities. Furthermore, I hope and pray that you will recognize that you can have a home in heaven when you love God and your neighbor as yourself, thereby fulfilling the commandment and making America all that it was originally intended to be.
Happy Birthday, America. We are an earthly Home of the Free because of the Brave and the Wise. May God continue to bless America and her citizens. 🇺🇸❤️🤍🤎🇺🇸
Happy Independence Day. Really,
Leah
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
Do you remember how Jesus tossed out the people buying and selling in the temple and overturned the tables of the loan sharks? Jesus regularly rocked the religious world. And since we are His “church,” we are subject to having our lives flipped upside-down and right-side up too.
Our Father God wants us to be His new creations, representing Him well. We are to walk in wisdom, fulfilling the Father’s will on earth. So let’s pray His Kingdom comes on earth as in heaven, and let’s get right with God so He can turn our messes into messages that draw the nations closer to His son, Jesus.
Let’s pray for God’s glory to upend our story. Let’s confess, “Lord Jesus, I am tired of doing it my way. I give it all to You today.” Then allow God to turn it around and upside down.
God wants to do good things in and through His new creations. Let’s let Him have His Way! (2 Corinthians 5:17, Proverbs 3:7, Mark 2:22)
I hope this get’s you mentally, spiritually, and relationally ready for the week. Really,
Leah
Go deeper by meditating on the following:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
“Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” Proverbs 3:7
“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins. No, new wine is put into fresh wineskins.” Mark 2:22
Yesterday, I shared some of my early experiences with church and God. I communicated that I was attending church but was not “The Church.” I even mentioned that my life is so much better than the life I was trying to carve out without God at the helm. I encouraged anyone questioning their belief in God or struggling with the concept of church or church people to start developing a personal relationship with God. I suggested setting a date to read your Bible each day and keeping it.
Today’s message is about sustaining a Jesus-focused lifestyle. With the high stakes, I wanted to remind us of some habits we can create to avoid pitfalls and promote a Jesus Culture in a wayward world. Not everyone wants us to be blessed. Our biggest enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy.
One of the ways the enemy works against you and me is by attacking our character. He doesn’t want us to have good behavior or a good relationship with God, so he baits us into situations that lead to failures and blemish our character. He did it with the first woman, Eve, in the Garden of Eden. That old devil cozied up to her and convinced her she’d be a fool not to eat the fruit and become as wise as God. He pitted her against her Creator by suggesting that God was holding out on her. Have you ever felt that way?
The enemy of Eve, and all of us, is still playing that same head game. “God is not being fair to you,” “You better take matters into your own hands,” “God doesn’t want me to have any fun,” and “Being a Christian is boring.” Like my pastor, I can tell you that if you feel that way, you are doing it wrong. But you are not alone.
Jesus’ followers in the Bible were dealing with that same tension in 1 Peter. The general population was doing what I used to do in my early adulthood—whatever felt good. They were following their fleshly desires.
On the other hand, the church had responded to the world, “No, thank you. I am going to live according to God’s standards.” Consequentially, they were persecuted for their faith–like many of us today. The general population wanted the church to turn their backs on God and be their own gods.
Peter tells the church, “They are surprised that you don’t join them in the same flood of wild living — and they slander you.” (1 Peter4:4)
They slandered them. It should not shock anyone that we will be maligned for not indulging in all the ways of the world. People think we are strange. Old-fashioned. They call us haters and evil and say we are being self-righteous.
In situations like this, it can be tempting to deny our faith in God, to go with the flow, and avoid criticism. There is a saying, “If you can’t beat them, join them.”
But Peter tells the church not to worry. He says of the slanderers, “They will give an account to the One who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.” (1 Peter 4:5)
Peter is explaining that the right to defend ourselves is unnecessary. We don’t have to scream, “You’re going to hell,” even if it appears that way. The church should stand up for righteousness, but we do not have to respond to every silly statement said about us. We would be too tired to pray if we did that.
Instead, Peter gives the church a better way of handling the conflict with culture and the attack on our character. His lesson to them is a lesson for us now. Peter, the former rabble-rouser himself, gives them (and us) “Five” actions to take when at an impasse:
Be Alert. Stay wide awake in prayer.
Most of all, always love one another. Let love cover a multitude of sins.
Be hospitable to each other without complaining.
Serve each other with the gifts God has graced us, and be generous to others.
Speak sparingly, and when you do, speak God’s words so that God is glorified through Jesus Christ in everything.
The church pulled a counter-cultural move amid the chaos. Can you imagine how those outside the church looked at the church when it remained kind, loving to one another, prayerful, and at peace?
Peter understood. He had retaliated before. He knew “the end times are near” and that it was better to be an ambassador of God than to be an embarrassment.
When we keep Five in focus, we show the world what a transformed life looks like. We offer them a Christ-filled community that keeps its cool in turbulent times. We show them the love of God when we maintain a Christ-like character.
We must be on our best behavior to represent this new life in Christ Jesus. In the end, we really want people to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, just as we did.
If you are easily distracted by all the facets of this busy world or get like me and want to scream when you see the horrible things happening, please take FIVE. Show off your transformative lifestyle. We do well to follow the Bible’s instructions and leave an opening for God to change the world.
Thank you for reading and sharing. Yours for the Kingdom. Really,
Leah
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
Back in college, I had a tremendous amount of fun. I think. Some of it I don’t really remember. The parts I do recall were the things average students did in college. You can use your imagination. All I know is that I thank God there was no social media back then.
You see, I came along when people did the wild and crazy things you catch a glimpse of on social media, but there were no smartphones around. There were small handheld cameras, however. And anyone with half a brain would try to straighten up or turn the other way when they saw a small light positioned in their direction.
College was not all to blame. I actually did some even dumber things after I graduated college. Dumb in the sense that I had grown up in church, going to Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. At some point in my early childhood, I walked to the altar to make my “confession of faith” before the modest Baptist congregation. The following Sunday, I was wrapped in white and baptized for all to see. Before and after baptism, I sang in the children’s choir and participated in church programs.
When I was about to complete middle school, I took a more significant step toward God because I thought the world would end. Someone had erroneously prophesied that God was returning that year, and the adults at the church my family was invited to attend were taking the prophecy quite seriously. I did not want to be left behind, so I made my way to the altar of this non-denominational church, and there I cried while hands were laid on my back and people spoke in foreign tongues behind me.
Even though Jesus did not return that year, as Bible believers should have known because “no one knows the day or hour of His return,” I was different. I knew my mother was different. She had thrown away all the alcohol and many of the albums that were integral to my earlier years. She even sold the bar with the black patent leather finish and the dark mahogany top with crystal glasses on top that my best friend and I used to sneak and make cocktails from when the adults were away. Mom even gave up smoking after learning from church that her body was the temple of God. I realized that too but struggled with that message and the ones I was also learning from a stack of Judy Blume books.
I was still on my Ps and Qs when I entered high school. I loved the Lord. I regularly attended that same church with my mom and had started writing a small newsletter with one of my best friends in school (sadly, now deceased). Jason loved Jesus, too, and was in the same homeroom classes for four years. As first-year students, we rode the same bus, where we started writing a Christian newsletter for teens. I don’t know what happened to our zeal for Christ. For me, I think it was popularity and boys, and my friend Jason, well, he turned to Goth, wearing black clothes, black eyeliner, mousse-spiked mohawks, and singing Boy George songs. We remained friends and know-it-all teenagers who would change the world, but it was no longer really for Christ.
When I set foot on my college campus, something had changed in me again. I wanted to leave everything about my hometown at home except God. I kept going to church, dressed in my Sunday best–even after drinking and partying from Friday evening through late Saturday night. It did not matter; come Sunday, I would show up at the Baptist church by 11 am if I were in town. Sometimes I could not keep my eyes open, and I could not recall a sermon if I tried, but I was there. And after church, my friends and I would go to the soul food diner nearby.
Church at college was routine. I was checking a box of not “forsaking the gathering of Believers” without following God’s commandments. But I did not see it. I looked and acted like the rest of my friends.
We were “good” people but “carrying on in unrestrained behavior.” Life felt good until it did not because we were making up our own rules and doing our own things. Looking back, I realize it was an emotionally toxic way to live, being tossed here and there with every whim of our doctrine, which amounted to: “If it felt good and looked good, then we should.” And I did. I bought it, ate it, and drank it with no one to answer to but myself.
God was only relevant when things went sour, which was inevitable. Then, I cried, “Oh, God, where are you?” Sadly, once the pain wore off or my memory lapsed, I would get into my messes again.
Honestly, God was scary to me, and the less I thought about God, the better. I thought God would ruin my fun, and I did not want to live with boundaries. I thought the lies the world promised (everybody will like you if you are friendly, let that boy drive your car, drink with no consequences, charge it on credit, etc.) were where the fun was.
God was my go-to when life hurt really bad, the world made no sense, and I had nowhere to turn. I often put God in the “see ya Sunday at church box.” But the rest of the week was mine.
I understand now that the aforementioned lifestyle is what we call religion. Religion is knowing of God without really knowing God for yourself. Religion was going to church but not being “The Church.” Religion is a one-time confession instead of an everyday intention to hear from God.
Back then, I was religious. I knew of God. But I had no real revelation of an only Good God, who loves the socks off of me. I had no realization of His impeccable character and how my Heavenly Father creates and cares for His children.
But I do now! And I am here to tell anyone it is so much more fun and rewarding on this side. Oh, how I wish I had gotten it right earlier. My “best life” could have started in middle school had I stayed focused.
Reflecting on those days, I realize there was always something (the Holy Spirit) in me that knew all the stuff I was exploring in the world was worthless. Unfortunately, I did not incorporate enough intimate time into my schedule to really get to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. Even at this age, I must avoid things that would lure me away from His presence.
You may feel a similar tension in your life. Maybe you know God and go to church, but you don’t want to be like the people at your church or the people you consider church people. Maybe the world, with no boundaries, looks like a happier place. Or perhaps you don’t feel like you fit in, either. I can tell you two things: Do not base your relationship with God on anyone but Jesus because people will let you down. Learn from those in positions of authority, learn from this blog, but follow Jesus only. Don’t follow Leah. God wants to be the head of your life and have a direct connection to you at all times. Two, the people on Instagram are not having that much fun unless they follow Jesus with all their hearts. And it is hard to show the inward workings of the heart, so you might as well stop searching and try Jesus for yourself.
Trying Jesus for yourself is doing what I should have done earlier on. It involves setting time to read and study the Bible. Schedule this time like you would a date. Put it in your phone. Set a reminder. Pray for God to give you understanding. Then begin reading the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Take notes and take your time while you read. And in the evenings, instead of watching some crazy movie or scrolling through social media feeds, consider binge-watching The Chosen series via the Angel network. The series will likely generate more questions, which will cause you to pray and read your Bible more!
Well, that is all for now. I could share more, but I decided to save it for later. So check back tomorrow for practical steps on how to deal with distractions. It will inspire you. Thank you for reading and sharing. Really,
Leah
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
America, we are not done yet. But we must prove this to ourselves.
Greetings,
I am happy to continue dissecting the profile of success on “Hollywood Architect,” Mr. Paul Revere Williams, in this second part of the series. Let’s jump in.
Over Williams’ lifetime, he turned the world of architecture upside-down (he literally designed homes upside-down for Whites who did not want to sit next to him). Can you imagine the gall? Williams could and did, and then he perfected the technique.
While many suffered economic losses during the Depression, Williams remained busy building homes. By 1934, he had completed 34 residential estates for movie industry clients, including a 12,000-square-foot home (The Atkins Residence) used in numerous movies.
Williams also designed renowned commercial projects like the Music Corporation of America (MCA) headquarters, Saks Fifth Avenue, and the Sunset Plaza Apartments.
Williams worked on the west coast too. He became licensed in New York and Washington D.C. and designed many civic buildings, from public schools to sites on Howard University’s campus; the Hollywood YMCA and the 28th Street YMCA; several hospitals and churches; and public housing projects in L.A. and D.C.
Illustration by Charles Alston, Harlem Renaissance artist
He designed a 125 housing unit and recreation center for the Army at Fort Huachuca, a project at the Roosevelt Naval Base, and more. He even donated the plans to build the St. Jude Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee (1962).
“Expensive homes are my business, and social housing is my hobby.”
Paul Revere Williams
Williams designed hotels, including the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Palm Springs Tennis Club (a joint project with Quincy Jones), the La Concha Motel, and the Baldwin Hills Mall. You can read and view so much about his life and legacy in the annals of American History. And in 1952, he designs and builds his family’s dream home in the upper-middle class neighborhood of Lafayette Square in L.A.
Faith Over Facts
When I consider that a man born in the late 1800s conquered a predominately white occupation as he did, I know Blacks have made progress. Yet, we lost much of our momentum. Had we sustained an overcoming mentality, we, no doubt, would have seen more Williams, Washingtons (Booker T.), and Walkers (Madame C.J.).
What we can do to continue along the road to progress is recognize the formula for success—not just financial wealth. American History teaches us that several factors combine to create a wealthy nation. Adam Smith’s opus in the 1776 Wealth of Nations describes them as low taxes, a stable currency anchored to gold, free trade, and limited government. Steve Forbes, publisher, and businessman, recently stated that the 18th century was our most successful, adding that a wealthy nation allows people the freedom to pursue opportunities to improve their station in life along with the pursuit of enhancing goods and services like Williams and others did.
Successful Blacks typically employ History and financial guidance to advance their trajectory in life and create generational wealth. They learn how to STOP, DROP, and ROLL. In simple terms, successful people:
STOP ruminating on worst-case scenarios which stifle progress. DROP all defeatist mentality. ROLL with the punches, making the most of their opportunities.
Here is how my suggestion to STOP, DROP, and ROLL applies to Williams:
Williams didn’t get stuck on what happened in his past; he used it as motivation.
Williams did not allow racism to nullify his aspirations. He said, “If I allow the fact that I am a Negro to checkmate my will to do, now, I will inevitably form the habit of being defeated.”
Williams drew those masterful upside-down sketches for clients while applying for architectural competitions that allowed his work to be recognized and desired by people, industries, and corporations nationwide.
Williams, his two daughters, and wife
Williams honed his craft, took care of his family, networked, and is still remembered today, 43 years after his death in 1980. Unsurprisingly, Williams was also registered Republican—a historical trend I see among successful Blacks that aren’t publicized. In fact, in 1959, the GOP called upon Williams to draft a statement of policy and objectives.
Interestingly, today’s most vocal Blacks have joined liberals in vilifying the conservative values of the Republican party. They mock the party’s focus on self-determination and the economy, but I have never met a poor person who was not concerned about the same things. Have you?
Democrats have been historically more inclined to treat marginalized people as lazy, dim-witted, and in need of social programs to help them. My research has shown that success among any people, especially Blacks, flourishes to the contrary.
Despite their public appeal, history proves that Black families had more success before the Democrat-backed social programs of the 60’s. Seventy years later we see the remnants of projects that undermined Black families and Black communities.
Put this way by Black economist, Thomas Sowell,
“Despite the grand myth that black economic progress began or accelerated with the passage of the civil rights laws and “war on poverty” programs of the 1960s, the cold fact is that the poverty rate among blacks fell from 87 percent in 1940 to 47 percent by 1960. This was before any of those programs began.
Over the next 20 years, the poverty rate among blacks fell another 18 percentage points, compared to the 40-point drop in the previous 20 years. This was the continuation of a previous economic trend at a slower rate of progress, not the economic grand deliverance proclaimed by liberals and self-serving black “leaders.”
… Nearly a hundred years of the supposed “legacy of slavery” found most black children [78%] being raised in two-parent families in 1960. But thirty years after the liberal welfare state found the great majority of black children being raised by a single parent [66%].”
We may have been poor, after Reconstruction, but we were coming out of those levels of poverty at a faster rate. We were focused on prosperity and the desire to make something of ourselves. Along with a decreased poverty rate, we had more belief in our ability as a people when there was less government involvement and assistance. It is a sad fact, yet we have seventy years of nominal growth and tremendous blight to prove it.
I hope you are picking up what I am putting down. We have so much to learn from history’s trailblazers and economists. But the best is yet to come. Please check back tomorrow when I wrap up the formula for success and share tips on what we should consider doing right now. Don’t miss it.
Yours in progress and love. Really,
Leah
“For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh but serve one another through love.”
Galatians 5:13 (CSB)
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
America, we are not done yet. But we must prove this to ourselves.
Greetings,
I hope everyone had a fabulous Father’s Day weekend, including Juneteenth activities that families could enjoy together. Here in my neck of the woods, most of the festivities were rained out. But Sunday’s grey skies did not destroy my mood. My sister and I ventured out after church to deliver gifts to our dad. He was surprised and grateful for the family pictures we presented him. Many of them spurred conversations about moments shared in the past, which somehow led to a barely known Black History fact.
With excitement, my dad shared a highlight reel of Paul Revere Williams, the architect to Hollywood’s rich and famous. In 1922, Williams became the first known Black member of the American Institute of Architecture. Born in 1894, he designed homes for White celebrities like Frank Sinatra, Barbara Stanwyck, Danny Thomas, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Williams is responsible for some of America’s most famous buildings.
As I sat there listening to my dad relay the facts, I knew I had to learn more about Williams. I believed his success was somehow formulaic. But I had to know for sure.
His Story
Like many Blacks in his day, Williams had a heartbreaking start in life. Before Williams was born, his dad was a Memphis businessman who left the city for Los Angeles with his wife and small son, Chester. Williams was born shortly after the move, but his father died when he was only two. Tragically, his mother passed away two years later, leaving him and his older brother orphans. Williams was raised by foster parents–the Clarksons.
“A family friend raised him and told him he was so bright; he could do anything he wanted. And what he wanted was to design homes for families — perhaps because he lost his own so early in his life.”
Heard on All Things Considered By Karen Grigsby Bates, on NPR. June 22, 2012.
Although he was the only Black at his elementary school, he completed his education, received a high school degree in 1912, and immediately began a self-study of architecture. In 1916 he was admitted into the University of South California, where he studied architectural engineering while taking on various apprenticeships with local architectural firms. He became a certified building contractor working on small projects in between times.
Show Thyself
After entering the draft in 1917, he married his wife. And at 25, Williams, his supportive wife, and foster mother moved into an ordinary Black community in South Central Los Angeles, where he resided for 30 years. At the same time, in 1920, Williams worked as a draftsman for renowned architect Arthur Kelly. The same year he was appointed to the L.A. City Planning Commission by the Mayor of Los Angeles,
In 1921, Williams was certified as an architect and worked as a draftsman for John C. Austin. During this time, Williams is also entering architectural competitions, which he does for several years. These competitions garnered him considerable attention as a talented architect and featured his designs in major magazines. Within the same year, Williams started designing upscale homes in the segregated community of Flintridge with help from Republican Senator Frank Flint. And in 1923 he joins the AIA and opens his own office but continues to work for Austin while building up his clientele.
Designing homes in a wealthy White neighborhood did not instantaneously change Williams’ circumstances. According to KOCE-TV, a PBS television station licensed to Huntington Beach, California, “Despite warnings that the African American community is not large or wealthy enough to support an architect, Williams finds work in this growing segment of society.”
In 1924, he masterfully designed the Second Baptist Church, the first African American Baptist Church in L.A. and one of the first major construction projects in the area. The project is fully staffed by Black-owned businesses per the pastor’s request. Williams also builds homes for wealthy Blacks, including Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, and funeral homes in the area.
A man’s gift makes room for him,
And brings him before great men.
Proverbs 18:16 (NKJV) – “man” and “him” represents a human, as in mankind.
