Good morning family. Feeling relaxed sitting under this huge shade tree. Thanking God for getting us where we needed to be this morning. Grateful for the resources He continues to send our way. Lord knows we don't deserve His mercy and grace but it keeps coming, over flowing. Shout out to my children for filling my grand children's lives with activities. This "world" sometimes offers them to much so it's up to the parents to balance how much they take in. Kids need to understand that material things do not build a life. They also have to be taught that it's great to win but loosing builds character, prepares  them for adversity and change. Parents have to steer clear of using electronic devices as babysitters. Focus on identifying and nurturing God given talents and gifts. Be just as concerned with developing musical/educational talent as we are concerned with developing athletic talent. Supporting children physically and emotionally builds their self confidence and gives them the courage they need to grow into productive/healthy adults. It also increases self esteem so that they are comfortable in their own skin. There is no such thing as a perfect parent but while children are young parents should strive to be as close to perfect as they can because their audience(our children) is watching and learning how to live based on what they see. TeamParent. Bblessedloveyou

Friendship

Good morning family. Happy Friday. I've only worked two days this week but it feels like a week and a half. Just saying. Thanking God for consistency in my life. Asking Him today and all days to watch over my family and friends as they begin their daily journey. Giving Him praise for confirmation and peace. I say this all the time but God truly blessed me with good friends. He continues surrounding me with women who support, correct, love and validate the woman I am. I see a lot of people post that their "circle" is small. While I understand that, I never want it for myself. The bigger my circle the better. As women we should be mindful of who we allow in our space, stay in prayer about our relationships and be honest about true friendship. Most of my "Florida" friendships were formed on the job because I'm a "Texas" transplant. If you've ever moved away from home, especially a small town, you'll understand that friends are just like family. So I say from the bottom of my heart, thank you to all my friends, my extended family. I love and appreciate each of you. Lastly, if you really want to understand friendship read about David and Jonathan. TeamFriendship. Bblessedloveyou.

Conversation & Communication

Good morning family. I hope everyone had a wonderful three day weekend. Ours was jammed packed. Enjoyed the Jazz Festival and my family. Asking God for traveling grace as a few of my family members journey back home from their holiday travels. I think the highlight of my weekend was the "girl" talks we had yesterday. It's really nice when "the young" and "older" can have discussions about life without judging. After all the bible does tell us to share our wisdom and testimonies. When we fail to have healthy/honest conversation, we all lose. Our communication skills are most effective when there's respect for the opinions of "others" and when we're not competing for attention. What I know for sure is if we don't keep the lines of communication open between our generations we'll miss the chance to share "life". I want to know what my children think and what their children think but I'll never know if I don't at least try to understand how they feel, how they live and give them some background on where we come from. I practice remembering where I was when I was their age. Doing this puts my mind at ease because the Good Lord knows they're probably doing things better than I was. This morning I pray for you as I pray for myself, asking God to guide our conversations, remove judgmental tones, take away the finger pointing and accept that what we want for our children/everyone is not always what they want. We're stronger when allow love to overpower ego. TeamConversationCommunication. Bblessedloveyou.

Happy Memorial Day

Good morning family. Happy Memorial Day. Praying everyone has a safe productive, beyond blessed day. God is good and so worthy to be praised. Thanking Him this morning for family and friends. My "household" is out doing their thing. Getting me some "me" time. Makes you sing "Praise the Lord Everybody". I'm feeling blessed and highly favored because the Lord has once again allowed us the opportunity to "get right", make changes. I don't know about you but Memorial Day reminds me that I should honor those who have gone before me by sharing memories. Our children need to know the why's and what's of who they are. Sometimes when I share something about my past or my family with my grandchildren they bombard me with questions. I love it because they're still at an age where they are interested in what I have to say (catch 'em young). This morning I pray for you as I pray for me, Heavenly Father, thank You for Your countless blessings, thank You for allowing us the opportunity to honor and remember family/friends/servicemen who have gone on before us. I/we especially thank You for healing our hearts for it is only through You that we find peace and understanding. Father God, thank You for the time You gave us with our loved ones who "we" felt were taking to soon and thank You so much for those who taught us life skills. In closing Father, I pray for me and anyone who can't put selfish pride aside, those who are so ashamed of their past that they can't/won't share their testimony to help someone else get through, praying we/they release, give it all to You and Father I pray that we all find it in our hearts to be better based on what Your word says. In Jesus' Holy Name, AMEN. Missing my family but knowing it was God's will. TeamHappyMemorialDay. Bblessedloveyou

