Happy Birthday Chris

July 20th is Chris Cornell’s birthday. I wrote something special in his memory.

I woke up feeling so sad that it was overwhelming. I don’t believe that I will be getting over his passing anytime soon. The year was 1991 my mother purchased Temple of the Dog on cassette and Badmotorfinger later that year for me.

When  I discovered Soundgarden it was one of the best moments that I will never forget. I remember staying up late to watch Soundgarden appear on headbanger’s ball. My favorite time watching Soundgarden appear on headbanger’s ball was when they went bowling. We got the chance to witness Chris’s sense of humor and radiant smile.

Chris had such an amazing voice. Such an extraordinary songwriter. Such an out of this world guitarist. Such a gorgeous man. Such a beautiful soul. What a profound loss.

I can’t believe that I missed so many opportunities to experience seeing him play live through my eyes and not through someone else’s camera len’s. I was guilty of taking time for granted thinking that I would have a chance to see him one day. Well that someday will in no way happen now.

I remember how badly that I wanted to see Soundgarden. I would be riding in the car with my mom and I would look over at the Boathouse and say mom I want to go there. Since then my mom has passed away, the Boathouse was torn down and Chris Cornell has passed away.

Chris Cornell had a great voice that carried a great message. One of those messages was being shown how to live which is something that we all must do. Live and not take anything for granted especially time. Live and not hurt anyone. Live and inspire. Live and let everyone you love know that they are loved while they are still here. Live and have no fear. Live and write something memorable. Live and listen to your favorite song really loud. Most importantly live in a way that there are less regrets and more joy.

Happy Birthday to Chris Cornell the voice of our generation. Thank you for all that you have shared with us. We miss you.

Happy Father’s Day

It’s not easy being a single parent, it’s something that no-one signs up for. Parenting isn’t about just the easy stuff like picking something from out the refrigerator for the children to eat or taking them to the park. Parenting is about the hard stuff too like staying up all night when a child gets sick or for me helping your autistic son to understand what puberty is. Indeed, parenting can become a frustrating job at times and some mothers want to claim father’s day too.

Believe it or not there are a lot of excellent fathers who are in their children’s lives. Some fathers are still with the mothers of their children and are a positive entity. There are fathers who weathered the storm of the ups and downs in a relationship or marriage. There are also fathers who aren’t with the mothers of their children but his presence is still felt. There are fathers who don’t only see their children on holidays but often. There are fathers who take their children to school who knows their children favorite foods and colors. There are fathers who are making memories with their children not just making children who dream of seeing them. There are fathers who don’t just pay child support and feel that’s enough. There are fathers who put their children first and it stays that way regardless of whatever happens.

There are fathers who want to see their children but can’t. There are fathers who are single parents too. Is it really okay to rob the excellent fathers of their day because some of the mothers are in their feelings? Mothers day is in May. Father’s day is in June. Single parents day is in March we must understand the difference. Happy Father’s day to all of the great fathers around the world you are appreciated truly. Blessings!

A New Thing

I’m a creature of habit. I have always hated change up until recently anyway. Change is not always a bad thing it can be a good thing. The Bible spoke of doing a new thing in the Old Testament in Isaiah.

When God closes a door you best believe that He’s opening a new one. So whether you see a open door praise God anyway He always has our backs. The same God that made ways in the past still does it now and forever. It’s okay to move on and not look back God has something for us to look forward to. I believe this truly because He’s shown me so many times I’m not worried. Nothing will steal my joy there’s nothing or no-one more powerful than God. I can’t want to see everything that God has in store. So let go and let God.

Isaiah 43:18-19

18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

It’s Okay

Heeeeeey!! I’m feeling great! Woot Woot! I took a little break and it’s okay. It’s okay to take a break students take spring and summer breaks from school. People take vacations from work. God rested on the seventh day. Taking a break gives a person a chance to relax, rejuvenate, and have a fresh outlook.

When  I started my blog  I was so happy and  I still am. I wanted to take a step back to think about the direction that  I want to take my blog in and well so far so go. I’m proud about the things that  I have shared it’s about helping someone else. I want God to get His glory from my story. It’s not a good look to make things about one’s self.

I will get back into writing again because I love to write. There are so many testimonies that I have witnessed and I can’t wait to write about them. God is so good!! I want to tell the world out the goodness of God!

I hope that everyone is enjoying spring! Remember taking a break is okay it will make you feel great!

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Spot On

This morning one of my Facebook friends said something that was absolutely brilliant. In the past I have made posts pertaining to this subject as well however reading his post I never realized how huge the situation was. There are some men who pretend to be Christians but they are not. A real Christian man will not try to lure a Christian woman into a trap. Nevertheless his post said something like this “I see lots of posts from various ” good men “claiming they are on a quest to find their queen. If you are a good man then out of thousands of Facebook friends you should have a least one good woman. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a game to manipulate more than one woman with selling chivalrous dreams.” My facebook friend’s post was spot on this morning this situation needs to be addressed more to raise awareness.

