Restart, Reset, Refuel

Have you ever had to restart your phone or computer?  It's usually recommended that at the end of the day you restart your phone or computer to pick up the latest updates.  On the computer, you usually get a message that pops up stating that there is a newer version of your operating system.  Once you say yes to receive the update, it's usually necessary to restart the computer, meaning turning it off and on again, to officially capture the latest version.  It's not a long process.  It's simply a minor pause, which allows your operating system to let go of the old and embrace the new.  Even with your phone, if you don't shut it down periodically, some of the functions will not work properly.  You'll go throughout the day frustrated because it's not working at maximum capacity and seems to slow you down.  Restart means to resume an activity, usually after some type of interruption has taken place.

Reset means to set again.  If someone breaks a bone, it is necessary for the doctor to reset it or put it back into proper alignment before casting it.  The word reset is also used when you're talking about a plant that has been re-potted.  You may have been given the most beautiful plant that fills the room with the necessary oxygen to balance the carbon dioxide released in the air.  You may water the plant faithfully and watch it grow and brighten up the room.  However, you will notice that once it grows to a certain size that it is time to change the potting soil. It's time to change the potting soil when the plant no longer seems to fit inside its current pot.  You may ask when will I know that it's time?  Oh you'll know alright!  When the soil is hardened, it might be time to reset.  You may notice that a day or two after its been watered the leaves begin to discolor and growth seems to be slow, it's time to reset.  When you decide to reset the plant, it is recommended that you move up gradually to the next size pot. It is also recommended that you water the plant a few days before you decide to replant, in order to minimize the stress.  Once you've decided to upgrade, you might notice that the roots are tightly compacted in the container.  No worries!  Carefully knock the plant against a hard surface to loosen the soil, then pull it by its base and remove it from the old container.  Shake off that old soil that was so tightly bound in the confined space and get ready to transfer your plant to a cleaner, larger pot.

The last word is refuel.  My family and I traveled during the holiday season and although we began the trip with a full tank of gas, it was necessary to stop at a gas station to refill the tank along the way.  Whenever you fill your tank with gas and turn the car on, the electric fuel pump sends a computer controlled amount of gas through the gas lines to the gas regulator and near the fuel injectors.  It's the computer inside the car that controls the amount of gas that is needed to accelerate the car.  Then the fuel pump unit sends information to the fuel gauge on the instrument panel of your dashboard to let you know when it's time to refuel.  Regardless of the gas octane, whether it is 10% ethanol or premium grade, it will become necessary to stop and refuel from time to time. If you don't want to call the towing company or stand by the side of the road with that red gas can, you might want to refuel periodically, preferably before it displays E (empty) on your dashboard.

Restart - Reset - Refuel

You might be wondering...what in the world does restarting my electronic devices, resetting my plants or refueling my car have to do with me?  It has everything to do with your upgrade to the next level of your life.  As we close out 2014 and move quickly into 2015, it will be necessary to reevaluate where you are and where you would like to go. 

You began this past year with a new determination to do better, to eat better, to think higher thoughts and you may have actually done these things.  Kudos to you, if you have!   But I'd like to challenge you that it's time to dream again and envision something bigger and better for your life.  It's time for an upgraded version of yourself.  Yes you can still function, but wouldn't you like to function more efficiently and effectively?  If you answered yes, then it's time to hit the restart button on your operating system.  You are on the right path, but God is saying that there is still more for you.  Will you be satisfied with last years' revelations or are you willing to seek God and receive His upgrade?  It's not up to Him, it's totally up to you.  To receive the upgraded version of yourself, you must accept it, then shut down and reboot your system.  Allow your spirit and mind to be renewed. Romans 12:2 says, " don't be conformed to the things of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind".  Go ahead...Restart now!

Resetting is a little different because you have to participate a little more in your own liberation.  Just as one has to gently knock off the dirt that is tightly compacted around the roots of the plant, you might have to knock some things that have so easily wound itself around your roots.  You might need to gently knock off self-limiting thoughts, gently knock off friendships that you have clearly outgrown, gently knock off anything that is causing you to suffocate in your own pot.  Once you shake those things, you are ready to receive new soil and be planted inside of a larger, cleaner pot. Now if you choose to stay in the same old pot because it's comfortable, just recognize that all of that familiarity will eventually choke off your roots and cause a slow, agonizing death.  Slowly but surely your leaves will begin to wither, change colors and your dreams will eventually die.  The larger pot might be a little intimidating, but after awhile you will notice that your roots will appreciate the extra space, adapt to the new environment and begin to grow again.   Remember the true beauty of a plant is not in the flowers and greenery that you see above the soil, but rather in the intricacy of the root work below the surface.  Go ahead...it's time to Reset!

