A Good Cry

                                                            Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.




Be patient, suffering soul! I hear thy cry.
The trial fires may glow, but I am nigh.
I see the silver, and I will refine
Until My image shall upon it shine.
Fear not, for I am near, thy help to be;
Greater than all thy pain, My love for thee.
H. W. C.



 When I was a much younger girl, I would have these "good cry weekends" whenever my little heart got broken or I had a very bad work week. I would get some wine or junk food like ice cream and put on some sad songs. I would grab a box of tissues and wail until every last drop of tears was gone. Sometimes, I would even turn on a sad movie or two.

The whole point of these cry sessions was to spend a day or two feeling sorry for myself. It was a time to get rid of any bad emotional trauma so I could begin the next work week anew. Anyone remember having one of these types of weekends?

That was then, this is now. Something has changed within me where I no longer have a need to have a 'good cry" weekend. Believe me, I have tried many times in the past all to no avail. I find that the way I handle things, bad and hurtful things, has changed drastically from the good old days of these crying weekends. So what brought on this change? Well, I think it was a heart change that finally overcame the crying fest.

When I let Christ in and opened my heart to Him, whenever I needed a good cry, I just turned to Him. I don't think I set out to do that, but when I grew in my spiritual walk with Him, that's what happened. I leaned into Him. I cried to Him. I  no longer needed the sad movies or the sad songs. 

I often think back to those days before Christ. Never longingly, I can assure you. I want to keep growing in my Faith, keep learning and keep my heart swelling of Him. The world needs a heart change. I hope you do, too.

Have a blessed day everyone.

Black Friday? Not For Me!

                                                  Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.


I rest beneath the Almighty's shade,
    My griefs expire, my troubles cease;
  Thou, Lord, on whom my soul is stayed,
    Wilt keep me still in perfect peace.
C. WESLEY

It's been a long time since I participated in Black Friday deals or shopping of any kind. That's not to say, I wouldn't, just not this year. I don't care for all the madness out there on the roads and in the stores. This is not my idea of shopping. I want to take my time, examine all the items at my leisure without the shoving and pushing of everyone else. 

I'd make one exception and that would be Yarn. If I knew that there was clearance yarn somewhere near my home, especially if it was cake yarn, I just might head out. Might, but no, I will be strong and stay on course to my goal. Our goal for the future. 

Honestly, it goes much deeper than the sales. I find that the older I get, the less I want to go anywhere let alone shopping. The outside world is way too complicated, hectic and at times, quite mean. I want to envelope myself with my crocheting, my books and my shows. I am perfectly happy in my sanctuary, my home. 

Please don't get me wrong. I am all in for sales and saving money. If any of you are among the crowds looking for a great deal, more power to you. I'm thrilled you are taking advantage of the savings, it's just not for me. 

Seclusion is more my game and I yearn for it. I keep remembering a comment that Joyce Meyers made at one of her retreats. She stated that she spends all morning and afternoon being everything to everyone. She loves it, but the evenings are all hers. That's how I feel about my sanctuary here or anywhere I may end up. I value my peace and serenity of my livelihood than any sale out there in the world.

Have fun shopping everyone and may you have a blessed day. 

A Very Happy Thanksgiving

                                                  Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.



I want a sober mind, 
A self-renouncing will, 
That tramples down and casts behind 
The baits of pleasing ill; 
A spirit still prepared, 
And armed with jealous care, 
Forever standing on its guard, 
And watching unto prayer. 
C. WESLEY.

This week everywhere I turned there were messages of Thanksgiving and all the things people were grateful for in their lives. It is a very special time in our lives whether we want to admit it or not. I know how I can be regardless of what Holiday we are celebrating. All the days leading up to the particular Holiday is spent in melancholy perspective and reflection. Majority of the time it can be leading into a somber affair.

Once the day arrives, I am completely in the spirit of the occasion and I hope that all of you are too. I sincerely wish all of you a safe, healthy, restful and bountiful Thanksgiving. May all your relationships prosper and the ones that need work, may you begin the process of restoration.


Have a blessed day everyone.

What Does Thanksgiving Mean To You?