In order to have God as the glue in a marriage or relationship God has to be in both people. Christ must be trusted completely with every aspect of our lives including our love life. If we come across a person and feel that they are our love interest yet they are not a Christian then the relationship is not of God. If we continue to pursue something that isn’t of God then that’s acting out in the flesh and not in the spirit. We must trust God completely He has many wonderful things in store (including love) we just have to trust Him. If we trust Him then our faith should show all we have to do is believe.

People call it being judgmental but  I don’t feel that speaking on shacking up is wrong. If you are living with someone and you are not married as well as bring children into the world that is wrong. If a man has not married a woman but have children with her he’s still searching. People fail to realize it hurts the children deeply when their parents are not together. Regardless of a child’s age 3, 7, 11 or even 16 any number it still hurts them to not see their parents together. It’s especially hard for children when they feel as if they are pawns in between two parents who can’t co-parent in a civilized manner.

All these things starts with some men who claim to be a Christian but their actions don’t match. A man of God is suppose to be a leader who could never see himself hurting a woman of God who is trying her best on her walk with Christ. Don’t be a stumbling block be a positive step into the right direction in others lives. Remember one life touches another so light up someone else’s life. I don’t know about any other Woman of God but I refuse to play second class to a person who has a first class ticket to hell. I will not be a backup plan I’m not a computer. I have feelings. Men of God I’m not attacking you or putting men of the world down however you need to check yourself if men of the world’s morality beats yours. If you are a Man of God truly then walk the walk that you are called to do without cha cha dancing or electric sliding with the world.

Proverbs 27:17

Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

The Pain of Divorce

I absolutely cannot stress this enough divorce is a humongous deal. In the past  I have opened up about my separation and possible divorce. Divorce is ugly period it’s never good because it affects so many people especially the children. What  I can’t stand about certain situations like divorce people want to be private so they suffer in silence. Recently I saw a heartbreaking post on Facebook about a woman who was going through a divorce. She would post about the pain of her divorce apparently it wasn’t received well amongst some of her Facebook friends. To make a long story short she had no one to turn to and so she took her life. I feel so sorry for her children this will make it even harder for them.

At times I get so sick of this horrible world with the heartless people in it. I know that there’s a God and  I know that He’s sitting on His throne. God will correct the wrongs and heal the hurting hearts. I know that none of us are God but if you come across a hurting person be kind always. The best thing that we all can do once we have done everything that we can is pray.

Father God In Heaven,

My prayer to You is to please guide people to marry the right people. Once You bring two people together have it so that they understand the vows that You made. Have it rooted in the married couples that at times better could become worse, that sickness may come, that they can have it all one day and lose it all the next. Father God help them to stay strong in You. Have a married couple understand that tough times don’t last but tough people do. Father God on the days when one of them become unlovable have their love for You to be more stronger so that it will keep their marriage together. Have a married couple to take their eyes off of the world and fixed on You. This wicked world at times has no concept of the beauty of marriage Father God only You can keep a marriage strong. I pray also for the couples who are separated may their marriage be restored and that they come back together stronger than ever. Father God I know that You hate divorce. I pray that You remove the word divorce as a go to as a way to solve a marriage problem. Have every marriage experience many years of happiness and their children too. Most of all thank You Father God for all that You do and what You are about to do. In Jesus Precious Name

Amen

Yes You Are

You don’t need L’Oreal to tell you that you are worth it. God shows us our worth everyday. Never leave it up to someone else to tell you your worth. Never let a person treat you less than the way that you deserve. We have to trust God always He will guide us to who and what is right. Here’s some cool memes:

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Culture Awareness

Recently I finished a course in Intercultural Competence and it taught me a lot of new things when it comes to interacting with different cultures. In order to become aware of other cultures it helps to become aware of your own. I have learned that once we understand others cultures; we can then appreciate them, establish a relationship and build an alliance. To build a strong community it takes a large number of people to make it work. Each culture is unique and has perspectives and strengths that any community can benefit from. Having an understanding of every culture can help us to overcome as well as avoid ethnic and racial divisions. A community can win when people don’t struggle with the vision of what a fair, moral and harmonious society is. There are many cultures and of course many of us would like to know about them all a good way to start is finding out about who lives in our community, the kind of diversity that already exists, the struggles that exist between the cultures, the struggles that are openly recognized and the kinds of issues that the different cultures have in common.

