I Am Blessed...

I am blessed…

I am blessed that God doesn’t give me everything I think want.

I am blessed that He protects me from what is not good for me.

I am blessed that He has never left me nor forsaken me.

I am blessed that His love for me is unconditional.

I am blessed that no weapon forged against me will prosper.

I am blessed that I am highly favored by the Lord.

I am blessed that when one door closes another one opens.

I am blessed that I have everything I need.

I am blessed that I have family and friends who love me.

I am blessed that I have good health.

I am blessed that I have a good job and can bless others through it.

I am blessed that I am the daughter of a King!

I am blessed and so are you!

~A Blessed Diva~

I Release You

I release you…

I release you back to our Heavenly Father because you first belonged to Him. I give you gently back to Him in gratitude that I was given the opportunity to love you for a short time. Though it wasn’t in God’s plan for our lives to be unified, I am thankful to Him that our paths crossed. I will not forget the love you showed my children and I. I will always remember the laughs we shared and the fun evenings enjoying what we both loved, dancing.

The decision to give you back to our Father did not come easy but I know it was the right thing to do. I’ve accepted God’s plan for us and with that comes a peace that surpasses all understanding. Is there still sadness? Yes, but I know that ultimately His will is much better than our own. When we step out of God’s will and plan for our lives it can become a bit chaotic. As time goes on and days pass we will find clarity and God’s plan will be made evident.  My prayer for you is that God’s love and favor will follow you wherever you go and in all that you do. I pray He gives you your heart’s desire and that you will want for nothing. I pray that He will bring all that is good to you and protect you from all that is bad. May you find happiness in all you pursue and joy in all that surrounds you. I pray protection over you that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. I pray your children are taught by the Lord and great will be their peace.

I release you today back to our Heavenly Father with gratitude that I was given the opportunity to love and be loved by someone so beautiful.

Love always,

~A Diva~

When Your Empty Nest is Around the Corner

When Your Empty Nest is Around the Corner

Starting my family at 18 years old was a HUGE transition in my life at such a young age. By the time I was 26 I had three precious little boys. Once I became a mom my life was no longer my own. It was about them and making sure they had what they needed and trying to be the best mom I could be to them. I will be the first to admit I made lots of mistakes and if I could I would go back and change some things, but the one thing I would never change is being their mom. Louie, Christian and Elijah have been my life line on the days when life was hitting me hard and my motivators when I needed to make a change. Everything I did, every decision I made was about them. I find myself looking back on the days when they were little and had school, football, baseball, soccer and other school events and extra-curricular activities and wonder where the energy came from to keep up with all of it? Then I realize first I was much younger, but mostly it was the desire to give them a good life and create memories of love and family.

Now, Louie is a father of two beautiful baby boys himself. Christian is a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps experiencing life and creating memories with his Marine brothers. Elijah, my baby boy, is now a senior in high school and will be starting college this summer. As I reflect on becoming an “empty nester”, reality is beginning to set in and reveal itself. I know that in less than a year ALL my “little boys” will be young independent men no longer needing mom to provide for them. They will have strong wings and be able to fly on their own. It’s a bittersweet reality but one that I am proud of because I know that I’ve equipped them with the faith, strength, wisdom, and knowledge to be good men and to seek God so they can continue to grow and become the men He called them to be.  Though, like their mom, they may fall a few times along the way, I know that deep down they will pull from their memory bank all the times mom fell but got back up and kept moving, and will do the same. I may have my moments of sadness during this transition but I take comfort in the fact that even though they leave the comfort and safety of mom’s home, they will never leave the comfort and safety of their Heavenly Father’s arms.

I write this blog to let them know how much I love them and how much they mean to me. I will continue to celebrate their successes and be there when they fall to encourage them to get up and try again. I know I am not the only one going through this stage of life and I hope that those reading this who are, will find comfort and reassurance in a job well done.

~Always a Mom~

She Thought She Could, So She Did!!!

She Thought She Could, So She Did!!!

When I was a little girl I always knew I would go to college. I didn’t know exactly what all that meant because no one in my family had ever pursued a college education. My plan was to graduate high school, go to college, join a sorority and live the “college life”. I had it all planned out!

          Well, that’s not quite how it happened. I became pregnant at the age of 17, a mother at 18, and a wife at 20, and shortly after came two more children. In the midst of all this I did attempt to take college courses while being wife, mother and employee but it was challenging. I put my education on hold to focus on my duties as wife and mother. I found myself a single mother struggling to make ends meet and knew that I had to get my education. Once again, I attempted college but with the demands of being a single parent of three and working full-time, I decided to put my education on hold again. In 2009 I decided I would attempt school, yet again. My children were older and more independent so I was able to dedicate my extra time to doing school work. It wasn’t easy and some days I would have rather turned on the TV or gone to hang out with family and friends instead of doing homework, but my desire to complete something I started years ago kept me focused. I finally completed my Associate of Arts degree in 2013, that was only the beginning. My ultimate goal was to complete a Bachelor’s degree. I transferred to Tarleton State University in the fall of 2013. I was scared, nervous and unsure if I would be capable of handling the work. I started that first semester with two classes and then realized I could do it! The following semesters I took three classes at a time, while working full-time and maintaining a home, of course with the help of my wonderful mother. I was able to complete my Bachelors of Science in Psychology and walk the stage on August 8, 2015.

          My motivation came from my children, Louie, Christian and Elijah. I wanted to show them that no matter what your dream and how many detours you may have to take to get there, as long as you never lose sight, you can do anything you set your mind too. With God’s grace anything is possible!

