Friends and Family

Good morning family. Up early thinking about my family and friends, asking God to be a fence around us as we start another days journey. Sometimes getting up is the hard part depending on what's going on in our lives. What I've found is that if you/we make a heart felt effort to move, God will do the rest. Praying for the Young family this morning, asking God to give them the strength/courage they need to walk through whatever may come their way. Traveling grace for the ones who traveled to Louisiana and a Happy Birthday to Kawana Young. Asking God to also look in on my friend Laura. I know personally how she's feeling right now. I'm also thanking Him for friendship. I'm guilty of taking it for granted. Sometimes not truly realizing how much it's needed in times of celebration and in times of trouble. My family is a great support but my friends add to what my family provides. The laughter, memories, secrets and the "come back to reality" conversations have helped me be a better person. Everyone have a blessed day, stay prayed up and don't wait to thank God for the house, car, relationship or money you've been waiting for, but thank Him right now for getting you home safely last night, thank Him for protecting your children during their ball games yesterday, thank Him for allowing you to see another beautiful day and lastly, thank Him for the storms and the rain because we cannot/will not survive on sunshine alone. TeamFamilyFriends. Bblessedloveyou.

Happy Birthday Christopher Deforest Matthews

Good morning family. What a blessing to see another day, to breath when breathe could have been taken away. It's a blessing to appreciate the small things in life and to understand that we are here because God says so, nothing we've done, but God. I'm so priviledged and blessed to say happy 30th birthday to my son, Christopher Deforest Matthews. As a young mother I didn't understand the opportunity God had given me. He entrusted me with children, our most precious commodity. Now that I'm older, I realize that everything I did when my children were young influenced who they would be in life. Fortunately I wasn't the worse mom but I wasn't the best either. I can say with all honesty that my children are better parents than I ever thought of being. They are engaged and available to their children. I am so thankful for them and this life God has given us. Any day one of my children celebrates a birthday is a gift to me. They are my reason, they are my celebration, they simply...are everything. Now I can tell you, I don't always agree with the choices they make and they aren't always happy with me, but there has never been any doubt about how much they are loved. If you're young with young children, don't allow your frustrations to block your view of the future kings/queens God has entrusted you with. Speak to them and make them feel like the royalty they are, help them understand that they can conquer anything, fill their hearts/heads with hope and purpose. They are God's children but He's sharing them. It's up to us. God has given us the tools and resouces, use them. TeamHappyBirthdayChristopherDeforestMatthews. Bblessedloveyou.

Understanding

Good morning family. Loving this Friday morning. Looking forward to having the day off. Work has been so busy but it makes the days go by fast and I learn more. Praying this morning for my friends who are facing the unknown with regard to illness within their family. You never know what life is going to bring your way so always stay prayed up, expecting peace after the storm. The most wonderful thing I've found is that I have a better understanding about the issues we have to face. I understand that every day won't be easy but as each day goes by pain slowly subsides. I understand that the pressure of keeping up with life is eased when we give our issues over to God and follow His ways. I understand that what we pour into our babies isn't always what they need and that we need to align our parenting skills with what God's word says. I understand that perfection is something that I/we have to avoid in order to live a less stressful life. I understand that my change starts with me and not with pointing fingers at others. I understand that I must die daily in order to live. And the thought that woke me this morning, I understand that I have to be truthful and forth coming when speaking to those who seek my advise. (I woke up feeling like a hypocrite this morning). Father God, my Lord and Savior, I ask that you continue reminding me that Your way is the only way and reminding me that I have to be better than I was yesterday. TeamUnderstanding Bblessedloveyou AMEN.

FOE

Good morning family. Praising God for grace and a whole lot of mercy today and always. This precious gift of life and time cannot and should not be taken for granted. Our Saturday was spent at the Star-Ready Jamboree, what a day. Our children were excited and came to play. What I know for certain is that children are more confident when there's family support. They value the feedback and support of "mothers and fathers" more than any coach. Their confidence in their ability grows/becomes stronger when we pack the stands. The sad thing is that as kids get older they have less support. I have to be honest and tell you that as a young mother I really didn't understand just how important it was to show up at every game, every event but once I understood what it meant and how important it was, I was there. There were game days that I had to stand in the middle of the ballpark so I could watch three games at one time. Yesterday I was so happy to be with my family because not only were my grands/nephew playing but my son was on the field coaching. Gotta love it when life starts maturing. God is good all the time even when we can't see that He's working things out for our good. There were touchdowns/high fives/good tackles but the play of the day was when my oldest grandson led the closing prayer with his team, hallelujah, that's when you know God is doing a work in the lives of you and your family. TeamFOE. Bblessedloveyou. #proudmom#proudgranny#proudaunt

Parent/Child

Good morning family. It's going to be a terrific work day, I can feel it. Yesterday was very busy, thankful for "busy" because we learn a lot about ourselves when things aren't going as we feel they should. We can feel challenged and over used at times but I remind myself that nothing is to hard when I focus and remove negative/selfish thoughts. There will be times in our lives that things will be revealed about us that we're ashamed of. I've had my fair share of these times already. My first big reveal was when my mother found out her 14 year old daughter was pregnant. To say the least she was not happy. I can't remember all the words she said that day but I remember feeling reduced, just small, ashamed. As an adult I've realized that our secrets, our reveals become our testimonies. Instead of breaking us, they actually make us stronger when we share our experiences. The only regret I have about this "secret" is that I wish I had been able to talk to my mother before she found out from someone else. Unfortunately, I was not comfortable enough nor did I have the courage to tell her. To all the parents, create an open atmosphere so your children won't be afraid to tell you when they're in trouble and to the children, learn to trust your parents. Parent/child relationships are so important. I have to say that after Cedric was born my mom was so proud of him, loved him, helped me care for him. I had some setbacks as result of being a teenaged mother, but God. TeamParentChild. Bblessedloveyou.