                                                              Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey



Criticism is helpful. If a man makes a mistake,
 criticism enables him to correct it; 
if he is unjustly criticized, the criticism helps him. 
I have had my share of criticism since
 I have been in public life, 
but it has not prevented me from doing what
 I thought proper to do.
—William Jennings Bryan

Thanksgiving traditions have undergone quite a change in recent years. A normal discussion during this time at my work involves sharing of the meal plan. It has become obvious that people don't really celebrate Thanksgiving in the traditional way anymore. The turkey has been replaced by spare ribs, ham, fish and even the rotisserie chicken. People no longer stick to the menu plan when it comes to the Holidays.

The meal is not the only aspect affected by this new fad of anything goes for the Holidays. Some people choose to eat out in restaurants. They also dress down, usually in their sweats or comfy clothes. Why not? We are at home, we might as well get comfortable. We do that in my home. Nothing wrong with that. It isn't about the clothes anyway, it goes way deeper.

So I began to think to myself, what does Thanksgiving mean to me? Of course, we think about the Pilgrims and the Mayflower. To me, I look back on my year at the successes as well as the failures. I become reflective on all that I have learned either the easy way or the hard way. I become grateful for where I have come out at the end of the year.

It could have been a lot worse, folks. We could have lost someone by either separation, death or illness. We could be out on the street and not a soul to help us. There is nothing worse than the feeling of emptiness and loneliness. Do you have any idea of how many people out there feel exactly like that? Especially on the Holidays?

So Thanksgiving is a moment to look back, reflect and be grateful for where I am at in my life. I want to sit down and break bread with the people I love the most. I want to laugh, I want to share and I want to feel the fullness of my heart. No one wants to be alone. No one wants to go through life alone. No one. So what does Thanksgiving mean to you?

Have a blessed day everyone.

The Gathering That Went Missing

                                       Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

If happiness has not her seat

And center in the breast,

We may be wise or rich or great,

But never can be blest.

—Robert Burns.

Thanksgiving . . . . such a wonderful time for giving thanks and spending time with family. Yet, there are more sad people than the thankful whenever a Holiday rolls around. Even I am feeling a bit down thinking of all the dinners we would have as a family. Not just my children, but the entire family. Yeah, used to have.

 Remember those dinners involving 20 to 30 people? All of them sitting around tables and chairs that didn't match. There was always the kids table off in a corner somewhere. Even the kids didn't want to sit there. We would all gather, the aunts, the uncles, the cousins, the in-laws. All the people that you only see during the Holidays.

There would be noise and lots of it. Everyone would be talking over each other. After dinner, we would split up into teams and play a game like trivia pursuit or charades. When it was over, the house would look like a tsunami hit it. Everyone would scamper off into their bedrooms wanting to de-stress from all these people. Another successful holiday family gathering was over, until next time.

So how come we don't gather anymore?

That's a good question. I often wondered why that was, but I don't think we are the only family who has stopped doing that. Whenever I mention to people how much I miss these huge family gatherings, they also say the same about their family. Has this become the new Holiday tradition? Only spending time with the intermediate members of your household?

For one thing, people move away from home more now than ever before. They move to another state or several hours away. This is partly the reason within my own family. Secondly, preparing the Holiday meal for 20-30 people can be very taxing. Many families have taken to sharing the load with everyone being designated a certain dish. Thirdly, families fight. This one will not come if that one will be there and so forth. Unfortunately, this is quite normal in all families.

I miss the gatherings. Maybe these feelings of mine are based more on the fact that I am a neutral person. I don't sway one way or another when it comes to family members. I don't choose a side, because in doing so, the family will separate. I don't want separation. I want unity. I want all of us to gather. So how do we unite an entire family? I don't know. You tell me. What would it take for your family to gather? For all of you to come under the same roof and break bread? I really want to know, so tell me.

Have a blessed day everyone.

So Where Am I At With My Health

                                                                 Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                                everyday is a journey.

A soul occupied with great ideas 
 best performs small duties;
 the divinest views of life penetrate
 most clearly into the meanest emergencies;
 so far from petty principles being best 
proportioned to petty trials,
 a heavenly spirit taking up its abode with 
us can alone sustain well the daily toils, 
and tranquilly pass the humiliations of our condition. 
J. MARTINEAU.