                I’m not done yet! My next goal is to obtain my Master’s degree!!! Why, because “I thought I could, so I did!!!

~Diva~

Easter

 

Easter

As I was spending time with the LORD this morning and thanking HIM for the ultimate sacrifice HE made for my life it became more clear to me what Easter is all about.

We all know the reason for Easter and celebrate with family and friends but at times I think we forget what it is really all about. Jesus was crucified as a sacrifice and atonement for our sins. He died and three days later rose again and ascended to heaven. Today we celebrate that moment HE rose and went to sit at the right hand of the FATHER. This is much like our own lives until we accept CHRIST as our LORD and SAVIOR. We go about our lives and in the physical we appear to be alive and well but in our spirit is a different story. So many of us, myself included, appear to be happy and healthy but always trying to fill a void. We look to the things of the world to make us happy but continue to crave more and more because it never truly fulfills our needs. Essentially our spirits are dead. One day, I'm not sure how or when but we are introduced to our SAVIOR, sometimes it's through a family member, friend or stranger. It is when we are open and ready to receive the gift of our salvation our spirit is born again and we rise to live a life free of condemnation. This is the price HE paid for our sins so that when the time comes for us to go home we will be with HIM for eternity. There is nothing we can do that GOD will not forgive and if we wait until we feel we deserve HIS forgiveness then we will never be free. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, that is why it is a gift and this is why we celebrate EASTER.

As we celebrate with family and friends today take a moment to reflect on the reason and if you haven't already, accept the gift of your salvation and let your spirit be lifted and free. AMEN!!!

Romans 8:1-2

(1)Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, (2) because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

 

~ A Very Thankful Diva ~

GROWING PAINS

Often our children will complain “my legs hurt” our reply “it’s just growing pains” or they say “my arms hurt” we again reply “its just growing pains”. Time passes our children are now grown and the “growing pains” are no more. Now that the physical growth has just about reached its end, we are faced with another challenge. They are becoming young adults and trying to find their place in this great big world.

They begin to test the limits, have their own ideas and make their own decisions. What they don’t realize is that there is still much growth to be had; only this time it’s called maturity. Often times they make a decision that we as their parents and as adults with experience know would not be to their best interest.  So, naturally we say, “no”. We explain our reasons or try to but they just don’t understand. When raising teenagers and young adults at times we have to put our “friend hat” away and be “parent” to protect our children from themselves. They don’t always understand and we may not be their favorite person for a while but this is part of the growth process. I like to refer to these times as “growing pains” as well.  Though they may not see it at the moment, they will look back one day and say “thank you for not letting me do that” and will realize we did it because we love them.We love them so much we are willing to be “hated”, “disliked”, “annoying” “lame” and countless other adjectives we’re so affectionately called during these phases, just to protect them.

So, if your young adult has shunned you because you loved them enough to keep them from making a mistake roll with the punches and know that one day the light will come on and they’ll thank you. You know, like you thanked your parents. ;)

~A Diva~

The Twenty-Two Year Degree Plan

At the young age of 19 years old I set out on the journey of higher education. Little did I know I would encounter many obstacles. My plan was to graduate from high school, go to college, join a sorority and enjoy life.  Well, it didn’t exactly happen that way. 

I became a young mother at 18 years old and knew I needed an education to make a better life for my son and I. With lots of support and encouragement from my mother (who is an awesome woman) I started school at Tarrant County College in the spring of 1991. Even with all the love and support, I lacked one of the most important qualities I needed and that was self-confidence. I didn’t feel smart enough or capable enough to be in college so I allowed obstacles to get in the way and used them as excuses to put my education off for a “better time”.  Time went on and life happened and along the way I married, had two more children and tried to continue my education in the midst of all of this but the confidence was still not there. So, again I put my education off for a “better time”. God has ways of giving us what we need and putting us in the places we need to be to grow in the areas we need. For me that was my Mary Kay business. With the help of my awesome Director Brenda Ashlock who believed in me when I didn’t believe in my self I grew with every success I had and every goal I met, be it big or small. My confidence grew and I became stronger.  I am a strong believer that God has it all planned out for us, because HE knew I would need the strength and confidence to raise my three sons on my own. Even as a single mom I tried going back to school. Working, raising my children and going to school proved to be quite a challenge. Especially since one of those children was a bit rebellious as a teenager (that’s putting it lightly J). I put my education on the back burner for a while once again, but for different reasons this time. Not because of the lack of confidence but because I needed my focus to be on my children. Life went on the children grew and became more independent so I thought I’d give it a go, AGAIN! I started back to school in the spring of 2010. With life a little more settled and a promotion at work I was able to focus more on my studies. When I started that semester I looked at my transcript to see what all I needed to do to finish my degree, my thought was “this is going to take forever!” but I decided to only focus on the present. With each semester that passed I realized I was able to increase my course load, so a couple of semesters I was a full-time student.  One day while preparing my schedule for the next semester I looked at my transcript and realized I was almost done! Wow, had that much time passed already? Then after three short years I was finished!

With much love and support from my mother, family and friends I completed my Associate of Arts degree and Certificate in Mental Health Social Work on May 10, 2013. I can honestly say the pride I feel in completing something I started 22 years ago is something that cannot be described in words. The sacrifice, hard work and dedication it took to complete this goal gives me a feeling of great accomplishment.

Oh but it doesn’t stop here. Next goal…my bachelors degree!!! This time I wont be on the 22-year degree plan.

~An Accomplished Diva~