Reverse Payday

If you got paid once a month, wouldn't it be nice to work one day and have money for the rest of the month versus working a month and it's gone in a day?

Hmmm... It's possible to do.

I Told You...

...that everyday is a day to be thankful for. I talked to my Mother this morning who lives out of state. She told me she went to sleep last night thinking she had turned off a pot of beans that was cooking. Well, she hadn't turned them off and fortunately the Lord touched her in her sleep to go to the bathroom and that's when she discovered the smoke. She also discovered that her smoke detector didn't work which promptly motivated her to change the battery.

I can't emphasize enough the need to check those batteries!

My Mother and I pray together each morning and a part of our prayer is asking our Guardian Angels to protect us. I'm sure glad the Angels were on their job!!

Thank you Lord, for your protection even when we don't see the danger.

Everyday is Thanksgiving!!

To
Honor
All in
Need is the
Kindest thing any
Soul can
Give
In these times of
Vain
Intentions. We must remember
Nothing can stop the power of
God's love!!

Thanksgiving even in Death

Today a co-worker buried his 79 year old Father. Even in death there is a reason to be thankful. I'm sure my co-worker would like to have had his Dad for another 79 years at least, but I'm sure he's thankful that he had him in his life that long.

These days having a Father figure in the home is a rarity instead of being the norm. My co-worker should be thankful that he is in the minority. Listening to the eulogy of his Father made me also think how fortunate my co-worker was to have a Father who had such high standards for his family, church and community. I know he will truly be missed especially with tomorrow being Thanksgiving, but I think my co-worker can rest assured that his Father was a good man and that his legacy will be honored for many years.

Rest in Peace Sir and sincere condolences to the family.

"Hair Like Wool, Feet like Brass: The Power of the Image"

I attended a film documentary produced by Dr. Paula Whatley Matabane, a professor of communications at Howard University. The film explored images of Jesus and the African-American experience during the 1950's and 1960's.

This filmmaker sought to answer the question "Does the color of Jesus matter?"

Viewing that film gave me an opportunity to think about one's faith in a light that I never thought about before. It was not the concept of Jeus Christ being a man of color, you know, Black, that shocked me. It was realizing that Black people were being brutalized back in the day by people who looked like Jesus, blue eyes and long hair, but yet they still had this unwavering belief in this White Jesus image. I never thought about it like that before.

I remembered seeing some of those same images of Jesus in homes and on the fans we had at our church when I was growing up. I, like the filmmaker, also had a grandmother who took me to church e-e-e-v-v-e-e-r-r-y Sunday. Church started with Sunday school, morning service then evening service, every Sunday.

I sat there and smelled the bacon cooking in my grandmother's, Ma Minnie, house from my bedroom as a youth. The smell of food from her kitchen was my alarm clock each Sunday morning. Aromas from the day's dinner or breakfast that particular Sunday was such a wonderful gentle nudge to awake to.

But never once did I ever think to question those images I saw of Jesus. I did know there was this strong and powerful belief that came at the sound of His name inspite of what He was suppose to look like and I didn't know that it was called Faith then. Now, that kind of Faith I was taught has taken me a long way. For that I am truly grateful.

That lesson has also help me to understand, but not accept hatred.

It too was taught.

I missed you!!

I was having blog withdrawls! I swear to you I was. It was too funny. I hadn't blogged in two days and I needed a fix... I needed to blog!

It's such a natural high to blog and it's free too! What more can a person ask for.

Blog on!!!

Goals

I will re-write my goals in the present tense until they manifest.

1. I am accomplishing my goals knowing full well that what goes around comes around - what you put out you will receive - what you reap you shall sow.

2. I am kind daily.

3. I own a successful greeting card business.

4. I pray consistently.

...and the beat goes on.

"M.J.: The Modern Job"

I was in a play recently called "M.J.: The Modern Job". It's based on the 18th book in the Bible's Old Testament, Job. The twist to the play was the modern part. The writer of the play took a historical figure and brings him to present day with remarkable creativity. It's an awesome play that both entertain and inspire you.

My part this year (this was the 15th production of the play and the 6th year that I had participated) was a character by the name of Birdie Mae Baxter and she was so funny. She was part of the scene which involved so called church members voting on removing Job who has lost everything by now, from the church.

Ms. Birdie appears on stage as if she's looking for something in an oversized handbag. Birdie has everything and the kitchen in her bag. She greets the other church members and starts pulling things out of her bag once she is seated. She pulls out a pair of big bloomers that's a least 3 times her size, a muffin pan and a small skillet. The audience rolls with laughter. You eventually discover that she is looking for her wig.

In another church scene Birdie and one of the other church ladies get into an arguement. I had put my hair up so that my twists looked like a nest on top of my head. In this scene, Birdie shakes her head when she makes her last dig at the other lady and once again the audience rolls with laughter.

I can't wait to see the tape to see how that hair (nest) was shaking on top of Birdie's head!

Break a Leg

Did you think that phrase actually meant break your leg in some odd way? :)

For a long time I didn't know what it meant, other than it was suppose to be a good thing.