An essay by Williams, entitled “I Am a Negro,” was published in American Magazine in July of 1937, reflecting the battles he faced. Williams would have been 43 at its publication. Here is a quote from the autobiographical essay:
I came to realize that I was being condemned, not by a lack of ability, but by my color. I passed through successive stages of bewilderment, inarticulate protest, resentment, and, finally, reconciliation to the status of my race. Eventually, however, as I grew older and thought more clearly, I found in my condition an incentive to personal accomplishment, an inspiring challenge. Without having the wish to “show them,” I developed a fierce desire to “show myself.” I wanted to vindicate every ability I had. I wanted to acquire new abilities. I wanted to prove that I, as an individual, deserved a place in the world.
Tomorrow, I will continue to layout the fascinating yet duplicatable formula for success.
Yours in progress and love. Really,
Leah
“For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh but serve one another through love.”
Galatians 5:13 (CSB)
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of Fredrick Douglass and other abolitionists, as well as the Republican Party, Union soldiers, and President Abraham Lincoln, Juneteenth Day is possible. These individuals led the way to the freedom of enslaved people (of all races) in America.
Life is short. As I study more World and American History, I realize theimportance of fulfilling our purpose while we can. We will never know the extent to which our finite actions influence others but we can be certain that God has a plan of omniscience. Obedience to our callings in life impacts unknown aspects of humanity. We can only thank God for those that respond for the greater good.
As Americans we can also celebrate that we live in the only nation that fought a war to end slavery! So why aren’t we celebrating Jubilee Day, too, as a nation?
For as long as I can remember we (members of the NAACP) celebrated Jubilee day on the first Sunday of January to commemorate the emancipation proclamation, which President Abraham Lincoln signed on January 1, 1863. I haven’t been active in the NAACP for years now, but I am grateful that we used to do that because it stuck with me. I truly hope the organization still celebrates on the first Sunday.
As a Floridian it is most important to me and I hope to other natives of the southernmost state that on the 20th of May in 1865, General Edward McCook read the emancipation proclamation in Tallahassee, Florida, acknowledging that slaves were free! My question is whether we should celebrate May Twentieth Day here in the sunshine state as well?
My family in Kentucky celebrates that state’s acknowledgment of the emancipation proclamation on the Eighth of August. Back in the day when my mother was young and would visit Kentucky during the summer, she said this was an amazing affair.
So although I am grateful that on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger notified Texans that the slaves were free, I wonder why can’t we celebrate them all?
Let’s celebrate them all!!! Happy Freedom from Slavery!!!
In the words of Bob Woodson, “Black Americans have never been defined by slavery.” And if we follow Jesus and accept Him as our savior, we know we are also spiritually free. ❤️🙏🏽❤️
On Sunday, June 18, 2023, the nation will celebrate men who have embraced their role as fathers or father figures. The celebration is called Father’s Day. Like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day is spelled with a singular possessive to represent that each family should honor its mother and father figures. Other similarities exist with one grave difference. Let’s explore the makings of a day to honor the men who nurture, protect, and raise their children.
Like Mother’s Day, the first Father’s Day honors trace back to a church service. The church created many of our current societal norms. And so it was on July 5, 1908, in Fairmont, West Virginia, congregants gathered to honor the lives of 360 men (250 fathers) and boys who died during a mining explosion the year before. The deaths left approximately 1,000 children fatherless. Presumably, Mrs. Grace Golden Clayton reflected on the loss of her father, Reverend Martin Golden, who died in 1896, when choosing to commemorate fathers on a date close to Golden’s birthday. Unfortunately, the event was unsustainable due to its proximity to the 4th of July celebrations. But Clayton remains the “mother of the First Father’s Day service.”
A year later, Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, would begin her campaign to make Father’s Day a national holiday. Supposedly, she had the idea while attending a Mother’s Day service. Dodd was the only daughter of six children to a single dad, William Smart, a civil war veteran who lost his wife during childbirth. Like Clayton, Dodd proposed they celebrate an annual holiday near her father’s birthday, on June 5. The Spokane Ministerial Alliance and the YMCA event organizers could not assemble the celebration until the following week. So on Sunday, June 19, 1910, Father’s Day became an annual event in Spokane, Washington, and other towns followed. Dodd is recognized as the mother of Father’s Day.
Still, it was a long trek to national status. Partly because fathers were less amenable to receiving flowers and cards–it would take a war to stir the nation toward remembrance. Like the catastrophe that led to the first church service dedicated to fathers, World War II traumatically rocked the foundation of families. By the end of the war, in 1945, Father’s Day had become a national institution.
While there was undoubtedly traction, it took another couple of decades for President Lyndon B. Johnson to issue a proclamation to honor fathers on the third Sunday in June 1966. And in 1972, after more than half a century, President Richard Nixon made Father’s Day a national holiday. It has been celebrated on the third Sunday in June ever since.
If you look closely, the holiday was predicated on tragedy (fathers killed and fatherless children). The unfortunate absence of fathers made the people’s hearts grow fonder. Sometimes the absence left a gaping hole.
Because Fathers are the “F” in the family. They are the primary source of generational blessings.
Father Abraham
In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed
— Genesis 12:3, 22:18
Would you agree that we need more responsible men leading and providing for their households? If so, let’s pray for it. We need them as much as we need our churches as unified influential institutions. Let us appreciate the value of both to society and let’s celebrate the roles of fathers, pops, dads and grand dads.
Many blessings and Happy Father’s Day to all the dads. Really,
There are benefits to believing and two things we can always do
Bad things happen. Part of existing is to experience the lows that come with living. We cannot hide from it.
With our global access to social content, we are confronted with bad things constantly. Whether we want to know or not, we are privy to the overwhelming burdens in the world and local community. This week alone, a dear friend received an unfortunate health diagnosis. At the same time, my local community was struggling with a senseless death, when a mother, allegedly provoked by her neighbor’s disturbing actions toward her children, died from a gun shot through the neighbor’s steel door. Then, seven people were shot last night in Richmond, Virginia, killing a student, and his father, on his high school graduation day.
Can you imagine that on top of all the ills that we hear about, bad things also happen within our extended families and our homes? If we focus too much on the bad times, we will surely lose perspective on our positions to be problem-solvers and burden-bearers. The Good News is that as followers of Christ (Believers) and recipients of God’s grace and mercy, we can carry other believers’ burdens. When bad things happen to them, we have an opportunity from Scripture to “Carry one another’s burdens; in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2 CSB)
Yes it is true. We have a two-step response to employ, where discernment is critical. First, we pray for the people and the situation(s) they find themselves in. The Message puts it this way: “Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.”
Secondly, we ask God for direction and which burdens to carry. When things are bad, we cannot afford to make matters worse. We need to take the appropriate actions. Therefore, we must pray for the physical response to the problem with an assurance that anything we do is by the Spirit of the Lord.
When we are there for other Believers, we do God’s work. Scripture says, “By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35 CSB) Our love for each other is a special way God shows us that we are never alone or without help, and it is a powerful benefit to a Jesus-following way of life.
Since bad times are a reality, feel free to use my prayer (below) as your own, as often as needed.
Father God, in the name of Jesus, I praise You for how You created us as relational beings. We need You, and we need others. While navigating this fallen world, You have already told us that we will have trials and troubles, and burdens for broad shoulders. But You said not to fear because You have overcome the world. You have graced us with the strength to take the load off of others. Please help us remain compassionate about the hard things that happen in life and give us the capacity to lighten the loads of others, prayerfully and practically, as Jesus did. May we love one another as You love us. Amen.
I hope you understand the hope that comes from our fellowship together. Even in bad times.
Thank you for reading and sharing. Please leave a testimony or comment below. Many blessings to you. Really,
That is how I feel about the new June designs. I hope my new June keepsakes will make Fathers and Dads (capitalized intentionally) and their gift-giving loved ones feel warm and fuzzy, too.
For June, I took an equestrian-eyed view of things reflective of the beautiful horse country I get to live in. I hope you like them.
First, the round ceramic coasters feature two D’s (for “Dynamic Dads”) made from horse stirrups or horseshoes. That is the question. The gold and green tones pop with regality for the “king of the hill” in your life. Whenever he sees a beverage sitting on one of these, he will automatically know it is his own.
The other coaster style is a shot I took of trainers at the World Equestrian Center (WEC). I have been saving this image for just the right time, and I found it. When I asked my advisors (with extraordinary taste and eyes for detail), they all gasped excitedly before expressing their adorations. So it is a winner and a keeper. It is set on a large sandstone coaster for all the big daddies in the house. Lol!
The choice is yours:
1. Dynamic Dads ceramic coasters, $9.95/each, or
2. While at WEC. $31.95 for a set of 2 and a stand.
Or, you can have them both.
What do you think? Do you like them?
They are even better in person.
You can purchase them here via the comments or at reallyleah.com/shop, or at the Gallery on Magnolia in downtown Ocala. (The prices may be different at the shop because of shipping and handling). While supplies last.
Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for my design of the month. It is sure to rock your world… God willing, you will have a peek of it on Saturday. Really,
“No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:13 CSB
Jesus our earthly example, laid down His life for those who followed His commands. They expected a hero who would deliver them from their Roman oppressors, but Jesus gave them something better. He laid down His life, but then He rose on the third day and gave His followers the Holy Spirit and the authority to carry out the Great Commission.
Scripture states, “Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 CSB)
Jesus died so that everyone would have the inward POWER to defeat the giants in their lands and to help others to do the same through the teaching of His words.
Today we honor those who gave their physical lives so that we could have freedom in this land. Although our American soldiers (in Christ) will not rise again, until the second coming—Jesus’ return, they demonstrated a God-kind of love in their line of duty. They knew the risks and took them so that we could live the flawed but free life we possess in America, with all of her constitutional rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
May we consider the cost of our spiritual and physical freedoms today and give thanks for the bold and the brave.
Happy Memorial Day and may God bless America. Really,
Why Senator Tim Scott’s race (for president) is a teachable moment.
Tim Scott is not an “exception.” He is an American. He is the reason immigrants flock and flee to this country. He is fulfilling the American dream.
Scott may be making history by announcing his presidential candidacy on some levels. Still, we would see more history-makers if our children were allowed to develop the critical skills needed to succeed in this country and were not told that they were less than others or that they needed anyone’s approval (but God’s) to make it in this country.
People so hyper-focused on race and sexuality are inwardly convinced that they are either inferior or superior, and both groups are wrong. This is not Dr. King’s America. Looking around at all the multicultural relationships and neighborhoods, we will recognize that we are living Dr. King’s dream. So now is the time to live up to the character necessary to sustain it.
Our progress in this country should not be attacked by narrow-minded people, even though they have the right to do so. I only hope we, and especially our nation’s children, will stop listening.
We are not bound or promoted, nor should we be, by our God-given ethnicity and skin color. We have a purpose beyond what is seen or even imagined. We are the American dream.
Congratulations to Senator Scott, whose skills, confidence, and character have the potential to steer America towards a brighter future. Really,
As Americans we can celebrate that we live in the only nation that fought a war to end slavery! So why aren’t we celebrating Jubilee Day, too, as a nation?
For as long as I can remember we (members of the NAACP) celebrated Jubilee day on the first Sunday of January to commemorate the emancipation proclamation, which President Abraham Lincoln signed on January 1, 1863. I haven’t been active in the NAACP for years now, but I am grateful that we used to do that because it stuck with me. I truly hope the organization still celebrates on the first Sunday.
As a Floridian it is most important to me and I hope to other natives of the southernmost state that on the 20th of May in 1865, General Edward McCook read the emancipation proclamation in Tallahassee, Florida, acknowledging that slaves were free! My question is whether we should celebrate May Twentieth Day here in the sunshine state as well?
My family in Kentucky celebrates that state’s acknowledgment of the emancipation proclamation on the Eighth of August. Back in the day when my mother was young and would visit Kentucky during the summer, she said this was an amazing affair.
So although I am grateful that on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger notified Texans that the slaves were free, I wonder why can’t we celebrate them all?
Let’s celebrate them all!!! Happy Freedom from Slavery!!!
In the words of Bob Woodson, “Black Americans have never been defined by slavery.” And if we follow Jesus and accept Him as our savior, we know we are also spiritually free. ❤️🙏🏽❤️
Each month, Really Leah’s Coasters & More line will feature 2 new styles.
On special holidays, not just the ones people make up while sitting on the pot, (or smoking pot), there will be a bonus image. This is how the reallyleah.com/shop will work from now on or until I have another idea while sitting on the pot.
So let’s review. In May, we featured 2 styles that were all about Mothers because motherhood is super cool, even when it is trying. The super cool part is that moms get to do something that fathers could never do or handle. Moms carry life in their bodies. Wow! That’s absolutely aMayzing, right? So it makes sense that moms would get more calls on their holiday than fathers do. Sorry, dads. I don’t want to make this a competition because dads are special people too. We are all God’s Master plan, and we all get our months to shine. But dads will have to wait until next month.
Sadly, the month of May also represents a real crisis in the world today, which is mental health. Way too many mothers’ sons and daughters of every age are having mental breaks. We see it reflected in the actions those with untreated or undiagnosed mental illness are taking. And unfortunately, their actions are increasingly harmful to them and to those around them.
In response to Mothers and Mental Health Awareness in May, I designed this image while in bed (not on the pot), and I call it “Cafe Serenity.”
You dig? I hope you do.
I designed this image,
to honor mothers who are taking it all in stride. Moms who are realistic and practical. They understand that not every day is Mother’s Day, with breakfasts in bed and bouquets of flowers. Mothers who know the role they play is bigger than self-care but that self-care is a big part of being a better mom.
Moms who have done their best to raise and educate future responsible citizens, and the mothers who are striving to do so. Moms who do not slack in their responsibilities or leave the welfare of their young to anyone. Moms who put those little ones first until the time comes when their offspring can be sprung into the world to care for themselves.
Moms who only ask for help when they need it, but who know how to accept a helping hand when it is offered.
Moms who, when the day is done, and they call it quits, are ready to rise the next morning and do it all over again for those who call her MOM.
And when the quiet times come, this mom (in the art) knows how to sit and sip at her favorite cafe, which may well be at home, and find a precious moment of serenity. That’s why I call this piece, Cafe Serenity.
If you like her, give her a thumbs up and consider making any mom’s day before the end of May. Or get it for yourself.
Mother’s Day is less than a week away. Similar to Christmas, many people are doing last-minute shopping for their mothers. But men seem to be more and more hesitant about participating if you are not their biological mother. Which leads me to ask: Should husbands buy their wives (especially if she is the mother of their children) Mother’s Day gifts? Why or why not? Before answering, allow me to share my original perspective along with a little history.
My Story
Because I used to like slightly older men, I have dated a few fellas with kids. During those times, I have always encouraged or supported them in giving at least a card to the mother of their child. But in the last couple of years as a gift peddler, I have learned ( shockingly) that quite a few older married men do not buy Mother’s Day gifts for their wives.
“She’s not my mom,” they say, and my jaw drops to the floor.
Is it because the kids are grown and gone that they respond pithily?
OK. I get that, but isn’t she still their mother regardless of her children’s ages? I think this but don’t ask.
But in my head, I always hope they will respond from the heart to the tune of: “She is not my mom, but she is the beautiful mother of our kids, and that’s pretty aMayzing! So yes, I’ll shower her with gifts for as long as I live.”
Then I would dab my tear-filled eyes with a handkerchief.
That has not happened.
To my surprise, the following scenario is not what the founder of America’s maternal holiday, Anna Jarvis, had in mind.
Her Story
Miss Jarvis held the first Mother’s Day in 1907 as a church service at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. By 1911 all states observed the holiday. And in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day —a national holiday to honor mothers.
Jarvis had many reasons for the holiday. She was a peace activist during the American Civil War, her mother had died, and she thought, as many still do, that a mother is “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world.”
Unfortunately, after the holiday commercialization started less than a decade later, Jarvis lost her peace. She is cited as protesting the sale of cards, carnations, and candies in celebration of Mom’s special day. Hallmark was figuratively on her “hit list.” She was even arrested for her “righteous anger.” Jarvis had created this holiday, and she simply wanted us all to write our own sentiments to our mothers.
As a writer, I actually like that idea. It reminds me of elementary school. We made our cards, decorated envelopes, and slipped personal love letters to Mom inside. Simple. And on Sundays at church all the mothers were recognized.
So now you know what I did not know before.
To all the men I led astray, “I sincerely apologize.”
But does any of this background information change anything for you? Are you a traditionalist, thinking the whole holiday is too commercial and that Mom should be the queen of the day, receiving sweet thoughts from only her children, with no variations? Or are you determined to do it your own way?
So I ask again, who will you celebrate on the second Sunday in May? Will it be your mother? And men, will it include your baby’s momma? 🥰 Really,
Leah
p.s. If you are in Ocala, you can still grab items with Mom in mind at The Gallery on Magnolia or The Gathering Cafe. Items made by me.
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of participating in a small community forum. The crowd consisted of Whites and Blacks professionals in equal measure, with a focus on the Black community within the larger community. A SWOT was utilitized to identify the needs and resources. Nearly ninety percent of the crowd added something to the analysis. As the discussion about THREATS, the T in the SWOT came to an end, one of the youngest people, if not the youngest male in the room, made a comment I think everyone in the Black community should hear. In essesnce, he posited that our history is a strength but our history can also be a threat to our progress.
As a strength, we know from our history that the Bible played a significant part in our Civil Rights. Many passages in the “Good Book” provided words of hope and inspired songs during the justice movement. But a century before, the great freedom fighter, Harriet Tubman had relied on an awesome God—The Inspiration for that same book—to lead 300 enslaved people to freedom.
Did you get that? God used a tiny woman, who knew the Scriptures so well she could use them to close the mouths of her oppressors and lead her people to a land of promise. And God’s Word is still available to bring freedom to those who desire to follow Him.
That part of History is the better part. The part where we relied on an unseen God to work through unseen people.
Jesus had many who wanted to follow him. In Luke 9:61-62 of the Bible, it reads, “Another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Tubman had a similar response to those who wanted to run back for this person or that reason. Did she not? I wonder where she garnered such insight? Actually, I do not. I know where the wisdom emanated from and how it freed many enslaved people. She had a relationship with God. She became a success for herself and her people.
Wouldn’t common sense tell us, that a relationship with God and time in His Word is the better part of history? However, a history that keeps us from edifying God, mad at the world, and relaxed on the morals He set in the Bible, will keep you angry, frustrated, and plain ole “stuck” in your current situation.
If that is in some way a part of how you are feeling today, then I say, tell that part of history and its historians goodbye.
Nothing is more important to God than your freedom. The freedom of your soul unentangled by the trappings of this world. God has it all laid out for you and I. But we have to trust the words in the Book. We have to believe we are seen by the unseen God and the historical record that proves it.
Because with God all things are new!
We either believe Him and His Word or we do not. It is simple. We either die with our broken, blood-stained history or we take the better part and find freedom.
I did not always understand this type of liberation. When I was beginning my career, I wanted to work in my college major and the financial industry. I wanted to work in investments. So I took my degree from a top school and came home expecting doors to fly open for me. They did not. At one financial institution I was mistaken for someone applying for a secretarial position, nothing wrong with that career choice, but that was not mine. I reasoned with the receptionist who eventually took my resume but who knows where it landed once I left. Back then I did not know to mail my resume in and shock them when I arrived for the interview. Young people have it so much better now.
While waiting for the job I wanted, I took others to pay the bills. I even invested in improving my skills and added technology certifications. Still nothing. The larger companies in the area, who I could name (but will not) and try to put to shame, did not even call me for a phone interview. And I guarantee you I had one of the best coverletters and resumes imaginable, but I was lacking experience in the financial sector as the years rolled by.
So I began to apply for higher level jobs in the areas I was gaining experience in, and I would move a little further in the intervieweing process but I never got the position. I remember a few times I would learn that the job was given to some “hot shot’s” wife or a person already handpicked for the position and the interview process was but a formality.
