BeWrite - LiveWrite

One Lifetime...

Last night, I attended an evening service that I'll never forget. And for reasons that are too numerous to name. But mainly because the pastor said:

You only have one lifetime of affection. Who or what will you give it to? 

Not as profound as you expected? Well, think again. One lifetime of affection. Yet, so many things and people to give it to. If you're like me, you've made the mistake of giving affection to undeserving things. Or you've failed miserably in balancing it. The end result is always the same - frustration and disappointment.

We tend to turn to God once we've spent everything we have [financially, emotionally, and mentally] on everything else; then He gets whatever we have left. What would happen if we lived this lifetime of affection with God as the center? What if we gave Him our best and our first instead of our worst and our last?

God, help us to stop giving you our leftovers. You deserve our all and our affection. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Happy Mum's Day!

If I could have any accent in the world, I'd choose the British one! Can't you tell?!

I just wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, grandmom, and god-moms out there in blog-world!

Enjoy your day and I pray that God continues to strengthen you for the task at hand!

Smile today and know that you have great influence over your children, family, bloodline, and communities at large!

God Bless & Love

Toi

Too Much

A few blogs ago I talked about this nagging feeling of not being enough. The thoughts that plague us and make us feel inadequate. Let's look at the opposite of that...TOO MUCH.

All of our lives, we're told that too much of anything is a bad thing. Don't eat too much. Don't over-indulge. Don't spend too much. I wonder if those genuine words of advice spill over into our minds and cause us to settle for just enough.

Perhaps we believe somewhere that what we have is all we're ever going to have. That it's exactly what we deserve. That it's too much to ask for more out of life.

I'm not talking about more material things. We mostly use those to fill some type of void. I'm talking about more fulfillment, joy, a renewed sense of purpose and possibility.

Well, it's not too much to ask. It's not too much to expect more, to believe more, or to hope for more. It's not until we start to think of the "more" that we realize how futile the "less" is.

Get Out of the Box

Do you ever feel like there's a glass ceiling over you? That you can only rise so far before something happens that limits you once again? A catch phrase in our society is "Get out of the box." Well, that assumes that you were in the box in the first place. So, the first question we need to ask ourselves is "How did I get in here?" Did I allow people and circumstances to place me in a box or did I place myself in the box?

Regardless of the answer, it's time to get out. It's time to believe again despite how things look.

I'll leave you with a line from a Lauryn Hill song called "I Get Out."

I get out. I get out of all your boxes.

I get out. You can't hold me in these chains.

I'll get out. Father, free me from this bondage.

Knowing my condition is the reason I must change.

So, let's look at ourselves and the boxes we're in and ask to be free of anything or anyone that holds us down.

Blink of An Eye

Life happens in a series of blinks. On average you and I blink 16 times a minute and over 23,000 times a day. I find that to be pretty fascinating considering that it's an involuntary act. We rarely even notice that we are blinking unless we intentionally focus on it.

Scientists say that we blink for two reasons: to keep our eyes from drying out and to keep foreign matter from getting in. A blink lasts only a tenth of a second.

So much can happen in the blink of an eye. Life can change drastically, for better or for worse, in that short amount of time. Marriages and families can be destroyed that quickly. People can be broken and wounded.

But things can also change that quickly. Bodies, minds, and hearts can be healed. Prayers and dreams can come true. Miracles can take place. Relationships can be restored. Life happens in a series of blinks.

If things aren't quite going as you planned, just keep blinking. You never know what the next one will bring.

Help Me Remember...

I will be the first to admit that I sometimes have a bad memory. Sometimes its the short-term memory and at other times, it's the long-term memory. Sometimes its just the names of college classmates or even a funny story where I was the central character and yet ... I still don't remember it.

I don't know what the problem is {and trust me I'm trying to find it} but I'm glad that I'm surrounded by family and friends who are there to remind me. People who help me remember.

And sometimes that's all we need isn't it? A reminder of who we are? Of things we've accomplished in the past. Of times when we thought we couldn't make it through yet...we did. Or we may need to remember who God is and that nothing is impossible for Him.

Be the type of person who helps others remember who they are and who God is.

Not Enough?

We live in a world that is constantly in comparison-mode.

Don't get this cell phone, get a blackberry (which I just happen to be a big fan of).

Buy this car, you'll get more mileage.

Watch our news program, not that other station.

Those comparisons spill over into our professional and personal lives.

Look at Chris. He is much more productive than you.

Why can't you lose a little weight? Look more like her.

Your brother never got into this much trouble.

No wonder we feel inadequate most of the time. No wonder we feel like even on our best day, we still don't measure up. Do you see the subliminal message here? It's a message that you and I are not enough. Not good enough. Smart enough. Pretty enough. Witty enough. Nice enough. Or small enough.

My question is, "Who gets to determine if I'm enough?" Is it the ever-changing standards of society? Or is it the more fickle standards that you hold deep in your psyche?

Neither.

I am okay. In fact, I'm better than okay. I'm good. I'm fine. I'm worthy. Unique. One of a kind. Valuable. I have something to offer. I am intelligent.

And no matter what you think ... I am enough.

Write Away 2 NYU

Hello friends & family!

I am excited to tell you that one of my dreams for 2009 has already come true! I've been accepted into NYU's Summer Creative Writing Intensive. This workshop will be intense, informative, and life-changing. It will also help to prepare me for another one of my dreams...to become an author!

I know that our country is in a critical time. People are losing their jobs, their homes, and their hope. The one thing we cannot lose is our faith in God and our dreams.

So, I'm asking anyone who is able (trust me, there is no pressure) to follow me here  and give a donation of any amount to my fundraiser. Again, there is no pressure. If you're not able to give or even leary about giving, I understand. For those who are interested and may not be able to give, help to spread the word.

Thanks in advance. And continue to dream big!

Leave your mark

Remember elementary and middle school? Remember those old wooden desks? (I'm telling on myself. I grew up in the eighties). I don't know about you but I've carved my name into a desk or two. Just to leave my mark. To make it known to the up and coming 4th graders that I was there.

Carving your name into a desk is no easy task. It takes a little time, some concentration, and a teacher who is momentarily distracted. But when all is said and done, I've left my mark.

That should be our aim in life. To leave a mark wherever we go. To make a lasting impression on the people we meet. It'll take some time but it will be worth it in the end.

I'm Baaaaacckk!

It's been a few weeks since I've blogged. It's not that I didn't have anything to say. On the contrary, I needed to stop saying so much and really take a good look at myself. As you know, that's never easy to do. I have had to reevaluate my goals, my dreams, my desires, etc.  I had to clear my head to do that. And now that it's done (at least for now), I'm back!

Look for the new updated blogs tomorrow!