The Thirst

Have you ever been so thirsty that you had to dig at the bottom of your pocketbook for change? I've done it plenty of times...but this time was different. I looked in the fridge and the only thing to drink was water. Tired of water, I rolled my eyes and slammed the door. With no extra ones laying around I was forced to search the bottom of my bag for a $1.25.  Found some change but I had to still look around my place to get the full amount I needed to get what I wanted. Once I finally got my coins together I took the elevator ride upstairs to the 11th floor. I went to the vending machine and pressed E7 for my cold Crush Orange Soda. By the time the elevator opened on my floor I had gulped half the soda. As I walked toward my apartment God spoke to me and said, "And you still thirst!"

Now...this amazed me for two reasons. I've NEVER heard God's voice so clear!!! I am definitely the person who feels as though in order for God to talk to me He has to speak in a booming voice and speak straight from the King James Version of the Bible. I was so elated to finally hear His voice and without a question knew it was Him speaking to me. 

The other reason I was amazed is because I understood exactly what He was saying to me in that moment. I searched everywhere for something I thought I needed. I finally got what I wanted and it wasn't enough. In order to quench my thirst I needed water. The same water that had been sitting in my fridge the whole time I longed for this orange soda. Jesus is the Living Water. 

The soda represents everything we THINK we need...the job, the relationship, the car, etc. But all of that is not at all what we need. So we get all of these things only to find out we are still missing what makes us whole. We still thirst. Jesus said, "But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life." John 4:14

You may think you have it all! But if you don't have Jesus, you have nothing. With Him you'll have ETERNAL life. I don't know about you but I need some WATER! Ahhh!!! Refreshing!! 

As always, remember, you are FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY made! :)

Dear Educators...

Dear Educators,

We are ready to embark on another academic year in the name of education. We have spent many of nights preparing and spent plenty of money ensuring that our incoming students will have the resources and tools needed to succeed.

If you know some people like I do, they say, "You have the sweetest job! All you all do is color!" (I teach Kindergarten!) Or "Every time I look up, you all have off for something and let's not forget the 3 month vacation in the summer!" I use to defend it but now I simply say, you try it! Try grading papers, keeping up with data, holding IEP meetings, being a mother/father, counselor, and spirit lifter. Don't forget about being a performer because you have to make sure that the kids buy into what you are teaching. You can't forget about making copies, tying shoes, wiping noses, calling parents all while trying to move your kids and teach from not so up to par curriculum only for students to be tested on standardized tests that align with the common core standards (Yes, Kindergarten!)


We dare not complain. This is what we signed up for. This is our passion.
Always remember you inspire. You are valued. You are great at what you do. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Yes! You will be frustrated with administration, parents, students and yourself more times than you can count. But it will be all worth it. Don't give up on you but most of all don't give up on your kids.

Educators change the world! Without us, there will be no other profession! Take pride in what you do because it matters!

"The people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones who do." Steve Jobs

Sincerely,
A Fellow Inspired Educator

School Look

I'm trying to dress a bit more professional this year! Here are my first week's fits! What do you think?!

Classroom Setup

This is my third year of teaching kindergarten! I am super excited about this school year. I decided to go with a polka dot, neon and black theme. The new kiddos are adorable and I had NO criers on the first day of school! Winning!! LOL. I wanted to share a few pictures of my classroom! :)

26 Things I'd Tell My Younger Self

I was laying in bed wide awoke and I thought to myself, if I knew then what I know now...so of course that got me thinking.
Here are 26 things I would have loved to tell my younger self.

