LOTD: New Year, New Look, New Energy!

2day I'm grateful 4 my Creator, 

another beautiful day, appreciative parents, 

the laughter of children, and continued patience!

So yesterday I was really feeling myself. Maybe because I TRULY enjoyed my time off and am happy to be back at work with the kiddos this week. HAHAHA! Seriously, I always return ready to run a marathon and love to see the children in their new outfits describing their newest gadget!

7 Days of Gratitude: Day 7

DrLife: Spiritual practice of the week: For the next 7 days, wake up and write 5 things that you are grateful for BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE!

Each day the outlook becomes a little brighter…….and today is the 7th day


1. I’m grateful for extraordinary people that appear ordinary. In the past two weeks, I have had the pleasure of meeting what seems like ordinary people. They may even be referred to as common folks. But there’s nothing ordinary about them. They are those who like to see others do well in life and offer people the tools to do so without being asked. These are people I was just having an ordinary conversation with and they provided me with sound information that can benefit all areas of my life. These are the on time blessings that don’t fall from the sky but walk up to you and ask “How’s it going?” I’m glad I acknowledged their presence instead of looking the other way.

2. I’m grateful for loving what I do. Often times, I get upset when I look around me and find that the climate on my job is not too pleasant. However, I still love being a teacher. I cherish the ah-ha moments that appear in a student who’s finally grasped a concept he was struggling with and now takes off running with it. I am often tickled by the ones who can’t stand me this year, but take a detour to walk past my door the next year just to say hi. I am excited when I see them a few years later and they share with me all of their accomplishments and future plans. I am honored when reading an email or having a conversation with a former student who is now a senior tell me how mean they thought I was but realized it was for their own good. I love when I get a new student and she tells me “My sister told me you don’t play”. LOL. And I respond well I’m glad she warned you.

3. I’m grateful for this thing called poetry. Writing is something I learned to do well as a child, because quite honestly I was embarrassed at times to be vocal. I was often teased for the grunting noise I made at the end of a sentence but couldn’t hear myself do. So the one thing I knew I could do well is look good on paper. Therefore I wrote how I felt. But then I stopped and concentrated my energy on everyone and everything around me. A few years ago, I decided when it was time to focus on me to just write. I hate that I waited so late, but I’m glad that I started when I did. Writing has been perfect therapy for me. It has allowed me to cleanse my mind, connect with great people, and heal my heart. For me there is no greater feeling than riding done the road, walking through the mall, sitting on my patio…..and having a burst of words flood my thoughts stringing themselves together in a rhythmic dance searching for a scrap of paper as its final destination.


4. I’m grateful for inner peace. At this very moment, if I screamed so loud that my neighbors could hear me, it would probably be justified. However, I won’t. It will not change anything around me, nor will it fix what is already broken. About a year ago, I surely would be throwing a tantrum right now as I have some turmoil going on around me. However, yesterday when I felt most challenged, I maintained. This morning I recognized my growth. I finally arrived at inner peace. Something I have gotten close to before, but never quite grab hold of long enough to maintain. However, this time I think I’ve got it! With uncertainty about my son’s direction, my career, my education, and how I will continue to jump over these next few financial hurdles, I am not giving up hope. I am celebrating what I have done and am at peace with what I have not. I know that everything has its own timetable and I’m ok with that.

5. I’m grateful for God’s favor. There is no way possible certain situations have been resolved in my life without God’s undivided attention. Oh I know that sounds cocky, like He was only thinking about me. But it’s quite the opposite. Because I know me better than anyone else and I am fully aware that I could cease to exist at any moment, I have to acknowledge that God has stopped me from drowning a few times. I even recognize that He has allowed me to have something I don’t need because I begged for it so long…..and once He gave it to me, it was later that I realized it wasn’t what I thought……so I wanted Him to take it back and quick. LoL. But of course, I had to deal with the consequences and work my way through some things before He moved those burdens out of my path. Therefore, it would be difficult for me not to see that God has always taken care of my needs and my wants.


