As we gather with family and friends this Thanksgiving season, take a moment to express gratitude for everything, the good, the bad and the in between. Let us also remember those who are without family, friends and a simple meal. We set aside Thanksgiving as a special day to give thanks, but we must remember to give thanks every single day of our lives. Nothing is a guarantee, not today or tomorrow. Utilize your time wisely, by remembering those who are without. We tend to join in together to make sure no one goes without on Thanksgiving or Christmas, but we must also keep in mind that there are several days, weeks and months between those seasons. So let us make it a weekly habit to remember those who are without, by adding an extra food item to our shopping list and dropping it off for those in need.

May everyday of your life be filled with more than enough blessings, so that you will be able to share it. May the warmness of the seasons bring you the comfort you need. May your heart be filled with gratitude and love, as you gather with your loved ones while remembering those in need. 

To you and yours, have a blessed Thanksgiving.

How we choose to interact with each other says a lot about our character, and where we are in our lives. Putting down the person next to you highlights some of the issues you have in your life, and your ability to effectively work on them. When we remain ignorant to our issues, they fester up to a place where they become the norm in our lives. It is never okay to put someone down. We all have issues but there a multitude of ways to deal with them, and one of those ways does not include putting someone down. When you put someone down, you are showcasing how weak you are, even though in your mind you are strong. It takes a strong and courageous person to walk away from a bully, it takes a wise person to utilize what they learn from a bully to empower and inspire others.

Life is not perfect for anyone of us, but we can make it much easier when we choose to be respectful of others. Respect others, even if you don't like what they look like or how they sound, because it is simply your opinion and it may not matter to them. Respect yourself enough where you can respect others. When you attempt to offend someone, you may not succeed, but you are leaving an image of yourself that is less than flattering. If we would search ourselves daily, we would see our flaws and our shortcomings, which should prompt us to make adjustments. We all have areas in our lives that need work, and we should work on those before we try to put others down.
Make the human choice to uplift others, to empower and inspire.

Sunday is a day many of us set aside as a day to give worship to Our Creator. We give Him thanks for keeping us through the previous week and for blessing us into a new week. As we thank God, we give Him glory and praise and acknowledge the many blessings He has bestowed upon us. We know that without Him we are lost, and many of the things we have made it through would not be possible without Him. We must continue to give Him praise, and do it at all times, and not just on Sundays. Each day we arise is a blessing, there are many who did not get the opportunity to see the new day. There are many who can only image the beauty in each day, because they are lacking the vision to do so. They are however grateful to have another day, and regardless of what they are lacking, they embrace their other senses to experience the goodness of God working on this earth. 
We are a blessed creation, regardless of our failures to live according to His will. He is a forgiving God who will deliver us and bless us. Even though we don't live up to His standards at all times, He continues to bless us with the beautiful sun, the glorious rain, the magnificent radiating light of the moon and stars. He even allows the breeze to cool us down on a warm day. The endless bodies of water that saturates the earth, incorporates an ever present beauty that is majestic to say the least. Even when we feel as though we are lacking, we are tremendously blessed. Let us give Him thanks for His wondrous work, and give Him glory and praise throughout the good and bad times. He is worthy of our praise and He is mighty. Praise Him.

#blessed

When we are blinded by our situations, it is hard for us to see the light. Many of us have been in places that has taken over our lives to the point that we are unable to see what is obviously wrong with the picture. We become so consumed in the situation that is bad for us, but we keep running towards it even though danger is ahead. Sometimes we see the sign but we insist on carrying on as though we have completely lost our minds and ourselves. When we get to a place like this, we have lost our identity and therefore become unrecognizable to those who know us. We will lash out at those who are concerned with us, and even go as far as locking the door on our loved ones. We become a slave to our own selves, not to the person we are running to but within our own minds. We lose our identity and our ability to execute our lives coherently .

Love yourself enough not to lose yourself to anything or anyone. Hold on to who you are by constantly re-evaluating yourself and the situations you find yourself in. Ask yourself if your current situation is aimed at elevating you. Is it taking you on a path of growth, or does it have you stuck on yesterday? Don't lose yourself to some concept of what you think is needed in your life to make it complete. Know that a complete life involves a life full of love, life, laughter, a deep personal relationship with God. A life that is filled with drama and constant turmoil will not lead you to a fulfilling life. Do a self check---it's evaluation time.

​#selfcheck #selfevaluation

Never fear those who try to diminish your flame. Your flame was lit by The Creator, and only Him can diminish or put it out. You can be rest assured that you are protected by Christ. He will not allow the deceivers to have a foot against you. He will put out their flame before they can put out yours. Don't be fearful because He is with you now and always. Always trust Him, and keep His love burning within your soul.