Dear Younger Me,

1. God is love!
2. God is enough! Period!
3. If he loves you, he'll fight for you.
4. Don't sweat the small stuff!
5. Love and love HARD!
6. It's just a break up...it's not the end of the world.
7. You are so worth it!
8. Forgive!
9. Don't take life so seriously!
10. Love like Christ loves us!
11. Save!!
12. Work hard!!
13. Be kind...to EVERYONE!!!
14. Have a plan but don't get frustrated if it derails.
15. Don't force it.
16. Enjoy the moment...it doesn't last forever!
17. Love yourself. If you don't, who else will?!
18. Totally submit to God.
19. Listen to your parents...they know what they are talking about.
20. Even when someone does you wrong...still love.
21. Act silly.
22. Exercise and eat healthy.
23. Tomorrow isn't promised...live, love, laugh!
24. Let go of people and things gracefully!
25. Did I say love others already?!
26. L-O-V-E!!!

With Sooo Much Love,
Your More Seasoned Self

Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭1-2‬

Ballin' on a Budget

Recently, I've been preparing for my future. So inevitably, I had to start taking a closer look at my finances. I was spending a great portion of my take home pay on leisure. It's already hard to ball on a teacher's salary and now I had to come up with innovative ways to make sure I still enjoy myself without breaking the bank. Here are a few ways I managed to do so:

Manis/Pedis
Who doesn't love a pedicure?! I love to sit in that overly comfy chair, put my head back and let those massagers go to work. But because I am such a frugal diva I've quickly realized that getting mani/pedis every two weeks was digging in my pockets! Instead of getting a full pedicure every two weeks, I get a pedicure one visit and then the next I will get a polish change. In the winter, I only get a pedicure once a month. Doesn't seem like much but it adds up!
If you're really brave, try a beauty school! Their prices are extremely cheap! I've lost an eyebrow and my nails were put on crooked but do you, boo boo! Lol

Eating out
Since I live alone, I have no obligation to cook...ever! Lol. Because I am on the go a lot, there are times I will come home and eat a bowl of cereal or times I will plop in the bed and won't think of dinner at all. Other times I eat out. Sigh. Now don't get me wrong because it is just me, sometimes it's actually cheaper if I eat out. Plenty of times I would go to the market, get a crap load of stuff and...waste it! On the other hand, I checked my bank statement and in one month I spent over $200 in eating out! $200!!! If you read one of my earlier posts, you know I am "Single in the City." Quite a bit of friends get together throughout the week to hang out after a long day of work for happy hour and let's not talk about the weekend! Sounds fun, right?! It is! But my purse doesn't think so! I have limited myself to be able to go out once during the week and once during the weekend. It's not fun saying no to your friends but sometimes you just have to learn how to sit yourself down!

Free/Cheap Events
No one wants to miss out on all of the fun! And you don't have to! There are so many events in Philly (and elsewhere) and a lot of them are free! Groupon has great deals! I've found wine tastings for under $10 a person or I've even been able to get my car washed for more than half off. Also the app Meetup allows you to meet people in your area who are interested in the same activities as you. For example, you can enjoy yourself at the Jazz & R&B Happy Hour or you can enjoy a FREE movie every Thursday at Penn's Landing. Great way to meet others who share the same interests as you.

Thrift!!!
This is my most favorite one of all! (Can you tell by the exclamation marks?!) I LOVE to shop! But once I realized I wasn't going to be able to take care of business and hit up the mall every weekend, I quickly had to find an alternative. A good friend of mine wanted to go thrifting and I tagged along. So glad I did! I found soooo many steals and deals it was ridiculous! Now I hardly EVER go to a mall or Target (my vice) and I will most definitely not pay full price for anything. I seriously get a rush from finding a piece that I absolutely love for $3.97! On top of that, I highly doubt if anyone else will have on what I do because my outfit is "vintage!" Sounds so cool! Lol

What are some ways you've curbed your spending?

Why Her?!

I took a trip home over this past weekend. It’s no surprise to anyone that I LOVE music and will sing my heart out at any given moment. As I was driving on the turnpike solo, I was blasting Marsha Ambrosius Pandora station (LOVE!). After the annoying Geico commercial that rudely interrupted my concert went off, the next song that came on was Monica’s “Why Her”.  In case you never heard the song, it’s about “her man” who chose another woman over her. She’s questioning why he decided to move forward with the other chick and not her.

