Warning: This post is purposely not “polished.” It’s a peek into my brain as I process through this situation…I chose this way because I hope that my transparency and willingness to be “raw” will help someone else who may be dealing with disappointment. So, here’s another peek into the way my mind operates. Fasten your seat belts, and please keep your arms inside the ride at all times… One evening, in the mid-nineties, while at my college’s gospel choir rehearsal, I had a thought…a little inkling of a thought that maybe one day I might be some sort of missionary. Read More
Tag: postaday2011
When I am laid in earth…
This post’s title is a line from an aria (Dido’s lament) from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. The aria states, “When I am laid in earth, may my wrongs create no trouble in thy breast. Remember me, but ah, forget my fate.” This is one of my favorite arias to sing, but that’s a post for a different day. The thought for today centers around my interpretation/understanding of this aria. As she is dying, the character (Dido) is lamenting about what people will say about her when she’s gone. And that’s the topic of this post. What is it that you Read More
Get ready, get set, GOAL!
As we all know, January is the time of year when people try to make positive changes in their lives. However, people are quick to give up on their goals if they miss the mark. But, as the tortoise and the hare taught us, slow and steady wins the race. They say that it takes 21 days to form a habit. One thing that I know about goal setting is that it’s less intimidating when you break things down into smaller chunks. So I’d like to suggest to you my 7-Day Challenge, it’s very simple: Step 1: Pick a goal Read More
Lessons learned from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”
As a child, I read a book a day during the school year. This wasn’t the result of any school initiated program, my love affair with reading started at a young age. One day, after a visit from my cousins, I discovered that one of them had left their copy of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at my house. I got comfortable with the book and devoured it. Dare I say it was life-changing? Okay, that’s probably a bit “over the top,” but it does remain on my list of favorite books. I was obviously excited to discover the movie adaptation of the Read More
Hair today, gone tomorrow
Here’s a picture of me from June 2008: My sister and I shaved our heads in support of our mom, who was about to begin chemo treatments for Breast Cancer. Mom was diagnosed in January of 2008, and I couldn’t help but to think about that time just the other day. Thankfully, the cancer was discovered during a routine mammogram. She had surgery later that spring and did chemo and radiation treatments. Three years later, she is fine – and her hair has grown back! Don’t take your health for granted. If there are routine screenings that you’re supposed to Read More
A picture’s worth a thousand words
I toyed around with topic’s for today’s post, and nothing was really jumping out at me…at least nothing that didn’t require more time than I had to dedicate to a post today. Then I thought about something that had made me smile most recently, this photo: This was a candid photo taken while I was playing with a toddler named Eden at the Seeds of Hope orphanage in Ndola, Zambia. Eden and the other children at the orphanage have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Some of the children are also infected with HIV. What you can’t see is the big grin Read More
Never stop dreaming
Yesterday, I saw a video spread across the internet like wildfire, but it wasn’t until late last night that I finally decided to click “play.” By now, I’m sure you’ve heard of Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden radio voice. In the original video (taken by a newspaper reporter from the Columbus Dispatch), we see Williams on the side of the road, holding a sign that says he has a “God given gift of voice” and that he is an ex-radio announcer who has fallen on hard times. During the video, he’s given a chance to wow the Read More
Where’s my package?!
I ordered a package in December via Amazon.com. The estimated arrival date was December 22nd-28th. Unfortunately, the package was coming from New York; and as you know, the east coast got slapped with ridiculous snow storms during the last weeks of December. So the package didn’t actually make it to FedEx until December 28th. FedEx didn’t bother trying to deliver it before this week because they apparently had too much to handle. They guaranteed me yesterday that it would be delivered today. I checked the FedEx website’s tracking function, only to discover that the most recent update was from 10:13 Read More
Just one of those days…
Have you ever had “one of those days”? One of those days where little things that normally wouldn’t annoy you begin to pile up until you can’t ignore them anymore…and then they keep piling up? Then, because you’re agitated, perhaps you start thinking about the things you were hoping to accomplish and become in life and start to doubt…your faith starts to waver? I’m having one of those days…I’m kind of freaking out about some changes that are coming and am struggling to practice what I preach. I was re-reading some notes I’ve posted on Facebook and came across this Read More
Don’t go changing…
This is the time of year when everyone commits to making a plethora of changes. So it may sound odd to you when I say: don’t change…at least, not yet. Very often, people are frustrated with where they are in life and assume that the only way to make it better is to change. And while change may be just the way to go, before you head down that path, you should stop and take some inventory. How will you know what you should be doing if you don’t know what you’re equipped and called to do? I want to Read More