When it comes to having a community that is united there certain steps that should be taken and there are things that should not be done as well. Let’s use the African-American culture as an example there has been a lot of bad things that have taken place. There is still a lot of hurt that has turned into anger which is present in America to this very day. Even though I am an African-American one thing is true making people feel guilty for what their ancestors have done hundreds of years ago will not help diversity to become effective. People tend to change when they don’t feel condemned or guilt tripped. One day I saw a post from a Facebook friend she actually apologized for what her ancestors had done hundreds of years ago and I commented telling her that it was unnecessary. It may come as a shock to many but I get called names a lot like sellout and even accused of not being true to my culture. I have gotten slammed on several occasions all because of my views. My Christian beliefs help to keep me hopeful no matter how a situation looks like. In my opinion when it comes to bring cultures together everyone must be included, a solution of what can be done to solve the issues with hope of getting it done together is a huge step into the right direction. Having a strong community can only happen by  people working together from every culture this will help to build a strong relationship that has a core.

As I have written in the beginning getting to know one’s own culture and other cultures builds bridges that can connect people in addition recognizing the differences is important too. Many times people don’t want to recognize cultures differences out of fear that it may cause division however it’s actually on the contrary. Learning about other cultures can actually bring people closer together. When people are aware of other cultures they learn how to interact without negativity happening. A mind closed mind is not open to knowledge and so ignorance grows. It’s important that we all keep in mind that regardless of our cultures being different we all have feelings,we are human beings and we are all God’s Children.

Galatians 3:26

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

My Greatest Gifts

Merry Christmas to Everyone!!!

I’m not crying the blues; however, being a single parent is tough; that’s a reality. All  I want like most single parents is for my parenting skills to have the effects of a two parent home. I love my two sons with everything that  I have. When  I write papers in class, I always speak of how the ultimate gift of parenting is how your children turn out and how they choose to raise their children like how they were raised.

This year  I was blessed to be able to give my sons some great gifts still  I was going to talk like  I always do with my youngest son about Christmas. As  I have shared, my youngest has autism, so things have to be repeated a lot until he grasps it. I walked in the bedroom with my youngest, and he goes to Jesus the reason for the season. The tears just started to stream down my face even with his disability; he understands what Christmas is what an awesome gift that was for me to receive. I want to thank God every day I pray for the best for my sons; one of the things that  I want them to have the most is for them to have a relationship with Christ. I have instilled into my children that without Christ, we are nothing so never leave Him out of anything. It’s not Happy Holidays, Xmas; it’s Merry Christmas always, Christ is to be kept in everything always. When we allow God to lead our paths, we can’t go wrong, and things can only go right.

The second gift that  I received was a letter from my oldest son he wrote:

I love you mom

Merry Christmas mom your love is more powerful than a nuclear bomb. You’re better than the rest. You are a fighter and a great provider. You are so smart. You get A’s on your school work, and I am proud to call you my mom. I pray that you have lots of success because you deserve it. Merry Christmas mom I love you very much!

I want to thank Christ for all that He has done and what He continues to do. God is the reason why I made it this far in life and with raising my sons.

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A Letter To My Boaz

The Book of Ruth has been a blessing in my life. It made me want to be the best wife that I could be when God feels that  I am ready. I want to live according to His will. On my journey, things will come along as a distraction to get me to miss my blessings. To me, the most significant sign of maturity of a person’s walk is admitting to their faults and learning from them. When I got married ,God wasn’t in it, a marriage cannot survive without God being the foundation. God wasn’t in it but who knows what God can do. Everyone wants marriage but not the responsibilities that come with it.

Another thing this doesn’t apply to me but a good man wants a good woman of good quality. It’s not a good thing to be posting distasteful photos on the internet remember:

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Back on topic, I learned that sometimes gaining something you may have to lose something. I also learned that if you have a relationship with Christ, there will be less tough lessons to learn because you will be in tune with His voice. Christ is hope with Him in our lives; we will always make the right choice.

To my future Boaz:

I want to thank God

For making you just for me

A faith, loyal, praying

Man of God

Even though we both have

Encountered tough times

God allowed us to survive

We learned what we wanted

Wasn’t what we needed

That when God isn’t in our lives

There’s more of a chance of

Us not doing what’s right

You need to know that  I value you

Already without even meeting you

Yet

I respect you

My Boaz with Ephesians five standards

I trust your leadership

Because  I trust God first

I want to pray with you

Read the Bible with you

Worship and fellowship

With you

If you have children

They are included too

Understand that there is no we or us

If everything or everyone that we love

Isn’t involved

I want to be a problem solver

Not a trouble maker

I want to ease your pain

And not cause it

I don’t care about material things

They come and go

Besides the Bible says that when

A man finds a wife he finds a good

Thing and will receive favor from

The Lord

So until the day, we come together

I want  you to know that

I am working on being awesome for

God and you

I want you to be my Boaz

And  I want to be your Ruth

I love the Book of Ruth

Ruth 2:4  And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The Lord be with you. And they answered him, The Lord bless thee.thee.6