Finally, you need to refuel!  Take a breather, pull over to the nearest filing station and get the encouragement that you need.  Each of us has a a different car, which requires its own type of gasoline.  If you fill it with the wrong gas, you'll notice that there is clinking or skipping in the engine.  The car has a way to let you know that you are out of gasoline.  Your mind, body and spirit have a way to let you know when it's time to refuel.  If your joints ache every time you move and you seem short of breath after the slightest activity, your body is screaming for you to refuel with the proper diet and exercise.  If you don't listen to your body, the indicator on your dashboard will land you right in the doctors office or hospital bed.  I'm just saying...you might want to refuel right now!  It is easy to tell when your body is sick, but you have to be a little more discerning to know when your mind and soul are sick.  Negative thoughts, depressive attitude, self-debasement, fear, anger, bitterness..............you're soul sick and running on 'E'.  Don't be afraid to refuel by talking to an encouraging friend; seeking the counsel of a therapist; reading motivational articles and books; going to church where you can be uplifted; aligning yourself with positive people; or praying.  This could be the jump start or refueling that you need to take you to your next destination.  Don't run from it, because it's necessary.  Just as we've noticed across the country that gasoline prices are at an all time low, the refueling that you need is ready and available.  You may say, "Sharri, I'm already on E and I'm stranded on the side of the road".  Well please allow this message to be your little red gas can for now, to give you a boost, so you can make it down the road to the nearest filling station.  I might see your potential and can help you get a little further with what I'm offering in the can, but if you want more for your life, you must drive ahead and then stop to refuel at the proper filling station.

What's the bottom line in all of this?  Nothing can be forced on you!  It's up to you to restart, reset and refuel.  At the beginning of the year, our church always goes on a fast.  We like to collectively fast as a church body to display to God that we want Him more than anything else and to start the year anew. (Restart) Along with that, a few of us have decided to do a 10-day cleanse at the beginning of the fast to help cleanse our bodies of unwanted, harmful toxins. (Reset) During this time though, I've also decided to fill my mind with positive readings thoughts and prayer. (Refuel)  I recently read an article about vision boards and in the same magazine I read an article where the writer mentioned The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson.  This is the book that inspired my husband to preach his summer long series, "Challenged to Change".  I currently have it on audiobook and oh how it's blessing my soul!  I am in the refueling process right now. I am going to continue in the refueling process, so that I can share with you daily words of encouragement during the fast.  As God fills me, I will pour into you. Your little red gas can, of sorts....

Ladies and Gentlemen, don't be deceived to do all of your dirt in the next week and then when January 1st hits, you become this angel for a few weeks. Begin the process right now to Restart, Reset and Refuel.  Begin to pray and seek God for what you should do.  He's ready to upgrade you, He's simply waiting on you to make the decision to hit the button.

Now walk it out.....................................................(preferably to the next filling station)

TURN THE CORNER!

I've been thinking about a dream that I had last week.  I was back in the big city and was going to an event with the choir.  I parked my car on the street and entered the building with a few friends.  This building was several stories high and it seemed to take up the entire city block.  Each of the four entrances faced out onto a different street.  One complete square, each side facing a different city block. (Maybe it's easier to imagine entering a large shopping mall, where each entrance has its own parking lot and department store entrance.)  Get the picture now?

Everything was fine until I had been inside of the building for a while and decided that I wanted to leave.  I retraced my steps back to the place where I thought I had entered, only to get out on the street and not see my car. Hmmm? Okay, I must have walked out of the wrong entrance. I turned and walked back into the building, trying to recall all of the stops and turns that I had made in this expansive building.  When I thought that I had spotted my original landmarks, I went to the nearest exit.  Out onto a different street and still no car.  I walked to the middle of the block, where I thought I had parked it and began to question a group of guys who were gathered around talking.  No one said that they had seen a car with the description I had given.

I admit, I was beginning to panic, but I decided to go back inside to discover which landmark I had missed.  Maybe it was a different stairwell that I had gone past.  Perhaps the rooms that I'd gone through had several entrance points and I just picked the wrong one, mistaking it for my original landmark.  "Okay Sharri, back inside you go, calm down, you'll find the car",  is what was going through my mind as I was coaching myself along.  One more time in the building, going through different corridors and hallways, past winding staircases and rooms, up one flight, then down another and now stopping at the third entrance.  "Oh yes, this must be the place where I entered.  It's starting to look familiar."  So I exited the building and did not see my car.