When it comes to my health, my cancer journey, things are basically at a stand still. As far as I know, I am still in remission. All year long, I have been denied any cancer screenings such as a Petscan or a Ct. Scan by my insurance company. Granted that it is a new insurance provider from my workplace. I still expected to have my cancer screenings at least once a year, because I have a recurrent carcinoma.

In fact, my entire cancer team has changed. My Oncologist has moved away to Indiana to a private practice. Two of my chemo nurses have retired for good. The scheduler/receptionist has moved into a new position. My attending nurse has quit. Even the Lab personnel are different. They also have placed me in a new category from an active patient to a survivor. Something new for me to think about for sure. I am a survivor. Everything is new and different. I know nothing about the people attending to me now. It felt odd and out of place at my last oncologist visit.

I've had to come to a peaceful place and accept the fact that my health basically rests in the hands of God Himself. No longer do I show up on a regular basis for screenings. I don't even know when my next appointment will be. This is totally new to me. They took labs from me for a CA125 and a thyroid check. Still, no one has called me back with the results. I am a bit disappointed since my last cancer team spoiled me rotten with great treatment.

You know that change can be a good thing. Maybe, there is something new for me in my life. We never know what is truly behind every corner or every door until we come face to face with it. I still plan on doing all that I can to stay healthy. Diligence is key and so is nutrition. Honestly, I'm not too worried about the future. If I get to live awhile longer, that's great. If I should die a lot sooner, then I will be in Heaven. Either way, it's a win win.

Have a blessed day everyone.

A Year Ago

                                                                    Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                                    everyday is a journey.



Life is a sheet of paper white
Whereon each one of us may write
His word or two, and then comes night.
Greatly begin! though thou hast time
But for a line, be that sublime
Not failure, but low aim is crime.

—James Russell Lowell.

One year ago, I was contemplating starting a YouTube channel to kind of be an extension of my cancer journey. I figured that I have written about it on my blog, discussed it on my chronic illness group and used the Ministry as therapy.  Might as well speak about it now. What I didn't envision was how hard it truly would be. So much goes into it. I was totally naïve and thought about quitting many times.

At that same time, I was texting with my older brother back and forth. One day, I just texted to him that maybe we should visit our old man. Now, we never had a good or bad relationship with him, because there never was a relationship at all. I have no idea where it came from, I can only believe it was the Holy Spirit. So a year ago, we were on our way to seeing him for the very first time in 35 years. 

I have thought about my year in reflection many times. So much can happen in 365 days! If you are going through a horrible Season, trust me, it will change within the year for the better. Or at least, we hope so. Something will be changed. 

This has been a very challenging year, not something I expected. Regardless of the fact that I have cancer, my life is pretty content. I don't have many of the issues that others are facing. For this reason, the opposition I dealt with was a total surprise for me. I guess, I have been pretty spoiled. I also have learned so much from my ordeal and actually feel like I have grown up! 

This a may not have been an easy year, but the rewards in future are definitely worth the struggle now. How would you rate your year? Where were you a year ago?

Have a blessed day everyone. 

Reflections On Clutter

                                                           Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                           everyday is a journey.


Though hearts brood o'er the past, 
our eyes
With smiling features glisten;
For lo! our day bursts up the skies,
Lean out your souls and listen!
The world is following freedom's way,
And ripening with her sorrow;
Take heart! 
Who bears the cross to-day
Shall wear the crown to-morrow.

--Gerald Massey.

I knew that one of my biggest struggles in living tiny would be clutter. I just have way too many interests and they all reside in one room. I have written of this many times and I have struggled folks, really struggled with clutter!

I've always said that when the time came for me to move into my tiny dwelling, I would only bring what I could fit into my car. My must haves consist of yarn and books. Everything else is debatable. Absolutely no furniture will be coming with me. Well, maybe only my favorite chair. I'll fit it in somewhere.

I'm pretty good about clutter, except in one room . . . my bedroom. That's because I've never actually had a bedroom. It has always been a multi-functioning room serving also as an office and a craft room. At times, my room resembles a disaster area with boxes in every available space. I would love a separate room, a real craft room.