Memorial Day

Good morning family. Thankful for a new day and a three day weekend. Asking God to watch over my family and friends as we all enjoy this Memorial Day. Work has been busy, fun filled, but busy. Gotta love working for a company that allows it's employees to have a good time while being creative. Praying for my cousin Phyllis as she works through somethings. I know God has worked it out already. He's always ahead of us in our time of need. We have a hard time seeing "through" because our issues have us emotionally distracted. The key to our emotional health is living a spirit filled life. Sometimes it seems as though the problems of life have us moving in slow motion but when we stay in prayer, in His word and wait, then our problems vanish as quickly as they appeared. I mean think about your last big struggle, what was it? how did it get resolved and does it even matter now? Think about how painful some of our life events have been. So much pain that we didn't think the tears would ever stop, but guess, they did. There are times when I'm alone that I have to scream or cry because I miss Cedric so much. I have to be honest, I think it's unfair that he isn't here to see his children grow up or to enjoy family events but I know God doesn't make mistakes. I understand that He's blessed me because I've been able to move on. I've healed even though those sad feelings creep up now and again. So this morning I praise and honor our God for all He's done and for He's doing in our lives. It's easy to allow hurt/pain to distract us but it feels so much better when we give it over to our Lord and Savior. TeamMemorialDayCelebration. Bblessedloveyou

Give

Good morning family. Praying everyone has a beautiful Sunday. Thankful for all and wanting for nothing. Praising God for giving us an opportunity to honor Him again in our thoughts, words and deeds. Do you ever sit back and think about all the things He's allowed, all the people He's sent your way to help you get through? I do. I sometimes forget how blessed I've been. It's important to have quiet time to reflect on what's been given and the giver. Some of us spend to much time thinking about what we done for others. I know for certain that when our focus is on "what we've done" it causes selfish/resentful feelings to rise up. We can't and should not forget that the ability to give is more of a blessing than receiving. We have to give through "spiritual" eyes and never make it a point to remind people of what's been done for them. Keep in mind that just because someone doesn't show appreciation for what's been given doesn't mean that the appreciation isn't there. We all have different ways of showing gratitude. So whether it be a relative, friend or stranger you've helped, give praise and honor to God for the ability and resources to do so. Remember, "you can't beat God giving, no matter how you try". TeamGive. Bblessedloveyou

Will Not Confront

Good morning family. I pray everyone is having a nice Saturday. The weather in Jax is gorgeous. I don't know about yours but my work week has been jam packed. I need this weekend to recuperate. Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes last week. I appreciate it. Already looking forward to next year. If the Lord says so, I'll be 50 years old. A few conversations I've had this week have brought me to the question, "why do we have to confront people about what they said or what they did?" First of all, if someone is coming to me/you with some "mess" it's probably not worth talking about anymore. Second, is the person you're confronting really worth the time and emotion? Third, is pride behind the need to confront another person? Maybe I don't see the need because I generally steer away from conflict, but is that a good thing? I don't know. I know this about me, I won't confront anyone about hurtful things. I put my trust and faith in God because I know He is the only One I have to please. He has accepted me and filled my heart with hope. I have to be honest, my feelings get hurt when I feel I've been taken advantage of, when I don't feel appreciated or when I don't get the response I think I should. But in that honesty I also remind myself that a "child of God" should always pray about those issues, give it to the Lord. Remembering that we've all been given a pass at some time/point or another, we all say or do things we don't/didn't mean, everything said about us won't be favorable and we all fall short. I'm so glad I/we serve a forgiving God. TeamWillNotConfront. Bblessedloveyou.