After a history of dismissals and denials, you can easily get discouraged. I did. I also felt stuck (in the wrong town), and underappreciated. I began to question my skills and even my worth.
It is natural to allow that type of temperament to take over your entire disposition and fill you with feelings of depression. And depression unchecked turns into bitterness. Unfortunately, it is way too simple to allow roots of bitterness to build a home in your soul. We have to fight to protect it. We must guard our hearts.
I can only imagine if I had carried those issues of my past into the next interview or my future relationships. I probably did on some levels.
The consequences would destroy my opportunities for a brighter future and engagments with people who do not look like me. Moreover, they would destroy me. And to some do-gooder I may have been justified. But there is no justice in victimization because there is nothing outward that can restore what is lost inwardly.
As a society, we cannot allow blame of any kind to dictate the story of our life. Hard times are but a stone to be stepped over, a rock to throw out of our way, a moment to humble ourselves and hear from God.
Take Thomas Edison, who made 1,000 failed attempts to invent the light bulb. If he had given up we would still be burning lamps to see at night.
When asked about how the lenghtly process, Edison is said to have replied: “I did not fail 1000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1000 steps.”
Did you see how he flipped the switch on failure? We can do that too. We can take what the enemy meant for evil and turn it for good. Edisons’ success lit up the world.
Consider another inventor, George Washington Carver, who discovered over 100 uses for the sweet potato and 3000 uses for the peanut. Before we could applaud him for making our food choices better, Carver was accepted to a Presbyterian school based on his academics. But when he showed up for enrollment the school denied him because they saw that he was Black. Sound familiar?
Carver did not become bitter and quit, though. Instead he applied to another school and went on to receive a stellar education and later founded a college primarily for Blacks—Tuskegee Institute. And when the cotton fields had destroyed much of the south’s land, it was Carver who confesses that he prayed to God, a very simple prayer: “Can you tell me about the peanut?” Carver says the Lord told him He would not tell him everything in his lifetime but said He would give him a handful. And God did.
The former enslaved man, botanist, and Christian, George Washington Carver credited all his success to God, whose benevolence granted us nature and science. Carver also named his laboratory, “God’s workshop.” He was a humble man, who took no credit via patent, because he wanted everyone to have access to his inventions.
That is the better part of history. Carver’s success changed the world and our food supply.
My story started to change when I forgave others and myself, when I traded my old perspective and old friends for God’s way of being and doing things. I surrendered to the wisdom in the Bible that emancipated the slaves and whose hymns lit the way to freedom and civil rights with hopeful lyrics. Moreover, when my body was failing, it was the God of the Bible who breathed life into me again.
Every story is different because we are all unique and special to God, but I guarantee you that if you want to succeed, you will have to follow Christ, and let go of the people, places, and things that keep you tethered to the worst parts of your past. That includes letting go of dead things and people with dead ideas.
“Then he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Then he said to another, “Follow me.” “Lord,” he said, “first let me go bury my father.” But he told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.””
Luke 9:2, 59-60
Success in our communities and in our lives is predicated on keeping our focus on God and giving Jesus first place in our hearts. Period. That’s it.
Read the story of Paul and Silas’ miraculous break from prison in the 16th chapter of Acts in the Bible as a reference.
“They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized.” (Acts 16:31-33 CSB)
Paul and Silas had success and they shared it with the jailer and his family. That single story influenced a new generation.
If you need a cure for your pain, if you need a light in the darkness, if you need a joy despite your disappointing circumstances, all those things are only a breath a way. Say, “Jesus, I need you. And I will never turn my back on you again.”
This is the better part of history. The Bible is our passage to freedom. It teaches us how to do life God’s way. If we trust and believe, God will show us the way, He will light our path, and He will bless us so that we can be a blessing to others.
Thank you for reading.
May God make His face shine upon you and give you peace. Real peace. Really,
Indeed, I woke up this morning with money on my mind. Not in an I love money kind of way, but in a curious, what can I learn more about money way. My curiosity served me well because I was able to take away several nuggets from the financial investment meeting I attended this morning. I especially wanted to share this with my people: women!
START EARLY
Pay before you play
• Always invest at least 15% of your net income.
• Do this monthly before anything else.
• If employed, match what your employer offers.
• Max out your Roth because it is a tax-free shelter over the growth period.
• Use brokerage options for aggressive savings and play later money!
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding
Proverbs 4:7
GETting WISDOM
Social Security = Backup Plan
Who knows. Social Security benefits may look different by the time you are eligible to receive any. Starting with a good long-term financial plan will help us not to be beholden to those scarce dollars. But in the meantime, you need to know what you are owed. Women who have made less than their husbands should especially review their earnings.
A smart rule is to check your social security benefits annually. Contact SSA.gov and confirm that your income for the previous year is accurate. Unfortunately, there are thieves who have stolen people’s social security via identity fraud. But it only takes a few minutes for you to make sure you are not a victim. And if you are, you will have time to catch the error early.
Find a Financial Advisor
All financial advisors are not made equal. Make sure you interview them like you would a date. If they are not a good fit for you, meaning if they cannot relate to your circumstances and offer feedback pertinent to your individual needs, then ditch them (politely). Say thank you, but no thank you, and continue to interview process until you find someone who is willing to work and grow with you.
I am currently in a relationship with a financial counselor who has obviously outgrown me. They never return calls anymore, at least not without requesting that I set a date several calendar months out and pay a fee. Mind you, my counselor gets paid from the money they invest for me each month, and I don’t recall talking to them in the last three years. Obviously, our relationship has been lopsided and has come to an end. Thank God, I believe I have found a replacement.
Start early! Do not wait to take care of your plan for wealth. And if you have children, get them involved too. Did you know your child can start a Roth as long as they have a job? They do not have to wait until they are 18. Again, discuss all the options for your family with a certified financial planner who has your best interests in mind (not just your money).
Risks
A lot of fear-marketing is going around. Ads for gold encourage us to buy it now because of our topsy-turvy inflationary market. Many people who were once gaining high dividends in the stock market saw losses and bailed. However, we are not gambling our retirement or future plans away. We should be in this for the long term. The markets will recover.
Some say we are in a recovery phase now. And it is possible to buy short and make long paper during a down economy. So do not take all your cash and buy gold (which has never outpaced inflation) or bitcoins unless you are exceptionally savvy in these areas. Steer clear. Allow the market to correct itself and talk to a professional about your options.
Those are my takeaways, which I hope are helpful. You see, I had the fortune to graduate from one of the best business schools in the state with a degree in finance, real estate, and insurance, so I have a good knowledge base about money and can usually scope out a hoax. Or maybe that is the Holy Spirit. Most definitely, it is the Holy Spirit! Lol! Still, we are in this world to listen and continually learn, then take the necessary steps to create the present we want to live in and the future we long to see. I am grateful to the Strategic Community Alliance, Inc. for providing this morning’s workshop and for Amy Posch, who drilled down on the opportunities available to make us financially free!
God wants us to be good stewards of what He has provided. May we use our blessings well and generate generational wealth. Really,
Octavia E. Butler, a Black woman, best known for being “the first” science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship wrote an incredible quote about friendship. It reads:
“Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over.”
I liked the quote so much that I used it to market my latest coaster style, (above), which is all about friend-giving. As Butler posits, sometimes being a friend is knowing how to show up in the various seasons of life.
After enduring near-death experiences, a person (like me) will try to rekindle relationships and be friendlier than ever before. But timing is everything. Sometimes you cannot be there (for them) physically, but you can always send a gift.
Letting your friends know that you are thinking about them and that you are there when they need you is always a good start. Keep these words of wisdom in mind:
“A friend loves at all times...” Proverbs 17:17a, and “A man who. has friends must himself be friendly…” Proverbs 18:24a (NKJV).
As we near the end of Holy Week, I hope that we will continue to seek answers for our human existence because I believe it will always lead us to Jesus (Yeshua).
Who on earth, would give his life for his family, friends, and foes? Who? Probably not us.
We try to love others, and we say we do, but it is rare that we witness a person responding to their enemies with kindness. We find it hard to even forgive.
In fact, on such occasions when a person has forgiven the murderer of their son or daughter, sister or brother, many will call that person foolish. Yet God tells us to forgive so we can be forgiven and I do not recall seeing any exceptions. (Matthew 6:15)
“Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided his clothes and cast lots.”
Luke 23:34
We narrowly associate love with tolerance, in err. Love is so much greater than feelings. Love is humility not pride, love is truth not facts, love is blessings and not curses. (1 Corinthians 13)
Love is giving up material things so that your enemy has an opportunity to receive everlasting life. Love is, was, and will always be exemplified in the person of Jesus, and we do well to follow his example while we tarry on this earth.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.
John 3:16a
Jesus valued us even before we could ever value ourselves. He submitted himself to an incomprehensible death and a violent mob of zealots and godless leaders who feared Jesus’ majesty.
God already knew the human condition and desire for power and approval. Therefore He could providentially depend on mankind to crucify the King.
But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.
Isaiah 53:5
What the mob and those in power did not know was that in three days, Jesus would rise from that grave with all power in His hands. And if we only believe we will be raised to life with Him.
You have already heard my story of how God raised me from my hospital beds, healed my body, cleared my skin, and gave me clarity of mind again. I know you have a story too. Even if it has not been written.
So the temporary humiliation Jesus endured was for our permanent reconciliation with our Father God. He gave us a way back to the blessed life originally planned when man was created. His name is Jesus.
When we believe on the name of Jesus, we can love and not fear our enemies, we can have peace and not anxiety in a troublesome world, and we can have a hope that will never pass away because we know Jesus (Yeshua, the Messiah) abides with us and is coming, again!
Yes, He is coming for a church (people who believe Jesus is the son of God) who looks and loves like He did. A church that is holy and righteous. And I want us all to be ready, just as God does.
“So that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16b
Believe me, this day is difficult and the tears flow as I read about the beatings, the spitting, the mockery and pure hatred people had for my Lord. But I realize that without a crucifixion there would be no Resurrection Sunday (Easter). For that reason, I can call it Good Friday.
And because of Jesus’ sacrifice, all of my other days are forever changed.
I hope you already have a relationship with God as your Father and Jesus, His Son. But if you do not, I hope you will take the time to ask Him into your heart today. Then I want you to find a teaching church to attend this weekend where you can begin to learn more about the love of God—the love He gave for you and me.
The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made.
Psalm 145:17
Happy Holy Week, Good Friday, and Resurrection Sunday to you and yours.
Sometimes we resent where we are in life or what we do as a career. I know a young man who felt hopeless about his situation. He questioned if the college degree he had attained was for naught and wondered if he would ever have the American dream, a wife, a family, and a home. He had so much going for him, but he could not see it. He is not alone.
Many people secretly feel like they are not enough. Maybe you are one of them.
The job you have does not pay all the bills, and the life you live has no thrills for the reels on social media. Maybe life is not all you had hoped for, but you need to know that your story is incomplete.
When you feel that nothing matters anymore, and you blame others for your station in life, or you are waiting for someone to resolve your problems.
I have a suggestion for you.
Stop, lay down (or find a quiet space to relax), and allow yourself to dream again. Ask God to open your eyes to the future he has planned for you. Then dream like you are a four-year-old child.
Get excited about the dreams you have decided will never be. Hope again. And begin to move toward your destiny with intention. These are the better things that need to grow in your life.
Let go of resentments, forgive, and stop playing the blame game and making those around you miserable because you are discouraged. Stop speaking negatively about your destiny. These are the bitter things that you must uproot.
Take it from me, you are only a part of the bigger picture that God is producing. Your outcomes depend largely on your actions and reactions to your circumstances. But if you allow God to direct your life, you will wake up and realize you are living your dreams; you may simply be caught in a scene that is just about to change.
So trust God. Believe He can use whatever situation you are in today for His glory. Then make the decision to be a better part of your success story.
I took this photograph of the Sovereign Building last year and set it on sandstone to create a one-of-a-kind coaster.
The Sovereign Building, historically known as the Marion Hotel, sits at 108 N Magnolia Avenue in Ocala, Florida.
The hotel has a rich history in the community. According to records obtained from the City of Ocala, the Ocala Gazette reported in 2022 that the Marion Hotel was constructed in 1927 with finances from its Ocala citizens.
“The costs of the initial construction were covered by the sale of stock certificates sold by the Community Hotel Corporation, using the slogan “What Ocala Builds, Builds Ocala”, with all the capital raised in just six weeks. The seven-story Mediterranean Revival hotel was built to accommodate Ocala’s growing tourism and business travelers and remains one of Ocala’s tallest buildings.
Like many historic downtown buildings, the Marion Hotel suffered in the 1970’s and 1980’s. The building was added to the US National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and in 1985, the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation granted a facade easement to protect the building and ensure it would be preserved and maintained for future generations.
In the 1990s, the building was converted to office condominiums as the Ocala National Bank building and renamed the Marion Sovereign Building in 2007.”
The Ocala Gazette, “Local developers seek to restore the Marion Hotel,” Posted March 4, 2022 | By Jennifer Hunt Murty
For 60 years, The Marion Hotel was Ocala’s tallest building. Now it competes with other brand-name hotels. But she is preparing to come back in a big way. The major stockholders in the building are preparing to turn it into a totally renovated boutique hotel.
A PERSONAL CONNECTION
The building means something special to me because my mother and I set up offices together in that building once upon a time. I owned and operated an organizing company, and she provided facials, makeovers, and cosmetic services.
I believe the hotel is currently closed for remodeling, but you can purchase a replica of the historic building here or at the Gallery on Magnolia, 40 S Magnolia Avenue, Ocala, FL 34478.
Thank you for consuming a piece of Ocala. Now, go live your blessed life. Really,
Did you know that 90 percent of our thoughts are the same as the day before? No wonder nothing changes until we change. This is why I wrote the 21 days to Your Best Life. The e-book was nothing extraordinary, only an awareness of the changes a person can make internally and how those changes create real results in the natural world.
Change begins with the personality. So what is personality? One definition of personality is personal existence. It is how a person acts, thinks, and feels. Personality is the combination of what we do based on what we internalize.
For instance, I would not jump into a pool unless I wanted to swim. I do not sit at a computer to write without feeling that I want to share something. We as persons are constantly reacting to our thoughts and emotions, triggers and hopes.
John Maxwell, a famous public speaker, personal development coach, and best-selling author, said during a conference I attended that he could follow someone around for a day and tell them how successful they would become. Maxwell, to my knowledge, did not have a crystal ball or the power to see into the future, but he comprehended the importance of personality better than most.
How humans act, think, and feel, ultimately creates our realities. Some call this reconditioning of our minds to achieve extraordinary goals “The Secret.” But it is no secret at all. Our minds are a battlefield, and we constantly fight to win or lose in this life based on what we allow to settle in our heads. It is a fact that on this earth, only the strong-minded thrive.
ACKNOWLEDGE VERSUS DENY
I do not know about you, but before I learned this lesson, I would try to deny that I was having negative thoughts to defeat them. I have learned to do the opposite. Now I practice acknowledging that disempowering thoughts and feelings exist, they come, but I don’t have to allow them rent-free space.
My responsibility is to question their validity. I decide on that thought or feeling by asking, “is this true?” Or I should say, I am practicing this habit. I am not an aficionado, yet.
Here’s a scenario. During the pandemic, I went to the grocery store wearing my mask, and someone sneezed. Thoughts like, “these masks don’t work perfectly. Am I going to get sick? Should I have stayed home?” bombarded my mind. These were real concerns back then. But this is how I learned to handle something as serious as a viral disease.
I took a deep breath, considered the thoughts, and asked myself if they were true. There were only three answers to consider:
If it is true, then I will get sick, and I will be stuck at home, if not worse.
If it is not true, I will say so to myself and keep shopping,
And if I do not know whether it is true or not, which I did not, then I will ask myself another question: What can I do about it now? As soon as I could, I did those things.
Once I made a decision to do what I could do about the situation as soon as I could, I stopped worrying. I refocused on the present and finished shopping. When I got to my car, I drank my water, then I drove home, unpacked my groceries, took some Black seed oil (an immune-system booster), cleaned my nose, and went about my day praising God. I never mentioned my thoughts to anyone.
And I never became ill.
Aren’t we glad the anxiety around the pandemic is gone?
Sometimes what we are battling is more visceral. Emotions like sadness can come on us quickly. As a child, I could go into a full-on snotty, ugly-face cry while watching a movie or attending a funeral. I didn’t even have to know the person who had died. My emotions were not worn on my sleeve. They covered my entire body. So what did I do? I avoided funerals and watched sappy melodramas alone.
What I understand now is that I was resisting something I did not want to deal with. It did not change the situation, but I thought I felt I was protecting myself from the pain and embarrassment.
But that’s not entirely what happened. What we resist persists. The same pain and sadness about a loved one’s loss remained. The person I loved would not show up the next day alive and energetic. They had passed away. That was an undeniable fact. By avoiding the funeral, I only removed my body, which did not change the facts.
It wasn’t until I attended my Aunt Ruth’s funeral a couple of years ago, did I sit with my sad feelings to deal with my grief. It was the first time that I felt comforted in the midst of sadness. At that time, I wrote a blog about it because I could not believe the peace I felt afterward.
SAME CYCLE
During the Lenten season, I am also learning that this process of crying and transparency in prayer brings us closer to the comfort we need. It is not something to shy away from but a moment to embrace the path ahead, the new reality. I had done that with my aunt’s passing, but I did not know that it was a lesson I could use with negative thoughts or emotions. By processing the loss of a loved one, privately, I was able to be strong for those around me who were sad. That would have been impossible if I had been emotionally charged.
Privately is an operative word to point out. The reason I hesitated in the past had a lot to do with the lack of knowledge about responding to loss, timing, and privacy. Like in my youth, it is not always the best time to stop and cry and pray to God. That’s weird. Plus, it is hard to gain clarity in dramatic or toxic settings. It is easy to be reactive in those environments.
What I have learned recently is that I can use those same healing techniques of privacy in prayer with all forms of loss. The University of Texas at Austin Counseling and Mental Health Center states the following about loss on its website:
Feelings of loss are very personal, and only you know what is significant to you. People commonly associate certain losses with strong feelings of grief. These can include:
Loss of a close friend Death of a partner Death of a classmate or colleague Serious illness of a loved one Relationship breakup Death of a family member
Subtle or less obvious losses can also cause strong feelings of grief, even though those around you may not know the extent of your feelings. Some examples include:
Leaving home Illness/loss of health Death of a pet Change of job Moving to a new home Graduation from school Loss of a physical ability Loss of financial security
Many of these losses, I experienced at the same time. So there was a compounding effect on the pain I felt. Losses like divorce, change in career, and leaving home were losses I never dealt with. I simply moved on. But sometimes, certain feelings are triggered when I consider the life changes I had to make.
For others, it could be the lack of a father (or “father wound”), a miscarriage, a physical impairment, or a loss of a business. They moved on, but the pain remained.
Like the data above, feelings of loss are personal, and they show up in our personality and keep us on a cycle that may not be in our best interest. Only we know which loss is a trigger for us, and only with the help of God can we overcome these very real reactions to pain and grief.
Because I believe revelation requires a response, I have scheduled time to process any losses still lingering in my head and heart that coincide with my chosen time to fast and pray for Lenten season. I think this is a productive way to use that time. Ultimately, I believe I will experience a breakthrough so that what exists inwardly will no longer persist.
LESSON LEARNED
Hey, we know faith without works is dead. Therefore, we have to employ lessons learned to overcome life’s challenges. Being cognitive of despair, loss, and discouragement when it pounces on you, unaware, and how to deal with those situations, is a valuable lesson to learn.
In a quick recap, allow me to share how I respond to negative thoughts and emotions:
First, I have to deal with it expeditiously but privately. I cannot afford to deny it because it isn’t going away on its own.