I think I would like a real bedroom or at least a space meant only for sleeping. I also want a large bookshelf, preferably one from ceiling to floor. I've always wanted one like that. I may want to live tiny, but I don't want to live cluttered. That's where minimalism comes in. I can keep the clutter out in the rest of the house, but not in my own room. I also need a pantry for my food. Or at least some shelves where I can store extra food storage.

I don't think of clutter as having tons of stuff, I think of clutter as messiness. A litter of things all over the kitchen table or cocktail table. If I can't see the shelf or the counter top, it's clutter.

 Right now, I am trying to overcome the clutter by organizing things into boxes or containers. That helps tremendously with keeping the clutter down. No matter how many times I go through things, it stays neat and clean for awhile. Not much time goes by without the accumulation process happening once again. What do you do to keep down the clutter?

Have a blessed day everyone. 

Just Share It: Dr. Ben Carson

                                                                               Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                                               everyday is a journey.



There is a healthy hardiness 
about real dignity that never dreads
 contact and communion with others
, however humble.
—Washington Irvin

Today's Just Share It is a little bit different from the others I have posted. For one thing, it's a video interview. Secondly, it deals with diversity, growing up poor and racism. Dr. Carson shares his story with us and what he has learned, the good and the bad. It's amazing how some people can turn their story around for the better and others struggle with it. It has always fascinated me why that happens. It is not a judgment call, but I am intrigued by it. I hope you will take a moment and watch this video interview. I hope it is an encouragement to you as you write your own story. Enjoy. Just follow the link below. It may help to click on it a few times.




https://www.prageru.com/video/the-candace-owens-show-secretary-carson/

Dr. Ben Carson, the 17th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, joins Candace in the studio this week for a very special episode. Secretary Carson shares his personal story of growing up in poverty to becoming a world-renowned brain surgeon. He also discusses overcoming racial prejudice and the importance of education.


Have a blessed day everyone. 

You Know You're Getting Old

                                                    Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.




Every one must recognize the
 splendid work which has been
 done by women in social and
 educational fields.
 And it will, I believe, 
come more and more to be recognized
 that in some respects women are
 specially fitted for government and
 for official-municipal life.
—Sir Oliver Lodge.

 You know you're getting old when you get excited at the prospect of sleeping in an extra hour.

You know you're getting old when the perfect night involves watching Netflix in your pajamas.

You know you're getting old when you're constantly begging for a foot rub.

You know you're getting old when you need to sit down all the time.

You know you're getting old when you don't care who sees you in your moomoo and messy hair.

You know you're getting old when you don't want to clean, cook or do laundry for anybody.

You know you're getting old when you trade in your stilettos for flip flops.

All of these things have been quite frequently done by me. I am enjoying growing older which may surprise many of you. I mean, who wants to get old, right? Well, no one, but there are certain privileges as we age. Just refer to the list above. 

Someone once said to me that we become a certain age where we don't care what anyone thinks of us. We become very comfortable with who we are underneath our skin. Absolutely true! After all these years of struggling to find myself and my role in life, I do like me. I have accepted myself inside out and it doesn't matter if others have not.

What is your favorite thing about getting older?

Have a blessed day everyone. 

It's Hard To Do Nothing

                                                Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.



Let me go where'er I will,
I hear a sky-born music still:
It sounds from all things old,
It sounds from all things young,
From all that's fair, from all that's foul,
Peals out a cheerful song.
It is not only in the rose,
It is not only in the bird,
Not only where the rainbow glows,
Nor in the song of woman heard,
But in the darkest, meanest things
There alway, alway something sings.
'Tis not in the high stars alone,
Nor in the cup of budding flowers,
Nor in the redbreast's mellow tone,
Nor in the bow that smiles in showers,
But in the mud and scum of things
There alway, alway something sings.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson.

My plans for the week were actually to do nothing. Have you ever tried to do nothing? It's pretty hard. No matter how much you try to be idle, something always seems to fall into your lap.

