Holding onto hope sounds easy enough to do. Especially if things are good right at the moment. That is when there is
nothing to worry about. Our focus is only on good things. In fact, a lot of times it is easy to forget to be grateful and I
mean truly grateful for all that is right in our presence.
How would I know that if I had not lived it myself? I spent more than a decade raising two kids alone. Most of that time
we all lived in a house. It was the same home they were born into. I was determined to see them grow the rest of their
formative years in that house.
Struggle had become my new first name. I might have been divorced from a marriage but not from all of the issues that
being a single parent presented. No matter how much I worked, it still did not seem to be enough financially. For every
extra dollar I brought home,there was a new issue that required all that I made and then some. When the child support
did come through, it just meant some of the bills got paid on time. I walked around that house seeing only what was
wrong with the way we all were living.
Some months when there was no child support, the bills were paid later than late. I never had the electric or the gas
turned off, and I never lost the house. And the only way I was able to accomplish all of that was by holding onto HOPE.
It was a long road to get there, but I learned that within every small victory there was a huge amount of HOPE that
made it happen at all.
With each small step towards success, my grasp onto HOPE became stronger. I began to realize that what I wanted to
achieve was attainable. And with that knowledge, Hope became my source of strength. The one thing I could hold onto
even when things seemed to be totally against me.
I remember sitting in the living room of the house with my head in my hands. I would have tears streaming down my
face trying to make sense of how I was supposed to make things work. The longer I sat and allowed HOPE to enter into
my realm of thinking, the calmer and clearer my path appeared. And in all honesty, most of the time it was all I had to
hold onto. For everything that was going wrong at the time, HOPE provided the gateway to all that was required for
things to go RIGHT!!
Allow HOPE into your life regardless of your situation or circumstances and reap the benefits of doing so. It will allow
you to see what is RIGHT with your life instead of only seeing what is WRONG!!
Posted on 05/28/2018 at 10:00 PM
One thing about a rainy day is that I usually do not want to get out of bed. I hear the rain drops falling and it is as if they are playing a lullaby that increases my fatigue. But I have learned to raise above the rain. Oh do not get it twisted and think this is something that is easy to do. It certainly is not!
Raising above the rain came as I was recovering from breast cancer. It was what I had to do in order to get back to where I was physically before the surgery. I remember dragging myself out of bed, getting dressed, hitting the treadmill and the weights. It was really hard. I had days when I felt as though I would never make any progress. Day after day I refused to give up even though I felt as though it was of no use.
I still remember lifting those tiny two pound weights, crying inside. I could not believe what cancer had reduced me to. It would be six months before I was ready to increase the weights I was lifting to a whopping five pounds. That was one of my biggest milestones. That day I felt as though I could overcome just about anything. I never told anyone about this until now. I figured that most people would not have understood my personal battle.
From then on, I was like the postman. Nothing was going to keep me down. I refused to allow the weather conditions to hinder my progress. I found ways around the depressing effects that rain.sleet and snow have over my mood. Even if the kids did not have school, I got up and I got out of that house. It was something I had to do for myself. To this day, I still work out whenever I can. And I do not permit the weather determine whether or not I can get a workout.
I have applied this mentality to every aspect of my life. And you can too. Raise above the Rain and find your way to what it is that should and can be achieved today and everyday !!
Posted on 04/16/2018 at 02:15 PM
This coming Monday in Boston,Massachussetts, thousands of runners will take to the streets in an effort to
complete the grueling twenty six mile course known as the Boston Marathon. The most fascinating part of this
race are the stories of the entrants in the news prior to what is called "Marathon Monday". Each person
highlighted on the evening news, comes from a different set of circumstances. Some of the people have lost
someone and are running in their memory. While others have just decided that this is "the" time for them to
take on this challenge.
One of the most difficult parts of this particular course is halfway through. At mile twenty all of the runners must face
"Heartbreak Hill". This is a 1.23 mile stretch that is an ascent. It is at this juncture that many runners cannot go on.