Next, I have to accept it, only if it is true. Sometimes this is done by faith, like during the pandemic when “the science” was novel, and we did not know what to believe.
Finally, if I know the thought or emotion is not true, then I must correct it.
These are the steps that have helped me form godly habits. These steps are improving my life and lessening my anxieties and sadness.
When I capture self-defeating thoughts through awareness (which is metacognition) and replace them with the correct belief and emotions, I am renewing my mind.
It is daily work. Sometimes, moment by moment. But God will not put more on me than I can bear, and He will not leave nor forsake me.
CLOSING
Lastly, as I train to “weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice” without figuring out why it happened, I see the beauty in God’s perfect plan for imperfect people. We, humans, are layered specimens, and good and bad things (like loss) happen for reasons you and I will never understand. I have decided that I do not even need to know. I only need to live purposefully and practice being a shining example of God’s love, grace, and mercy in this world, which starts in my mind, flows into my heart and shows up in my actions.
If you are searching for ways to break the limiting cycles in your life, I hope this lesson is a blessing to you. And here are some Scriptures to be mindful of: https://www.openbible.info/topics/mind.
A few years back, I was gravely ill and had to return home to Ocala to be cared for by my mother and my community. Before making that decision, I tried to get well independently, but there was no place like home.
I stayed in bed and in the bathroom most of the first couple of years back. Not only was I extremely weak, but I was also chronically in pain. But regardless of either situation, there was one thing I did religiously–I read my Bible and faith-based books on healing.
Outside of the occasional comedy movies, reading was all I could do to stay motivated to live. My reading turned into an insatiable desire to study God’s Word. Through those personal bible studies, I began to collect a diary of scriptures that I transferred onto sticky notes. I would place them everywhere. My mother would come home from work to a fresh supply of stickies on the bathroom mirrors, walls, and near my bed. It was a trip for her, I’m sure.
I did not stop there, either. For a season, I created magnet strips based on my Bible readings. Again, my mother would come home from work to find the refrigerator and the metal filing cabinets covered with the names of God. I remember sending them as gifts to family members. I am sure my family thought this girl has lost it for sure. But I was actually coming alive. The truth (of God’s Word) set me free.
The Vision
God’s Word increased my faith in the impossible, so much so that at the beginning of this year, 2021, I placed a picture of an idea God gave me four years prior on my vision board.
Four years ago, my Uncle William Carter shocked me when he asked if I would help him with one of his business ventures. What was he thinking? My uncle, a successful chemist, photographer, and businessman, did not need me to help him do anything, but he made me feel like I could be an asset to his team. I realize now that God used him to restore my sense of worth, something you lose when your health fails. But here he was, giving me little jobs (which felt like huge responsibilities) organizing his photographs. Those moments ignited all sorts of ideas, and we began collaborating on possible projects.
Before long, I asked my mother to take me to places where I could snap images, and a downtown shop owner and a friend helped me with pricing. But that was as far as it went. Physically, it was too demanding.
A Gathering Place
Time went on, and I continued to read the Word and draw closer to God and get stronger. In 2019, during a pandemic, I had been writing about my family’s story and sharing it with other writers when an opportunity to write a magazine editorial on Black Health landed in my lap. How does a (limited) person with my diagnosis receive this type of offer without God? They don’t. At about the same time, a new café was opening, and a member of my small group encouraged my family to get out and go.
The trip to The Gathering Cafe proved to be worth the journey. The environment was unique, and once I met Sarah, a tenacious young entrepreneur, I knew I was in the right place and that I needed to write her story. That story was the first I had ever pitched to Magnolia Media, and the editor said yes, immediately. From that moment forward, I felt connected to the location, for the coffee, food, and the company. Since my first visit, my caregiver’s small group has used the big table several times to do lunch and fulfill service projects (Operation Christmas Card). Everyone I know who goes there feels that it has been time well spent.
The Present
Fast forward to this year, and I am in bed at home, completing my vision board, and, in my heart, I sense God reminding me of this artistic idea with my uncle. I found an online picture that represents the idea, and I put it on my board. Months later, I am at The Gathering Café with my family again. As usual, Sarah and I start chatting about the great things God is doing for and through her coffee shop, and I casually mention a dream in my heart–of these coasters I started designing years ago.
To my surprise, she tells me to make them and invites me to sell them at The Gathering Place. I’m sure my eyes bugged out of my head. But it was that simple. No laundry list of “do this, do that, dot this, cross that, and then we will see.” No, she said, “make them.” #WomenHelpingWomen
Within minutes she’d emailed her logo and the lettering she thought would do well in the café. Since we have similar tastes, it was “nothing but a thing,” as they used to say. I was raring to go!
When I called my uncle, he was also ready and willing to help. And now, perhaps three months from that encounter, a vision written down on January 1, 2021, is being fulfilled.
This week was the first week my coasters went on sale at The Gathering Café, and we sold our first four-pack that first day. My uncle says he figured that design would sell well. It includes an original slogan for coffee lovers.
One of the first coasters.
We also do custom orders per request: Potential clients can send a Direct Message on social media or drop a comment below.
For my unique family situation, this has been a blessing that I will always thank God for providing. And I am fortunate to share it with others for three reasons:
Vision-boarding works. I encourage everyone to be obedient when they hear that still, small voice and write down whatever message they receive. Then visualize whatever God has whispered in your spirit. I’m a witness that any success I have is not by my might or power but by the Spirit of the Lord.
ReallyLeah Coasters work. They are durable, absorbent, and fade-resistant and will save your beautiful tables from ugly, messy rings. Plus, they are an essential tool for writers. Who writes, types, or works without coffee or tea? And what goes better with a coffee cup than a coaster? I’m just sayin’. So buy a coaster or two or four. Bless yourself or a friend. They are great for personal gifts and business branding.
Words matter. I encourage everyone to decorate their space with words that will uplift them. As the designer, I assure you that each coaster is crafted with love and is covered with prayers for your success. Many people use them not as coasters but as life-giving pieces of art.
Thank you in advance for supporting a family-owned business and a woman who now lives to show and share what God can do. XO. Really,
On this Sunday, I pray that those currently captivated by this world will return to the only true God, the Lord-Yehovah. It is time for your tears of shame and pain to return to joy. He is waiting for you.
“Turn to freedom our captivity and restore our fortunes, O Lord, as the streams in the South (the Negeb) [are restored by the torrents].” (Psalm 126:4 AMPC)
Prayer changes things every day. Think about it. Our up days could be better, and a down day could have been worse.
When a lousy driver rammed her car into the side of my car while I was driving to my physical therapy appointment a few years ago, it was a horrible day. But I walked away from the accident unscathed, so my down day was not as down as it could have been.
Furthermore, Scripture quotes the Lord as declaring, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) I do not want to limit the goodness by limiting God and thinking that on my up days, I have it all figured out. Each day I need Wisdom from above. And the only way I know to gain it is through prayer.
So amen to Cathy Hughes’ advice to pray at all times. As a successful entrepreneur, she knows her business and has been someone I have admired for years.
Hughes is the founder and chairperson of Urban One, Inc. (formerly Radio One, Inc.)
Once the 2nd richest Black woman in the United States, she is the first to head a publicly traded company.
Urban One, Inc., is the largest Black-owned multimedia conglomerate in the country comprised of a television network, local and syndicated radio group, a digital company, and a branded content agency.
One of her television channels, is TV One. I enjoy watching the “Unsung” stories there. Hughes manages to find all of our favorite celebrities from “back-in-the-day” and provides the backstory many of us never knew.
attitude determines altitude
Fun fact: Hughes is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 💖💚
“I don’t have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. I’m as good as anybody, but no better.” Katherine Johnson
Mrs Johnson’s attitude will take you to the moon. It certainly helped her in her career at NASA. Her mathematical calculations were critical to the space shuttle program.
I’m a believer in Mrs. Johnson words. Are you? I only wish more people believed like us.
Our children need to believe they can do anything, no matter their gender or race. Who cares? God made us in the likeness of His image, so we are all good enough and innately equipped for the purpose He created us for. If we believe.
Let’s stop majoring on the minor subjects things and refocus our children and ourselves toward the stars. The person in the mirror is the biggest threat to our destiny. The blame game is only a stalling tactic designed to keep us from greatness.
In Mrs. Johnson’s words:
“I don’t have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. I’m as good as anybody, but no better.”
attitude determines altitude.
Fun fact: The real Hidden Figures were all members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 💖💚
Black History is everyone’s history. This fact weighs on my heart as we close Black History Month. Although mainly, Black Americans scurry around like fire ants to build a mound of historical facts for the public and children to learn in a (short) month, our best endeavors will never be enough to encompass all the richness of our heritage and contributions to make America the great (yet flawed) country it is today.
Where would we start, 1619 or 1776? Who would be included and not allowed, and when would this rich history end? The last decade or the last millennium?
With all the questions, angst, and political nuance presently in culture, I think a better classification would be to intermingle Black History with American and World historical pedagogy and leave the racial categories and theories for electives in colleges and universities. You may not agree, but at least our younger children could get back to learning the fundamentals.
By “our,” I do mean American children who were far too entangled in adult conflicts about whether to wear a mask or not, whether they are safe in the front yard and the schoolyard, and whether they are oppressed or free. And now, someone thinks it is critical to add to their tiny plates the considerations of whether God made them a boy, a girl, or an other. No wonder children are having a mental health crisis. For the student’s sake, I sincerely hope they will get back to being too busy playing with friends and doing homework to worry about any of the above.
As a Gen X-er, I must state how blessed I feel to have missed the Civil Rights era and this new movement of divisive ideologies. When I went to school, it was to get an education. Period. Nobody at school had to teach me about my gender or my race, and the only drills we had were “fire” and “Hurricane.” Gratefully, neither happened while at school.
My focus was on getting to the next grade and graduating high school and college so I could get out of my parent’s home and get a job that I figured would turn into a career. While adulting, I expected to meet my spouse, buy a home, perhaps have children, and live out the American dream. Isn’t that why so many immigrants flock to the United States every month—for a chance at the freedom I had and have, privileges I inherited from my Black and White, Jew and Christian ancestors?
These freedoms were made possible to me largely because I took advantage of the opportunity to learn skills that others would pay me for. Education and Skills. Both are available to all children in America, and with an education and skills, we build character and rise to levels we never dreamed possible, regardless of color or social identity.
Many of my childhood heroes developed character and skills through education. General Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice shattered glass ceilings during my youth. General Powell was the first Black Secretary of State. Rice followed in his footsteps, becoming the 66th Secretary of State and the first Black woman to hold that position, making her the highest-ranking woman in United States history. Powell and Rice were the two people I hoped would eventually run for the office of President of the United States. While Powell is sadly no longer with us (deceased 2021), there is still hope for Rice.
An actual presidential candidate, Ben Carson, was once a name prominently written on the book (Gifted Hands) my mother was reading one week–she used to read books quickly. As a youngster, I was fascinated to learn that Carson was the first doctor to separate conjoined twins. His story did not make me want to become a physician, but I inherently perceived that all things were possible. Carson had many other “firsts,” too. And like Rice, he was not relegated to “the first Black” because he was the “first” American ever.
While in DC, I took a few pictures of their contributions to the National Museum of African-American History and Culture (NMAAHC), along with those heroes from the Civil Rights movement. Like the month of February, there was not enough time to embrace it fully.
To my astonishment, the museum had nothing on Associate Justice Clarence Thomas. Georgia-born, Gullah-speaking, Thomas is the second Black and longest-serving member of the U.S. Supreme Court. He holds a significant place in history for rising to the highest court in the land. So I was disappointed by Thomas’ absence, but I hope that will change in the future.
None of these trailblazers could reach the pinnacles of success without a good education in the area of their purpose. Whether you agree with Booker T. Washington or W.E.B. Dubois about how to progress in America, proper education is key. And reading, writing, and arithmetic remain fundamental!
In closing, I hope that most Americans will be proponents of academic calendars that teach about prominent Black Americans in Social Studies, and American and World History year-round. Our children need facts and inspiration. And may we also become lifelong learners. Who knows, when we are long gone, we may be named as a better part of this world’s history.
Doesn’t everyone need a bit of Lent in their life?
Today is Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of the Lenten season. I’ve never paid much attention to the tradition. The last time I saw a person practicing Lent, I was in Atlanta, and he was my boss. Acknowledging that he did something good proves that people are not all bad and puts more emphasis on why I am led to join the millions of Christians who are actively observing Lent in 2023.
Cross – Easter Sunday 2022
Maybe my reasons are far more spiritual than I can articulate in a one-page essay. They may be connected supernaturally to the college quasi-revivals sprouting up nationwide. (I am praying for all the students and that they will continue to be spirit-led and not emotionally-led for however long this lasts.) Whatever the reason, I am all-in on Lent this year.
The first thing I had to do as a novice was to learn a little about the tradition. Most of my research came from Bible Study Tools and Biblia websites. I thought this was primarily a Catholic tradition, which makes sense because now that I think of it, my former boss was a member of the African Methodist church which I believe has Catholic roots. Beyond those minor facts, Lent is the forty days before Easter (Resurrection) Sunday, during which Christians do penance, fast, and pray to prepare themselves for our Lord’s resurrection and remind us of His own fast of forty days before His Passion.
Evidently, Lent used to begin on Sunday until Pope Gregory switched to Wednesday during the 5th century. He reasoned that Christ’s followers would have the significant “40 days” to pray and fast prior to Easter Sunday. Some Christians will abstain from meets on Fridays during Lent or at least for one meal on the first day of Lent and on Good Friday. They can forego other foods if they like to. The fasting is personal. Christians will also fast non-dietary indulgences like social media, television, or any habit that requires time better suited to a strict focus on our frailty as humans, our need for a savior, and the sacrificial love of Jesus.
Jesus knew his mission, which is also our mission, as you may have learned by reading my posts on purpose. Because He knew the end game, God in the flesh spent forty days fasting and praying to build up his faith. We can do this too. He became so strong in faith that nothing offered to him on earth could lure him away from his purpose to save us. Satan gave it his best try, but Jesus never wavered. He stuck to the Word and did not sin or give in. Jesus prevailed.
Lent is a way to gain that strength and power corporately. For forty days, I will know that other saints are doing the same thing and donning the same ashen cross on our foreheads. That was the first indication that my ex-boss was doing something unfamiliar to me. On an Ash Wednesday, he strutted around the office with a smidge of ash on his warm ivory-toned skin.
Traditionally, a Catholic priest or pastor will use ashes already blessed for the purpose of Lent to draw a cross on the person’s forehead while uttering, “remember that you are dust, and to dust, you will return.” I attend a wonderful nondenominational church, and my pastor has not observed Ash Wednesday or Lent to this extent in the past, so I am planning to join another church for the observance. This year I will acknowledge Lent even if I have to take my incense ashes, mixed with oil, and draw a cross on my forehead.
The ash signifies that we are all sinners, and repentance was made available through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, hence the cross. The ashes also symbolize our humble origins—clay from the earth—how our bodies will decompose when we pass away and the necessity of repenting when we sin.
Repentance constitutes the second most significant factor in Lent. Much of my time will be spent reflecting inwardly. I will ask myself tough questions about sin in my life. Are there sins I have not confessed to because I did not know they were sins back then? With wisdom comes clarity, and I have since learned that some of the things I used to do were not pleasing to God. So I need to think that through and take some time to get that covered by the blood of Jesus, which washes away all sins. I need to review any areas where I am toying with temptation. We all know our weaknesses. Am I putting myself into situations where I am prone or likely to miss the mark as a Christian or cause someone else to stumble? I need to think about that, confess it, and eliminate those near occasions to sin.
Lastly, I need to check my humility. Am I puffed up or pretentious in any way? Do I seek to be in control, even with God? Lent is an excellent time to see the ugly stuff, realize it is dust, connected to my flesh and its unpredictable ways, and shake that mess off. Furthermore, it is time to take accountability for my poor actions and cooperation with the devil. In the words of the minister and professional counselor, Craig D. Lounsbrough, “When at the bottom looking up, the main question may not be how do I get out of this hole, but in reality, the main question may be how do I get rid of the shovel I used to dig it.”
Genesis 2:7 – “God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
As I observe and become enlightened, I will pray. I will ask questions starting with reflections about my birth and even before birth. I know my parents did not plan. How has that knowledge affected me? Taking note of God’s response to this question and others is critical for growth and reinvigoration. (Read Jeremiah 1:5)
Psalm 103:14 – “For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
Lent is also a time of refocusing on Jesus and comparing myself to Him. He did tell us to be like Him. So how do I compare myself to Jesus? By reading the “red letter” chapters of the Bible and taking notice of His Words and their meaning, Jesus’ actions and motives. Forty days is an adequate time to do a good study. There may need to be more time. I will see.
Romans 8:2 – “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me [us] free from the law of sin and death.”
The blessing of ash Wednesday is the remembrance that humans formed of dust, and returning to dust allowed sin to enter paradise, which brought the curse of death upon us. But on Good Friday, Jesus took all our sins upon himself while nailing us to the cross. He paid the price for our sins. No more priests have to offer sacrifices on our behalf because Jesus became the sacrificial lamb once and for all!
Then on Easter Sunday, Jesus rose from that grave, like he said he would, and through our belief in his death, burial, and resurrection, we have the assurance of eternal life and a home with him in heaven, in new bodies that will never corrode.
“We follow this sequence in Scripture: The First Adam received life, the Last Adam is a life-giving Spirit. Physical life comes first, then spiritual—a firm base shaped from the earth, a completion coming out of heaven. The First Man was made out of the earth, and people since then are earthy; the Second Man was made out of heaven, and people now can be heavenly. Let’s embrace our heavenly ends in the same way that we’ve worked from our earthy origins.” (1 Corinthians 15:45-49 MSG)
Even now, Christians should say that we are of our Father through Jesus Christ. We are set free and no longer bound by sin or tied to death. Saints should live free of debt, worry, poverty, depression, and other sicknesses as overcomers to reach this lost world. We are the ones who can heal the land.
Romans 8:2-4 – “Because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, so that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Mortality
As Christians, we know there is momentary suffering in this life because God originally designed us for eternal life, and our ancestors, in a garden, messed that up really badly. They brought death into paradise, which resulted in our bodies returning to dust when we died. (Read Genesis 3:19)
The only cool thing is that when we accept Jesus as our Savior, we avoid hell and eternal torment and are raised to a new life in glorious new bodies just as Christ was resurrected and ascended to heaven. So although we acknowledge our evil deeds, it builds up our gratefulness for the risen Savior and the glorious celebration to come. This Lenten season is basically the pre-season for the saint’s glorified “Super Bowl” ending. It is truly a time of remembrance, rededication, and revelation.
“Everyone wants to go to heaven, but just not now.” – Thomas Delaney.
If you die today, do you know where you will spend eternity? If you are a reader and do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior. You can. Tell God you are sorry and that you need His help. Ask God to forgive your sins and tell Him you want to make His son, Jesus Christ, the Lord of your life forever. That’s it. Now you need to find a good church home where they unabashedly preach the Word through Scriptures and lift the name of Jesus. Many have services online, which is an okay place to start, but eventually, you will need to get into proximity with other Believers.
CONCLUSION
In closing, I invite everyone to join me in the Lenten season. We can search our ancient paths and let go of things that have hindered us from working more pointedly and successfully for the kingdom of God. (Read Psalm 139:23-24)
I am a firm believer that LOVE should start at home. I think so many family dysfunctions (and I had them, too) could have been aborted if children had grown up having good loving parents as role models. I believe that is why television had a more positive effect in the past, regardless of imagery or identity.