I'm actually kidding. Since I really cannot do anything in my room until further notice, my plans were to be spent crocheting. That's it. Then my car ran out of gas. I figured since I was on the road already, I should pick up a few items from the store. Since I was on the road, you know. Then I thought, I might as well go to the bank for some quarters. That's how it began, very innocently. Next thing I know, my whole morning was gone!

I think it's very hard to do nothing, because one doesn't know how to be idle. If you have spent majority of your life juggling all your extracurricular activities, it's very difficult to sit down and stare out the window. Not that anything is wrong with that, I love a nice scene. My parents both get up at crack of dawn every single day even though they have been retired for years. It is in them and they can't do otherwise. 

I remember years ago watching a program on television that conducted a small experiment. There were two people in separate rooms both watching a show. They were trying to see which one of the adults was burning more calories. You're probably like what! Yes, both were sitting on the couch, but one of them actually burned calories while sitting there. They kept fidgeting constantly, hence burning more calories. 

That's how I feel about doing nothing, a constant fidgeting! Some people make doing nothing an art form and others don't even know how to begin. That's the beauty of living life in a diverse world. Each of us has been made completely different from the other, but yet we have one thing in common. We all were made by our Heavenly Father. 

Have a blessed day everyone. 

A Glass Half Full

                                                              Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                                everyday is a journey.



The solitude of life is known to us all;
for the most part we are alone,
and the voices of friends come only
 faint and broken across the impassable
 gulfs which surround every human soul.

— Hamilton Mabie.

People often say to me that I am a person who is very positive and one who sees their glass as half full. For the most part, I make a great effort to appear to be just that. Yet, there are days where I am filled with despair. I can feel the weight of the world upon my shoulders. Have you ever felt so utterly and completely alone? As if no one understood you or held the same beliefs as you. I want to be around people who believe what I believe and have the same moral values. Don't we all?

I think we all have days like that and although we may spend some time wallowing in our misery, we try our best to get ourselves out of that pit. The misery pit is not where we want to remain for too long. Remaining positive takes work and effort on a daily basis. Everyday I walk into work with a smile on my face and try to greet the people I encounter along the way. It doesn't matter how I truly feel on the inside, I am determined to get through that day unscalded. 

Work used to be such a huge obstacle for me to overcome ever since third shift has been eliminated. This new change that followed took me over five years to conquer. I didn't care for the shift hours nor the people on it. It felt like an alien world and I wondered how two shifts could be so opposite. Aren't we working for the same Company? 

I am not sure when the change for the better actually happened. Was it a new boss? Or the next one and the one after that? Lord knows, I was blessed with some great bosses on this dreadful shift. Each new one even better than the last. Whatever and whenever the atmosphere changed, my heart broke free and my glass became half full. 

Nowadays, it isn't a hardship to go in everyday. The smile isn't forced and the conversations are real.

Have a blessed day everyone. 

The Pastor's Mother

                                                                                 Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                                                everyday is a journey.

No great genius was ever
 without some mixture of madness
, nor can anything grand or superior
to the voice of common mortals be
 spoken except by the agitated soul.
—Aristotle.

So the other day, the following post showed up on my Facebook feed from a few years back.

Emily: Mom, who is your favorite Pastor of all time?

Me: Well, it's hard to say, I have many favorites.
Emily: But if you had to choose one which one would you choose?
Me: I guess I would choose David Jeremiah.
Emily: You wouldn't choose your own son?

Fyi: For those who don't know, my son is a Pastor.

Boy, she really threw me a curveball there! My son wears many hats, but I guess to me, he will always be just my son. As a mother of a Pastor, there is always a form of respect that comes with it. People tend to be extremely nice to you no matter if you deserve it or not. When there is a Church event, no one really expects you to do anything except show up. Yup, that's the life of a Pastor's mother.

When I first became a born again Christian, I wanted so badly to belong to that Pastor's table. I wanted to be part of the elite group of Elders, Deacons, Group Leaders and even the Pastor himself. I wanted to be invited to all their events and gatherings in their homes. It just never happened. I never understood what it was that I lacked. I joined all the women's groups and volunteered. I participated in all Church activities and yet, I never made it to any of their private parties. I just wanted to feel that I belonged.