He placed you on this earth with a God given purpose, to do great and wondrous things. To impact and change lives, all of which you will do until He decides that you have accomplished your task. Remember, trials may come but joy will be there in the morning. Stay strong and vigilant and continue to do the work you were sent here to do.

#blessed #favored

Don't be a follower of many, be a follower of one---Christ Jesus. He is the only one who can save you. He is the only one who will stick with you throughout it all. His promises ring true. He will never let you down. When you are in the darkest chapters of your life, He will be there, His light will burn bright to get you out from out of the darkest places, and help you find your way. He will never leave you when you are down and out. When everything is going for you, He will be there to add balance.

If you get to a place where you don't feel Him, maybe you choose to exclude Him. But He is never far away, the moment you call out to Him for help He will appear and deliver you. Don't ever doubt His love for you or His dedication to you. You have the best support system in Him for life.

#Christlove #Hispromises

Don't succumb to the pressures and fears that may unfold in your presence. Simply tell him/her not today, tomorrow or ever. Never allow anything or anyone to steal your joy. If you do, you are giving them power and control over your life. When pressure comes at you full force, just smile and say an internal word of prayer, then continue with your day. No one has power over you until you hand it over to them. There may be days when you simply want to let loose and hand it to whomever, but while it may work, there is always a better way of handling the situation, namely pressure. When you chose to react harshly, you end up building yourself up with additional pressure.

Practice patience. Learn to deal with the various personalities you embark on each day. Important to remember, everyone is going through something. So, the person who is being demanding and overbearing to you today, is going through something. Enrich your life and your day by meditating on the positives and eliminating pressures.

#stompoutpressure #elevation

Wake up to the sweet melodies of Monday, a Monday so rich with memories of a weekend that was so breathtaking and filled with rich aromas of a time that was well spent. Keep those memories flowing and allow them to get you through today and through the rest of the week. Mondays always seem so difficult to get through because we try to squeeze so much into the weekend. We can make Mondays sweeter by reminiscing in the memories of the past two days and escaping in plans for the next weekends to come. But don't get too lost daydreaming about the next weekend to come, try to focus on your task today, and getting all your work accomplished so that when the next weekend rolls around you can focus on enjoying it and escaping into another dimension.

Those of us who work, look forward to the weekends. We see it as a time to escape, a time to be free to enjoy all the pleasures this life offers. We work so hard and we are so deserving of the time away from the hustles and bustles of this life. Working affords you the ability to enjoy your weekend, so put in your hard days work today so that your tomorrow...your weekend will be all that much more sweeter.

#lovelife #work

For many of us, Sunday marks the beginning of a new week, and for others the last day of the week or even just another working day. Whatever day Sunday is for you, it is a new day that is filled with promises, the possibility of new beginnings, great joy, or even a mystery. My hope for you, is that you will have a day in the week that you have set aside to do some soul searching. A day for you to reconnect with The Creator on a one on one basis. We all need a day when we can separate ourselves from all the hustle and bustle that we have become accustomed to. A day that we can be alone with God, to talk to Him about everything. Yes, He already knows all that we have been up to, but He wants us to come to Him, to lay it all out to Him.

We should not allow ourselves to be too busy to stop for a moment, and connect with God on a personal one on one level. He deserves our time and we will become more whole and more in-tuned with our purpose when we do that. If it is your desire to develop and maintain a personal relationship with God, make it a point to connect with Him daily, but also have a special day set aside for you and Him. Our soul needs fuel and that fuel can only come from God. He is willing to meet you at your level, but you must reach out to Him first.

#relationship #God

Many of us view having a complete life, as a life with a partner, children, home, job. While it may be so in some situations, it is not the case in all. I believe having a complete life is one in which you have a deep personal relationship with God, one in which you can go to Him for any and everything. A complete life to me, is one in which you know who you are and you are comfortable in your own skin. It is a life where you know having a partner does not define who you are. While it is great to have that one person, you know that all the other individuals in your life means as much to you. Being complete is realizing that you don't need to seek approval from anyone, you don't need someone to tell you, you are important and worth something, because you already know that. When you love and accept yourself you are complete. When you accept the fact that life isn't perfect and that each day you can learn more and grow more, you are complete.

You are complete when someone's definition of you does not hold you hostage. Be confident in who you are, accept all of you...flaws and all. Seek ways to grow and develop into the best you. Develop a deep relationship with God and seek His approval not man's, because we are all prone to the same errors. Respect yourself and respect others. Love without borders, and accept others for who they are regardless if you believe in what they do or not. Love beyond race and color. Live your life because it is yours.

#acceptance #liveyourlife #complete #selflove