Many people enjoyed the early sitcom examples of the Cleavers, with a mom and a professional dad who provided for the family, living in a lovely neighborhood with a white picket fence. Although June cleaned and cooked all day, she seemed happy, and at the end of the day, they all were happy that Beaver had learned his lesson. During my childhood, the hit family show was The Cosbys. It was also idyllic, but both parents were professional and loving but strict with their children, often allowing them to get into a big mess so they would learn from their mistakes. The Cosbys were close nit and cultural; they saw their grandparents often, they danced, sang, attended jazz concerts, and Cliff donned HBCU hoodies like he was still on the yard. They were a beautiful example of black family values. Another favorite from my youth was reruns of The Munsters. Even Herman was an in-home dad who hit the pavement in those thick-soled Dr. Martens each morning to take care of his extended family. You all remember Grandpa and the blonde, normal cousin that the Munsters called unattractive. But my favorite parts included Herman trying to put the moves on Lily.
These shows revealed love and responsibility starting at home. I don’t know about you, but I miss that. Today’s television has a lot of hooking up (lust), career anxiety, and unplanned pregnancies. It is art imitating life, and that should tell us something. Perhaps we want to incorporate some old-school values while still making strides in STEM.
ADOPTED FAMILIES
“Family first” is a motto people use in business to show the corporation or organization cares about their employees and is willing to be flexible should they have a family crisis. They want staff members to know their job is not in jeopardy should life happen—a sick spouse, parent, or child. The concept is full of compassion and creates a healthy family environment at work as a result. Employees never have to fear being kicked out of the workplace-family should they need a little time off for their immediate family.
Family can also include those who practice the same faith, like Christianity. In Galatians 6:10, the text reads, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.” I think this is a family first verse. We are to take care of those in our Church family and treat them as a sister or a brother. Send a wellness text: “Hey Sister So-and-So, How are you? I didn’t see you last week.” or “Hey Brother Man: How did the presentation go?”
Jesus said, “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35 CSB)
Maybe if we put these two concepts of loving our immediate family first by being a provider, engaging in P.D.A. (public displays of affection), plus planning activities for our family to do together, and secondly, working for the good of those who are in our spiritual family, then we would see some brighter days ahead.
Moreover, we might see more love in our world (even on television). Today I will start showing more love at home and within my Christian community, with my readers and those who provide daily services for my sister. I believe my actions will do some good.
Thanks for reading and loving each other, family! Really,
Single and blessed, Sister Leah (Ha!Ha!)
Happy Valentine’s Day ❤️ in honor of the patron Saint Valentine of engaged couples and happy marriages.
The sensationalism of Black versus Blue killings in our society is off the spectrum, in my opinion, and it is creating dire consequences. In my opinion, there are so many things wrong with seeing Tyre Nichols beaten to death on national television repeatedly. But does anyone care?
When the deadly altercation aired last Friday, during prime-time television hours, I seriously thought America had turned into Rome, where it was a sport to see people killed live. I find it all odd because I do think Nichols’ death was horrific, and his family needed to see it. I do believe we need police reforms (duh? Haven’t Tim Scott and Corey Booker—two Senators who happen to be Black and who happen to be in different political parties—been working on this for YEARS now). However, I also believe there is something sick about constantly airing a man being beaten to death.
I remember when Muslim terrorists flew suicide planes into the Twin Towers in Manhattan. It was a terrifying sight. Unbelievable. On the morning of 9/11, I watched international terrorism happen again and again until I picked up a phone and called family members who could check on my cousin, who worked in Manhattan’s financial district.
We were fortunate that although the rubble smashed his car, he survived. I will never forget the fear my family felt in the hours of not knowing whether he was alive. We cried. We prayed. We tried to act strong, and we watched as those planes flew into those buildings on every news outlet again and again.
Later we would be told how psychologically damaging the replay was for our children and psyches. Unfortunately, we were stuck with those acts of violence replaying in our minds. And for a long time, we kept fearing what would be next.
Well, I am tired of watching, replaying, and fearing what will be next. I am tired of seeing Black mother’s crying over the caskets of their sons and daughters. And I am equally tired of seeing the last moments of a man’s life televised like some cruel commercial for Black life in America.
Why? Are Blacks the only people killed by police in this country? Do White, Asian, and Pacific Islander mothers lose children to police violence? Are Blacks the poster race for victims of police brutality? Surely you would believe so if you were a little Green Martian coming onto this earth within the last ten years.
Only White police killing Blacks, or White people acting like police, have been a newsworthy topic for years…until Nichols’ death when the officers were also Black.
“Let’s televise what they have done. The public needs to see.“
Well, I am not sure that we do anymore.
Maybe we have seen enough.
Remember. It was totally unhealthy to see two towers falling in New York City repeatedly, but there is no cry out about the murderous reels of Black people. These videos are racist or misandrist fantasies. Is society so insensitive to the history of trauma we are creating? Somewhere in the telling of Black stories, we have forgotten about Black children and their mental health.
Did Rev. Al Sharpton or attorney Ben Crump or their staff ever ask any psychologist or psychiatrist how this might affect Black people to see these images over and over again? Did anyone ask if this was healthy for the community before they aired a man being beaten to death? Are we reimagining Rome?
Once is enough. Seeing a picture of fourteen-year-old Emmett Till after he has been beaten to death by two racist men for allegedly whistling at a White woman in the South is not the same as showing a video of a murder repeatedly. No responsible adult would allow their child to sleep with a photograph of young Till in his open casket and then set the same photo in front of the child at breakfast, day after day. Would they?
The photos at the funeral of Till were revealing and necessary in their time, but what we do now on the news and social media borders on sadistic. We are becoming a society that is desensitized to Black lives lost.
Sadly, Black men and children are killed more often by senseless violence in their own neighborhoods than by police. Where are the prayer vigils for the six-month-old baby murdered during a drive-by shooting? Have the family members of the two lives taken in the New Year’s Eve shooting here in Ocala received justice?
In my opinion, there are more questions than answers. I have more like, what happened to MAD DADS? And D.A.R.E.?
Last Friday’s peaceful march and protest after the Black-on-Black crime witnessed in Memphis, TN, is a step in the right direction. I heard the clergy had a lot to do with keeping the community calm after the release of the tapes showing Nichols’ senseless beating. (No duh? Prayer changes things, and we need more prayerful responses to the injustices in the world.)
I read that Tiffany Rachal sang at Nichols’ funeral, which was televised this week. Rachal is the mother of Jalen Randle, who was shot by a Houston police officer last year. In her comments to the congregation, Rachal stated that “all of the mothers all over the world need to come together, need to come together to stop all of this.”
If MAD DADS is defunct, even if it is not, Ms. Rachal is correct. The good news is that there is an organization meeting the needs of mothers who have lost their children to violence. The organization is Voices of Black Mothers United – https://www.voicesofblackmothers.com – and is a second step in the right direction.
Prayer and resources that work to heal are key. We need grass-roots advocacy in action. I believe we can change our blighted communities for the better from the inside out without all the titillating negative media attention that only serves to promote certain figures but leaves a deeper, lasting psychological wound.
That’s my opinion.
Thank you for reading. I wish you a safe and vibrant weekend.
Sincerely,
Leah (Former staff assistant to the MAD DADS of Ocala Youth Director)
Photo credit: A magazine article I wrote for Ocala Style on Mose Newson overlapping a photograph I took at the National Museum of African American History of a printing press.
My Black American history most intimately begins with these two – Willie Mac Lonon and Lonnye Jenkins Lonon– my grandparents. I am blessed to have known them both (my grandfather died when I was seven, my grandmother lived to see me graduate college), and I lived with them for a while when my mother was a student at Florida State University. My biological father, my mother’s estranged husband at the time, was no longer in the picture by then, so I lived with this striking two-some until I evidently got on my grandmother’s nerves and needed to be whisked away to my mother in Tallahassee, Florida.
The interesting thing is that I don’t remember being a pest to my grandparents. My memories of our times together are fond, and I prefer to keep those thoughts intact. Allow me to share:
My grandfather, Mr. Lonon, was also known as the “gas man” and people valued his cheery disposition. He sang in the men’s choir at Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church, and he carried me around on his back. The floor mysteriously disappeared when he entered the room.
For some time, I thought my grandfather was one of the Tuskegee Airman. He looked like one, so I assumed as much. That’s not true. What is true is that my grandfather was stationed in Tuskegee, Alabama in the Air Corps, and I assumed as much. See that makes a little more sense.
In my teen years, I learned that my grandfather once owned a dry cleaner in the Tampa, Florida area, which really excited me. One day I will visit what once was and imagine what his life must have been like back then. I think he would be happy to know that his entrepreneurial spirit lives on within his formally educated girls who have also owned a business or two.
My grandmother, Mrs. Lonon, was an educator in the Marion County School system for over thirty years. She graduated from Florida A&M College (now University) and taught at Fessenden Elementary school. I remember us riding down that long country road with the trees hanging above our heads to her work and my classroom.
Grandmother taught English, she loved to read, and she enjoyed making me read to her. When I was small, she was also the church clerk at Mt. Moriah MBC, so she paid attention to grammar and diction. She must have loved Black History, too, because I recall writing short essays on heroines like Sojourner Truth and Leontyne Price, then standing before her while I made my presentation.
She always corrected me, and I never recalled whether she liked or disliked anything I wrote, but I will always remember that she pushed me to excel.
“You have to be 100 times better than them,” she said on one occasion when I was in middle school and had not gotten the highest grade on an assignment.
As an adult, I have learned to release much of that overachieving pressure. But I will never let go of
the drive to succeed,
the love of education,
the Church (done right),
and my black excellence history.
My message to Black families, today, is to begin your history lessons at home. If we have time to TikTok then we have time to read, study, and analyze our learnings. Furthermore, our children should understand that racism is only a fraction of our amazing history. With that knowledge, I believe our children and all children can succeed in this life, and no one will ever have to make an exception for them based on race. Our children are brilliant little additions to the world who can do whatever God created them to do. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Remember when the news was delivered by people we trusted
I have never been a fan of the news. I’ve always been skeptical of the negative light I often saw Blacks portrayed and how White reporters always seemed to find the dumbest person in the neighborhood to interview and represent an entire community. Really? For those reasons and more, I always gave the news a side-eye.
People who read multiple newspapers in the morning were odd to me. Until I found out my grandfather was a member of that group; then, it became cool because he was the coolest. But before my mother passed along that tidbit of information about him, I did not find reading one, not to mention many newspapers, as something to be admired.
Who wants to read bad news with their cereal in the morning? I did not get it. I preferred to eat my Raisin Bran and read the “Funnies” than to read or listen to the news and risk feeling sick to my stomach or angry.
When I did have contact with the news, it was usually something I saw (not read) by accident or right before dinner time, and only because it preceded “Jeopardy.” The news was boring, sad, and depressing, and I did not understand half of the rhetoric. The news was for old folks, like Granddaddy, and journalists.
Then one day, I found myself eating a Cinnamon Crunch bagel from Panera while watching Bryant Gumbel on the NBC Today show. Seeing a Black man made the news more believable. I felt a connection. He was not terrible on the eyes either.
Neither was the backdrop of New York City. I always loved New York City, so the news quickly became amenable to me. Each morning I was teleported to Studio 1A and the Rockefeller Center.
The Today show was not just about who shot John. It was the lure of city life, the theatre, the financial district, the museums, and the acquaintances to the goo gobs of movies I grew up watching. The Today show had become the spoonful of sugar necessary to help the news go down.
After Gumbel left, I eventually moved to Times Square and Good Morning America with Charlie Gibson, Diane Sawyer, and Robin Roberts. I enjoyed Roberts for the same visceral reasons I stopped to watch Gumbel, plus the ABC network would provide the local weather and highlights on local news during the commercials. That’s how the habit of getting ready for work with a dose of current events and entertainment began.
Working from home on occasion also allowed me to check out The View during my lunch hour. Thinking back, I cannot imagine that I forewent a novel for the goddess of news, Barbara Walters, and four talking heads. But I did. I laughed and learned while watching the ladies debate hot topics.
Unfortunately, the spirit of the show progressively changed for me. And so did my favorite news shows. One day out of nowhere, everything on my morning and afternoon shows seemed to have a political slant. I could no longer enjoy my edutainment without feeling manipulated into taking a side. Political forces started trying to sway my opinion and get my vote while I was drinking my breakfast smoothie, and then the ladies on The View started ruining my lunch with all their arguing.
Lately, I find it hard to watch more than fifteen minutes of news without feeling like I want to gag. I already know where they are going, and I don’t appreciate being hijacked. I am so hypersensitive to the nonsense that I wonder if I am now at an age where I start reading multiple papers and inserting the government into every aspect of my life because taxes are real, gas is off the chain, and my eggs are crazy expensive? I long for trustworthy journalism because the lack of it is enough to cause a chaste girl to chug-a-lug a few beers. I have become a person who wants my news straight with no (political) theatre.
Whatever the source, the news is no longer my friend. I am skeptical again. In all fairness, I expect more gossip, opinions, and drama from The View. It is a talk show with comedians and book peddlers. Only one cast member is an actual journalist—last I watched. But the morning and evening news are not places for personal commentaries. I’m pretty sure that is what a blog is for.
Instead of interviewing subject matter experts and allowing viewers to hear and assess the facts, the news tries to tell us how to think about people, places, and things. So, I have fallen out of like with the news, and I hope to become a better person for it. Lately, I have allowed others to fill me in on the hot topics.
If I desire to know more, then, and only then, will I research the facts, which usually requires reading (not watching or listening) information from various trusted sources. Yes, I employ the skills of a journalist. And then and only then do I yield my opinion–on my blog. Hahaha!
The Final Review of the e-book, my first step away from symptomatic insanity, and a greatness ahead.
On Saturday, January 21, the last day of the “21-Day” e-book review and 2023 challenge, I attended a gathering with my oh-so-sassy sorority sisters. The event has been on my schedule since September 2022, and I had long planned for the time to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Saturday’s event was vastly different from the evening of Tuesday, January 3, 2023, when I felt that odd ache on the right side of my head.
There was nothing right about it. I remember wanting to rush to rinse my nose–something I had not done since the conciliatory trip to the hospital and then a meal with a friend. I whispered my intentions to my mom during that evening’s bible study. She said, “Don’t worry about it.” Great advice had I not worried about it thirty minutes later as we continued to sit and listen to my uncle give the message.
By that weekend, the symptoms were not better but worse. I had no intention of having a cold or flu (or whatever type of COVID virus lurked in my body, but I am grateful it was not the dreaded Covid-19.
I have a friend who always says he is great whenever you ask him how he is doing. “I have good days and bad days,” he says. “But every day is great!”
Using his logic, I guess I had a total of three good days leading up to day 21, a couple of other “good days” when my body shored up to meet commitments, but most of my days and all the nights were not only bad, but they sucked! The weakness, migraines, the congestion. It pained me to turn to the left and right to look up and down.
But I was living. Therefore, all days were technically great. I was alive and would get through this battle, even if I did not know when.
The sickly trend probably would have continued until I stopped. Seriously. I stopped trying to get up, trying to act normal, trying to be a part of the conversation, trying to be present when clearly, I was not present, trying to keep up with text, trying to answer the phone, and all the rest of the stuff I tend to do even when times are tough.
Whenever I feel bad, I try hard not to be a burden. I want to put a fancy dress over a bruised body and hug everyone. The reality is that when you do that so much, people expect it, and when you feel bad, you wish they could feel your pain just a teensy bit so they would understand that this is real. What I am feeling is real.
One early morning, I felt like the Lord gave me a pass. He said, “Be still and know I am God,” and several other private words of encouragement. He revealed how He had made room for meet every task I was already committed to doing and nothing more. Requests that popped up and seemed insurmountable were. They felt 100-pound weights on my head. God had not given me grace for those things.
So, I stopped doing what I could not do and stopped feeling bad about it. And I looked forward to those sweet short messages, “How are you doing today?” “Is Leah feeling better today?” or even a little meme of inspiration.
Slowly, I began to do simple things like sipping on warm hot lemon tea and staying hydrated. I took naps as often as necessary, took medicine every four hours, and ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner (even when it wasn’t a significant portion).
I continued to avoid stressors. I did not try to do what I could not do. Since it hurt to read text messages, I did not; if I did, I only read the short ones. Also, the meds gave me crazy brain fog, so I did not try to write anyone a long message or have an in-depth conversation.
I returned to my favorites: smooth music, watching a comedy on the big screen television, free-writing, and journaling. I used my 21-Day exercises of meditating on goals-roles, seeing myself at the end of my current battle, and visualizing the things I hoped to experience in the new year.
In short, I took care of Leah, my main priority.
And I paid the bills.
If I can encourage anyone who suffers from chronic illness or issues that prevent their body from recovering from setbacks quickly, I want to tell you not to be too hard on yourself. Stress is not your friend when your body needs to heal.
Also, when you begin to feel better, do not try to convince anyone that you have it all together by trying to be who you were before.
Lastly, rest and recharge as often as necessary. When we are still, God gets to do His best work in us and through us.
Be cognizant that well-intentioned people will want to tell you how to get up. If I have done that to anyone, I apologize because I cannot tell you how you should recover from your loss of time and health. What I will tell those people who think they know what’s best for us, please, allow us to heal at our own pace. Let me explain why:
I was seriously ill for seven years. For the first part I still maintained a full-time job, travel, trained, and tried to be normal. My symptoms had me up (good days) and down (bad days) constantly. My life was like a roller coaster ride, not knowing what to expect in a day. Perhaps that is why I have learned to roll with the punches and keep moving (even when I need to be still). After my last surgery and a short stint in a rehab facility during a hurricane (no, I am not making this stuff up), the pandemic hit. During this time, I began to recover in many physical ways. I began to feel normal again because the world had slowed to my pace. Doors of opportunity opened miraculously, and I tried to walk through as many of them as possible. But I had forgotten the seven years of unfinished business and open loops in other areas of my life as a single woman navigating through illness. My semi-retired mother, who was still navigating her divorce and being a full-time caregiver to my sister, tried to assist with my finances, but she had no clue where to begin. Thankfully, my church and some of her friends gave her some guidance.
In the end, well, or unhealthy, when you are single, these trials are yours, and any help you get is a blessing, but it is no one else’s burden to bear. I share these details because healing in one area may be only the beginning of the holistic healing journey. I still have seven years of business affairs and open loops to attend to, and life is not stopping, so I can catch up. During this recent setback, I had to take stock of the fact that I had unfinished business and I had jumped back into the mainstream too soon, once again.
One of my favorite sorority sisters, yes, we do have favorites, sweetly said to me a couple of years ago (during a setback), “Sis, you were trying to do too much too fast.” She understood why I needed to pull back from some activities that made me feel alive again but also drained my energy. I did not have enough grace for all the races I wanted to enter. My sister was right because I must remain mindful of my health.
During my 18-day trial, I redefined my body goals, and I’m revisiting materials from a former dietician to get back to the basics. Acknowledging my limitations has lightened my load once more now that my priorities are more apparent.
Without health, I can do nothing! When I am in the wrong race, it is stressful. But when I run my race, I know God will give me the strength to run with purpose.
You may have to make similar acknowledgments this year. You may have to learn how to say “no,” and feel good about your response. So, stick to your role-goals, keep your commitments, and assign dates for completion of tasks, but keep the main things the main things–like wellness.
As far as the 21-day e-book is concerned, it remains a good exercise for someone starting to get back on their feet. The book helps any reader regain a sense of purpose for life and a plan for a blessed life. And if you have physical challenges, keep your limitations in mind while implementing the SMART method (Specific, Measurable, Achievable (or Realistic), Relevant and Time-Bound goal setting).
Lastly, do not worry about what others say or think about your pace of healing or work. Always be gracious with them but do not fret. And when your goals are written, refrain from laboring over how things will get done. We never really know what a day will bring, so trust God and allow Him to order your steps. (Proverbs 16:9 CSB)
Days Five and Six seem to be error free, but I will make a plan to review these two chapters again when I am feeling better. For the last couple of days, I have been weak, bed bound, and my head has been throbbing like drums in a marching band.