This is the 7th and final day that I will be posting my grateful list with details. However, I am planning to make this practice a fixture in my daily routine. Have you tried it yet……what are you grateful for? Until next time…..journey light.

Luv, peace, and an abundance of blessings,
E

7 Days of Gratitude: Day 6

DrLife: Spiritual practice of the week: For the next 7 days, wake up and write 5 things that you are grateful for BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE!

Each day is more beautiful than the day before…….and I’m on day 6


1. I’m grateful for soul stirring music. Whether it’s jazz, gospel, or rock, I love how music can get down my toes and converse with me. It can twirl me around, take me back two steps in time and bring back a memory so vivid, it feels like it happened yesterday. It provides me with an anthem for living when things around me seem bleak. When I’m driving I can have a full Richard Smallwood concert by myself that gets me ready for the day. I can put on Mary J. and celebrate being a woman. The Staple Singers always make me think about 'doing it again'. LOL. Music can get me moving when I don’t feel like it. Music speaks to me in a way no one else can.

2. I’m grateful for backyard bbqs. I enjoy getting together with family and friends and just enjoying the company of one another. There are so many that do not get to or desire to build strong relationships with others. One of the reasons I love the summer so much is because I know I’ll be able to see and spend time with those I care most about.

3. I’m grateful for obstacles. Those things that stand between me and my goals, are there to make me appreciate getting to the finish line that much more. Right now I have a few obstacles before me, but I know once I cross over them the next one is easier to overcome.

4. I’m grateful for affirmations. The first time I truly paid attention to the effects affirmations can have was when I purchased “Acts of Faith” by Iylana Vanzant. I got so excited that I bought copies to share with others around me going through. These words of gratitude are having the same effect. They allow me to feel restored, renewed, and rejuvenated. All because I opened my mouth and acknowledged the good things around me, instead of dwelling on the bad.

5. I’m grateful for mental housekeeping. Just like I have to keep the area around me clear of debris, I have to make an extra effort to keep my mind free of those things that can hinder my progress. If I allow negativity to sit around me daily, then eventually, it’s going to find its way into my thoughts. Can’t have that! So when it creeps in, I try to stay alert and sweep those corners out quickly.

Now I have to get back to jumping over these obstacles……….so what are you grateful for? Until next time…..journey light.

Luv, peace, and an abundance of blessings,

E

7 Days of Gratitude: Day 5

DrLife: Spiritual practice of the week: For the next 7 days, wake up and write 5 things that you are grateful for BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE!

The birds woke me up this morning…….and I’m on day 5………..


1. I’m grateful for Monday mornings. I suppose that’s easy to say right now because it’s we’re in the middle of the summer. But I use to dread Mondays and now I look at is as another opportunity to start the week off inspired and ready to change some things.

2. I’m grateful for do overs. It’s not often that we get the first opportunity to do something the way we want. But to get a second chance to get it right, that is a great feeling. There are some things in life that you get only one turn with. But I’m blessed to be able to have another turn with those things in life that affect me and my future the most.

3. I’m grateful for tears. There are times when I have cried, not knowing where it’s coming from exactly. But afterwards, I feel so much better. Tears may symbolize sadness or happiness, but ultimately they purge and free me from thoughts that may hold me back in my ability to love and even comfort someone else. Aristotle theorized that crying “cleanses the mind”. Just like laughter, crying can ease stress. By allowing those few tears to roll every now and then, I free myself of pain and anger that could potentially lead to illnesses such as depression. I would rather just have a case of the ‘blues’.

4. I’m grateful for joy. The main difference between ‘happiness’ and ‘joy’ is that one is temporary, while the other has long lasting effects. When I think about it one travels from the outside in while the other from the inside out. Something or someone can make me happy, but joy comes from within. ‘This joy that I have the world didn’t give to me…..and the world can’t take it away”. That verse is a reminder that joy is mine unless I give it away.

