Brave Heart, Brave Soul. She who is brave is free.

"Do not tame the wolf inside you just because you've met someone who doesn't have the courage to handle you." ~ Bella Estreller When you look into the mirror what do you see? Are you hard on yourself, pushing yourself to be better, to do more, to be enough? Do you think you should be skinnier, fuller, do you want straight hair, curly hair, a smaller nose, bigger eyes or maybe you simply wish you were taller or even shorter? Being honest, that's probably most of us. We all feel we're lacking, invisible or too visible at some point in our lives. Some of us choose to fight our battles privately, while others do so publicly. Many of us feel we can hide our insecurities, while others wear them on their sleeves. My question today is , do you know you're enough? I'm not talking about being conceited, of thinking you're the cat's meow, talking bad about others when they have no way of defending themselves or making someone else look bad in or

"And at last I see the light, and it's like the fog has lifted."  ~ Tangled As children we're afraid of the dark, at least I was anyway. Growing up an only child I didn't share a room with anyone. It was just me, and the quiet of my room filled with toys, stuffed animals and dolls surrounding me. As you can imagine, my imagination sometimes got the better of me. After I brushed my teeth, put on my Strawberry Shortcake night gown or dare I say Wonder Woman underroos I'd grab my favorite stuffed animals and dolls and climb into bed ready for goodnight kisses and prayers. Before my mama and daddy could leave, they'd check and recheck under my bed, above my canopy and inside the closet for all those mysterious monsters I was convinced were ready to pounce once the lights went off. OK so full disclosure, till this day I can't sleep without the bathroom and closet doors in our bedroom closed. I know, silly right? I absolutely understand that nothi

"A Daughter of the King is known not by the crown she wears. but by the message she bears." ~ Daughters of the King ebook As a child did you ever dream of being royalty? I know I did. Yes, this comic book loving, Sci-Fi watching little girl daydreamed of being a princess. Pictures of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty come to mind. I mean who wouldn't want to talk to animals and sing all day? I sure did, but more than anything  I wanted to wield a sword, carry a shield and fight with the rebels. I twirled around in my cape made from a bath towel and carried a light saber made of a cardboard wrapping paper roll. My idea of royalty was more of a warrior than a dainty helpless damsel. I wanted to be like my favorite Amazon fighting Princess, Wonder Woman right out of my comic books or even Princess Leia from a galaxy far far away fighting against an evil Empire. Looking back now, I know I'm a warrior by birth. Even at my weakest, I've been a fighter from the

"What you're going through does not go unnoticed. God sees every injustice. He's got you in the palm of His hand." ~ Unknown Life can be unfair, can't it? One day every thing's right as rain and the next somehow you've bitten off more than you can chew. It may be through no fault of your own or it could be you put yourself smack dab in the middle of that particular rodeo. Either way, the storm's coming and there's not a whole lot you can do about it either. Many times you're just an innocent bystander in all the ruckus. Just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sadly you may just simply be an escape goat or punching bag for someone else's failures. Maybe it's because you had a different opinion or just simply didn't have one. Possibly you decided on reinforcing your emotional fences and in the process they were trampled and smashed. The reality is when we start building healthy boundaries, that's when the storms roll

"I have God, Jesus and two thirds of the angles on my side, what do you think I am going to do? Sit down and cry?" ~ Leonard Ravenhill I don't know about you but from the time I was small I have felt a spiritual battle I can't necessarily see with my eyes, but I still feel raging and going on all around me. I know how that may sound to some, but the reality is if we pay close enough attention to our hearts we can feel the battle between good and evil being fought for our souls. From the time I can remember I have known the name of Jesus. He wasn't an overlord, a tyrant, a judge waiting to throw the book at me or even a name I only heard during tough times, or the holidays. No, His name was, just as it is today, part of my everyday life. His name has filled me with not only love and compassion all while encouraging me and consuming my life with the courage needed to face the unknown sitting outside my door everyday. My relationship with Jesus is personal,

"Trust that an ending is followed by a beginning." ~ Unknown Ya it sucks, but keep calm. It's not the end of the world! How many times have you heard that one? But honestly isn't it some pretty good advice? If we react to everything life topples down on us, then we'd never get out from under anything. We'd always be digging ourselves out of a mess or running around like Chicken Little, warning the sky is falling continually. Now that said, life can get out of hand and absolutely feel like the world is ending. Life just has this way of crashing down suddenly, without notice and sending you your very own dancing Chicken Little. It's not the fear inside us that messes us up but what we do with Mr. Little's echo , "the sky is falling." It's our own version of the chicken dance which ultimately defines each and every particular chapter in our story. I think we tend to forget we have a choice in how we respond and react to adversity

"Life doesn't come with a manual, it comes with a mother."  ~ Unknown I am most definitely my mother's daughter. We are completely different but absolutely cut from the same cloth. I learned love and grace by watching her life in motion. My mom is gentle, kind and loving. She's selfless, and always looks for the best in everyone she meets. She is one to give until she's completely empty. She rarely gives up on folks either. It takes far more than a broken heart for her to lock a door. My mom, "she makes broken look beautiful and strong look invincible. She walks with the universe on her shoulders and makes it look like a pair of wings." I simply adore my mom, and all she is. Is she perfect, a saint, no not in the least but she's honest, and she's real and that's what makes her so beautiful and authentic. She loves with all her heart, closes doors slowly and gives second chances freely. My mom is a woman of faith and prayer,

"There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise."  ~ Unknown I have been called a strong woman but the truth is on my own I am weak. Through the years I have had my faith tested, my body scared. my heart broken and my life nearly taken. The darkness has come and been chased away by just the mention of His name. That name is Jesus, the One who has given me the ability to rise each and every time the enemy has come knocking on my door. I have not been fearless. I have not been strong. I am nothing on my own but by the grace of God I have walked boldly in the strength of my Father, rested in the peace of His Son and found life in the promise of the Cross. Hebrews 11:1 says, "To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see." And this is exactly the kind of boldness I carry with me everyday. As a woman of God I am filled by His grace, charged by His mercy and clothed in His armor. I never go i

"I'm a pencil in the hand of God." ~ Mother Theresa Have you ever just stepped back, looked out over your life and simply evaluated where you are and how you got there? Think about it, how many times have we grabbed the pencil out of God's hand, scribbling down whatever nonsense makes sense in the moment rather than relying on His greater understanding? If we laid our story out on the table, flipping through the pages of our life, I wonder if we'd see alternate endings or resolutions all missed because of our need to control the pencil? Personally, I have snapped the pencil out of God's hands more than once or twice. We all have if we're being honest. That is where most of our troubles arise, where the conflict exists and where those resolutions I was talking about take place. If I look at my life as a whole I see without a doubt God's hand steadily writing my story on every single page of my life, through each chapter from my birth, illnes

"Hope is not born on mountain tops, but in valleys when you're looking up to the heights and peaks that you're yet to climb."  ~ Susanna April I don't know about you, but I'm a mountain climber. Now let's not read too much into that. I'm not speaking of climbing an actual mountain like Everest. I'm adventurous enough to say back in my college years I was known to climb up and repel down a few in the Mountain state. But on a serious note, what I'm really talking about are the mental, spiritual and emotional mountains we face. These mountains I know well. These mountains can be dark, dangerous and down right scary but in the midst of any ascent or descent, I've learned this: "Tell your mountain about your God.' Mountains can be beautiful as much as they are treacherous. They can offer us refuge and still cause us pain. The thing I know about life is it's filled with both valley's and mountaintops. You have to go