So really. Why would you follow in the exact footprints of someone else?
Me saying, “Seriously?”
They do not have YOUR unique qualities, gifts, abilities, and desires, and you don’t have theirs.
Should you fashion your life after what other people say? Should you let what is important to them be what guides you?
Perhaps to some degree, if they are people you love. But when it comes to achieving what you truly desire in life, I believe that you need to be the one to determine what is most important to you.
And please, do not let people’s opinions of you alter your course one bit! Know your own truth.
YOU are the one to determine
the kind of person you want to be.
What you wear, how you talk,
what your goals are,
the things that fulfill your heart,
what kind of job you want,
the kind of a person you want a relationship with,
where you want to live, how you run your home,
what books you read,
how much schooling you obtain……
these should be things of your choosing and should not be dictated by the choices of others.
Of course I am not discounting the wise counsel of people. We all need help with decisions and lifestyle issues.
I’m referring to giving up yourself
in order to follow blindly.
Or relinquishing your desires
because someone thinks they are silly.
Or not wearing something you love
because no one else does.
Or not truly honoring your heart and spirit
because others criticize you for it.
You have a brain, emotions, intelligence, reason, values, morals, and common sense.
Use them to figure out, and pursue, what is valuable to you. Mark your own path, and
Write your own script for your life!
As always, I thank you for visiting. I’d love to know what you think!
Oh darling, don’t you know that who you are is the most amazing and fabulous gift to the world? Who you are is full of wonder and possibility. You deserve to be loved and fulfilled in what you do. I know it’s tough many days. I know some of you are not in an ideal situation. I know some of you feel as if the ground is swallowing you up and closing in over you.
I know because I’ve been there. And it took action and big steps (in little baby steps) to get me out of that hole. But I am here to tell you that YOU can start today to change your situation. There are people who will help you.
Do not try to do it alone. I know, precious one, that you feel as if you must be strong and do this life thing (as hard and unpleasant as it is) by yourself because that’s who you are. Well, you only limit yourself when you limit your possibilities.
Start talking to people. Start saying what you want and need. I promise, lightning will not strike you. Start asking for help. Start with someone you trust and get them involved in seeking help you and ways to improve and/or get out of your situation.
You are NOT alone! You do not have to suffer in silence. There ARE solutions. I know. I found them.
The biggest thing is to start realizing how valuable you are. How much the world needs your special, unique gifts and love. Start telling yourself the TRUTH–that you are amazing and have wonderful abilities and gifts for this world.
Start seeking ways to BE who you really are. To pour out your beautiful spirit and shine your gorgeous light.
Because darling, you are perfect, just as you are! Never apologize.
Having children with special needs is such a challenge! But one thing I’ve learned….it keeps us TOTALLY dependent on God. No way can I be “in control” because in the blink of an eye, our life could be in shambles.
There are days my prayer has been, “Oh God, oh God, oh God” because I just didn’t have words. Didn’t have energy to formulate words. It was all I could do to breathe and take care of my children (I am their only parent). Some weeks (months) every.single.day is a challenge. Like pushing a locomotive up a steep mountain.
And then, thank God, we will get a reprieve and I can at last take a deep breath. And I just sit. And sit. And let God fill my mind, body, and breath. And He brings healing to my emotions.
Because there is no doubt about how emotionally draining it is to watch your child hurt, or be disappointed because of physical limitations, or become emotionally so out-of-sorts that all day is a battle.
Or how physically and emotionally exhausting it is to be making hard, frustrating, impossible decisions for the duration of several days.
Sleep-deprived, worry-filled, and constantly searching for solutions can totally wring a person out!
But oh, God is able! The video below is amazing and so uplifting.
Mandisa sings her song Overcomer with clips of people who have overcome some extreme physical challenges.
I equate the physical with our mental and emotional challenges. It’s not an easy journey (Wait, what? It’s gonna be hard? Hey, I didn’t sign up for that!!!) But a journey that I hope will bring God glory. Because the glory is all His.
Anything that I’ve accomplished with my children has been while He was holding my hand, speaking into my spirit (sometimes I didn’t want to hear Him–la la la la la!), and guiding my every move. Because I was useless. Incapacitated.
In spite of that, and because of Him, my children are amazing miracles. But that’s a story for another time. Enjoy the video. You will be hooked!
Thank you so much for stopping by. YOU are the reason I write.
