Happy Holidays....better yet Merry Christmas

I 've gotten into the "being politically correct" mode so much that I started saying happy holidays as not not offend others.  However, I feel that by watering down Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays, I am not being true to my own beliefs.  For me, JESUS is the reason for the season.   I certainly do not mean to offend anyone by wishing those that I meet a Merry Christmas.  So from now on it will be Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  I find the older I get the more the things I love and value mean to me.  I can remember who said it but "Youth is waste on the young!" 


Happy New Year

Elizabeth Edwards..... Grace under fire

My heart, love and prayers go out to the children and friends of Elizabeth Edwards.  My blog is always about happiness and love.  So the context in which I want to discuss Elizabeth Edwards will not deviate from the format of my blog.  I want to celebrate her life.  I applaud her courage, her faith and fortitude.  She is the type of woman whom I want to grow up to be.  I see her as a woman who was determine not to just let the heart aches of destroy the essence of who she was as a person. Life's thorns did not diminish what she stood for, what she believed in and how much she loved.  She paid love forward and now her children will reap the benefits of her love and kindness to others.  Her nurturing soul has loved so many others that her children will never be without love.  What a legacy for a mother to leave her children.  Rest in peace Elizabeth for you have done the work that God had for you to do on this earth. You have earn your heavenly crown with many jewels.  You are grace under fire and an example we all can follow. Her children will have a treasury of her goodness.  She is truly grace under fire.. an example that we all can follow.

Do You Understand Grace, Mercy and Faith?

Three words that everyone should put on their "Bucket List".......Grace, Mercy and Faith... I pray that we experience ALL of the wonders of these three words.  These were the words that I placed on my Facebook status today.  After typing these words, I truly wondered if many people got my message.  This year has been a very educational year for me.  I have become wiser, stronger, more patient and overall a nicer person.  I attribute my changes to my fufilling my desires to undestand the words of God for myself.  Yes, I  began to read and study the bible with more deliberation.  However, what I found profounding were three simple words that I have heard all of my life....Grace.....Mercy......and Faith.  Here is why.  Let's start with Grace and Mercy.   Grace is defined as unmerited divine assistance given to a human for their regeneration or santification.  Mercy is defined as compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender.  So now you may be going where's the big bang out of those two definitions...  Well with that being the case, let me bring in an authority a little better than my Meriam Webster definitions. Pastor N. Jerome McClain, Sr. summed it up as follows: Justice, Mercy and Grace......Getting, Not Getting, and Getting Not Getting.  God is Just, Merciful and Gracious.  In the Justice of God, He took our place.  In the Mercy of God, we are not punished.  In the Grace of God, He gives us eternal life.  This brings us to the words Grace and Mercy; both are directly related to unmerited favor.  It is from this power of the Savior that we have life, justification and ability.  Justice is getting what we deserve.  Mercy is NOT getting what we deserve.  Grace is GETTING WHAT we DO NOT deserve.  WOW!  I hope you got it now! If not, Pastor McClain has an anology for you.  Let us suppose you have a bicycle and I want it.  One night I sneak over to your house and steal it.  You catch me and I go to jail. Jail would be where I PAY for my crime of breaking the law.  The penalty is met and that is justice.  I get what I deserve.   Change the scenario a little, I sneak over to your house and steal your bike.  You catch me. You do not send me to jail.  Instead, you tell me to forget about it.  The penalty is not met. This is Mercy! I did not get what I deserved.  Now one more change.  I sneak over to your house and steal your bike.  You catch me.  You do not send me to jail.  In fact, you give me the bike plus one hundred dollars.  This is Grace!  The penalty is met by you paying the damages and I was given what I did not deserve (the bike and money).  So now how about the words GRACE AND MERCY?  We have not even discussed FAITH.  I'll leave the word Faith for my next blog.  You have enough for now. Remember to give grace and mercy during your life.  You certainly have gotten them.

I am back......with The Power!

It has been a while since my last post.  Well, I am back...back with a new thought for you.  I am reading the book called "the POWER".  It is a fantastic book.  A little from the book....."Without The Power, you would not have been born.  Without The Power, there wouldn't be a single human being on the planet.  Every discovery, invention, and human creation comes from The Power.  Perfect health, incredible relationships, a career you love, a life filled with happiness and the money you need to be, do, and have everything you want, all come from The Power.   The life of your dreams has always been closer to you than you realize, because The Power - to have everything good in life  - is inside you.  To create anything, to change anything, all it takes is just one thing.......THE POWER."  By Rhonda Byrnes

Grace and Giving Back.

We all have heard of paying it forward.  How many of us actually practice giving forward?  I learned recently that God requires us to do good works every day and the type of crown that we will receive will be based on the works that we have done in his name while on earth. Because of who I am  striving to be and how I would want other to treat me, I try to do one act of kindness every day.  The easiest for me is allowing people who have much less items than I to go ahead of me while standing in line.  However, I do ask that the person pays it forward...that is do something nice for someone else.  My sister reminded me recently of a time when I paid for the grocery of an elderly woman.  We (the elderly lady and I) stood in a long line waiting to check out.  We spoke about various things.  I noticed that she started pulling items out of her cart as if trying to decide what she must have.  By the time she got up to the checkout, she must had pulled out about 8 -10 items.  I felt bad.  I had a cart full of items.  Some of the things I did not even need and here was a woman putting back apple juice and butter.   Unknown to her, every time she took out an item, I placed it in my basket.  When she was checking out I placed all of the items back on the checkout belt and when she turned to the side to get her money I gave the checker my debit card and paid for everything.  Little did I know until she spoke that she was deciding if to eat or to pay for her medicine.  She kindly thanked me and happily went to the pharmacy to buy her medicines.  All I can say is.... God certainly works in mysterious ways.  Do something nice for someone.  God too might be working on your gift from some stranger.

