Posted on Sunday, November 1, 2009

My Glass is Half Full…

Hello World!!!

As of today, at least according to me, we are officially in the Thanksgiving season…and no matter what displays are already out in department stores, we are not in the Christmas season yet…

This year, I would like to focus on gratitude for the whole month of November rather than just on Thanksgiving Day…So what was the catalyst for this decision…Last week my manfriend aka my boyfriend D (do you really have a boyfriend if he is a fully grown man? I don’t know…) challenged me about my penchant to focus on negativity in some areas and predict negative outcomes…

I don’t think I’m an overall negative person but sometimes I do fall into the habit of focusing on what I don’t have rather than what I do have. He pointed out that everything in his life is not how he wants it to be either, but that he would rather focus on what he has. He said he always sees his glass as half full rather than half empty…

So the next day as I performed my work, I made an effort to see my glass as half full no matter what happened and be thankful for life just as it is. And God pointed out to me in numerous ways that I have a lot to be thankful for even if He chooses to never bless me with anything else…As a part of my job, I have to park in several parking spaces all over town. As you would expect, I always try to find the spaces closest to my destination and luckily for me, that usually happens.

But the day after I decided to see my glass as half full, I ended up getting a parking space at a location a little farther away from where I am usually able to park – it was if as God was saying, “Ima see if she is going to be thankful if she has to go out of her way to get to her destination…” (Now some of y’all are probably saying, “You can’t pray to God to get a good parking space” or “God isn’t concerned about something as insignificant as a parking space.” Well, in Bible study, we are studying the creation story in Genesis, and it is clear to me that God is so magnificent and magnanimous that He is concerned with everything that concerns His beloved creation – even parking spaces.) So as I was walking to my destination, I noticed a man getting out of his jeep, which was parked in one of the spaces that I had my eye on….It probably took at least 15 minutes for the man to get out his jeep as he walked with two canes…Obviously, he needed the space more than I did. As I watched him painstakingly make his way to his destination, I had to be thankful I could jump out my car, slam the door and be on my way in less than a minute. My glass is half full…

On any given day, I would like to be a few pounds thinner – seriously…but I was reminded last week how I used to be obsessed with my weight and control my food intake like it was a life and death situation…I mean I used to weigh myself several times a day and say all kinds of negative things to myself if I wasn’t at my desired weight. I.WAS. CRAZY…for real…Yeah, I still have my moments when I obsess about my weight for sure, but trust me it’s a long way off from how I used to be…My glass is half full…

If you have read my blog posts over the past year, you know that I would like to be a published book author…I feel like I’m destined to be a published book author and still it hasn’t happened…(Yes, I know about self-publishing…) But thanks be to God that I do get paid to write already…And I received a freelance writing check in the mail yesterday as I was working on my monthly budget (Shout out to Sonia!). Ain’t God good…My glass is half full…

I could rattle off more, but I want to hear from you…How is your glass half full?

And if you know me and you hear me saying a negative statement, you have permission to tell me to stop right then and thank God for my glass being half full…

Whatever happens, give thanks, because it is God’s will in Christ Jesus that you do this. I Thessalonians 5:18

Any thoughts?

P.S. I have also decided to bless rather than curse situations by speaking positively as “the tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21

I love this song about being thankful…I feel you girl…I hope to be singing this song one day…

Posted on Sunday, September 20, 2009

Check In: 2009 will be a memory in nearly three months…

Hello World!!!

Can you believe it? September is nearly over, and after that, all we have left to 2010 is October, November and December. So since the year is more than half over at this point, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on our goals for this year.

One of my goals was to continue to work on making this blog the best it can be by planning topics in advance, booking guest bloggers, writing book reviews, etc. I haven’t done all that I had planned to, but I am satisfied with my progress. And I will continue to work on this goal as this year comes to a close. Another one of goals was to help plan this event for this organization that I am involved in. I’m happy to say that event went very well, and I’m really proud of myself.

But in reflecting on my involvement in that organization, I realized that I am often more committed to the goals of organizations and other people than I am to my own goals. That means that when somebody has asked me to do something, I get it done. But when I ask myself to do something, I may or may not get it done. That’s not good. I need to commit to myself that I will be as dedicated to my own goals as I am to other people’s goals.

