Where my girls at! An '09 Declaration...

So I decided that this year I am going to do some things a little different! I wanted to start it off with a little discipline, positive attitude and a whole lot of loving and giving! So, I sent this e-mail and a "favorite things" attachment to a few sisters that inspired me in 2008. I'm all about gratitude this year. It's nothing like genuinely saying THANK YOU! Go ahead try it, it's like comfort food for the soul. Anyhow you may want to copy this e-mail and send it to a few friends yourself. No worries I won't get you for copyright infringment. :) Just make me one promise....that you'll GIVE-GIVE-GIVE! Ok so here is the e-mail....
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Hello My Beautiful Sisters & Happy New Year!!!

I am excited about 2009 – can you tell! :)

Anyhow, I just wanted to wish you all happy New Year and say thank you all for how you’ve contributed to my life and growth in 2008. You each played an integral part and you will never know how grateful I am. I love you all! Wouldn’t you like to know who ALL is – LOL! Exactly my reason for bcc: :)

Honestly, as I reflect, 2008 was one interesting year. Cried a lot, laughed more and learned lessons that have matured me immensely. I gained a lot and lost quite a bit - but it was all a part of the Masters great plan for my life. Can I get an AMEN! LOL! Well, I don’t want to bore you but I wanted to share that I have some exciting things coming down the pike in 2009 and I look forward to unveiling them one-by-one! So, keep an eye out for an invite!

In the meantime, one of the things I must do in 2009 is GIVE! If you know me, that’s an easy task but I must give more in 2009 than I ever have before! So, with that in mind, I want to invite you to share some of your favorite things with me in case you are one of the lucky recipients of a special gift each month. This year I am committed to unconditional giving (anything but my new purse :). I am also committed to personal growth, professional advancement, exuding contagious love, seeking God for wisdom & guidance, emotional management, developing healthy relationships, prosperity & financial increase and being totally submitted in 2009 – did I mention giving. :) Oh yes, and how could I forget, if God wants to send a good looking brother my way…I’ll take that too! :)

So, please complete the form and return it via e-mail ASAP. I am ready to start sowing into your lives. I love you all dearly and decree God’s success over your plans for 2009!

And smile it’s a new year!

Selise

Is it real?

So, I did the unthinkable today…yep you guessed it, curiosity got the best of me and logged on to…FAITHMATE.COM?! LOL! Well, honestly, I just really wanted to get a peak at what’s out on the market, you know, a climate check  - Anyhow, those of you who know me KNOW that’s not really my thang. Nevertheless, I surfed around the site a bit, putting in a variation of ages, locations etc. and I actually came across quite a few pretty eligible and not so bad looking characters. I mean a few of them were very nice looking with great aspirations, beautiful smiles, high educational achievements and great professions. Oh and how could I forget…certainly they all reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaly “loved the Lord” HA! ONLY one problem – how could I be sure they were all being honest? It sounded good and all but I don’t know…. Now you do know the only time you can determine a counterfeit is when you are ready to cash it in! Please don’t get me wrong, I am sure a few of those brothers were being truthful and honest but there is certainly no guarantee. I remember purchasing an item once and when the cashier gave me my change the $10 bill felt really weird AND the young lady who gave it to me looked very strange. But, I innocently collected my change and kept moving. Well, when I went to spend that $10 bill later that day at another store, the cashier said… “ma’am this is not a real $10 bill…it’s counterfeit”. COUNTERFIET! I thought-you must be kidding! BUT, sure enough it was a FAKE! But of course, I was deceived because I was looking at the money for the face value. This brings me to today’s lesson: Ladies – As you begin preparing for your mate whether the Lord leads you to meet on the internet, at the mall, at the movies, on your job, at church or at a function…BE SURE you check him out completely. Don’t be deceived by what you see. Man looks at the outer appearance but the Lord looks at the heart. Seek the Lord until you are confident! Pray and wait patiently for Him to SPEAK to you and give you confirmation before you move forward. Don’t rely on fleeces, gut level feelings or others pushing you into anything – SEEK GOD FOR YOURSELF and know when He speaks about your situation. This is a serious decision and to pursue a potential relationship without God’s leading is disaster waiting to happen. However, if you trust the Lord and allow Him to lead, you won’t get stuck with a COUNTERFEIT that you can’t return or EVER cash in! I love you and stay encouraged!

A Blessing In Disguise...