Now, I know that Monica and I are the only ones who ever asked ourselves why not me?! I racked my brain plenty of nights trying to figure out if homegirl was thinner than me? Was she smarter than me? Did she not nag him or was she THAT good in bed?! The fact of the matter is that none of these are the reasons.

Ok. The first issue is that the man has a choice. If a man has a choice in which woman he gets to lay down with at night, he was never your man in the first place. Now that that’s over…

He was never meant to be your man. If we’ve seen it once we’ve seen it a million times. You know the meme with the woman sitting under a tree with the saying, “Some people are in your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.” What if your season is up in his life?!

Has it ever occurred to you that you are preparing him for the woman he is actually supposed to be with?! Ouch! Maybe your sole purpose in his life is to ensure that he never makes the mistakes he did with you with the person he is to spend the rest of his life with.

What I ask of every woman reading this is if you are going through this or may go through this in the future, do yourself a favor and do not waste your precious time asking why her. The fact is it happened. It’s over. Move on. Don’t blame her. Don’t blame him. Don’t blame yourself. I am a firm believer of everything happening for a reason. God makes no mistakes. In fact, you should be rejoicing that it did happen because it only means that someone that is meant for YOU is going to come along.

If you ever get to see ol’ boy and homegirl around town…just quietly whisper to her with a huge smile on your face, “You’re welcome!”

Lovers or Leeches

Jesus performed many miracles throughout the 33 years He was on earth. He fed 5,000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. He cured the woman with the issue of blood. Jesus made a blind man see and a lame man walk. He even raised Lazarus from the dead after four days of being in a tomb. Many people followed Him to witness the miracles He had performed.  There were people who believed He was the Messiah and others who only followed Him for what He could do for them.

People followed Jesus for miles in hopes that they too could be cured of whatever illness they had going on in their lives. If people could treat Jesus, the One and only true God that way, what makes you any different? There may be people in your life who do not necessarily love you but love what you can do for them.  It is of the utmost importance that you can differentiate the two.

Be careful of who you surround yourself with. You must use discernment! You heard of that word before. In its simplest definition, discernment is nothing more than the ability to decide between truth and error, right and wrong. But a more fitting definition would be the quality of being able to and comprehend what is. The world decides on things. Christians use discernment. We seek God before we come to a resolution onanything believing that the discernment He has given us will ultimately lead to what is good, right and true.

You ever have that one friend and you really don’t know why you are friends with him or her? S/he really doesn’t have toomany goals in life, doesn’t enjoy the same things as you and can be a stick in the mud most times. S/he has been around since grade school though so you all keep in touch. As soon as s/he needs something you are right by his/her side but if you need anything s/he is nowhere to be found. We call those people leeches. Kind of a harsh thing to say but the truth shall set you free. You have to let go of people like that or they will suck you dry. The faster you get rid of them, the better. The sun shines a little bit brighter, your smile gets a little bit wider and life becomes a bit more enjoyable.

Always remember to pray and use discernment. There may be people in your life that may need you but unfortunately, they cannot help you in anyway although they would love to. That’s called an assignment.  If it is in fact an assignment, God will give more of what you gave back to you because you are doing His work. It may never come through them but you will most definitely get it back.

Now before you go around calling people leeches and dropping people left and right, be sure that you are not the leech yourself. There is no problem in asking for help from others from time to time. At some points in life we will all need a helping hand. It becomes a problem when the help is expected. Don’t depend on someone with something you can do yourself.

You share blood with both leeches and family. What you think is family could in all actuality be a parasite. We were called to live an abundant life and that cannot happen when there are people around you who only look out for themselves. Drop the dead weight!

Mr. Potential

"No matter how attractive a person's potential may be, you have to date their reality." Mandy Hale

We've all done it (I'm probably the queen of it!) Met a guy who
we saw so much potential in and really dug him because he was "going places." You know the kind...comes from a good family, in school and a Christian. What you refuse to see is that he doesn't honor his parents, this is year six in school, and the only time he prays to God is when being stopped for a traffic violation. Seeing the good in someone is a beautiful thing but ONLY acknowledging what he COULD be is a BIG no-no!