Still, I managed to preserve, and keep up with my assignments for my Best Year Yet. By following the process fleshed out in the e-book, I have written goals-roles that I read in the morning (or afternoon, if you are battling cold symptoms). One thing the e-book mentions is to declare who we are and speak against any thoughts to the contrary. I have been in fully engaged in this practice considering my health. I actually enjoy laying back and seeing my life differently than what I am currently experiencing. It also helps to visualize my future when my eyes are too tired to look at a screen, anyway. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. As the e-book states, “We are not wishers, we are doers, committed to diligently pursuing our purposes.“
Regardless of our circumstances, we can create a habit of seeing ourselves where we want to be by the end of this year. This feels good to me. Even if nothing else about me feels good at the moment.
As I mentioned on Monday, I am planning to revise the 21 Days to Your Best Life e-book. I wrote it at the end of 2020 because the process worked so well for me (someone who had been struggling with illnesses and near-death encounters) I wanted to share it with others. It was not a best-selling download but I followed the call of my heart and sold a few copies.
Things were going well and then one day, last year, I woke up and noticed that I was falling back into familiar rhythms. They were not bad things but they were not the best ways to occupy my time. My rhythms were inching closer to closer to the stressful activities that rule by days prior to my lowest moments. The blessing is that I recognized all of this before it took a toll on my body. Back in the day, I would have handled this differently—like a person determined to take a trip, without a map, and too prideful to stop and ask for directions.
This would not be the case in 2023. I had a map inspired by God. I only needed to pull it out and start living on purpose again, instead of going with the flow, towards any thing that sounds good. Because good is OK but it is no replacement for the best.
Here are my takeaways for Day Three:
I looked for an image for my goals-roles and found one for my biggest priority. When I modify the book, I will encourage readers to memorize the most important priorities first. That is what I am doing now.
I also practiced visualizing my goals-roles as achieved.
Lastly, the directions for creating a computerized vision board are incomplete. I did not provide proper instructions on how to find pictures on the web and take snapshots. The paragraph above the Day Three illustration is also incomplete.
Today, Day Four, I continued with my A.M. actions of visualizing and reviewing my vision board. What I will add to today’s schedule is the repetitive review of my vision board. I like that I encourage myself and readers to look at their vision boards seven times because in the early days of prioritizing our goals for the year it is easy to get distracted. We need a constant reminder of what our purpose and plan is for this new year. Or at least I do.
Overall, the days and reviews are going well. I have some homework to do with my vision board. It is not quite right but I have a plan!
There is a saying, “everything good ain’t God.” If we leave life to chance we will not be able to discern from the activities that are good and the things that a good God wants us to do.
“The one who trusts in himself is a fool, but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.” Proverbs 28:26 (CSB)
The Passion version states the Scripture this way:
“Self-confident know-it-alls will prove to be fools. But when you lean on the wisdom from above, you will have a way to escape the troubles of your own making.”
Thank you for reading. I hope my mini-synopsis is helpful to anyone who is serious about living their best life. One last word (of caution): There are several self-help books out there that can offer us an OK or even a better life but the best life comes from time spent hearing from God and applying His wisdom.
Starting to read Michelle Obama’s “The Light We Carry, “ a gift inside the November Ivy Box, and I’m instantly drawn in by her description of her father’s walking cane, which she refers to as a tool. I didn’t know he had MS. How could I? Yet her references to the way her family “worried about things that other families didn’t seem to worry about” feels palpably familiar.
While reading Mrs. Obama’s words I sense all the places and events my family avoids or misses because our “tools” are not conducive for the journey. I once lived in a beautiful home in West Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, and whenever my family visited from Florida we would have to book a handicap-accessible suite at the downtown hotel because my sister could not get up the steps to enter the home. My family has practiced caution ever since I was six, and my sister is in her forties.
I know about the watchfulness Mrs. Obama mentions, and I know the differences that precede us before anyone gets to know us—if they even choose to get to know us. I recognize that they see it before they see us. And yes, I have been half-guarded, equally bold, and often tired for most of my life. Not to mention being mentally exhausted trying to figure it out with my mother.
Anyway, I didn’t get past page seven. I could have read further, but I always take a long pause when I learn about families living with or who have lived with physical challenges.
I will pick this up tomorrow evening.
Page 7
And sweet sleep to the families with special-needs loved ones. I’m sure you need it, but I hope you wouldn’t trade the love these extraordinary people bring into your lives for anything in the world.
Can I be a better me in 2023? For your sake, I hope so. Seriously, I am not being narcissistic. I am far from being the end-all and be-all in any group. My statement is founded on the fact that we all need to be better humans for each other.
This world is not meant to be lived in silos; if we can help one another, we all benefit.
With this in mind, I sat down last night to schedule today’s activities—something I have not done in at least two weeks—on purpose. During my evening planning time, I listed two things. One, recite my 2023 affirmations, and two, begin reviewing my 21-Days to Your Best Life e-book because I plan to revise it in the future.
I followed the plan this morning, and I am glad I did. It took me about 30 minutes to read the book’s first three chapters and take notes. Here are my takeaways via chapter and verse.
PREP WORK
The Plate Exercise. On Saturday, December 10, at 11:25 AM, I completed the prep work. I finished cleaning “my plate” (a visual representation of all the responsibilities and tasks of 2022 in the form of sticky notes) that I had plopped on my plate like a big glob of prison food (not that I know what prison food is like). The exercise was an accountability project that a friend and I decided to do in November. We both admitted to being overwhelmed with the many tasks we had allowed to accumulate in our lives, and we did not want to go into the new year with the same mess. For me, I had taken on so many projects to prove that I was better (healthy and well), but in the end, I felt worse (anxious, irritable, unorganized, and unfulfilled). I had forgotten that I was already approved and did not have to “pick up my life where I had left off” to be accepted. So, I had a heap of items to remove from my plate. Items that were not part of my purpose for being.
In the end, I had my two hands illustrated on an 8×11 sheet of paper with 18 sticky notes (representing my goals for 2023) inside them. My goals are more like roles this year. Much like Michelle Obama’s book title, “Becoming,” we are all writing our memoirs daily, and at the core of whom we desire to become begins with an assessment of who we are today. (I love writing my goals this way because I can see how my values are prioritized.)
I heard A.R. Bernard say, “Jesus, when he met people, he always dealt with them in the depths of their understanding of themselves and their sense of purpose.”
On the contrary, people in the dating realm use the term “representatives” to define the people they initially meet when casually dating. It is not the real person. A representative is only a version of whom they want you to see. In today’s online social climate, a representative is that snapshot on Facebook– the result of several selfies or that Reel that includes only your finest moments. We have become accustomed to giving only glimpses of our real life, which I think is totally appropriate when sharing with the world wide web. But to get to our best life, we cannot depend on a representative.
The prep work requires the real us in the presence of an Almighty God, who already knows our blemishes and biggest failures, anyway. So why not meet up with Him and let the inner prep work begin?
A pastor preached a message yesterday about the work being done whether we see it or not. Because we cannot see the growth on the outside does not mean that God is not working in the dark places and the deep soil to create a life that one day will reveal itself to the sun. (You will get that tomorrow). In order to achieve our best life, we must do prep work that is private, soul-ish, and intentional.
Then the work in the hidden place results in a master plan. In the e-book, I liken it to Habakkuk 2:2 ESV. The Lord instructs us to write it so we can read it and run with it.
CHAPTER ONE. DAY ONE.
As I mentioned, I already have the written goals/roles for the year, which made Day One a breeze. I still need to add measurements while staying open to “how” I will carry out my goals. I plan to be less rigid and more focused on prioritizing certain roles and activities instead of trying to quantify every detail of my life. That is so unrealistic.
CHAPTER TWO. DAY TWO.
I moved on to Chapter Two since this book was meant to be done daily for 21 days, and today is January 2nd. I am a tad obsessive about orderliness. Please do not follow me. Do you at your own pace.
What I did observe about the e-book is that I give way too many accolades for simple tasks. “Congratulate yourself for making it to today!” It’s a little much. I do not think readers need that much massaging, but in 2020, I did, so I shared what worked for me. In 2023, I am stronger and tougher, so the constant “hip, hip, hoorays” will find themselves on the chopping block when I revise this book.
Beyond the book critiques, I readied, set, and focused on the morning assignment to memorize one of my role-goals. That was easy. Now, I know one of my goals by heart because it is in my heart, and if God tarries, I will see it come to pass!
One notable item that I hope to keep is the P.M. actions. I had forgotten about these, much like I had forgotten to journal at night or to review my day. My plate was so full I did well to brush my teeth before crashing onto the bed’s covers and moaning my evening prayers.
But it is a new year, so I stopped and put that evening task of finding images that represent my role/goals into my schedule.
SUMMARY
Overall, I like the things I wrote in 2021, the plentiful words of wisdom (quotes), and the pointed illustrations I created for the e-book to make it easier to understand. I hope you found something beneficial from what I went through this morning as I try to become a better person for you! LOL!
Seriously, there are numerous benefits to sustaining purpose and being productive humans, and it requires a little quiet work. We cannot busy ourselves to succeed. We must be intentional.
Let me leave you with these last words from Dr. Bernard, who reminds us not to get so involved in our activities that we are not achieving a purpose. He posits,
“If we are involved in a multiplicity of activities but not towards a specific outcome, then we are wasting our resources (time, money, energy, relationships).”
That was me before the plate exercise. I was involved in many activities, but they did not work toward a specific purpose. So, I felt drained.
Life in 2022 had become random, and when it is random, it begins to feel worthless. If that sounds like you, this is an indication that you need to do some decluttering to find out what is worthwhile and why. So you can write it, read it, and run with it for the glory of God!
In the words of my “21-day” e-book, “be blessed with less mess,”
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for.” Hebrews 11:1
On the second day before Christmas—the celebration of the Christ child’s entrance into the world—I reflect on those He came to set free. Before we look too far, “those” would include you and me. We all need a reason to exist in this terrible and fantastic temporary world, and God sent His son for that reason.
A perfect present wrapped in swaddling cloths, JESUS, would become the physical example of how to “do life.” He would later ask his disciples to follow him. (Matthew 6:24). First they would have to deny themselves and accept the trials that would come with the call.
But why would they? I believe it was initially the miracles they saw and later, the hope He gave to the oppressed, poor, and marginalized.
Isn’t this the same reason we say “Yes,” and surrender all today? PROMISES and HOPE in this terrible and fantastic temporary existence.
As followers of Christ, freely we have received both promises and hope, and freely we should give it away to the oppressed, the poor, and the marginalized—essentially, those like us. The sick (John 5:1-16), the homeless, and the imprisoned. Freely we share the promises and give hope for a new day and the opportunity for eternal life.
Jesus said in Matthew 25:37 (CSB), “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’ “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
JESUS, the reason for the season and the reason for living. JESUS is Immanuel, God with us.
Ever gotten a song stuck in your head? Yeah, I know you have. Me too. Recently I learned that this phenomenon ( of stuck songs) happens when we don’t enjoy the song to the fullest. Consequently, we end up with an open loop. This happens most often with songs we despise. Here is the sequence: We hate the song, so we turn the station as soon as we hear it, but the song lingers in our head, and thus those darn lyrics begin to roll off of our tongues. To which we cry, “UGH! I hate that song.” And the person next to us replies, “So why do you keep singing it?”
Now we know why.
As bad as an open loop of a song we dislike can be, it is not the worst thing. The worst thing has to be when we hear a portion of a song, usually for the first time, and that song pierces our souls in a meaningful way, but the deejay does not give us any information about the song, and later, we cannot remember the tune.
This was what happened yesterday.
I am on my way to church, and the digital display was on something random. Because I was driving, I had to fiddle with the buttons and did not clearly discern the singer’s full name. Two or three songs later, I stopped at a red light to write what I could recall. It wasn’t much. “Manger,” and I thought the artist’s name might have been Brandon. That was all I had. I scribbled both on my scratch pad and headed on to the eleven o’clock service.
Later that evening, before going to bed, I used my two words to search for the mystery song. I googled and listened to random songs. After hitting a brick wall, I prayed about it and googled some more but couldn’t find anything that sounded like what I had heard earlier that morning. This went on for quite a while, maybe an hour. I know it was close to midnight.
Feeling drowsy and disappointed, I put all my devices away. I had my evening prayer, and somewhere between meditating on God’s promises and this morning, I drifted off to sleep.
When God woke me up, I could barely whisper my praise. My breath was labored, nothing too unusual for me, so I gave my usual thanks for the new day, wisdom, Jesus, my family, and for the time I was about to have in the Word when quite involuntarily I began to sing the chorus of a song. My mystery song.
I get goosebumps recalling the events of this morning. But there, in the dark of dawn, wrapped in cotton covers, the song’s chorus—I could not recall yesterday—began to flow from my lips without inhibition.
Leah wept.
What I think happened was simply an example of my Abba’s manifested love for me. A couple of Scriptures came to mind as I basked in the awe of an answered prayer. Psalm 8:4 states, “What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for Him?” It makes no sense that God would care about me or you or my desire to know a song, even a praise song, yet He does. The other Scripture that tugged on my heart was Psalm 138:8. My Father perfects that which concerns me. Lastly, Isaiah 48:18 reminded me of how awesome God is and the lengths He will go to reveal His love.
God’s love amazes me, and His concern humbles me. I am so grateful.
Anyway, those are my thoughts. You may think something similar or entirely different about serendipitous moments. Feel free to share your perspective.
You may also want to know the name and singers of the song I was seeking out so desperately. Well, here it is: “God Made a Way” by Brandon Heath and Tasha Layton. Once I knew the chorus, finding the song was nothing but smooth sailing. It is likely to be my 2022 Christmas song of the year. The lyrics broadcast the reason for my celebration of Jesus Christ’s entrance into the world to save a lost you and me. I’ve included a video link with the words for you. I really hope you enjoy the song even half as much as I am.
We all deserve the right to get the most from our investments.Right? So many of us are trying to make a dollar out of our nickels and dimes, but could this new rule shrink our returns? Have you heard about ESG? Start with the editorial below. Will this new rule rob the middle class and give to social interest groups?
Surely, I would like to see more government funding for those who have legitimate special needs, people like my sister, but I do not want anyone sneaking it out of your hard-earned retirement to hand to her. God loves a cheerful giver.
Let’s hope this is not true. At least, I hope this is not true.
Did you know that nearly half of Americans would not be able to come up with $400 for an emergency?
⁃ Figures from a Federal Reserve study
This holiday season, give a gift to yourself and set aside at least 20% of income to 1. pay off asset-depleting debt, or 2. fund your savings account.
Let’s not practice looking good before doing good. When we are wise with our money, we can create wealth and show the next generation how to follow in godly footsteps. And godly will. (3 John 1:2)
“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”
The holidays are meant to be holy days. Days of peaceful contemplation, raucous fun with family (fun is holy, y’all), a time to start new traditions, and a moment to reflect on the past.
“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 CSB
Thanksgiving, is one such holy day when we do all of the above around a table filled with all of our favorite foods. There is no judgment either. Or there shouldn’t be much. Our uncles will drink more than their kidneys can hold, aunts will consume more than their girdles can budge, and men will watch more sports in a day than any good wife should allow, especially since she is notoriously left with the dishes…Wait a minute! Did she do all the cooking and now she is supposed to do all the cleaning too?…Of course I am being silly. My uncles enjoy cooking. They do most of it, and their dishes are delicious. My uncles even clean up after themselves.
Seriously. The blessing of the holidays is that we all receive permission from “On High” to eat and drink and be as merry as we like on round one. Then we get to go back for seconds and thirds. If we can move from the couch.
But after all the sugar, especially the liquid kind, the holy days can turn into hell. You’ve seen it: a person starts talking about that subject that sets everything off in the wrong direction. The situation escalates. Words are thrown and it looks like the situation may become physical. It usually doesn’t but the damage has already been done.
If I may, I would like to offer a suggestion for your Thanksgiving gathering. It involves only you and a few minutes for meditation.
Before you go anywhere today or receive guests in your home, I suggest that you read these verses on Love: The Superior Way.
“If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind.
Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs.
Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.”
1 Corinthians 13:1, 3-8 CSB
Get this into your spirit. Because at some point today you may realize you need more than nice words or piece of Patti LaBelle’s potato pie to get you through the day. You will need to exercise the greatest of all attributes. You will need love in your heart so it can come out of your mouth and show in your actions.
In 2022, let’s avoid the holiday table drama with a spoonful of Scriptures to make today a truly thankful time. Let’s pray for God’s love in and around us as we gather today. In Jesus’ name.
Happy Thanksgiving 🍁 🦃🤎
With Love,
Leah
p.s. Thank you for reading my posts, commenting whenever you can, sharing them with others, and patronizing the shop. I am so grateful for YOU. 💜
I am so Thankful that: I AM A VERY GOOD CREATION, AN IMAGE BEARING, BELOVED DAUGHTER OF THE MOST HIGH GOD.
“So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them…Then God looked over all He had made, and He saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.” Genesis 1:27, 31 NLT
Let it be known that God did not make any mistakes with His creation of mankind or the world. It is not our earthen vessels that fail us, it is what lurks within our perceptions of ourselves and our purpose on earth. The breakdown is actually within our souls (heart, mind, will, and emotions).
So the ONLY CHANGE required of us is to transform ourselves back into the image of God’s original design. Let it be known that mankind was created to reign. 💜
Please note: If you are struggling with who you are and why you were created, please call 719-635-1111 (I believe in this ministry’s 24/7 Helpline). You can also drop a message below if you need prayer.
We could all be happier if we made better decisions. Well, what if we followed the proverb below?
“Don’t speak to a fool, for he will despise the insight of your words.”
Proverbs 23:9 CSB
Easier said than done, right?
This one is hard sometimes. Especially when you believe so deeply about the subject matter and you care so much for the person you are trying to reach.
We have all been there. Someone we know is about to make a foolish choice. We know this from a past experience or from common sense. Either way we are trying to make one more point because we know (only we do not know) the clarity we provide will convince the other person to reconsider.
But they never do. This person constantly resists your pleas. They get mad and call you names. They may want to fight, because fools only listen to themselves, and their preferred choice of education is from the School of Hard Knocks.
Stop! Fighting with a fool (even if it is only verbally) will leave you exhausted. So leave a fool to God and save your breath.
Less strife = MORE HAPPY!
And on those rare, or not so rare occasions, when WE ARE THE FOOLS, may we learn to listen to someone who might have something worthwhile to say.
“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
Words by Jesus. Matthew 7, Berean Standard Bible
I don’t have children, but I can only imagine that a good parent must feel “some kinda way” when disciplining their child. My parents told me that beatings hurt them more than they hurt me, which I know was physically impossible, but I do appreciate that they were not full of glee while spanking my “rump” (a word my grandmother used for my bare behind).
As a teen, I recall wanting to go out to the skating rink with all the kids from the local high schools. The plan was to head to the NH Jones neighborhood for an after-party. Oh, I so wanted to go.
My mother agreed to the skating rink but enforced the curfew, which meant no after-party for this girl. Her strictness left me feeling different and “uncool.” If the other kids were doing it, why couldn’t I?
In those days, I missed out on most things teens could get into when unsupervised at parties with older kids, mainly older boys (the reason I wanted to go). I probably rolled both sets of my eyes behind my mother’s back and mumbled under my breath as she picked me up in front of the skating rink! As if she could not wait in the parking lot, where no one could see her. No, she always arrived on time and in full view of all the other kids (who were going to the next gathering). Most times, she picked up my best friend, too. We sulked as we sank into the car seats.