I am most proud of myself for working on my financial status. I have saved more than I ever have before, and God has blessed my efforts by rewarding me with a few windfalls. I give thanks to God and my financial counselor. Another one of my goals was to commit “random acts of kindness” anonymously and otherwise for friends, associates, etc. Hmmm…I’ve got more work to do in this area…I had planned to write for four new publications this year. I have written several articles for one publication – not quite what I aspired to, but I am thankful and will keep pushing. And I have decided to investigate a new form of writing. This was not on my original list of goals, but in this economy, we all know it’s important to diversify your skills.

One of my goals for developing this blog was to create a market for my book After the Altar Call: A Young Black Woman’s Journey of Faith, but I still hadn’t developed any specific goals this year toward getting my book published. I had become so discouraged last year that I hadn’t approached any agents in a while, but I have decided to begin approaching agents again. To date, I have only submitted a letter to a single agent, so I have got to get busy. And if you know me, feel free to ask if I have submitted a letter to an agent lately. I need the encouragement.

And finally, I had some goals for my romantic life…awww, what can I say, what can I say…I have done my best…I haven’t gotten quite the results I had hoped for, but nevertheless I’m pressing on. In spite of my magic magnifying mind, I guess I will just have to take things one day at a time and see what unfolds…

To encourage me and you, I have decided to share two nuggets of wisdom that I love. If you are a Jamaican or were raised by a Jamaican, I’m sure that you know this Jamaican proverb or famous quote…(maybe this is why Jamaicans always have so many jobs, haha)

The heights of great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight. But they, while their companions slept, were toiling upwards in the night.

And here is my favorite verse in the whole Bible. If you are anything like me, you know you are prone to making mistakes and causing your own misfortune, but thanks be to God, that He is in everything…

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Finally, I’m glad God is my on my side, but I’m also thankful for friends who God has often used to encourage me this year. Even if I don’t accomplish all of my goals, my friends are always there…thank goodness…Pastor Marvin Winans wrote a touching song about not having people to turn to in his time of need…I had forgotten how much I loved the song until he sang it in Tyler Perry’s “I Can Do Bad All By Myself.” Check out the video below…how are you doing with your goals for 2009?

Any thoughts?

P.S. I don’t know what is on President Obama’s list of goals for the year, but what could possibly be wrong with providing affordable healthcare for everyone…

P.P.S. I am still “hoping, wishing & praying…”

Posted on Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Hallelujah Anyhow!

Camp Creek Writers Group

Hello World!!!

It’s my birthday month, and I’m feeling blessed to be here – albeit a year older (in a few days, you know a post is coming 🙂 )…But when I think of the alternative, I have to say “Hallelujah Anyhow!”

Today’s post won’t be long, but it is still important. On Sunday, I went to a book launch party for Deborah Hall-Branch. I met Deborah when we were part of a now defunct writers group that met at a local Barnes & Noble. I felt so proud of her as she read the prologue to her book “Through the Eyes of Abuse.” I plan to do a review of the book later this month after I read the book, but I can already tell it’s a compelling story. Although you would have never guessed it if you met her, Deborah is a survivor of sexual abuse and domestic violence. And she has lived to tell about it and triumph over it! Hallelujah Anyhow!

Deborah reading the prologue to her book.

Deborah’s launch party was also a reunion of sorts of my writers group. And I think seeing each other again after several months and years, in some cases, provided the fuel to reignite our writer dreams! Some of us have continued to plod on that harrowing journey to publication. The leader and founder of our group was Denise aka Chicki Brown. She don’t stop! She is working with an agent and has written several books that she hopes will get published. In just a few years, she has become an expert in book publishing. With her persistence, I am sure she will be published.

Mike Fuller, one of the few guys from the writers group, has compiled his captivating short stories in his book “Chronicles of a Nappi Head.” His testerone-driven stories, at least the ones that I have read, are reminiscent of that movie, “Cooley High.” Brent McKibben, another member, admitted at the party that he hasn’t been writing much lately but decided that he would begin again. Some of his work is featured here. And his book “Liquid Fiction Volume One: Have You Experienced?” is available on Amazon! Another writer, affectionately known as Jessy, is embarking on grad school while she continues to hone her sci-fi/fantasy writing. As for me, I guess I will stop all the whining and will begun searching for agent again. (Yikes!)

It’s September, the beginning of a new season. It’s time to begin again. Hallelujah Anyhow! I heard this statement in a sermon recently. (My statement is paraphrased.) Every open door is not God’s will and every closed door isn’t closed forever…sometimes you just have to wait….

Just us writers...

Blessings!

Any thought?