5. I’m grateful for the birds outside my window. They really use to get on my last nerve, but when my uncle died two years ago, the birds gave me a message. My Uncle Danny was like another father and to get the call that he had passed and I hadn't told him how much he meant to me was devastating. I remember crying inconsolably before dawn. Then hearing my uncle’s voice in a joking manner calling me by the nickname he always used for me and telling me to stop all that ‘damn crying and snot slinging…..I’m alright’. The next sound was this one bird singing loudly outside my window before the sun had even risen. It was very possible that it did that everyday, but that day I heard it clearly. And I started smiling, still crying but grinning from ear to ear. Because I knew on that particular morning that bird was singing specifically for me. So I no longer get mad when they wake me up. I thank them for showing up.

So of course I’m crying now, but it’s ok because this stroll does my soul good…….so what are you grateful for? Until next time…..journey light.

Luv, peace, and an abundance of blessings,

E

7 Days of Gratitude: Day 4

DrLife: Spiritual practice of the week: For the next 7 days, wake up and write 5 things that you are grateful for BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE!

It’s beautiful morning.......and I’m on day 4……….

1. I’m grateful for solitude. When my mind is on overload, going out to a movie is not always the answer. Interacting with others just may add to my level of stress. There are times when I need to step out of the world and away from the people in it. Shut myself in for a day and focus on me. During those times I may read, meditate, pray, etc. But whatever I’m doing it’s a process needed to make me better. Even if I decide to just clean, it helps me to clear my mind of any unnecessary or ill feelings. It gives me the opportunity to not worry about anything but to focus on simple things like how to get this stain out of the carpet. Therefore I recognize the beauty in solitude and understand it is not the same as loneliness.

2. I’m grateful for shelter. There was only one time in my life that I didn’t know where I was going to live. Even then it was not because I faced homelessness, but because I refused to stay in a place that I knew was going to bring me a great deal of stress. Therefore after one week, I moved back out of my just built apartment with a pair of railroad tracks staring up at my patio. J I hired movers to put my things on a truck and put it in storage. I spent the next 3 weeks hotel hopping. It almost felt like I was on vacation with Priceline.com as my tour guide, lol. So regardless of the circumstances, I’ve always been blessed with a roof over my head, electricity, water and food.

3. I’m grateful for having a voice. Thinking of the situation above, there are many people who do not have those types of choices or resources. Or who believe they have to take what someone says or does to them because that’s what they have become accustomed to. But that is not the way it must be. There may be times of discomfort my life, but I have a voice. At no time should a person ever feel they must remain silent and accept whatever is told to them if it is not for their own good. If I were unable to speak my mind about my own life than my life would easily become the property of someone else. At that point, what’s the purpose of living?

4. I’m grateful for individuality. I love to see children do their own thing, but within reason of course. No spoiled brats like on ‘The Nanny’. I would be on the 12, 6, and 11 o’clock news if faced with that. LOL. As children, most of us start out trying to be like someone else we idolize. Whether it is our parents or someone we saw on television. As we enter our teens, we want to fit in and become like those around us. That’s when the real struggle begins. We want their popularity, their looks, their style, their girlfriends/boyfriends, etc. Nowadays I believe it’s simply referred to as ‘swag’. But whatever it is, we want it. This in itself, when you pause and think, means we are coveting someone else’s identity. That is not how we are designed. Even identical twins have some characteristics that allows for them to be individuals. It’s easy to see as an adult, but unfortunately many adults are the worse about trying to be like someone else. It took me a minute to figure this out, but I have no desire to be just like the people around me. How boring is that? I can learn nothing from those identical to me. Therefore I’m happy with whom I am and I can only be me.


