While ironing my clothes, there was gospel music playing in the background. One song in particular came on and I began to sing along, thinking about how much preparation we make for the next day. We rarely stop and think that maybe there is no tomorrow for us.

One thing that I did faithfully for many years of my life was plan ahead.  I planned my whole life out before I completed elementary school.  So, naturally life has changed my outlook on planning but tonight, I was forced to reexamine my thoughts regarding planning.  As I listened to different stories today I heard a recurring theme, stories of plans but all the plans were contingent upon a tomorrow.

When we consider ourselves “healthy” (physically, mentally, financially), we have a tendency to arrange our lives so that we cut a lot of little things out because we think it will cause us to lose focus or hinder our progress.  It is easy to put things off for another day because you can justify your absence, your lack of compassion, or lack of interest due to your journey to the next level.  What we fail to realize is that time is something that we cannot get back.  We can develop the most well thought out plan and it will not mean a thing if we do not see tomorrow.

Life is full of the unknown but there are some things that we do know.  We know when we love someone, we know when someone has hurt us, we know when we want to see a change take place in our lives, we know when we miss someone, we know when we need to change course, and there are so many other things that we know so, LIVE LOVE LAUGH WITHOUT LIMITS.

1 John 2:19~They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

As we travel through life, we meet so many different people along the way.  The beautiful thing about this process is that we have the opportunity to interact and learn from each other.  Where we interrupt this process is by assigning temporary people, permanent positions.

A temporary person is meant to teach you a particular lesson, show you a different perspective, or maybe just share some of their sunshine along the way.  Often times instead of accepting the temporary nature of these relationships, we prolong the completion of their purpose by turning them into a permanent fixture in our lives.

It is ok to let go! It is ok to let go!  It is ok to let go! Today, thank God for those who left.

Chorus for today: “Letting go, letting go ain’t easy. Oh, it’s just exceedingly hurtful. ‘Cause somebody you used to know, is flinging your world around. And they watch, as you’re falling down, down, down, falling down, baby.”~MC

When you think of your greatest influence, who/what do you rank at the top?

I hear these questions frequently, when are you getting married; why do you only have one child; or why do you want more children?  Then there are the follow-up questions, are you gay; are you able to have more children; and do you know you’re getting too old to have children?

My questions to them are, why do I have to be married by a certain age; why must I have multiple children; or why can’t I have multiple children?

People are so caught up in what society deems “normal” or “acceptable”, that they fail to realize they are not thinking for themselves.  Society has become their god and whatever appeals to society, they accept it and judge others by the standard. We have lost individuality…what is the real reason the divorce rate is so high and why is it that single parenting is now chosen by men and women? Why do we praise other human beings so much?

I would like your feedback, what are your thoughts on these questions?

Thanks to Tropical Storm Debby, I had to take numerous detours on my way back home from visiting my family.  The route added almost 2 hours to my trip but said I was driving the same distance.  At first I was a little sad because it was going to take me so long to get home and I was traveling on unfamiliar roads.  A friend told me “As long as you get there, that’s all that matters”.

In life we will experience many obstacles, trials, and what we perceive to be negative situations. There is no way around this, no one is exempt but God makes provisions for all these “storms”.  Often times we experience what we feel are setbacks in life but they are actually God’s “detours”.  He has planned out a path and even when we end up off course, He will bring us back home.  The great thing about God’s detour is we will end up exactly where we should be therefore, we’ve traveled the same distance.

The next time storms rise in your life, appreciate your detour because what matters most is that you get to your destination.

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference…”

True change comes from within, therefore, we can not dictate or force someone to change.  Often times the things we want to change in others is the very thing we need to change within ourselves.  My honest belief is that the only way I can change those around me is to change myself.

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” ~Gandhi

There are times in life when we have to realize, sometimes there just is no more…

Every good thing doesn’t have to come to an end but some good things are only meant to last a little while.  Just as leaves fall from a tree, moments come and go.  Those same leaves were once beautiful but they had to die so new ones could grow.  This goes for jobs, people and places.  On Day 5 of my journey, I realize there is peace with progress.  When you realize that one season has ended you must embrace the new one and every thing it will bring you.  I believe in change and I know you have to make sacrifices in order to progress.  Starting from scratch gives you a blank canvas and every color in the rainbow is at your finger tips.

My chorus for today: “Staring at the blank page before you.  Open up the dirty window, let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find.  Reaching for something in the distance, so close you can almost taste it.  Release your inhibitions, feel the rain on your skin…”~Natasha Bedingfield