Be kind and share with someone who could use this. 🙂
Have you ever had one of those days where you were just filled with joy? Today was that kind of day for me. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful 30 degrees! Almost shirt-sleeve weather! I had to go grocery shopping, which I detest! But I had decided to treat myself with flowers. And wouldn’t you know? There were tons of FUSCHIA-dyed mums!! So of course I bought one bunch. They were perfect for me. And I rescued some poor, bedraggled Alstromeria lilies that were marked way down. For about $8.50 I bought enough posies to make all these bouquets. (Don’t mind the Christmas trees you can still see in the background. I HAD to stop and smell the roses–er, mums!)
On to the produce section. The grapes were tiny, about the size of my little finger nail! Another lady and I were exclaiming about it. They were the size of raisins already!
I moved on to the lovely section that holds cauliflower, broccoli, celery, red cabbage, four colors of peppers, and numerous other colorful items. I asked the produce guy, “Don’t you just love working in the produce section?” He looked at me a teeny bit funny as he shrugged his shoulders. What’s the guy to say? So I clued him as to why he should like his job! I said, “It looks so nice, and it’s all so colorful and pretty!” He agreed that when it looked nice it wasn’t so bad. Lol
These are exactly like what I bought. I love their rich colors!
Around the corner at the onion table I struck up a conversation with the lady cleaning the potato bin. I asked her if onions last better in the refrigerator. Well, she keeps hers in a box in the cabinet. And then she imparted this AMAZING bit of information!
In the spring, whether they are in a store, in your cupboard, or on the counter, onions will sprout and so will garlic. Period. In the pitch black or constant fluorescent light. In the spring–when nothing in their environment has changed–they will sprout.
WOW!! I was just in awe. I said to the lady, “That is just crazy! It’s like God sends them a memo or something! “Ok onions and garlic. You may not know it yet, but it’s spring. Time to do your thing!” We had a chuckle over that. That just made my day. I told her thank you for teaching me something today. (Any day I learn is a great day!)
I couldn’t help humming as I went along with my shopping. All those little things added up to make my heart overflow! And I am so grateful for my sight so I can celebrate God’s wonders in the flowers, veggies, and fruit department! I’m also thankful that people don’t seem bothered when I talk to them. (I kind of do it a lot. Maybe they are just being gracious.)
I must have had a smile on my face as I walked through the store because people kept looking at me. I’ll bet they wished they knew my secret. 🙂
This show has four of us talking back and forth, so it’s like a group of friends got together and chatted. We talked about happenings in the area and the Divalution Project, tiaras and sparkle, and how cool it is to meet new people, among other things.
For those who have very limited time (this show is a bit over an hour long), but would like to listen to my story, here are some notes for listening. You can hover your cursor over the audio feed line and the time counter on the left will cue you. But if you have the time, the whole show is fun to listen to.
I was “interviewed” throughout the show, and “my” parts are as follows: *At 3:10 I am introduced and I told a bit about who I am. *From 5:06-17:30 I tell my story and about how my Empowordment Cards came to be. *From 24:55-29:48 I talk about my Calendars and Journals *From 29:50- 35:15 Why I feel I was chosen to speak and write, and a bit about my journey *From 49:00-51:10 Choosing a Word Of The Year instead of a New Year’s resolution *From 58:70-61:50 conclusion of my part
I’d love it if you’d listen and comment below. This is my first appearance on a radio show. Several want me to host a show and go live every other week. Hmmmm, I’m not sure I’d have enough to talk about. Bahahaha. Well, we will see. For sure it would give me another platform to get the message out.
Thanks for stopping by. As always, I love to have you!
Oh my gosh I’m so excited! Deborah St. Hilaire from Bay City is interviewing me, live, tonight on her Divalution Radio! Check it out. 7:00 p.m. (Eastern) on W4DIVAS.com. It should be a good time. 🙂
Also, we will meet early and collaborate about holding women’s small group meetings at her amazing studio/storefront/gathering space. This has been one of my dreams for five years. And what will I call these gatherings? Well, as Passionista At Large, they will be “Passionista Playdates”!! Comment below if you are interested in these and I’ll keep you posted. (Location is Bay city, Michigan)
It seems my words of the year “Expand” from last year and “Abundance” for this year are working for me! Sometimes it really takes just putting one foot in front of the other and doing what you know to do at the time.
So carry on with your bad selves, shine YOUR light, and rock 2017!