5. I’m grateful for my spirituality. I am not one to challenge another’s beliefs. When you dismiss another person’s belief system, I think it tears them down versus building them up. There is no real teaching in telling someone how to or not to do something. It must be modeled. It must be lived and shown. Therefore I respect another’s religious practices and ask that they respect my choices. I grew up attending church. I’ve served in a few positions in church as well. I’ve even had the opportunity to be a guest speaker at churches we fellowshipped with. But eventually I learned to not embrace religion, but spirituality. And that lesson has been primarily taught to me by my interaction with reluctant churchgoers. These are not non-believers but people who because of “religious practices” have been turned off to attending church, and in some cases accepting Christianity. I do enjoy attending church service, but I recognize that the building I sit in matters not, as long as I can be spiritually fed. Although my spirituality is based on biblical readings and teachings, what God looks like I do not presume to say. It does not really matter to me, He’s black or white or if the pastor is a woman. The message should be the same regardless of whose mouth it’s uttered from, even if it steps on my toes. That’s where the breakdown occurs. That’s how most people get lost when the person presumed to be given a title by God adds their two cents. That is why we have so many translations. The vessel that God uses can be anyone and it can be for only one time. That often goes unrecognized. However because of the things that I have personally experienced I know that God exist and His Word exist in me. I also acknowledge His Word outside of me. I do not feel lost. I cannot sit high and point out another’s flaws. I can only focus on my own. For another, I can only hope that most of the time, I am a positive influence. Because I recognize that I am not perfect and while living will never reach that status. But I do believe in being a lifelong learner in all areas of my life. Therefore, I’ve moved away from the tradition of sitting somewhere just because it’s what I’ve always done every Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday. So, I go where I can 'intentionally' hear and learn, not just be caught up in the numbers. Today, that just may be streamingfaith.com :)

Wow, how did I end up here? Hmm, I just might lose someone today. But I also may inspire you to use your voice. So again I ask........what are you grateful for? Until next time......journey light.

Luv, peace, and an abundance of blessings,

E

7 Days of Gratitude: Day 3

DrLife: Spiritual practice of the week: For the next 7 days, wake up and write 5 things that you are grateful for BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE!

It’s the weekend y’all!!.......and I’m on day 3……….

1. I’m grateful for patience. When challenged my initial thought is to immediately do something, to react. But I have learned to step back and take a 2nd look at my situation and wait. Whether it is dealing with my personal life or someone else’s child, I’ve come to find those breathing exercises to work. Now do I always do this? No. But I’m so much better than I was.

2. I’m grateful for guidance. The older we get the wiser we should become. As children, teenagers, and young adults, we are often dismissive of advice from our elders. Instead we seek advice from someone that’s right there in the trenches with us side by side. But as I’ve become older, I see the fault in that. Now my attitude is if I am going to make a mistake, let it be a new one. It makes no sense to make the same errors as those around me.

3. I’m grateful for faith. I’m so happy I’ve learned to accept that ‘this too shall pass’. That the next day or hour will be brighter. That whatever it is I’m up against will work itself out. And if it doesn’t, well apparently God has other plans for me.

4. I’m grateful for sensitivity. This is one I use to hate. How I could be so easily affected by what someone else thinks, says, or does. But its part of what makes me, me. It frames my thinking and helps me to be understanding when I don’t want to be understanding. It helps me to find the good in someone or something, and try to show kindness when needed the most. It keeps me balanced.

5. I’m grateful for acceptance. I use to be good (really just evil) at deciding who it is I will associate with based off of a ‘feeling’ I got. Not ever having a conversation, just a feeling. Now, taking people at face value has become much easier for me to do. I still have a couple of categories of folks I find difficult to talk to, but most I can carry a conversation with easily. However, there are still conditions and that is that your intentions are not to harm me or those around me mentally, emotionally or physically.


How blessed I am that you took the time to listen on this beautiful morning......now how blessed are you? Until next time....journey light.

Luv, peace, and an abundance of blessings,

E

7 Days of Gratitude: Day 2

DrLife: Spiritual practice of the week: For the next 7 days, wake up and write 5 things that you are grateful for BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE!

So much is going on in the world around me.....I'm on day 2.....