Godly Fun

Good morning family. Blessed to see another day. Praying for family and friends who aren't feeling well or who aren't feeling their best physically/mentally. God is good no matter what our situation may be. August is jam packed for us. Birthdays, football and back to school. It can wear you down but I'm thankful for strength and focus. a reoccurring thought keeps coming up, "the devil will try and kill you by showing you a good time". Oh Lord, I am so thankful I learned this lesson. If I've learned nothing else in life, it's that "good timing it" leads to destruction when we don't follow the ways of our Father in Heaven. How much stuff have you lost because you were having a good time? Wrecked homes, wrecked cars, damaged relationships-spouse/children/family, loss of time and memory, count the cost, there's a huge price to pay just to have un-Godly fun. Now I'm by no means judging or throwing shade on having good quality fun with friends, but I'm talking about that fun that takes you to the other side of "quality". That fun that's temporary and meaningless. That fun that in a few years will have you filled with regret. Honestly, I've done a lot in my life that I wish I could take back but I can't. The good news is Jesus paid for my sins and I've been forgiven. It's only by grace that I still have stong family relationships, a job, mental stability, the will to love and the love of others. I could've lost it all. Young and dumb that's what I called it but it was really a lack of appreciation for what God had given me. I couldn't see that the "devilish fun" was slowly killing me. I'm thankful that God turned it around for me. Praying for you as I pray for me, may God continue watching over us all. AMEN. TeamGodlyFun. Bblessedloveyou.  

Now I'm Grown

Good morning family. Grace and favor, wow, grace and favor. Praising and thanking God for all He's done in our lives. Excited about this Sunday morning, jut excited about life. Our God has been so good to each of us but some of us refuse to embrace what's there for us. Asking for traveling grace for Simia, Kim and Ava as they return from NOLA. Also for Steve and family as they return to Dallas and for anyone else on the road. Have you ever sat down and thought about why the phrase "I'm grown" is used? I have and I realized I don't use it anymore. The times I used it were when I was living a "sinful" life on purpose. "Why you always in the club?" answer - "I'm grown". "You need to save your money" answer - "I'm grown". "Spend more times with your kids" answer "I'm grown". These are just a few comments where I know my response was "I'm grown". I'm grown is just another way of saying I'm immature and not really ready to grow up, not ready to take responsibility for the opportunities God has given. When we truly become mature/productive/God fearing adults there isn't a need to say I'm grown because the way we live our lives reflects it. "I'm grown has gotten me into trouble, it's cause me to lose income, it's caused me to miss out on blessings and it's certainly cost me time with my family. So go on with your "grown" self. Keep living in sin on purpose, see where it gets you. What I know for sure is that being grown is more than just being able to say your grown. It's a responsibility, it's a privilege and it shouldn't be taken for granted. 1 Corinthians 13:11-When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. BOOM. TeamNowI"mGrown. Bblessedloveyou

Keep Hustling

Good morning family. Happy Saturday. Enjoying a little "quiet" time before our day gets into full swing. Gotta say, I was really tired yesterday. Sometimes we get so busy that we forget to fully rest our bodies, we forget to take time out for ourselves. I don't know about you but I'm no good to anyone when I'm tired. Just flat out cranky and hard to deal with. Asking for traveling grace as my sister and niece travel to New Orleans today to pick Ava up. Ava has been on her Summer vacation with Daddy Bill and Clara (great grandparents), love them. Yesterday I encountered two things that made me feel really good about life. The first was a man standing on the corner with a sign that said "just hungry". I had a $5 bill laying on the top of my junky purse, so I was pulling over to give it to him but a lady in front of me beat me to it. I decided I would give it to him anyway but as I got closer, he put his sign under his arm and crossed the street headed towards the store. I smiled about it because normally people get money and get right back into position with their sign in order to get more. Now I don't know if he came back later, but it made me feel that he was being very honest and not just hustling. The next thing happened at work. Our job announced that any US employee would get an increase in pay. This is different because we normally get bonuses and raises once a year around March. These raises would take affect this month. Unfortunately, everyone wasn't eligible for one reason or another. I wasn't looking forward to having conversations with those who weren't. To my surprise all of the conversations went well. I felt a spirit of maturity in the responses I received. I could see growth and ownership in everyone I spoke with. God is good. I share this because there are so many "hustling" for the right reason but get discouraged because things aren't working as quickly as they'd like. But when we're patient, doing the right thing and putting our faith in God, in His time, things start to come around. Be encouraged in your getting and your doing, have a blessed Saturday. TeamKeepHustling. Bblessedloveyou.