Every year I watch this race on the television and I am amazed and impressed at the bravery of each entrant for this
race. I believe that this particular race has the highest number of people who complete it without regard to their timing.
For some people it might be daylight when they begin the course and dusk upon completion. That represents a
high commitment to the goal of finishing this race.
I believe that everyone of us is in a "marathon" of sorts. Even though people have said that life is "short" the truth is,
the average life span is 79 years. That is a long time made up of intervals that mark major chronological changes that
impact us differently at each stage. If we were all sprinters, then the vast majority of folks would not make it past the
first quarter century. But that is not the case. This indicates that most people have what it takes to go the distance
regardless of their situation or circumstance. It is not necessary for them to have been previously condition for the long
haul, because when it comes down to it, what matters the most is the level of commitment to living as long as possible.
So this Monday also known as Patriots Day in Boston, remember that we are all Marathoners. It is not necessary to
have a number or a shirt in order to be in the race that represents your life. Regardless of where you are in the
Marathon, it only matters that you finish ! It is a race that is very individualized with results that vary from person
to person. Stay in it !!
Posted on 04/14/2018 at 11:28 PM
Have you ever been in the middle of your day and just had a vision in your head of something you would love to do?
Most people have this experience every once in a while. Unfortunately, what happens is that once that moment has
passed, with it goes all the hopes and possibilities, that vision brought. I have heard people say things like "Yeah like
that could ever happen". But the truth of the matter is, that everyone has access to ideas or visions that are unique to
their own experience. And the way that the access becomes blocked is through the negativity each one of us associates
with the possibility of actually achieving that vision.
These thoughts begin in our everyday experience and it is almost as though a door is opened showing us something the
is completely different from what we do on a day to day basis. Something that brings with it a glimpse of possibilities
we can only see from our small perspective. Unless we are willing to take a step further into the vision we are
experiencing, the door closes and all the things we caught sight of are lost. Once this happens it is near impossible
to bring back those initial feelings surrounding that vision.
Notice I said NEAR IMPOSSIBLE! Nothing is impossible, but it takes some work and effort on our parts. It means sitting
down with ourselves and admitting that we DESERVE to explore our vision further, instead of shrugging it off. It's easy
to think ourselves OUT of something, but extremely difficult to focus and bring an intangible to life.
The use of vision boards is one way of keeping our focus on goals and ideas. But it is MORE important to ALLOW the
possibility of the idea. Without that, all the vision boards in the world are of no use.
This week focus on an idea that you might have suppressed because it seemed out of reach. Allow yourself to have
ACCESS to that experience and just let it flow from there. You might just be surprised at the results. Solutions to
previously held obstacles could appear before your very eyes !!
#POSSIBILITIES,#ACCESS,#DESERVE
Posted on 04/07/2018 at 07:29 PM
On this day before Christmas,I wish everyone the best . In order to receive the best of everything, open your minds and hearts to the possibilities of what can be. Before you go to that party or a relatives house, release all preconceived notions as to what it will be like.It has been my experience that when you fill your heart and mind with negative thoughts about a gathering it will ultimately end up being a negative experience.
Permit good thoughts and exude an aura of happiness that others cannot help but gravitate to. Because that is really what this season is supposed to be all about. By preparing yourself mentally and emotionally, your holiday experience will be one you will not soon forget. Those who are around you will remember h...
Read morePosted on 01/26/2018 at 04:35 PM
However you decide to celebrate this holiday, try to surround yourself with those who truly believe in you and your vision. Your family and friends are the ones who have been by your side as you have been trying to make your vision come to life. Celebrate all they have given you throughout the year. These are the moments and memories that will sustain you as the new year approaches and you begin to make more progress towards your goal.
A new year awaits you! Allow all that support that your family and friends give you to be your motivation for continuing on!
Posted on 01/26/2018 at 01:18 PM
Start your p