When you see your mate Just the sight of them realizing your fate Are you greeted with a warm embrace Or indifference instead You know, like a frown or look of dread
Just the simple things
You get home stressed from work Walking in your mate is wearing a smile A smile that lets you know that they miss you
They see you
They are glad you are home
They love you
Just the simple things
All that can be said without saying a single word Its time for bed, your mate gives your hand a squeeze Gives you a hug Utters the words, good night Baby Next up is the forehead kiss
Just the simple things
A forehead kiss... Wait a minute If you have not experienced a forehead kiss When you do, you will understand It’s one of the most endearing forms of affection
Just the simple things
Love who loves you back Want who wants you back If you are met with attitude Take no gratitude in the latitude of someone else's wrath The magnitude does not matter
Prayer is so helpful and freeing. Just know that God answers prayer. We have to also remember that we must prepare to receive our blessings. Work must be done beforehand. Be grateful for the receiving, no matter how long it takes. He is in control.
Video message-When We Pray
Thank you all. I appreciate you stopping by to read and/or watch my content.
Can You Answer This? What is the Best Decade of Your Life?
Joyous Life
Life is a funny thing. It is so unpredictable. It comes with joys, bumps and bruises. We go through ups and downs, but we still manage to continue to live on to see another day. Can you answer this? What is the best decade of your life?
Was it when you were in your 20s, 30s, 40s or beyond? Most people are still figuring things out in their 20s and having fun. Some of us were starting a family in our 20s and some getting married. Education was a front-runner for others, while family took a back seat.
Maybe your 30s was your best decade. Did you meet the love of your life in your 30s. That career you always wanted was front and center and you could not be happier. Reuniting with a long lost relative or friend has changed your life immensely; in a good way of course.
The 40s brought you a mended relationship with someone very special to you. You are now in the home you always dreamed of. Maybe, a goal that you set for yourself has come to fruition and you can be proud of the hard work you put in to obtain that goal.
Wherever life takes you is where you are meant to be. We can try to plot and scheme certain things but ultimately it is up to the creator who is always in control.
What is the proper age for people to get married? Is there such a thing as too young or too old? Undue pressures of society have us buying into unrealistic expectations. Who is to say at what age you find love. What is your take on the subject? Leave a comment and share your perspective.
Video message-Being multi-cultural, where do you fit in?
Being of multiethnic/cultural heritage is great. You get to enjoy the best of it all. However, it can be challenging. Acceptance by your peers may present a problem.
How do you overcome rejection from one or the other culture? Do you try to fit in or just live your life. If you can relate and have experienced rejection of this kind, please share in the comments. Tell us a little about it. Your experience may help someone overcome it and move past it. ❤️
National Hispanic Heritage Month starts on September 15 and ends October 15, 2024. Even though, it is officially a month-long celebration, contributions are felt and made all year long. Many Latino and Hispanic communities feel a sense of honor throughout this special holiday. The timing of NHHM marks dates of independence for several Latino countries.
What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you? If you are not sure what it is all about take some time to research more about it. Afterwards, you can share and spread the word about what you have learned. Use this time to learn Spanish, if you choose to. Check out some local events in your community. There are many ways to celebrate and show support for the Latino and Hispanic communities and all they have done for the betterment of America.
The theme for 2024 is Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together
Let us take our hats off to those who have helped make positive strides in Latin American Countries and all over the world.
Thick skin in the creative process refers to your ability to let certain comments roll off your back. How you manage being judged on your creative work and/or projects. Especially when the comments are unfavorable.
Creative Pursuits
Creating something artful whether it be authoring a book, singing a song or performing a dance and sharing it is putting yourself out there. It is such a rewarding experience. No matter the way it turns out in the end, the sheer experience is life altering. Being in the public eye leaves you open to scrutiny. You will have people who like and support what you do and others who will not. Please understand that everyone will not have the same feelings and/or opinions as you.