In theatre, the curtain that you come onto stage through is called a leg. As you separate the curtains (break) and step into character to perform, that process is what's called "Break a leg".

A Prayer for Everything!

Father God in the Name of Jesus!! Lord we thank you for being our ALL and ALL!! We thank you that we are already winners!! We thank you that we are already victorious!! We thank you Lord that we can see the end and we are happy!! We thank you that we are already healed!! And we claim our healing in the Name of Jesus until the manifestation apears!!

We thank you for the perfect home, the perfect furnishings for our home, the perfect clothing and the perfect transportation to take us to and fro. We thank you for the resources to meet our needs and wants. We thank you for watching over our family and friends! We thank you that we are not the tail but the HEAD, already!! We are so grateful and honored to call you Father God!!

Lord continue to bless us and allow us to be a blessing. Let us always remember that you are our resource and not man and let us not take one day, one moment, one second for granted. Thank you Lord that we have been called to do a great work for your namesake and we are honored and privileged to be called a child of the King!!

Thank you Lord and I pray this prayer from the depths of my heart and I believe it with all my might in Jesus Name Amen!!

Friends, it's a trying time for all of us, TRUST ME, but glory be to God we have got to stand, be still and listen to God's voice. He WILL direct our paths and He WILL send the right people to us for what we need. We just have to believe that everything is already alright and that God got "this" no matter what the "this" is.

I do know that I'm also "going through". As much as I want to at times to give in to defeat or depression I know that doesn't feel good and therefore that doesn't feel like God and doggone it I want to feel good, therefore I want to feel like God!! If I can just feel a little bit like God then I'll know that with God all things are possible if we believe!! Glory!! Hallelujah!! Hold on while I do a praise dance over here!

Anonymous Comments

I received some anonymous comments from a fellow blogger of course, regarding my venting of the gas pump meter(Pump- Part 2). I thought the comments were very helpful and inspiring and something that I could use for the rest of my life.

I shared the comments with a another blogger who basically said that this person is saying " Shut up and get over it." My blogger friend also informed me that was why there was an approval que before sending comments to your site. I told my friend that I did have that feature and I had allowed it to go through. It was the way I was being told to "shut up and get over it" that I liked.

I am the most positive person I know, believe it or not, and to be given an opportunity to be reminded of the abundance of God is a blessing. Thank you Anonymous at www.magicalkissing.com.

Oh, oh, oh...I really liked the part in your comment that says something to the fact of please contact you with tips from me on how to improve your site. When I clicked onto your site I just fell out laughing!! You really meant that I should contact you for tips for my website! LOL!!

Your site is very attractive with a lot of interesting information. Being someone who enjoys kissing I can't wait to try out some of your techniques!

I was so impressed (so was my friend by the way) with your site that I plan to link it to mine. :) Thank you Anonymous for visiting. Please do add my site to your favorites. I look forward to your comments and reviewing your site with explicit detail. :)

Until the next blog, Peace and blessings.

"I think I'm going to be famous."

Those were the words spoken by Oprah Winfrey when she was talking to Steven Spielberg about putting her name on the poster announcing the movie "Color Purple" in 1985. They didn't put her name on it at the time and now 20 years later she is definitely that...famous.

As a nice gesture however, Quincy Jones, who was also involved with the Color Purple back then, recently had a poster of the Color Purple movie made especially for Oprah and added her name. That was sweet Quincy. :)

Now, not only is her name on the billboard for another production, but she is also a major producer of that production, "Color Purple the Musical" playing on Broadway in New York starting December 1, 2005. Talk about the power of words!! Ms. O is definitely a hot ticket item these days and this experience with the Color Purple has gone full circle for her. I think she went beyond famous if there is such a thing.

If that wasn't a lesson on what you put out (speak) will definitely come to pass I don't know what is!! Now I want to speak some words...I WANT TO GO TO THE OPENING NIGHT IN NEW YORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

One of my favorite motivational speakers, Dr. Wayne Dyer said it best for me. He said our Source is like the ocean. If you come to it with a tablespoon or several eighteen wheeler trucks asking for water, it will give you what you ask for. It does not care because it can give you whatever and still have more. So if we come to Source (God) saying I can't then Source says okay, so be it and you can't. But if we come to Source saying I can, Source's answer is the same, okay then you can. You know that old adage of "So a man thinketh so is he"

With that said, what words are you speaking into action for your life?

100 Goals

This weekend I attended a seminar on "Making Your Dreams Come True Through Entrepreneurship." One of the speakers, who is currently a sports announcer with the Atlanta Hawks, asked us to write down 100 goals we want to accomplish. He said that it was hard to explain why it was that when people write down their goals they are more likely to complete them than people who do not, but it happens. Some way the Universe will come to your aid and fulfill your goals. I guess it's the law of attraction...what you're looking for is also looking for you.

He admonished us to just be free with our thoughts as we wrote down our goals. What were some places we wanted to see in our lifetime? What were some things we wanted to accomplish? Just write, he said, and you would be surprised what would flow from you.