Women...especially black women are known for "holding their man down." And I'm all for it (but I'd much rather say, lifting their man up!) There's something about the struggle you go through with your significant other to only come out on the other side better and stronger...together. But don't be dumb. You cannot allow yourself to be the only one struggling (and this doesn't just apply to finances).  If this man has no SET goals and does not have a plan on how to obtain them...RUN!!!!

Women are nurturing individuals but do not be so blinded that you cannot see what's in front of you. Take the situation for what it is. Believe me! I've been there! The excuses flood your brain. "But I don't want to start over." "We've been in this thing for 3 years." "His rap career is about to take off." *sigh* There's a beauty in starting over. Do you want to commit another three years to a stagnant relationship? And girl, please! His rap career is NOT about to take off.
Trust. You will benefit in the end. You deserve so much more!

Just let him know.
"Dear. Mr. Potential,
You can no longer be my partner in this spades game. I always come with a strong hand but you can only offer up those weak possibles.

Signed,
Ms. Reality

Like my girl Ms. Maya said, "The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them."

As always, you are fearfully and wonderfully made! Psalm 139:14

What My Boyfriend Taught Me About My Prayer Life...

It was a regular Sunday night. We had finished eating dinner and we were just chillin' out watching tv. Out of the blue, my boyfriend turned to me and asked, "when do you pray?" Immediately, I got defensive! "You think I don't pray? I told you I pray in general and for you all the time!" He went on to say that he believed I prayed just wanted to know when because he never sees me. And that got me thinking...

I pray. I pray in the shower, while I'm driving, before I close my eyes at night. To be totally honest with myself and others, I pray when it's most convenient for me. That stings to even type that. But I'm being truthful. It is fine to pray at these times because the Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. I'm not saying that I don't carve out time to go before God and meditate, pray and read. I do. When I have my most intimate times with Him I'm alone, cell phone off, away from the world. But it is not as often as it should be. 

Now even though it was hard to hear those words come out of his mouth, it's what I needed. One, because that means I'm not being consistent with my prayer life. We are around each other enough for him to know that from this time to this time, do not call, text, or visit because that is the time she spends meditating, praying, reading and studying. It is imperative that we make time each day to reverence God. Just think what it would be like if He didn't make time for us! 

Two, this conversation reminded me that people are watching. Christians are constantly under a microscope! Is it fair? No! But favor ain't fair either! It comes with the territory. It's not necessarily a bad thing. It keeps you on the up and up. And who knows? By watching your walk with Christ, someone may come to Him. It also made me realize that I wasn't on my job! I couldn't remember the last time I asked for him to pray with me. 

Lastly, if I'm not foolin' man with these fly by night prayers, should I really think God is pleased?! This is the most important one of them all! It is impossible to have a deep, intimate relationship with God if there is no time spent with Him. How do you expect to get to know someone if you don't take the time to get to know them personally. The same applies to God. How can you know His voice or learn how to discern things when you don't spend time with him. 

The worst thing ANY of us could ever hear is God say, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers." Matthew 7:23 but we want to hear, "Well done thy good and faithful servant." Matthew 25:23. 

How often do you pray and study the Word? What could you do to have a closer relationship with Him? I challenge you to take 30 minutes a day for 30 days to devote to devotion. Join me! I guarantee it will be worth it! 

As always, you are fearfully and wonderfully made! Psalm 139:14

*Disclaimer: Do NOT Read This If You're A Religious Freak*

*Don't say I didn't warn you!*

Let be the first to tell you...I am no super saint. I curse, I can hold a grudge like no other, there are days that I don't read my Bible and there are times that I skip Sunday service. I could go on for you but that would take up this whole post! I sin. Repeatedly. Yup! Some may say I'm a heathen. Believe me, I've been called that a time or two too.  But please know I am so much more than my sins.


