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

  “Sometimes in the waves of change we find our true direction.” ~ Unknown    We’ve all heard the story of Jonah. He ran from God and ended up in the belly of a whale. Not exactly the posh uptown condo one might daydream about, right? Sounds more like a slippery, sloppy, messy and muddy ordeal to be honest. If not damp, mucky and downright terrifying to boot. I don’t know about you but the idea of being swallowed whole by anything is alarming. No less by a monstrous whale with jagged teeth. Yet, despite our best efforts, we all end up inside the belly of a whale at some time or another.    Why? Because we run. Fear takes the wheel and steers us right into the mouth of an angry, hungry whale. What was it Herman Melville said? Oh yes. “Ignorance is the parent of fear.” He sure had that right. I mean by the time regret catches up with us, we’re the proud parents, if not grandparents of a hopping mad, agitated litter of feral changelings we don’t recognize. ...

"I'm a failure, He's my forgiver. I'm a sinner, He's my Savior. I'm broken, He's my Healer. I'm His child, He's my God." ~ Daystar Today I'd like to take a look inside the world of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Honestly there's a lot of depth inside this book. As a teenage girl I saw this story in simpler terms. This literary classic is chalked full of amazing storytelling. The brainchild of Victor Hugo, the Hunchback of Notre Dame is written to stir passion and rouse thought provoking questions. Moving through each chapter there's this feeling Mr. Hugo intends to incite our emotions. As the reader we experience everything from anger, to exasperation, irritation, sadness and even those few but glorious moments of joy. Now add his unwavering degree of significance and purpose written into each of the main characters, and it really goes without saying my young mind couldn't grasp it all. I believe I was drawn into this ...

"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...

"There is no reset button in life.You can't take anything back and you can't undo anything. All of your actions have consequences, and the things you say and do today will have a lasting impact on the rest of your life. You have to understand that, and you have to be aware of it while making you own decisions." ~ Anonymous The power of our choices, good, bad or somewhere in-between have the ability to shape our future, our entire lives really. Being indecisive, is a decision, a choice. Going left, moving right are also choices. When I graduated college I had so many choices to make, deciding which direction I would take. Of course my parents had their ideas, all parents do and I had a few of my own. Some didn't pan out, while others led me to the happiness of my life now. I was scared, venturing out on my own. Becoming an adult, pursuing my education, a career, my dreams and making choices that would affect the rest of my life. You could say I have always...

“You’ve got a beauty that’s all your own.” Do you see it yourself? Do you accept you’re beautiful, handsome? Do you know how amazing you are? Be it an oddball, a nerd, a beauty queen, jock, bookworm, living with a learning disability or a genius. Doesn’t matter, you’re you and that’s all that matters. Colbie Caillat says it so well in her song ‘Try’, “Wait a second, why should you care what they think of you. When you're all alone, by yourself do you like you? Do you like you? You don't have to try so hard, you don't have to give it all away. You just have to get up, get up, get up, get up. You don't have to change a single thing.” I often wonder why so many people compare themselves to others? Honestly it’s very bewildering as to why folks duplicate; mimic or even forge a copy of someone else’s life trying to pass it off as their own. It’s a bit perplexing isn’t it as to the reasons some feel the need to compete to the point of losing themselves? What’s ha...

Life Lesson # 62:  Raising strong –willed daughters to fly. There’s no doubt “I am my mother’s daughter. I am her only novel” so beautifully said by Marge Piercy.  Thinking about my mom’s birthday this coming week, it’s like a rush of beautiful memories flowing out from a volt that’s been locked away. I am my mother’s reflection, her mini me. Growing up, looking up to my mom as little girls do I wasn’t aware of how much I mirrored her. My mother’s beauty and grace always took my breath away. She was and still is my inspiration and I her baby girl. If you asked her today what I was like as a little girl, she’d tell you without a second thought, I was strong-willed. I kept her busy running around singing, jumping off the couch, building forts and dragging her off into faraway lands inside my imagination. I remember sitting in awe when the hope chest was opened. Standing there dancing in front of the mirror like a fairy princess. I’d brush my hair, place her old prom...