My mother had her reasons for saying NO, and later the next week, we both would learn of the inappropriate things that happened to some of the young ladies who snuck off to hang out a little longer than I could. Some of those things we would now classify as rape or microaggressions perpetuated on women by men and other women in the form of bullying. Most of those acts are done immaturely and in the name of being “cool.”
Upon learning through the grapevine that these girls were abused and later became known as “loose, easy, or sluts” I began to respect my mother’s decisions to protect me. She knew I was an inexperienced kid who needed guidance, and without her authority, I would make foolish decisions.
As an adult, I fully respect her decision and the other adults in my life. They keep me safe from my childish desires. They were tough for a good reason. With all the mistakes I still made, I am grateful that my mom and village of adults kept me from many others.
I understand that they instituted boundaries that seemed harsh and overbearing from a place of love, not jealousy. Yes, I thought my mother was jealous of me. I can still hear my disrespectful thoughts: “She doesn’t want me to do stuff because she is too old to have fun anymore.”
Yes, I was young, dumb, and full of unbridled passion. Thankfully to God, I was not insolent or left to my own devices. I had a healthy fear of my parents not to go too far. And I will never know the bullets I dodged by being obedient.
The more I learn about our Father God, and how we are to have a fear of God, I understand His commands are based on love, and to protect us from unseen harm, much like my parents had for me as a child. The Scripture in Matthew 7 asks, rhetorically, about gifts which include the gift of His love. If we can acknowledge the love of our earthly parents, how much more does the Father love us?
People can say, His Word is outdated and times have changed all they want. But the Creator of us mere humans is not out of touch by any stretch of the imagination. Only those unfamiliar with His Word can say those things, and they are well within their limited scope of knowledge about God to believe so.
But we, the sons and daughters of God, should know that every seemingly difficult edict is only out of love and always for our good. It is God’s will that we have a good life, an everlasting life. Furthermore, we should know that all will work out for our good when we, in turn, love God and work according to His purpose (which is to glorify Him and word and deed).
Let’s lean into the seemingly “tough love” of our Abba Father today and every day by being His obedient child. He will not lead us astray. He will lead us to good. His Word is a lamp to our feet, and a light for our path.
Aah…ooh…my belated birthday trip (a gift subverted in 2020 by the pandemic) was just that good! An intermingling of relaxation and rejuvenation. A rest in peaceful habitations, as life should be for those who are in Christ. (Isaiah 32:18)
Each morning on the beach was a witness of God’s majesty. There, I gleaned the Creator’s Incomparable Wisdom described in Proverbs 8: “I was there when He established the heavens, when He drew the horizon on oceans. I was there when He set the clouds above, when He established springs deep in the earth. I was there when He set the limits of the seas, so they would not spread beyond their boundaries. And when he marked off the earth’s foundations. I was the architect at His side. I was His constant delight, rejoicing always in His presence.” (verses 23-30 in the New Living Translation)
I, too, rejoiced. Hallelujah! I am still rejoicing.
I kept gasping, choking on inward confessions that “I could live this life forever.”
And I will, through my memories.
I truly felt that I was in a state of trusting God with everything. I turned on the Do Not Disturb feature on the devices, I did not check any social media or emails, and I rested from the world of constant notifications and requests for my attention.
God really “had it” because I decided I was not going to carry “it” with me on vacation.
During this time, every need was met: food, clothing, lodging, and entertainment. But aren’t they always? Doesn’t God say to seek Him first, and all these other things will be added? (Matthew 6:33) Again, we are to live in this state of peace, allowing our battles to be fought on our knees, and within the heavenly places.
A lengthy rest allowed me to see what I had not seen about myself and about our good God. So if you have not had a vacation in a while, I encourage you to take some time away from the daily grind. Create some distance in order to see life and creation in a superior way. Turn on the Do Not Disturb option on your devices, ditch social media, and trust that God can take care of everything that concerns you when you give it to HIm.
Admittedly, I am still working on my ability to really let go. I am not there quite yet. I come from a family of thinkers and debaters, and our voices can raise a roof when we get passionate. But I am laboring to tune into that still, quiet voice of the Spirit before responding. In the meantime, I am grateful for the grace God provides for the times I totally miss the mark.
Will you practice resting and trusting God more? I hope so. I will keep reminding you to do so. Because ReallyLeah is back. Revived and ready to be what I am purposed to be, to do life with passion and productivity, and encouraged to help you do the same.
Now is also the time to put in your orders for holiday gifts. You can view products and services at Reallyleah.com/shop.
Blessings on your day and the rest of this week,
Leah
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
At ReallyLeah, we believe in rest, Sabbaths, and self care. So we are taking a little break before the holidays. But we will return on October 19, 2022 to process orders, and respond to any comments.
Quite a lot. Win Your Customers Over by Developing This Skill
Shakespeare made us believe that a name is no big deal, it was a social construct without personal validity. Juliet said, “What’s in a name? That which we call Rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Perhaps, ideally, but not in reality. In the real world, even a naïve Juliet understood that her Romeo was not a flower growing in a garden. He was a Montague, and his smell was fatally foul to her clan of Capulets.
We are so much more than flowers, deeply cared for by our Creator. Matthew 6:26-30. And we have names. Some are as cool as the cats. (Read mypost on T.S. Eliot for context).
There is familiarity in a name. For instance, Leah is my given name, but I have other names too. Depending on which name you call me, I know whether you know me from my mother’s or my father’s side of the family.
In business, customers can become less than a name and more of a number. We expect that in government, with our federally issued social security identifiers, but should that be the case when it comes to our favorite companies?
I hope not. What I hope to be to my service provider is more than a number, and how I trust that I am is when they call me by name.
As an authorpreneur, I want you, as a reader or patron, to know I treasure your name as much as your business. So, I need to tighten my skills when it comes to remembering names. What I have learned is that the best time to do so is early on in business because companies have the unfortunate potential to grow cold as they grow larger.
One way to warm things up is to practice remembering the names of your clients as you build your business, and calling customers by name whenever you make contact. Businesses do this differently. I personally do not like businesses that want to take my picture. That is a bit too intrusive, but you can still capture my face if you ask me to tag you on social media wearing some of your gear. Right? That I might do, and the results for the business are relatively the same.
The second thing I have done is to watch YouTube videos on enhancing my memory. Of course, it includes a good diet, exercise, focus, and other effective life skills. But it is not a one-time viewing. I must make it a habit.
Next, I want to make memorization fun. You must find what works for you, but never say you cannot remember someone’s name. Shame on us if we fall into that self-fulfilling prophecy. We cannot forget what we care to remember. And we should remember to recall the names of those who choose to use our products or services! Without personally appreciating those who have supported us, we teeter on the edge of becoming relics in the business world before we reach our greatest goals.
Lastly, I want to leave you with this thought. If we can remember Ian, the current hurricane in the gulf, set to harm anything in its path up the Florida coast, then surely, we can begin to remember a “Rose” who is helping our businesses bloom.
I created the concept and made these coasters as souvenirs for a local cafe. Contact me if you need this service.
Today and every day, let us find joy in remembering the names of the people who do business with us. Thank you!
Really,
Leah
p.s. Do you have a technique you use for remembering people’s names? If so drop it in the comments below.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, on this day in 1888. Thomas Stearns Eliot died at age 76 in London, England. He came from a prominent family. His grandfather founded Washington University in St. Louis. The reason I add this fact is that I was accepted into “Wash U” and was highly interested in matriculating there, but my parents chose the University of Florida instead. (That’s another story for another time).
A graduate from Harvard, nearly receiving his Ph.D. if not for World War I, Eliot furthered his studies in England. Became a banker turned poet, playwright, publisher, essayist, and critic. Receiving both the Order of Merit and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948. He is credited with impacting English poetry into its current form and helping to establish English literature as an academic discipline.
Eliot posthumously influenced Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1981 musical Cats with his light poetry, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (1939). Although I am not a fan of cats, I am a fan of the playful sociology shared in the poems. Instead of humankind’s two-facedness, the cats have three names: an everyday name, a one-of-a-kind name, and the last name is only known (by the cat) but never confessed, “ineffable effable effanineffable, deep and inscrutable singular Name.” You’ve got to appreciate the artistry!
In his most famous work, The Waste Land, T.S. Eliot wrote, “For you know only a heap of broken images.” I do believe our social media pages will be the heap of broken images our generation will leave behind one day. Not one perfect person among us. Inevitably all our images will be heaped into a pile of items to be deleted in order to make room for more of the broken images we call “selfies.” Proving nothing is new on the earth. There are only new ways of revealing our frailties.
One way to flip the script on trauma is to celebrate the little victories as you work toward success.
For example,
If you lose a job or a promotion, sometimes you have to take a deep breath and celebrate that closed door. It could lead to an open door with a new company or give you the push you need to turn your passion into profits.
If a relationship fails and it is no fault of yours, do not fall apart. Move forward. Celebrate the end of something that was not working anyway. Work on yourself, and before long, you will look back on your former beau or girlfriend and thank God you escaped that fiasco.
Of course, these are worst-case scenarios (for a reason). If we think of the worst thing that could happen in a failed situation, then we can easily celebrate the little victories as we move away— from a job loss, missed promotion, failed relationships, debt, and devastation— to possess the new thing God wants to bring into our life. (Isaiah 43:19)
With a heavy heart, I had to express condolences to the family of a classmate and former church member today. In fact, we attended church together as youths and then again as adults at a different church. She was a special person, bright, smart, successful in her career, and then suddenly sick. And although she would have her good and bad days, I never thought I would witness this day so soon.
Her passing stirs up several emotions because we had many things in common. Isn’t that the way it is when someone close to you in age dies? You think internally, selfishly, about your own immortality.
It is easy also to feel guilty about what you did not do, the time you did not spend, the last time you spoke, or question why you did not do more to show that you cared. After overcoming some of my worst health battles, I wanted to be that person who was always there for people in pain or struggling with their health. But I soon realized that I could not be there for everyone in those up-close and personal ways.
Instead, I try to be constant in prayer for the health of my friends and family members. I try to be instant in prayer as well. If I need to stop find a quiet place to lift them up to God in prayer, I will do that in addition to texting a message that “I am praying for you.” I do my best to be intentional because life is too full of distractions to wait.
Anyway, I know this is not about me today, but death serves as a reminder that life is short. We are here today and tomorrow, we may not be. So for the time I am here on earth, I pray that God will help me to do better, in terms of being present for people who have health battles, in whatever form that looks like. And ultimately, when it is my time to go, I hope to say to the Father God what Jesus said at the end of his days on earth: “I have glorified You on the earth by completing the work You gave me to do.” (John 17:4).
That is the consolation I have when any Christ follower dies. My blessed assurance is that they have left this finite existence to live with God forever. In which case, I do not mourn for long. For as cliché as it may sound, they are indeed in a better place, in a heavenly home, rejoicing with the angels. This, I believe, for one of the kindest people I have ever known. RIP LBJ.
Finally, may you, dear reader, find peace with whatever losses you have today.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.”
It is said that specific praise seems sincerest. I know it to be true because when someone can specifically iterate the areas in which I helped them or made them feel good, it catches my attention, and I believe their words to be true. It does not mean they are, but it certainly appears authentic.
I thought my approach to praise could use some improvement, especially as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday. So I practiced giving specific praise this morning, and it looked a little something like this:
“I thank you Father God for
Life
Health
Family
Business
& Love, which is YOU! ❤️”
Writing out what I was and am specifically grateful for felt good. It was not too wordy but straight from my heart.
My next step is to give specific praise to someone I see or talk to today. I might even write it down and send a few short words of appreciation to a friend. If I do, I will share it later.
Maybe you will try speading some praise that is specific, too. Shalom.
“Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it.” … –
Frankenstein’s creation
August 30, 1797, marks the birth of literature royalty—Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Shelley’s veins had to pulsate with prose. The only child of two writers, she married a writer, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1814.
The Shelleys had a son, but they conceived several entertaining stories while vacationing in Switzerland on Lake Geneva. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, published in 1818, was her most popular novel. Credited as early science fiction, it might offer a lesson (or two) to those still trying to give life to the dead–most recently through A.I. Word of Caution: There is only One who can do so successfully. GOD. (Genesis 2:7)
On this terrific Tuesday, I ask you, dear reader, who was the real monster in Frankenstein?
“Men seldom make passes / At girls who wear glasses,” was a couplet made famous by Dorothy Rothschild Parker. 😮
Parker, a witty poet, short story writer and screenwriter of, “A Star is Born,” was born on this day in 1893.
Once on the editorial staff of Vogue, a critic for Vanity Fair, she served the longest as a contributing writer for The New Yorker.
On two other notes:
The 1976 remake of “A Star is Born,” is one of my FAVORITE movies, and features one of my FAVORITE vocalists and actors, Barbara Streisand. I’ve always wanted to see her perform live.
And I will keep my glasses handy for those guys who shouldn’t even try. The only pass I want from “Jeromey Rome” types is for them to pass me by. 😉
“Until you’ve lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is.” These are poignant words from Margaret Mitchell’s Pulitzer Prize winning, “Gone with the Wind.”
Today in History
Born in Atlanta, Mitchell died in Atlanta on August 16, 1949, after being hit by a drunk driver while crossing Peachtree Street. She was 48 years old.
Photo Credit
Plants my Grandmother loved
The flowers in the picture were taken at a location on Peachtree Street. Do you know where?
Words of Wisdom
“Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23-24 NKJV
As I continue to meditate on making the right choices, and bringing blessings into my life, I consider Reverand John Wesley, an English theologian, evangelist, cleric, and leader in the Methodist movement, who is credited with some pretty phenomenal words:
“Do all the good you can,
by all the means you can,
in all the ways you can,
in all the places you can,
at all the times you can,
to all the people you can,
as long as you ever can.”
And just so we are clear, “to do good” is the Greek word, “agathopoieo” in the Strong’s Concordance. The verb’s expanded definition means “to do what is inherently good, i.e., is inspired and powered by God (Mark 3:4, Luke 6:9,35, 1 Peter 2:14, 20, 36, 17; 3 John 11).
“Inspired and powered by God” sticks out to me. I would posit that in order to do good, we need to find out what God says is good and that only comes through intimacy with God. This means I cannot wake up just in time to shower and get to work and think I am going to do good. No, I have to be like Jesus and intentionally wake up a few minutes earlier to have that quiet time in the presence of God. I have to take time, the time we are given as a present from God, to pray, read the Scriptures, and ask the Holy Spirit for understanding. We need to get inspired and empowered by God.
All of that takes time and should not be done on the fly IF we want to do good. So that’s the first thing we should practice. Getting up early to receive the supernatural power we need to do good. Then, we can apply the words of the Reverand to memory.
Howabout we turn Wesley’s words into an affirmation?
Today, I will do all the good I can, by all the means I can, in all the ways I can, in all the places I can, at all the times I can, to all the people, I can, as long as I ever can.
ReallyLeah Affirmations for Doing Good
Have a “do good” day,
Shalom.
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
Once upon a time, people wanted to live under a set of laws, so God spoke to Moses and thus, the Ten Commandments. Perhaps those people figured that if they had a list of things to do and not to do, they would obey God (not sin and miss the mark), and all would be well for them. I get it. I am a visual person. I construct vision boards that direct my desired lifestyle. I also live in a land of law and order, where many of our laws are extensions of the Ten Commandments. And, even the companies I have worked for have instituted written rules, called employee manuals. Written laws, rules, and guidelines are everywhere.
In fact, I advise people to create their own commands for their Y.O.U., Inc. After creating a vision board, I encourage others to write out affirmations that they will say daily. For example: “I will post something about my business every day on social media.” Over time, many of these, “I wills” can feel like laws, in their operative form to guide us through our day, our month, and our year. But if we are not careful, all the enthusiasm we had at the beginning of the year when the “laws” were established, begin to feel like a burden by the summer, especially if we have missed the mark. I.e., “I averaged one post about my business per month on social media.”
While affirmations and goals are important, I have come to realize that many of the things we write down during our vision planning are not entirely in our control. Life happens! And what was meant for yesterday, is not always the priority for today.
Now, that is not an excuse to kick the dog and throw out the cat. But it does mean that we are not under the law when it comes to our work. Instead, we should always be operating more in the Spirit and less in the flesh. (That’s another learned lesson for another day).
So, if you are feeling stressed about where you are with your goals and where you had hoped to be so far this year, then I hope what I am about to share will help you.
Simply stated, our biggest and best priority is to do what God tells us to do today.
What’s that?
Well, I am glad you asked.
What matters most to God and what should matter most to us is steeped in the “Greatest Commandment” found in Matthew 23:34-40. The Scripture reads,
“Thou shalt love Jehovah your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: Thou shalt love your neighbor as yourself. Upon these two commandments, the whole law hangs and the prophets.”
Basically, if you love as God commands, you will consequently fulfill the Ten Commandments and not practice Idolatry, Blasphemy, Murder, Adultery, Stealing, or Lying, but practice Holiness and Honor.
Thank you, Bible Info, for the graphic.
A Matter of Choice
I used to think this greatest commandment was something hard to follow, but now, I see that love is a simple matter of choice. As “Christians” (people committed to the holiness Jesus demonstrated), we choose right over wrong every day because we choose to follow in His way and obey Him. He asks us to be holy even as he is holy. (1 Peter 1:16).
Christianity is not merely going to church, or placing a big bible on the coffee table, or hanging a picture of Jesus on the wall. Those outward things are nice to show, but God looks at the heart. Therefore, we must ask ourselves, “if being a Christian was punishable, would I be found guilty?” I hope so, but only you know.
If you know that you are, then you know through Scripture that our greatest and best decision is to love God, the way He wants us to love Him. This is also our purpose. And by fulfilling that one command, we cover all the others at the same time. It is like a magnificent BOGO. (You buy one and get the other for free).
Put it into Practice
Furthermore, when the Scripture says “to love my neighbor as myself,” I know it is possible for me to love you as I love me. Because it is a choice. If I love me (and I do), then you are going to get treated really well by me, because I want you to feel as good about your life as I do about mine.
The Greek word for love, Agapēseis, means “to love, wish well to, take pleasure in, long for; denotes the love of reason, esteem.”
Strong’s Concordance
When you think about love in the proper context, it is an impossible feat if you are breaking the commandments. Right? If you love someone, you won’t kill them, you won’t steal from them, you will not wish harm on them, and the list goes on.
1 John 4:20-21 says he who loves God loves his brother also. We cannot say that we love God and not love our Black, White, and Asian, brothers, and sisters. And If I love them, then I won’t kill them, or lie on them. Again, it is a choice.
When I see them, I see me because I see humanity. When I consider another person’s life, I will not assume one is greater than the others. I will not choose to love my father more than my mother, or any mother more than their child. I am not going to love Blacks more than Whites, or Men more than Women, or vice versa.
Love, God’s way is never complicated. It is a choice. We are called to choose life and to choose life for those who cannot choose life for themselves. (Proverbs 31:8)
So, I repeat, if we are God’s children, and have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, then we can and should live holy. We can choose to love. Because anything else is less than the best life we could be living.
L.O.V.E. is my greatest priority.
There are only two choices: God’s way or any other way. I have made a choice this day, for life rather than death, for blessings rather than curses. (Deuteronomy 11:26-28.) L.O.V.E. is my greatest priority.
I have read the Scriptures, and know this is true: love is a daily hack for having a blessed life today and for the rest of our days. I hope you will choose it too.
I designed this image to help me stay focused on what matters most: Love. God first, and others as myself.