Coming up with 100 concrete goals with some meaning took some time to formulate, but it was worth the exercise. Try it, you might like it.

The Pump - Part 2

The incident that got me all fired up about the gas pump in the first place happened at a neighborhood station that I visit periodically. When I put the nozzle in the tank on this particular day, the meter immediately went to 11 cents and I hadn't even pulled the trigger yet!! Of course I marched right into that store and got my 11 cents. I've gotten 1 cent from a station because the meter just happenend to go over to $10.01 when I know how to stop it at $10.00. I just didn't start pumping gas yesterday. So now when I see the pump is skipping 2 and 3 cents I was furious. I looked up every number I could find to call to complain about what I had experienced.

I know it may seem like throwing a rock into the ocean, but even a rock makes a little ripple in the water. I had to make some type of stand for an injustice I felt was taking place even if nothing ever gets done about it.

Maybe I'm being paranoid about the whole thing because I think the big oil company is out to get me, but when every cent counts and I mean every cent, I want to know it's being spent on what I want and not based on somebody else wants for my money.

Okay, that's my soap box speech for the day.

Ice Cream Day!!!

Today is ice cream day! I accomplished my goal for this week for my writing process and I'm damn proud of me! You go girl! You're amazing! And since you did an extra posting to your blog this week which was over and above your original goal you can also have some whip cream and a cherry with that ice cream!!!

Oh wow!! Thanks so much Shelia for such a nice treat. You didn't have to be so generous!

You're welcome Shelia!! You deserve it. Now don't let this go to your head and stop setting goals. Give yourself a couple more easy ones before stepping up the pace. Before you know it you'll have those 5 books published and will be working on the 6th! Who knows, Oprah probably will call for the movie rights!! You'll have orders from all over the world for your unique greeting cards! The only person stopping you is you!

You are such an inspiration to me, thanks for being there.

You're welcome, I'll never leave you. You can always count on me.

The Pump

Maybe it's just me, but have you ever noticed when you're pumping gas into your vehicle that the numbers on the meter skip?

I mean instead of going 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 cents it goes 2,4,5,7,8,10,13 cents!! No wonder the oil industry profited over 25 Billion dollars and now have to justify their outrageous gain! Talk about gas gauging, shoot!

Just think about it. For every person who buys gas if the station is getting an extra 2 to 3 cents per gallon of gas per customer per day! You do the math. And don't give me that baloney about when the prices started going up the meters had to be adjusted to make up the difference. The price of gas has been high a very long time and you mean to tell me that we haven't learned how to make the meters read correctly by now? Yeah right.

I think the oil industry should spread the wealth. Help should'nt be just confined to the very poor (if they even do that) but also to the entire country. It wouldn't take much and they could still keep the bulk of the money that we gave them. Let's say about 5 billon dollars as a blanket cushion towards eveyone heating bills this winter as a small token of appreciation for helping them become Billonaires. I think that's fair, don't you?

Next time you're pumping gas, ease up on the nozzle and see if it skips number or maybe it's just me.

Keeping the Momentum

Okay, I got started with my writing, but how do I keep the momentum going to follow through consistently? Do I need to set deadlines and goals? Of course I do! You know that when you write your goals down the possibility of accomplishing them is much greater than when you don't.

So make it easy on myself. Don't set unrealistic goals like I'm going to complete a novel in two weeks...be for real! At the beginning set a goal that is simple and can be done with ease so I'll feel good about the accomplishment and want to continue with my process.

First easy goal...write in my Blog everyday for the remaining of the business day week! Since today is Wednesday that means this entry and two more for Thursday and Friday. Now that's simple enough, huh? We'll see. With setting goals I also need to include rewards for my accomplishments so that will also inspire me to complete the task. Let's see, what would be a good reward for this week's goal? I know...on Friday after I do my entry into my Blog I will treat myself to some ice cream!!

I'm looking forward to Friday already! :)

Getting Started

A journey begins with one step and this is my step towards getting started with consistently doing something with my writing. It's so easy to say I'm busy and I don't have time. Before you know it years have gone by and you're no closer to your dream than you were then.

Take time to smell the roses and walk barefoot through the grass and start today working on your passion. Don't sit it on a shelf to collect dust and allow someone else to publish your works Shelia because you died with your music inside. What a waste of Human Resource. I don't think that was what the Creator had in mind when he formed us into living creatures. We are all designed to bring forth our talent and use it to the glory of God.

My talent is writing. I love the written and spoken word. I love expressing myself through words and amazing myself at things I think of to write. I marvel at the joy and relaxtion writing brings me when I'm in the zone. I have five books that I know of inside me and I want to start my own Greeting Card business called "Words...Worthy to Read". These cards will be a non-traditional approach to greeting cards that not only motivate, entertain and inspire, but also touch. I'm excited about the possibilities my writings can take me to and I'm glad for making the effort to get started.

So, on your mark, get ready, set...WRITE!!!