Really! How is Obama Doing?

I am asking the infamous question.  How do you think Obama is doing?  I have seen many polls on television but I would  like to pose this question to the people who I know.  I am curious if the opinions of my friend follow mainstream America.  In an effort to provide consistency and some accuracy, I am asking the you comment giving one thing that our President has done effectively and one thing that needs improvement. Also comment about our economy.  Do you feel that our economy is improving and why?  If you are shy about voicing your opinion then take the poll on my blog page which is anonymous. Curiosity is killing the cat right now.  


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Wisdom From Foolish People

I guess everyone should be given the benefit of the doubt...even the fool.  I am rereading "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder" by Vincent Bugliosi. What caught my attention as a profound thought is an analogy that he gives.  He states, "If Winston Churchill said something about WWII, and a bum in a Bowery gutter said something quite the opposite,whom would you believe? There's really only one answer to that question, and it's not the one that 99 % of people would reflexively give - Winston Churchill.  The only proper answer to the  question is , I'd have to hear what they had to say.  This is obviously true since we know that just as a wise man can say something foolish, a fool can say something wise."  WOW!  This is a thought to ponder.  How many times have we dismissed people for who we perceived them to be.  I really had to take note of just how I handle information from people whom I have deemed foolish.  It even sounds acute to even admit that I consider some people foolish.  We must be very careful.  It may be just that one time that we choose not to  hear out the fool that he or she gives us wisdom.  What about you? How do you handle info that comes from one whom you have deemed the fool?

http://www.amazon.com/Prosecution-George-W-Bush-Murder/dp/159315481X

True Friends

           It is a blessing to have True Friends.  You know, they are the ones that have been a part of your life forever.  They have been a part of major heartbreaks, milestones, celebrations, and successes.  They know things that you would not dear tell anyone or that anyone who knows you now would not believe could be true about you.  They are the people that you have loved, cursed out, drank, cried, laughed and sat up all night with.  They are the people that even if you don't see them for years when you do get together it is like you have not missed a beat.  You pick right up where you left off.  I have three such people in my life.  Now, you know that I can not mention names for fear of hurting feelings.  But I have three ride or die chicks.  I know them and they know me.  I love them just as they are and they love me despite who I can be.   These are my girls! Who are your true friends? Do they know how much you value them and what their friendship means to you?  Take a moment and call your best friend or friends.  This is a perfect day to have a good laugh and to remember the fun times. 

A Simple Fathers' Day

We go out of our way to find the best Father's Days gifts.  Most of us have fallen into the belief that we have to go out to dinner and buy something...even if it's the classic Father's day gift "the TIE".  I say stop it! We even have our kids believing that even without an income, they need to purchase something.  Again, I say, STOP IT!  What happened to kids making breakfast, a crayon colored card, a picture of daddy, the hand print card normally made at school, etc.?  Let's go for simply showing love to all of the beautiful fathers out there and if there is a gift to be bought, let's not wait until the 3rd Sunday in June to buy it.  Same goes for Mother's Day.  Parents just want to be loved and  appreciated by their children.....and for me I got a hand made poster board card for mothers day explaining the 10 reasons why my children love me.  It's still sitting in the chair in my bedroom.  I wake up every morning, look at it and smile.  I don't know how long it will remain in that chair but I know that every time I look at it, it makes me feel good inside.  What would you give for a gift that keeps making you feel good.  Dads, I wish you a beautiful Father's Day.  To my children's father, I say thank you for our children and being a great dad.  You think my words as his ex-wife may have made his day?  Ladies, if your child has a great father, you need to let him know YOU think so.  They are rare and precious jewels.

Sisters and Brothers

I think that I have the best big Sister in the world.  God knew what he was doing when he placed her in my life.  There is nothing like having a sibling who is also your best friend.  We talk just about every day.  Conversations can be serious or practically just about nothing.  We have had knock down drag outs about absolutely nothing....very opinionated we are!  Next day we talk and things are back to normal.  She is my ride or die chick.  I am careful about what I say to her about people that hurt me in some way because like a tiger she will strike.  She will never allow any harm to come to me.  WOW!  She is very supportive.  She encourages me in everything that I do and is one of my biggest cheerleader.  Our mother died at the beginning of 2006. I saw a side of her that I did not know existed.  She lead our family during one of the saddest time in our lives.  She was our rock.  If you have a bother or sister, find the good in them if you have not.  Develop that special relationship with at least one of them.  Listen to what they have to say.  Hell, no one is perfect and we ALL have the proverbial "Black Sheep".  Your brother or sister will be painfully honest but for most it is honest love.  Hug a sibling today and let them know that you truly do love them.  It could be the start of a new and beautiful relationship with some who is very much like you.

The Best Books

Ever just wanted a great book to read? A book that you just can not put down. Well I have a few that I will recommend. There is nothing like a great book.

Jack and Jill - James Patterson

Have A Little Faith - Mitch Albom

Tuesdays With Morrie - Mitch Albom

The Imortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot

The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder - Vincent Bugliosi


Give me your reviews and happy reading.

Note: I am a true book junkie

What made me happy today

You know, it is every parents dream to see their child march down the isle and graduate. Be it kindergarten, elementary, junior high, high school or college; there is a sense of accomplishment. Well, my baby graduated yesteday from Mardarin High...WOW! I did not even cry. This morning it all hit me and I did. I am happy that she made it. Graduating at 17, not on drugs, never pregnant and with a 3.2. So, yes....I am very happy. Congratulations to all of you who experienced the same. Where can we meet for a drink? I need one now.