Pray With Me
Heavenly Father, as You give us today our Daily bread, please give us the capacity to love as You have commanded. Help us to love You with our heart, mind, and strength. To give You first place and to keep You there. And then Lord, help us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Help us to bless those who persecute us. Help us with this daily. And since we know this is a spiritual work that comes by obedience, we thank You that Your love is shed abroad, poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who You have given to us. We know Your perfect love casts out all fear, it is patient and kind, endures long, is never envious, jealous, boastful, or prideful, it is not self-seeking, selfish, rude, resentful, petty, and keeps no account of wrongs suffered, takes no pleasure in evil, is happy with the truth, and never gives up. Your love never fails. Christ, make Your home in our hearts through faith, and help us be rooted and grounded in love. Thank You, Father, we believe we receive it now, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Scripture references in the prayer: Philippians 1:9-11, Romans 5:5 and 12:4, Matthew 5:44, 1 John 2:5, 1 John 4:18, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Ephesians 3:17-19, and Romans 8:39. Please meditate on these to increase your knowledge on the subject of love.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
Roe v. Wade Implications in Black and White. Part 1
July 2, 2022
Dear Reader,
What a few weeks we’ve had! Our American climate has been as erratic as a tornado, with no visible calm before the storm. All because someone leaked a Supreme Court draft opinion in May.
Instantly a firestorm of wagging tongues flooded the airwaves regarding the implications on society if Roe (est. January 1973) was overturned. And then the day and decisions overruling Roe and Casey (est.1992) arrived on June 24, 2022 (Dobbs), along with a whirlwind of opinions.
As usual, and like many of you, I had my own opinions, which I am rarely eager to share carelessly. So, I sought to find out if Americans are better or worse because of Roe, and what I discovered I plan to share with you in a series of essays. Because, like it or not, we will all have a say at the State level about this topic. Whether we like it or not, abortions will affect you, me, and the next generation, for better or worse.
For Better
Some of the benefits of Roe and the basis for making abortion a codified law throughout the nation are:
Women are loosed from overwhelming patriarchal control and have more privacy,
Women have the right to birth control and contraceptives,
Women are free to make love to whomever they choose, and
Medical advancements have made it safer to abort the baby created from that freedom.
All good, right?
For Worse
Well, many women and men would agree until they consider the downside:
Since abortions were legalized, medical advancements have proved that life is conceived at conception.
Since abortions were legalized, there have been fewer Black marriages.
Since abortions were legalized, more than 63 million babies have been aborted in the United States of America.
Since abortions were legalized, more Black babies have been murdered than the number of Blacks killed by cops and more than the nearly 7 million enslaved people imported to the New World during the 18th century.
Facts
Clearly, I will not be able to unpack each item in one sitting, but I hope to present as many facts, figures, and thoughts, as possible over time because, again, the decision to support or deny the right to life is on us.
We no longer get to hide behind pre-established law. No ma’am, no sir, our generation will make the call to defend the choices we will have to live with.
But before I close today, I want to leave you some startling statistics about my race of people :
While Blacks are only the third largest ethnic group in the United States, we accounted for 38% of the 629,898 abortions, as reported by the last records (2019) on abortions from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Non-Hispanic Whites accounted for 33%, Hispanics 21%, and 7% other. Blacks account for more than any other racial and ethnic group.
In 2015, the U.S. population was much the same, yet Whites aborted 36.9% of their babies and Blacks aborted 36%. In plain figures, that year, 124,893 White women aborted their babies, and 121,829 Black women had abortions. But the kicker is that Blacks represented 13.4% of the population and Whites represented 76.6%.
Do the math.
The media, popular television programs, people, and hosts will purport that abortions are down in this country. But not for Blacks. The trend is more Black abortions and fewer Black humans and families nationwide. And these numbers could be higher because the CDC figures above did not include California, Maryland, or New Hampshire—I will discuss other reporting agencies in a later post.
Questions
For now, I ask you: At this rate and even without factoring in the disproportionate rate of Black mothers dying during childbirth due to systemic racism in our healthcare systems, what will become of the Black race?
Blacks are currently 12.6% of the U.S. Population. (As indicated by the 2020 Census).
Will you think and pray for solutions to the crisis affecting the shrinking Black family?
Although, you may not respond. My aim is not to proselytize. We each must work out our salvation with the Creator. However, when I nearly died and began to recover, it became abundantly clear that I had been charged to speak up for the voiceless. I remembered the words: If not me, then who? If not now, then when?
Therefore, at this juncture in my life, I desire meaningful conversations that get to the root of our cultural and societal problems. I also believe in following the science, praying, and creating solutions alongside other compassionate people. If you pick up what I am putting down, stick with me.
Until the next post, live well and love unconditionally. Really,
Today, we Americans celebrate the Fourth of July and the words penned by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence that on July 2, 1776, we were free from tyranny.
The preamble of the Declaration penetrates the heart of most Americans with bursts of honor and gladness. Setting off emotional fireworks when read.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
In America, these God-given rights (of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness) — there is a lot to unpack there—are protected by a government of our choosing.
People still cross oceans (like the early colonists) and risk their lives (and many die) daily for an opportunity to experience these protected rights. We have something really special here, and we should never take it for granted or forget how blessed we are.
America is indeed the Home of the Free because of the Brave, and the Wise. 🇺🇸❤️🤎🇺🇸
On a day that celebrates our rights and freedom of government, may we find a renewed passion for this land, your land, my land, “made for you and me,” and the intent for its establishment. In this land, God’s human creations can truly live, without bondage, and pursue their dreams. And we get to do so with other God-fearing citizens who believe in those same rights.
May God continue to bless America and her citizens.
As Americans we can celebrate that we live in the only nation that fought a war to end slavery! So why aren’t we celebrating Jubilee Day, too, as a nation?
For as long as I can remember we (members of the NAACP) celebrated Jubilee day on the first Sunday of January to commemorate the emancipation proclamation, which President Abraham Lincoln signed on January 1, 1863. I haven’t been active in the NAACP for years now, but I am grateful that we used to do that because it stuck with me. I truly hope the organization still celebrates on the first Sunday.
As a Floridian it is most important to me and I hope to other natives of the southernmost state that on the 20th of May in 1865, General Edward McCook read the emancipation proclamation in Tallahassee, Florida, acknowledging that slaves were free! My question is whether we should celebrate May Twentieth Day here in the sunshine state as well?
My family in Kentucky celebrates that state’s acknowledgment of the emancipation proclamation on the Eighth of August. Back in the day when my mother was young and would visit Kentucky during the summer, she said this was an amazing affair.
So although I am grateful that on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger notified Texans that the slaves were free, I wonder why can’t we celebrate them all?
Let’s celebrate them all!!! Happy Freedom from Slavery!!!
In the words of Bob Woodson, “Black Americans have never been defined by slavery.” And if we follow Jesus and accept Him as our savior, we know we are also spiritually free. ❤️🙏🏽❤️
Today is FATHER’S DAY 👔 And I celebrate all the dads and fathers, granddads, Pops, and Papas.
As I stated in a previous post, I know you “guys” get the short end of the “holiday” stick. It is my belief that we have trained men to not care about that kind of stuff, but I tend to believe that they actually might enjoy that kind of stuff. Stuff being, the hugs, the dinner, the gifts, and the adulation we give our mother’s the month prior. Sure mothers do the tough work of carrying life in their bodies for months and pushing us out into the world, but good dads are right there with moms every step of the way.
Good dads prop up moms feet, run to stores for odd cravings of pickles with ice cream, and they take care of the other kids (if you have it like that) while mom is resting.
Great dads are also building legacies for themselves and others. They are either working for someone else and setting back some Benjamins for their children’s college education and first home. Or they can be found starting businesses, creating jobs, and a legacy for their children and grandchildren to continue.
Dads come in all shapes, sizes, and shades of skin. Some are fun and others, the serious type. Some take you to games and others teach you how to play and will play with you until their knees wear out.
And the best dads, don’t only leave you an inheritance of material wealth, they give you the wisdom to pass on to the next generation. They do not die out because they get older, they grow wiser while encouraging you to accomplish even more than they did for the greater good. Great dads are generous human beings, and they make us all happy to be called their kids.
Finally, the greatest Father of all and the model for mankind, is God. I like to call Him my Abba Father. He is the Supreme Example of love.
The scripture, Romans 5:7-8, says it all:
“Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to give his life even for an upright man, though perhaps for a noble and lovable and generous benefactor someone might even dare to die.
But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.”
No one would die for the wretched, for a person that despises them, uses them, curses them, but a Great God did. And He has the power to forgive and cleanse humanity from all unrighteousness.
That’s my Abba Father.
If you don’t know Him, you can today. Simply have a private conversation (which is what prayer is) and tell him you are ready to have a relationship with the greatest Father ever. Tell Him you want to experience the love described in Romans 5:8. And then thank Him (that’s the faith part) and believe that God has heard you and will answer you. ❤️ Lastly, let me know that you’ve taken this step so I can help you find a family of Christ followers in your area who will help you sustain this powerful new relationship.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
Since FATHER’S DAY is Sunday, June 19 👔I figured I’d celebrate them for the rest of the month. Why stop at the 19th when I did not start on the first? Right?
Plus, I sorta feel like fathers get the short end of the stick. We have trained men to not care about that kind of stuff, but I tend to think that they actually might enjoy that kind of stuff. Stuff being, the hugs, the dinner, the gifts, and the adulation we give our mother’s the month prior. Sure mothers do the tough work of carrying us in their bodies for months and pushing us out into the world, but good dads are right there with mom every step of the way. They are propping up her feet, running to stores for odd cravings of pickles with ice cream, and they are taking care of the other kids (if you have it like that) while mom is resting.
Great dads are also building legacies for themselves and others. They are either working for someone else and setting back some Benjamins for their children’s college education and first home. Or they can be found starting businesses, creating jobs, and a legacy for their children and grandchildren to continue.
Dads come in all shapes, sizes, and shades of skin. Some are fun and others, the serious type. Some take you to games and others teach you how to play and will play with you until their knees wear out.
And the best dads, don’t only leave you an inheritance of material wealth, they give you the wisdom to pass on to the next generation. They do not die out because they get older, they grow wiser while encouraging you to accomplish even more than they did for the greater good. Great dads are generous human beings, and they make us all happy to be called their kids.
Art Imitating Life
Television and movies offer examples of all types of fathers. Do you have a favorite TV or movie Dad? If so, please share who that character is and why they are so appealing.
I have added a quote from one of the best movie dads, George Bailey, talking about his own dad. Read and get inspired to share one of your favorites.
George Bailey quote: Just a minute… just a minute. Now, hold on, Mr. Potter. You’re right when you say my father was no businessman. I know that. Why he ever started this cheap, penny-ante Building and Loan, I’ll never know. But neither you nor anyone else can say anything against his character, because his whole life was… why, in the 25 years since he and his brother, Uncle Billy, started this thing, he never once thought of himself. Isn’t that right, Uncle Billy? He didn’t save enough money to send Harry away to college, let alone me. But he did help a few people get out of your slums, Mr. Potter, and what’s wrong with that? Why… here, you’re all businessmen here. Doesn’t it make them better citizens? Doesn’t it make them better customers? You… you said… what’d you say a minute ago? They had to wait and save their money before they even ought to think of a decent home. Wait? Wait for what? Until their children grow up and leave them? Until they’re so old and broken down that they… Do you know how long it takes a working man to save $5,000? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you’re talking about… they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn’t think so. People were human beings to him. But to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they’re cattle. Well in my book, my father died a much richer man than you’ll ever be!
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
The end of spring and the beginning of summer marks a time in our calendars when we enjoy the outdoors with food, family, and friends. It is a time of mourning the loss of our country’s heroes during Memorial Day, hanging American flags, celebrating our dads, and igniting fireworks for Independence Day. It has also become a time when this nation celebrates that the message of freedom has reached all“former” slaves.
With so many reasons for celebrations, I made a few gifts to mark the moments we treasure most right now.
I hope you enjoy.
Handmade By Really Leah
All my coasters are handmade mini works of art that I call table or tile art that will accent your home or business and the colors will not fade.
The designs are transferred onto naturally absorbent sandstone material.
Gathering Cafe Display
Each 4×4-inch coaster has beveled edges, King Coat™ coating for superior durability, and cork backing to add additional protection to your furniture.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PURCHASES. They are also available at The Gathering Cafe 2601 SW 19th Avenue Road in lovely, Ocala, Florida.
I am thrilled to release a new line of handcrafted art for your table and cups, or just for the joy of it. The theme is “Downtown Ocala” and you can find this boutique-style table art exclusively at the Gallery on Magnolia at 40 South Magnolia Ave in Ocala, Florida. 40 South Magnolia Avenue. (352) 350-5050.
Boutique Table Art exclusively at Magnolia on Broadway
Four brilliantly photographed Downtown Ocala images were printed on naturally absorbent sandstone material. Each 4×4-inch coaster has beveled edges, King Coat™ coating for superior durability, and cork backing to add additional protection to your furniture.
Coasters will accent your home or business, and the colors do not fade.
Last week around this time, I was celebrating my little cousin’s graduation from Wake Forest University’s School of Business. He set a goal that was nearly busted up by COVID-19, and he won! He finished on time and with honors. Therefore, I could not feel more elated about the strength and focus he applied to achieve his educational pursuits. Go BB!
WFU Commencement
Furthermore, the commencement speaker, CNN host and Dream Corps Founder, Anthony “Van” Jones, for the 2022 graduates marked the moment in perpetuity, because his sentiments were based on the sage wisdom that we are better together. I will paraphrase the lessons learned from his message in hopes that it will carry us through the week, and then cement in us the desire to be better today than we were yesterday.
Here are my takeaways in the moment:
Seek the beauty in others, look for similar passions in which to make effectual change for greatness.
Do not be confounded by the news and media’s proliferation of negative soundbites. There is more good to be found in the world than bad.
Don’t just make a point. Make a difference!
Build bridges with those who don’t look and pray as we do, but who also want to win in life.
Continue to win against COVID-19, doubters, haters, and inner saboteurs by bridging efforts with others who want to win. Be a diamond.
Here is how I am making Jones’ message practical:
Last Wednesday, I shared via social media that I am looking for others who want to work together to win against the challenges that affect the parents of special needs children. There are LISTS of things their families need to care for their aging loved ones while still contributing to society. I have some ideas and a nonprofit, Rizing Starz Incorporated, to help us get the wellness to those in need.
If you want to build a bridge to help special needs people have a better quality of life, please email me: leah@reallyleah.com, using the subject: “Let’s Build a Bridge,” or drop a comment below.
Our Opportunity
I am encouraged that this plea will reach people passionate about this endeavor. And I hope you will do something similar if you are not doing so already. Take your passion and pray for the tribe that will help you make it happen.
Read Hebrews 10:24-25 for more wisdom about working together.
Thank you for stopping by. I hope you will have a winning week, Really,
Leah
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
Today, I salute all the Ladies in Business and Leadership.
If you are a daughter of the King of Kings and you are providing goods and services, then lift your head high and continue to thrive. Know that we are not impostors. We are Innovators and what we have to offer makes the world a much better place to live.
Often our path is a solitary one because we do not fit in with most of our predecessors, but I believe we can do three things to flourish despite those challenges:
We can teach those who are willing to learn,
We can make space for another’s skills and abilities (especially frequently marginalized women)
We can stay focused on the reason we have been elevated into our positions and roles.
God is a God of plenty and there is strength from heaven. Only fear teaches us to think otherwise. So, ladies, wear your crown with grace, and let’s run our appointed race.
These are my affirmations for success today.
There is a need for what I have to offer.
Therefore, I won’t slack up. I will shine.
I will stay focused and finish what I started.
I am not an impostor. I am an INNOVATOR!
ReallyLeah
Affirmation for Business Women
Have a Winning Wednesday and study these scriptures for further awareness: Proverbs 31:10-31, Psalm 46:5, Psalm 139:14, Luke 1:45, 2 Corinthians 9:8, Zechariah 4:6.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
After meeting with fellow authors this past Monday, I recalled that we all had “finishing” on our minds. Finishing what? Finishing this quarter’s goals: books, novels, submissions for competitions, next-level revisions, blogging, posting, or, in general—whatever project that needs to get done.
The topic of finishing reminded me of all I had not finished, which further reminded me of a children’s story and Aesop’s fable, “The Hare & The Tortoise.”
If you remember the story, a turtle is slowly doing his thing when an energizer bunny mocks him, saying, “Do you ever get anywhere?” In today’s world, it might read, “Do you ever get anything done?” Well, the tortoise had tremendous confidence and challenged the hare to a race. Ha! Everyone would assume that this is a no-brainer. The hare could hop to the finish line and back before the tortoise started. Right?
Wrong. According to the story.
Why? Well, I will tell anyone who does not remember.
Once the race begins, sure enough, the hare sped off, but then he got cocky. He decided to take a nap. And while he was dreaming of carrots and future Easter holidays, the tortoise moseyed by.
When the hare woke up, he did not have time to catch the tortoise, who subsequently crossed the finish line and won the race.
Aesop’s moral of the story is “The race is not always to the swift.”
An old Greek source surmises the lesson best: ‘many people have good natural abilities which are ruined by idleness; on the other hand, sobriety, zeal, and perseverance can prevail over indolence.’
Source: Aesop’s Fables. A new translation by Laura Gibbs. Oxford University Press (World’s Classics): Oxford, 2002.
And, my takeaway:
Know your strengths but DON’T GET CAUGHT SLEEPING.
I admit it! Some days I am the hare. I understand that sometimes my superpowers are also my kryptonite.
But not today.
Today, I will run my race.
I won’t sleep on opportunities to win. I won’t slack up because of the perceived incompatible competition.
Today, this week, this quarter, I pledge to be more like the tortoise. I will be slow and steady and ultimately successful.
And I will finish what I started.
Which one are you? The Hare or the Tortoise?
My awareness brings clarity for modifications along the road to tremendous success. Today is my day to check myself before I lose the race.
Have a Marvelous Monday!
Leah
More Words of Wisdom to Discover
Read 2 Timothy 4:7 and 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Purpose Driven Coasters
Credits:
Each coaster is handmade and, hopefully, UPlifting! 🙏🏽 Thank you in advance for your patronage.
Photo of tortoise by Joel M. Matthey.
Cup from my mother’s kitchen cabinet.
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
Especially when I have a lot on my plate. In such instances, I need a little something that I can say or memorize quickly. So I dissected a larger affirmation into this bite-sized chunk. It is just enough to chew on for today.
I hope these short affirmations for success will benefit you, as well.
Today, I will remain focused, and I will win the day.
I will admit that I cannot do ALL I am talented enough to do, simultaneously.
So, today, I will focus on what matters most.
Have a Focused Friday, finish well, and don’t forget to pursue the Wisdom found in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Colossians 3:2, 2 Timothy 4:7, and Hebrews 12:1.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
Especially when I have a lot on my plate. In such instances, I need a little something that I can say or memorize quickly. So I dissected a larger affirmation into this bite-sized chunk. It is just enough to chew on for today.
I hope these short affirmations for success will benefit you, as well.
Have a Thriving Thursday and don’t forget to agree with others in prayer on this day, The National Day of Prayer.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
Especially when I have a lot on my plate. In such instances, I need a little something that I can say or memorize quickly. So I dissected a larger affirmation into this bite-sized chunk. It is just enough to chew on for today.
I hope these short affirmations for success will benefit you, as well.
Have a Winning Wednesday and don’t forget to pursue the Wisdom found in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Colossians 3:2, 2 Timothy 4:7, and Hebrews 12:1.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make a monthly donation.
ReallyLeah.com is a place where resilience reigns and momentary hardships only make for a more beautiful story. Visit often to increase your passion for purpose, and find tools for greater productivity and inspiration.
You are not alone on this journey to live a blessed life.
If you enjoy what you read here, please make an annual donation.
Especially when I have a lot on my plate. In such instances, I need a little something that I can say or memorize quickly. So I dissected a larger affirmation into this bite-sized chunk. It is just enough to chew on for today.
I hope these short affirmations for success will benefit you, as well.