Despite all of that, I am THEE silliest person you'd ever meet, I genuinely love to see others happy, would do anything for anybody and most importantly, I love Jesus Christ with every being of my body and crown Him King in my life. But some don't see that...

I can honestly see why people do not like going to church. Yea, I said it! I've been to churches where I am only greeted by people if I know them. I can't sit in this seat because this is Sister Lucille's seat and she has been a member for this church for 33 years and I'm just visiting. I have to look at my neighbor and tell them how good God has been to me. During my very first visit, I must stand and tell people where I currently worship. *sigh* None of these things make me want to go back to these churches again. And if I didn't know Christ for myself, it could deter me from going to any church..ever.

Tradition. Tradition. Tradition. In some instances I agree that tradition is a beautiful thing. When I was a little girl, I knew that whenever I went to my grandmother's house, she would have some snack waiting for me while we played Go Fish. This made for great memories. I also believe that there are places where tradition should not exist. The church is one of them. Although, I know that this has been the way things were done since the beginning of time, it does not allow the Holy Spirit to move freely.

If we as Christians get to witness to others throughout our day (which we should because ANY moment can be a witness moment!) do NOT sling bible verses at them! Christians MUST learn to meet people where they are. I'm not saying we shouldn't reference the Bible because we should ALWAYS back up what we say with Bible but some don't want to hear scriptures. They want to hear that you understand where they are coming from. Witness and let God do the rest.

Please, please please do NOT get angry, sarcastic or tell someone they are going to hell because they do not turn to Jesus in that moment. Is that something Jesus would have done? Absolutely not! If you can remember way back when (I know it was so long ago) to the days you were unsaved, you would have laughed at this person and asked them what kind of Christian are they? You don't know what God has in store for them.


Instead of worrying about how many piercings and tattoos a person has try to relate to them. You'd he surprised. You probably have much more in common than what you think! Besides, worrying about someone's appearance is not going to get them (or you) into heaven. But we know what will! Having someone turn from their wicked ways and turn to Christ will! We know that we cannot save someone from their sins but we can point them to the One who can!

A relationship with God is the most important relationship you could ever have. Notice I said relationship and not religion. God cares nothing about your religion but cares so much about your relationship with Him. Meditate, pray, read, repeat.

So while some people are in the church 24/7, singing hymns and saying rehearsed prayers that probably go no further than the ceiling, please look within before you pass judgement. Will you hear me curse? I'm sure. Does that mean I love God any less than the person who doesn't? Nope! Don't judge because someone sins differently than you. Help them along the way. Instead of pretending like you've been saved for so long you forgot your past, tell your testimony. It may turn someone to Jesus! After all, isn't that what our walk should be all about?!

Shattered to Shoutin'

Just a few days ago I wrote a post about how I planned on getting healthy. I had it all planned out. What I was going to eat, how many times I was going to eat it, how many times a week I would go to the gym and then my plans changed. Two days ago, I broke my ankle. The details aren’t important. Just know it had to do with nine ninjas, a ketchup packet and a raccoon (LOL!). Anyway, instead of hitting up the gym five times a week I am now sitting in a wheel chair waiting for the call of when I should expect to go under the knife. But don’t throw a pity party for me though! That’s not what this post is about, but the contrary. I pouted enough yesterday for everyone who will read this post combined! Now it’s time to pull up my boot strap (just one, LOL) and keep it trucking.

In life, most of us have plans. And it is a good thing. In fact, in my last post I just wrote that “failing to plan is planning to fail.” I still hold that to be true. But what I did not take into consideration is that if our plans do not align with God’s will our plans will fail us every time. See, this goes way beyond a workout regimen. As I sat in that hospital bed I asked my brother-friend, Brandon, “I know that God has a purpose for me. What does this have to do with anything?” Brandon simply responded, “There’s definitely a reason, it just may not be time for you to find out yet.” That stuck with me.