So, I just finished watching an episode of Good Times. Typically I avoid the show just because it leaves me a little depressed. I know-I know that show paved the way for African-Americans on television in the world of sitcoms AND is a reminder of the simple life, where the bond of family outweighed material and tangible things. I agree. I just don’t like the undertones but maybe that’s just me. Anyhow, since I am always trying to learn lessons in every iota of life, today I chose to watch the show and sure enough I learned a great lesson! Here is a glimpse of the storyline - Florida(the mother) who is a school bus driver apparently got stuck in a blizzard with a few little children on her bus – Janet Jackson and Kim Fields (in the early part of their careers- they were so cute!). Anyhow, they ended up in an abandoned building hoping to stay warm as they waited to be rescued. Well, after several attempts to keep the children engaged and awake in the freezing cold, Florida walks off to the side and begins her infamous dialogue with God as she seeks him for answers. “Lord", she says, "I’m gonna need your help with this one. These children are freezing and I don’t know what I should do.” Immediately she heard a knock and then shortly thereafter the door flew wide open. It was a homeless drunk who humorously insisted that they were invading his townhouse and needed to get out? LOL! Well, Florida sarcastically replies, "Do you happen to have any matches in this mansion of yours so we could build a fire and keep warm until someone finds us?" AND... sure enough he did! Long story short - they started a fire to keep warm and eventually were rescued and brought home.

The point of my story as it ties into the title, “A Blessing In Disguise”? Well, first we must remember that whenever we need God, even in a place of desperation, all we have to do is call on Him. Florida asked and God answered –in this case IMMEDIATELY! But, we must also remember that He doesn’t always answer the way we expect. What if Florida would have ran the man off because he was homeless, smelly and drunk? Ignorance could have caused them to miss their blessing. He HAD THE MATCH and was God's answer to her prayer. How many times have you missed your blessing because it wasn't packaged the way you expected? Lesson: Ask God for what you need and He will answer BUT remember God will use whatever and whoever he chooses. Be careful who you push aside you just might be rejecting your favor and you never know, it just might be YOUR BLESSING IN DISGUISE. God bless and stay encouraged!

Finally FREE

The other day, I was on the metro on my way home and this loud obnoxious guy got in my car. Of course I didn't want to draw any attention to myself so, I tried my best to focus intently on the book I was reading, PRAYING that he would not look my way. Annnd... it didn't work! As he sang this song with lyrics subtley implying that you need to enjoy your life ..."Live Ya Life OH OH OH...Live Ya Life..."I struggled to focus on my book hoping he would get off at the next stop. I reeeaaaally didn't want to be bothered. I was tired and just ready to go home. Seems like he knew that because it wasn't long before he tried to grab my attention..."Hey chocolate"he says from across the train. I gulped hard and struggled to concentrate with my head buried in my book, ignoring the call as I thought to myself - not tonight - good grief. Besides, as many women on the metro that night -CERTAINLY he wasn't talking to me!? Then he calls again..."Excuse me, chocolate with the green highlighter". Well at that point I couldn't avoid but to respond to the call in a respectful manner and hope he just needed to know the time. Besides, no one else had a green highlighter :(. So, I looked up to respond and he anxiously made his way over to the seat across from me. At this point, I am really wondering -Lord WHY ME!? Nevertheless, I gave him a stern yet kind and attentive look. I tried to avoid listening, only to find that I couldn't. As I listened intently hoping that no one would see how interested I really was, he began to speak..."You seem smart and look like you are really into your books", I responded, "Yes", he then went on to say, "So you read and then highlight what might help you later huh?", "Yes", I responded. At this point I wondered, why is he asking so many question and yet why did I feel so at peace and engaged by this strange person. Well, his final statement was the kicker. He turned to me with a look of concern and in a low calm voice said, "Sweetheart, you need to enjoy life, don't be so bottled up, allow someone to love you. Books and reading is good but ENJOY LIFE". As I gazed at him puzzled by his simple yet thought provoking statements, trying to validate the fact that he really didn't even know me,I couldn't help but be honest with the truth; his words really struck a cord. (you would need to have been in my conversations the previous week to really understand where I am coming from but I knew this was God). And so as he exited the train, I tried to get back to reading but it was impossible because the silence was so loud. I watched him get off at the next stop and pick up his song where he left off ..."Live Your Life OH OH OH" as he faded into the night like "Joe Black". I wondered, was that an Angel? And, to this day, I think he was. Which brings me to my point as it ties into the title of this blog..."Finally FREE". After a painful divorce, 3 years ago, I thought certainly three years later- I'M FREE - right? Wrong! I didn't realize until I soul searched the night after the metro ride, I was still bound- by MY OWN choice. After the hurt I had experienced, it was EASIER and safer to silently reside in Egypt. Safer to hide in my books, retreat to my apartment, remain in fear and not trust again or camp out in my own hurt and personal space. It was just easier to avoid hurt and not let anyone in. Well, since the encounter with the "angel", I am taking strides to trust again, live again and love again..OH OH OH. I choose to be FREE - free to give, to love and to live. Today ...I am making better choices on who deserves my love, my trust, my time and my space AND yes I expect it to be reciprocated BUT if by chance I love someone unworthy and unable to value me or return the favor of love-I have decided to let it go! Why? Because I'm free...Finally FREE! I'm livin' my life...OH OH OH! I pray you do the same! Love ya and stay encouraged!