1. I'm grateful for laughter. I remember going through life and people always telling me to smile. If only the knew how much I do smile & laugh. I've learned that regardless of my circumstances, to keep smiling, keep laughing. Laughter truly is the best medicine and I have laughed myself out of some things that could hold me back from living.

2. I'm grateful for love. I think one of the main reason I married when I did is because I had never experienced the love that my ex displayed for me. I was very flattered and moved. Therefore I was never a question in my mind about how he felt about me. I've experienced the feeling of someone loving me for me and wanting the best for me. Now that I know what that feels like, I can't accept an imitation.

3. I'm grateful for motherhood. I only have one child. Who is now a man. It is the only pregnancy I've had and although, I was not married. I believe he was the one child intended for me. He hasn't grieved me in the way I've seen other mothers grieve. He isn't in the streets, nor jail. He has no kids. So as mad as I may get with him now, I remind myself that God gave me this particular child for a reason.

4. I'm grateful for a my upbringing. Ohh Lawd, the things I COULD say. The other night over dinner some friends and I strolled down the memory lane of discipline. But that discipline is what shaped me along with the love and care I received as a child and still do feel as an adult. The seed my parents planted in me was placed deeply. That is what allows me to be who I am without apology.

5. I'm grateful for childhood memories. When I think of tragedies that occur in the world, especially the death and abuse of children, I can't fathom what their lives must have looked like. I remember our whole family(cousins & all) spending time together year round. Sledding in the winter. Playing volleyball and baseball in the summer. Huge gathering for each holiday. Riding the greyhound with my cousins to visit our grandmothers every summer. Churning homemade ice cream at the family bbq every weekend. Even beatings with switches at those same bbqs and being told "thats your cousin y'all don't ever fight". Going to the A & W with my dad on the weekends for chilidogs. Packing ourselves in my aunt's car to go the beach. Trying on the school clothes that my mom brought home, because that's the way it was. Building a snow fortress and sand castles. Learning how to ride a bike even though my dad let me fall the first couple of times. My mom having hot chocolate waiting as I peeled out of the moonboots, snowmobile suit, leggings, extra sweater, hat, and mittens. My dad teaching me how to beat his friends at chess. Sitting between my mom's legs, while she frenchbraided and beaded my hair. My grandmother teaching me how to crochet and macrame. I'm so glad my family allowed me the opportunity to just be a child and not force my growth with adult situations and problems.

I'm sitting here smiling as I look back. How blessed I am to experience these things and more.......how blessed are you? Until next time....journey light.

Luv, peace, and an abundance of blessings,

E

7 Days of Gratitude: Day 1

A friend of mine posted the following statement on Twitter:

DrLife: Spiritual practice of the week: For the next 7 days, wake up and write 5 things that you are grateful for BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE!

Her tweet reminded me that it was time to review my 2009 goals and so far I've been making progress with all but that finance one. Ugh!! But anywho, the two goals I'm specifically thinking about regarding DrLife's tweets are to 'Improve my overall spiritual growth and giving' and 'Improve my relationship with self'. Because in order to give of yourself, I believe you must be able to also take care of yourself first. So I encourage myself by participating in a variety of things that cause me to grow. As I look at the statement above there's much to be grateful for.

1. I'm grateful that I still have life. As cliche as it may sound, on November 2, 1990, I rolled my car over an estimated 3 times in a rural area with two houses in sight. My car landed on its roof. I unbuckled myself, walked to the edge of the road, where someone caught me before I hit the concrete. I was in the hospital maybe 5 hours. Long enough for them to pull the shards of glass from my hand and head.

2. I'm grateful that I have my health. I hadn't been in the hospital overnight since Dom was born until last summer. I underwent surgery that required the removal of a ovarian cyst that grew to the size of a baseball in about 7 months as well as the removal of the tube on the opposite side. The cyst had began affecting my kidney's as well. So I had two additional doctors on site. But the one I was concerned with was the oncologist, just in case it was found to be cancerous. Thank God, he was just an observer that day. Ladies, pay attention to your bodies and make those yearly exams a birthday present to yourself.