I want you to be aware that with those supporters come people on the other end of the spectrum. Both are equally important. The supporters should be appreciated and thanked for their support. Please let them know that you are grateful for their support. For the ones who dislike your creative pursuits, just know that it comes with the territory. You have to take the good with the bad.
Keep your focus on the supporters but also be aware of the ones who are not a fan of your work. The reason is that you can use the unfavorable comments, reviews or thumbs down to your advantage. It may inspire you to add a different element to your next project. Maybe you can take that feedback and incorporate something new into your next book, post, song or art piece. Turn that negative feedback into a positive.
Be Inspired
Please remember that you cannot let those comments get into your head. The moment you do, you are done! Done! Because now the doubt, uncertainty and insecurities come out and you might think about quitting. It can be hurtful because you poured your heart and soul into it and then to have someone say something negative. Wow, what a blow. You know that you worked hard and did your best. Dotted your i’s and crossed your t’s. Rehearsed and proofread. You are satisfied with the end result, only to see that one negative comment/review.
What about the 10 positive ones? Do not forget about those. Focus on those but also keep note of that one because you can use that. Instead use that feedback to your advantage. Be aware of it but do not let it consume you. The love and support received from your work is motivating, it makes you smile and also keeps you on your toes. The universe is waiting for your next installment. The love and support outshine all else.
Think about it this way. You have a child and that’s your baby no matter what. No matter how old our children get, they will always be our baby. You better not say anything bad about our children, right. So, your creative project is similar in that aspect. It’s your baby, you love your baby and put work into it. To only have someone say something negative. Does that mean that you will stop loving your baby? Of course not. You get where I’m going with this?
Summary
Keep creating, keep pushing forward. Remember that the creative process is great, in that it teaches us, and we learn a lot from it. So many good things come out of it. It is therapy for some, hobbies for others, career driven too. No matter the reason, never stop believing in yourself. Continue on and let the thick skin in the creative process be your guiding light.
“Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing.”
L.M. Montgomery
Trying is the first step to discovery. Discovering your potential and finding out what is possible. Of course, in trying things in life we set out to win. Life does not always work out that way.
Failure, on the other hand is such a great teacher. When we fail at things, we learn how not to do something on the next try. Failing is one of the best ways to learn. It gives us another opportunity at our pursuits in life. We have the chance to rethink and redo our previous attempts.
Winning is what comes out of our previous failed attempts. If we always win, what will we ever learn or how will we ever grow?
August 27th is National Just Because Day. It is day to switch it up and do things, just because. Random acts of kindness are one way to celebrate this day. Do something out of the norm. Be spontaneous. You call the shots. It is a few days away, so put your thinking cap on and come up with things to do on this day.
Ideas to get you started
Send a nice gift or a card to a loved one.
Pay it forward by paying for someone in the line either ahead or behind you.
Treat yourself to something nice that you have been eyeing for a while.
Call a friend or family member just to say hello and see how they are doing.
Spread the word on social media. Let people know about this special day and many people can get in on it. The more the merrier.
Bake a cake from the box mix if you have a sweet tooth. Remember as a child, licking the bowl of batter mix 🙂
Wear mixed matched socks.
Just Because
You get the idea of what this day is all about. So, make it fun and do something just because. Don’t overthink it and do something without any rhyme or reason. You have a few days to plan something if that is what you want to do or just free style it and do what comes to mind on Tuesday, 27th of August.
Sharing a personal experience of speaking in front of a crowd. I challenged myself to perform an original poem about my father. Although, I was not one of the finalists for the talent show. it was a great experience. I learned that you could do anything you put your mind to. Even when you do not take home the prize it is still rewarding just for trying.
Nappy and happy; a renewed perspective describes the sentiments of better health and vitality. The crown, better known as our hair, is something that most women pride themselves about. It is a part of who we are and our identity. Arguably, too much emphasis is sometimes put on hair. Depending on your heritage and upbringing you may agree or disagree on this subject.