Looking back now, I think it's so funny, because God had a plan for my son. And a plan for me. You see, I did finally make it to that Pastor's Table with my own son.

Have a blessed day everyone.

Winter Came On Halloween

                                                 Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                  everyday is a journey.



In love, if love be love, if love be ours,
Faith and unfaith can ne'er be equal powers:
Unfaith in aught is want of faith in all.
It is the little rift within the lute
That by and by will make the music mute,
And ever widening slowly silence all.
The little rift within the lover's lute,
Or little pitted speck in garner'd fruit,
That rotting inward slowly molders all.
It is not worth the keeping: let it g
But shall it? Answer, darling, answer no.
And trust me not at all or all in all.
—Alfred Tennyson.

Well, who would have thought it possible to be going trick or treating in the snow? That is something we definitely didn't expect to experience. I, myself, thought it would be a few flurries mixed in with rain a.k.a. sleet. Never did I think this (October 31, 2019) would turn out to be the first tracking snow of the Season.

Every year, Emily and I diligently keep track of the first tracking snow. There is an old wives tale about

the first snow fall that you get and whatever date it may come on, is how many more snow falls you are going to get the rest of Winter. Last year it came on November 25 and everyone laughed at me when I told them. December came and it was warm, too warm. I thought to myself this old wives tale is silly. Then came January, February and even March it snowed. I definitely believe in this old wives tale.

So here we are with Winter fast approaching upon us. Are we ready? Hmmm, maybe 80 % ready? I still haven't done my windows or put up my curtains. These past two weeks have been extremely busy with all the extra overtime. I have been basically working nonstop 10 hour days. Only a few more days are left of this fast paced work cycle.

Weather seems to be the one thing that no one can truly predict. Many times I have checked the forecast for the week and it would show nothing in particular happening. Then the days would come and my poor joints would be aching making sitting unbearable. Oh boy, I bet it's raining or sleet or cold temps outside. There was nothing in the forecast about it and yet, my aching joints proved otherwise.

People scoff at old wives tales or all our complaining body parts, but somehow they seem to come true. Or at least, better than the weatherman.

Have a blessed day everyone.

Just Share It:Dale O'Shields

                                                   Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.



Though Love repine, and Reason chafe,
    There came a voice without reply,--
  'Tis man's perdition to be safe,
    When for the truth he ought to die.
R. W. EMERSON.

The following post deals with a topic I have been trying to achieve for over ten years. I am still a work in progress, but I know people who have accomplished this feat. I totally agree with the concept that we determine how our day goes. No matter what happens in our life, how we deal with the struggles is up to us. Unfortunately, I don't always succeed, but I am a little bit better than what I used to be. I hope you enjoy.

“Have a good day!” It’s a cliche we regularly use with little thought. It’s a nice thing to hear and say. Obviously wishing someone a “good day” is better than the alternative — wishing them a “bad day!” But what is a “good day,” and how do we know if we’re having one? Most often we think of a good day as one that goes well — a day when good things come our way. It’s a day absent of bad news, bad feelings, bad interactions, bad attitudes and bad behavior. We think of it as a day when the right things happen to us, and the wrong things don’t. As some would define it, a good day is a day when “lady luck” shows up. The downside to these descriptions is that they put us at the mercy of outside forces — other people, outside circumstances and uncontrollable events. When all these are positive, we’re good, and when they’re not … ! An important step on the path to maturity is learning to live from the inside out rather than from the outside in. It’s learning to be a “thermostat” rather than a “thermometer.” The difference between the two is that the first sets the environment, the latter simply displays the conditions of the environment. A “thermometer” has no power of influence; no control over anything. It’s good for one thing, and one thing only, reporting. A “thermometer” reflects what is. A “thermostat” determines what will be. What does all of this have to do with “having a good day?” Everything. Life changes for the better when we realize that the quality of our day can, in very significant ways, be determined by us. We’re not at the mercy of outside forces or “lady luck” for happiness. We can set the environment of a day by internal choices and attitudes. We can think and act in ways that create a “good day” for us and others rather than hoping or wishing it would “happen” to us. Have a blessed day everyone.