If anyone has ever had a broken bone before, you know that not much sleep is going on. I thought about my question and Brandon’s answer. So in the middle of the night, I decided to do my devotion. I prayed and read and prayed some more. Finally, it came to me. Sometimes God has to break us in order to build us up again the way HE desires us to be.

After a bone is broken a cast is put on to make sure it heals the proper way. But before the cast is put on, the doctor has to reset the bone. It is not comfortable but it is necessary. You see, if you just put the cast on without the doctor resetting the bone, it will not heal properly. God sometimes has to break us and reset us. Again, it definitely is not comfortable but it is necessary.  God is the Doctor and the Holy Spirit is the cast. God will reset us and the Holy Spirit will protect us.

 I’ll admit, (and if you were honest with yourself I’m sure you could admit this as well) there have been times when I prayed for God to get me out of a situation. When He did, I in return said, “thanks, God but I got it from here!” WRONG! I wanted my plans to go my way even if it was not in God’s will. DEFINITELY playing with fire. So God had to not only break me down but slow me down. Although a broken ankle is painful, what is even more painful is to be outside of God’s will.

Just because the Doctor reset the bone and the cast is on it, it does not mean that I will not hurt that bone again. Sometimes it takes multiple breaks for us to realize that we need to slow down. If we were smart we would take heed to ALL that the Doctor has instructed us to do. If you are broken now it is for your break through later!

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

After I cook this last Sunday Dinner...

I can’t tell you how many times I have said, “Monday starts a new way of living for me!” Then Monday comes and I’m living my new life, eating healthy, exercising and being positive about it. That’s a workout in itself! But then Friday comes and that’s when I return to the old me. Well, I can’t miss happy hour with co-workers and Saturday night is always date night. And who doesn’t like a nice southern style home cooked meal after church on Sunday? Then the cycle repeats itself. It’s time to break that cycle.

As long as I can remember, I’ve always been taller and bigger than all of my female classmates and most of the male ones too! J I mostly used this to my advantage during my basketball days. Who wanted to try to box me out?! Nobody! Even though I was bigger than most, I was still in pretty good shape. My coach didn’t play! But now, those days are long gone. It is up to me to get my body summertime fine. Needless to say, I haven’t been doing too good of a job. Here are a few things that I plan on doing to help me along my journey.

Prepare My Meals

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Truest words I ever did hear. I jack myself up every time I do not plan my meals out. Preparing meals starts even before you go to the market. Get a calendar and figure out what’s on the menu each night of the week. Proceed to make your grocery list. Sounds easy right?! Ok, here’s the hard part. STICK TO IT! DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT roam aimlessly down the cookie aisle. It will get you every time! (It also throws off your budget!)

Make a Workout Schedule

That same calendar that hangs on your refrigerator with each day’s menu can also be used for your workout schedule. Same as preparing meals, you MUST stick to it. It can get complicated knowing how busy your life can get. Just like it is second nature to get up and go to work at least five days out the week, the same goes for working out. Make sure that you make your workout fun! It’s easy to get off schedule if you dread your fitness plan.

Find an Accountability Partner

It is imperative to have an accountability partner who has the same mind set as you. You know, keep you on track when you feel like falling off. Sometimes you need that encouragement from another person. This could extend way further than fitness. In order to have a good accountability partner, you have to be one. Make sure you check up on them throughout the week to ensure the goals that they set will be met. I suggest that your partner is also someone you’re pretty close to. You can’t be afraid to call them out on something they are not supposed to be doing. But remember to be gentle, the tables will turn!

Set Realistic Goals

I am so that chick that would count how many months until summer to get my body snatched. Here I go: “Ok. So I have to get into that bathing suit that I bought. I only need to drop 60 pounds in about three months. It’s definitely doable!” Stop the press! Lol. I have to laugh at myself on this one. Is it doable? Possibly. But I’m pretty sure it’s unhealthy as well. You can set weekly goals to get to your ultimate goal. There will be times that those goals will not be met. Do not get discouraged, just go harder! It’s inevitable! If you stick with it, you will demolish your goals!

Who’s with me?

