Lesson(s) Learned

Waking up Whiny: What Lipgloss Teaches about Life This morning was a strange event for me. Let me explain: I'm typically a morning person during seasons of routine and order in my life. And I'm (for the most part) a go-getter, once I finally make it out of bed on my not-so-structured-summer mornings as well. But this morning was different. For some strange reason, I woke up whiny. Thankfully, I'm currently living roommate-less, so no one was around to see or hear me. (To clarify, I wasn't talking aloud to myself. The whininess was really more revealed in my attitude and thoughts. But still.) If you're anything like me, you probably forget all-the-time the presence of the Lord. And how it is He that is always with you. He, Who always goes before you. He, Who is a a Shelter in the times of storm. He, Who is your Rear-guard and your Defender. He, Who overwhelms and satisfies your soul. He, Whose joy gives you strength. He, Whose salvation brings you hope....

Interesting, isn’t it, the places people will go and the things people will do to “get inspired.” For many, inspiration comes from the Bible. As it ultimately should. For most women, teachers, and men who feel strong in their manhood, inspiration comes Pinterest. (Side note: After testing out a Pinterest idea of putting brown sugar in my hair to “straighten” it and only coming away with sticky hair and a leftover bottle of home-made ridiculousness, I suggest everyone proceed on Pinterest with cautionary measures. I know I do. Now, anyway.) For some, inspiration naturally flows from music or poetry or nature or the like. For others still, inspiration is birthed into their hearts and lives through a heart-stirring story, an act of heroism, or a random act of kindness experienced or observed. If I’m being honest, I’ve been guilty of all of the above ways to find ideas, get involved and interested in something beyond myself, and become inspired by the crea...

Today, once again, I found myself scurrying from the front doors of the local Target Superstore to the front seat of my car. In a thunderstorm. As it happened, I couldn't help but laugh at myself and how-very-often this scenario repeats in my life. Without a doubt, it always seems to be raining when I enter/exit a Target. Some may excuse this away as being "Florida summer weather;" however, it's happened to me in other seasons, too. And it's even happened to me in other states. In fact, when I lived in Lynchburg,Virginia before, I got to the point where I had to resolve to getting soaking-wet because I absolutely refused to buy yet-another Target-branded umbrella. My umbrella collection was getting to be quite extensive and unruly. And, oddly enough, my umbrellas were quite inaccessible when I needed them the most. They always happened to be in the coat closet at home. Or in the closet of my classroom. Or in the trunk of my car. You know, conveniently tucked any...

Have you ever noticed at the end of one chapter of a book, the author (or perhaps it’s the publisher) intentionally leaves some space before moving onto the next chapter? Sure, one could argue that it’s solely done as a means to properly format a book; but after looking around my bedroom at the all the cardboard boxes and all the empty spaces in between, I tend to think the empty spaces in books (and the empty spaces in life) need more attention and more credit than we oftentimes give them. The spaces in between chapters of a book are there to help you pause. They’re there to help you reflect on what you’ve learned and remember the people you’ve grown to know and love along the journey. They’re there to help you make sense of things past and prepare you for things to come. As I sit here in my bedroom surrounded by the smell of cardboard boxes and the sounds of the people I love moving about the house, I realize that the empty spaces in my room are much lik...

Hit and Run I don’t know how your Saturday morning started. Perhaps, it was a “normal“ day for you and your family. I surely hope so. My family, however, was not quite-so-lucky this morning. It all started when I, unusually, awoke from my sleep at a bright-and-early-time-before-7:30-a.m. this morning. This may not sound so off-base for many of you early risers, but let me remind you: I’m a teacher. And it’s a Saturday. In the summertime. Needless to say, 7:30 a.m. isn’t my go-to wake-up call for a summertime Saturday. In fact, if I had anything to do with it, 7:30 a.m. wouldn’t even be on my radar. Shortly after waking up, the doorbell rang and was followed by a knock at the front door. Dad answered the door to greet two of our neighbors, who apparently had a third-party, not-so-great story to share with us. From there, it all unraveled. An unknown driver hit three of the cars parked in front of our house. And didn’t stick around to leave any explanation or any evid...

If you want to know how to “Get It Right” on Mother’s Day. I have some very simple pieces of advice for you. 1.      Know who your mom isn’t. 2.      Know who your mom is. 3.      Make it more about her than you. 4.      Plan accordingly. With all said, let’s start with a story, shall we? Quite a few weeks ago, I went to Target in hopes of securing a Mother’s Day card before “all the good ones” were taken. (I assumed I had already purchased every Mother’s Day card Hallmark had to offer. #HallmarkPlatinumMember) I wanted to get a really good card for her. Because she’s a really good mom. Every really good mom deserves a really good card. Right? Well, yes. That, and I didn’t want to be interviewed on the evening news for why I was waiting until the last minute to thank the woman who gave birth to me. In fact, I remember watching the Jacksonville news one time a few years a...

Some say there's a calm before the storm. For some, the calm is in the dead-middle of the storm (i.e. hurricanes #FloridaGirl). For others still, the calm comes after the storm. As of yesterday and early this morning, I'd categorize myself in the last of those three options. When you experience a calm after a storm, you can't really do anything else except to be thankful you're okay, praise God for His protection, and learn to trust in His promises a little more the next time. I seem to be getting ahead of myself here, so let me back up and start here: I know the promises of God. I've read all of them. Heard stories on them as a child. No, I couldn't quite give you an exact number of promises recorded in the Bible. (Perhaps, that's something I should work on tallying up.) But I've heard them. And I know them (exact numbers and tally marks aside). Since I grew up in church, hearing the promises of God is just something I got used to. A...