3. I'm grateful for strength. While going through the divorce, I found myself with a lenghthy list of expenses that I was solely responsible for. My name was on everything. Eventually I was facing a foreclosure as my mortgage had been adjusting every 6 months. The last statement I remember was for almost $1600 per month. At that point, I decide to tell them they can have it. I could not fret about what was now out of my control. What was within my control is not sitting there waiting to be put out. So, I found a new place, packed up, moved, and started over. This was before the big mortgage fallout. I never hid my situation. In fact I believe in telling others, so they can be more aware of the responsibilities of home ownership.

4. I'm grateful for my family. No matter what has occured in my life. No matter what choices I have made. I have been phenomally blessed by a mother, father, sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and that boy of mine lol. They have always provided me with open arms, shoulders to lean and cry on, and encouragement to 'keep it moving'. I have met people who do not have the type of bond I have with my family. I can't imagine what that feels like and I pray that I will never have to.

5. I'm grateful for my friends. As I went through my divorce, I realized my social circle was my ex's family, friends, our church (pastored by his mom), and a couple of people I worked with. Other than that everyone else was miles & miles away and we spoke sporadically due to various obligations. Although I'm still just as close to my best friends from 20+ years ago, I have opened myself up to meeting other people. Most of the people I have encountered, I would never have imagined to be in my social circle. But now they are and they have proved to be better friends than many I've known for years.

Wow, that was long huh? lol. Well that's my first day of 7.......what are you grateful for? Until the next time......journey light.

Luv, peace, and an abundance of blessings,

E

Good morning beautiful people! I so need to catch up on what everyone is writing about. Thanks for stopping by if I haven't been by your blogs to tell you yet. I had so much I wanted to write last week, but never took the time to sit done and type it. Which means I need to start back journaling. So I'm going to get my thoughts together and come back later. :-) But for now, I'll post something my aunt sent me many moons ago. I think #13 & #17 are priceless, as they are sometimes the most difficult and provide the path to inner peace and healing. Journey light! Luv, peace, and an abundance of blessings! E

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today. I am thankful for______________'

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli , almonds & walnuts.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. GOD heals everything.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

A Week of Simply Divine Happenings

Good Evening Beautiful People,

Many times when Sunday evening rolls around, I fall into a funk. I begin to feel physically drained, unable to become motivated to even eat. This is usually brought on by the thought of my Monday morning return to a place I now refer to as Pharoah's Land. Now I know many may frown on such a comparison. Especially as we sit in the midst of an economy turned upside down. I hear your thoughts "Be grateful, you have a job". Trust me, I am. But it is what it is and we all have had to deal with foolishness on the job before, spoke ill of the company, and rolled right back in there smiling because ultimately we need to pay our bills. So today, I started sliding down that slippery slope, but stopped to think of the truly simple things that transpired this past week and I began to feel better. So, here they are:

1. Giving the clerk a $20 for gas to fill up and getting change back
2. Being in serious pain at work and one of my "problem" students demanding that the others act right because "Ms. G don't feel well"
3. Another one of my students singing "Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto"
4. Getting back on track with my poetry and sharing three of my pieces at SIP's Open Mic
5. Having the opportunity to just chill with one of my girl's and enjoy a different genre of music then the norm
6. Rocking my twa with and without makeup and being told how beautiful I am
7. Running into one of my highschool classmates from Michigan at my neighborhood Publix in Atlanta
8. And finally, topping the list is my Friday morning drive to work........I was running late and one of the idiot lights came on as my car decided it didn't feel the need to go faster than 50 mph on the highway. So of course my thoughts were I need a "payment plan" mechanic, but the simple remedy was transmission fluid........sad I know, but cheap!

See told you they were simple things. Love, peace, and an abundance of blessings,
E