Here are a few reasons why I’m ready to break this cycle:

5. I want to show myself and others that you can do anything you put your mind to.

4. Who doesn’t like a little (more) attention?!

3. I want to become a healthier me.

2. God calls us to be our best selves!

1. I want to be SNATCHED and ready to SERVE!!!!!!!!!! J

Are there any reasons why you would like to become healthier?

 

My Funny Valentine

Can I tell y'all why I think Valentine's Day is wack, unauthentic and...did I mention wack?! Now before y'all go off on me telling me how much of a hater I am of all of the lover out there, let me explain Kevin Hart voice.

I didn't always think that Valentine's Day was the most irrelevant "holiday" there was. In fact, I used to look forward to a little dinner date, card and flowers. I liked the whole shebang. Pick me up but make it a surprise to where we are going. Give me my stuffed animal along with the rest of my gifts over dinner and tell me how much I mean to you and how life would be unbearable without me. Blah!

One day I sat, bored, and couldn't think when was the last time I had gone on a date. I thought long and hard before I realized it was February 14th. That's when I became fully aware of how Valentine's Day is the most artificial day of the year.

You see, for me, it would be so much more meaningful if dude took me out on a regular old Tuesday just because he heard about this great sushi spot and he knows just how much I love Japanese food. Or maybe sent an Edible Arrangement to my place because he knew how much those kindergartners wore me out the previous week.

Women, we should make sure that our men feel appreciated throughout the year as well. Make his favorite dish before he gets home from a long day's work. Or take him on a romantic weekend getaway. Men like to be wined and dined too!

February 14th isn't the only day that everyone is to express and celebrate their love for their significant other. Now, I don't see an issue with going out on Valentine's Day as well as random days throughout the year but to pinpoint this one day to celebrate love is just plain old corny. Love is a beautiful thing and should be made known every chance you get. Don't wait until society tells you to show love but do it as often as you can. It's greatly appreciated.

Some will be out on a romantic evening with their loves. Some will be home maxing and relaxing as if it's a regular Friday night and others will be turnt up in the club trying to find a valentine.

How will you be spending your Valentine's Day?

Celibacy Blues

Let me be the first to tell you, I am Jill Scott’s BIGGEST fan! No seriously, she is my sister in my head. There is not one song that she has sung that I have disliked.  If anyone knows of her album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3, Jilly has a song on there called “Celibacy Blues”. She tells us how being celibate is really taking its toll on her. She speaks on how hard it is to go without sex. I’m not saying it’s easy but it can be done…

Can I just be candid for a second? I’ve decided to take the pledge and be celibate. There are several reasons why. It was something that has weighed on me for some time, even when I was in a long term relationship. I know what the Bible says about sex before marriage but to be honest I disregarded it because I simply wanted to. Later on, I realized that I would pay in a major way. Sex clouds your judgment and your emotions take over. Despite what the world says, the word says, “the heart is deceitful of all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9 We think we know what we are doing by sharing our most intimate self with someone other than our spouse but we really have no idea. Another reason I chose to be celibate is to weed out those who are truly interested in me. Want to find out if a man really digs you or not? Tell them you’re not interested in having sex until marriage! Tuh! Most of them will run for the hills. BUT best believe that are some who will stick around.

A lot of times women think that sex is going to make a man stay…IT WON’T!!!!!!! If he wants to leave…HE WILL…faster than you can say, “baby, please stay!” Do I have an incredibly handsome and caring boyfriend? Yup! Does he respect my decision to wait? He sure does! To be quite honest, I’m probably closest and most comfortable with him more than any other person I have had a relationship with. Weird, right? You would think someone seeing you physically naked would bring two people closer together. And I’m not saying it doesn’t. But being emotionally naked is even more intimate.

In such a sex-driven world, I want to let people know that it is totally fine to WAIT. If someone wants to be with you, they will…even if you’re not ready to give up the goods just yet.

As always, remember, YOU are fearfully and wonderfully made! Psalm 139:14