Putting hair over health is something that happens often but no one acknowledges that fact. Personally, I have seen many times that physical health/self-care takes a back seat due to not wanting to “sweat one’s hair out”. Sweating your hair out, is not welcome because you invest a lot of money and time into your hair. Why then would you risk messing it up with sweat from physical activity? You know, the kind of activity that is essential to long life and health. Why on earth would anyone want to do that? Crazy right?
Renewed Perspective
If you are someone who has decided to incorporate more physical activity and exercise into your life, you understand the benefits of doing so. Being healthy, feeling good, getting in shape and knowing that exercise/physical self-care is important is a hard pill to swallow for some. The healthier you become the happier you are too.
Personally, I have begun to make self-care a priority, instead of an option. Inconsistency with exercise was the road I travelled. Knowing that life is short, and I have no idea how long I have to be on earth is why I can say that I am nappy and happy. Of course, you can get hair styles that are more friendly with working out and are easy to maintain. For me, I would rather have improved health and vitality than great hair and bad health.
What is your take on great hair versus bad health? Do you feel that we can only have one over the other or both great hair and great health? How do you take care of your crown while maintaining good health?
If you are ready to drop some ill talk or action on someone, stop and drop some good will or cheer instead. For example, if you are about to say something foul to someone, especially someone that you love or who loves you. Stop and say something nice instead. It can be so easy to take those closest to you for granted. Those closest to us, sometimes do not get the best of us. This is because we figure, I see this person on a daily basis, so I do not have to be on my best behavior or give my all.
If you are going to say something that you know is hurtful to your loved one, give a complement instead. Forget about the argument you just had. Let it be. After you have decided to say something nice and complementary, it will make the other person feel good and you will feel better as well. Try it. What do you have to lose? Ok, I will tell you. By saying something positive about someone, you lose stress and anxiety. Ill feelings that increase cortisol in our bodies. You want to release dopamine and endorphins, the feel-good hormones.
Lose the negativity and grudge feelings. Love rules over everything. Be slow to anger and quick to love. Becoming angry is so easy and that is exactly why we must challenge ourselves. Embrace love and forgiveness.
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. Please know that you are seen and appreciated for all that you contribute and do for your children. The dads who take the responsibility seriously and do what they need to, in support and love of their children. I hope you smile today and every day knowing in your heart that you are special, important, loved, needed and cherished.
Blended families and discipline rules
Blended families exist and they can be rewarding but also come with some demands. Meaning, that the non-biological parent in the family may face some opposition when trying to discipline a child in the home. The child may feel like they do not have to abide by rules of someone who is not their biological parent. You know how defiant kids can be. So, that brings the question of what the rules are with discipline. Is it okay for a parent other than the biological mother or father to discipline a child?
One thing I think most of us can agree on is that children require discipline. The method of discipline varies greatly and is a personal preference. Nonetheless, it is a necessary part of a child’s growth and development.
Some families are blended, and some are strictly nuclear. As such, it creates a situation where the biological parent is either the mother or father but not both. I pose the question of whether or not it is okay for a man or woman other than the biological parent to discipline the child?
Let’s look at dads who take on the responsibility of another man’s child with his girlfriend or wife. Do you feel that he should have a say in what the child does and whereabouts of the child? Should he be concerned with things relating to household chores, school and extracurricular activities? At the very least, he should feel respected by the child, no matter what. After that I think if he helps support the child, he should be able to apply discipline strategies. Whether that means taking away privileges, punishment where they are restricted from certain activities or getting a beating.
What’s Your Take?
In my opinion, I believe that the parents should come to an agreement and understanding of what that discipline should look like. And stand firmly on that without veering away from those rules. Of course, it will be different for every household but as long as the parents of the house are on the same page, I think it is possible for blended families to work and it can be so rewarding. What do you think?