Walking to the middle of the block, I could feel the tears begin to well up in my eyes.  There was a lump forming in my throat and my stomach was in knots.  My car was not parked on this street!  Maybe it was stolen!  Maybe it had been towed!  Maybe I'm going crazy!  Did I not go back and retrace my steps properly?  What had I missed?  Why am I now standing outside crying in the street? This is totally ridiculous and a waste of time, is what I told myself.  How could I have missed the mark three times?  Okay, I figured that I had one more shot to enter the building and go out the last exit.  I knew that my car had to be out on the other street.  So I turned blindly, eyes wet, heart heavy and feet dragging to enter the building one last time.  And before I could go through the last entrance, I woke up from the dream.

My mind began to race as the dream came to a sudden stop.  "Are you kidding me?  Why wake up now, before I managed to reach the car?  Okay Lord, this is pretty ridiculous and I'm lying here in bed  in a sweat and panic, feeling quite unfulfilled because I didn't reach my goal." What in the world?!!!

As I lay in the bed, trying not to disturb my husband, the Lord began to minister to me.  God reminded me how I said one week prior to this that I was going to TRUST God with everything and was willing to take a leap of faith.  I said that I wanted to show God that I really trusted Him.  I had mentioned a few things to my husband of how I was going to step out on faith and move into what God had for me.  But within that same week, when I got a little anxious about my decision, I came up with a scheme that would allow me to do things my way.  I asked a few questions, typed a few emails and was trying to figure out the situation.  What I thought would work didn't and I was back to square one.

God really began talking.  He said, "Sharri, you just wasted a lot of time, going back to something which was familiar to you, but in actuality is quite foreign".  The place in which I was seeking refuge was not my safe place after all.  I continuously went back inside of the building to try to retrace my steps and remember my landmarks. I repeatedly retreated to what was comfortable to me.  God told me that all I had to do was turn the corner and keep walking.  Even if I had gone back inside the building after the first try, something should have clicked in my brain after the second failed attempt, and I could have just stayed outside and turned the corner until I found the car.

When you think about it, how many times have you done this very thing?  You told the Lord that you trusted Him to fix the situation, yet you took matters into your own hands and kept failing.  Repeatedly you go back to the place, where you think there is comfort, only to find that you can be turned around so easily.

It made sense for me to go back inside of the building.  At least I could still see my friends, who I had met here, and they could commiserate with me about not finding my car.  "Girl, go down that hallway or try the other set of stairs".  They could cheer me on and encourage me, but notice no one ever walked back outside with me.  God let me see that although I had come with the group, I was not supposed to leave with that group.  God wanted me out on the street with Him, trusting Him at every corner.  It wasn't raining outside, nor was it night time...so why was I hesitant to stay outdoors and keep seeking? FEAR!

Fear of the unknown.  What would happen if I had stayed on the street and just kept walking, until I'd spotted my car?  If I hadn't been afraid to walk up to the group of brothers and ask about my car,  why should I be afraid to take a few more steps on my own?  Even if something would have jumped off further down the street, I'm sure one of them would have heard my scream and come to my aid.  But I didn't test it!  Fear of the "what if", I suppose.

So why wake up without ever locating my car?  God was showing me that as long as I kept doing things on my own,  I would not find what I was looking for.  My job was to take the leap of faith, stay on the street and talk with Him as we turned every corner together.  God never left me, He was right there the entire time.  He was there at every exit, every staircase, every room.  He walked patiently with me as I grew more and more anxious and began to cry.  He had not forsaken me, He was simply waiting on me to trust Him in the process.

So allow me to encourage you...

If you know the Lord has spoken into your spirit, trust Him.  You might have to forsake the very place that once gave you comfort.  If it's not meant for you, then that very place that used to give you refuge, will turn out to look quite foreign to you.  The people that you entered with, may not be the same group that you're supposed to leave with.  Yes, you may have come with a common goal, but remember you arrived in your own car with its own GPS system.

Walk with God and trust what He told you!  It might be a little scary, but recognize that God's right there.  If He gave you the vision, realize that He won't leave you until the vision comes to pass. It's up to you!  One of my husband's points in his sermon yesterday was, "it's not  about the destination, it's all about your disposition".  It's not your destination that God is concerned with, He's already got that figured out.  But it's our disposition and mindset that we must continually work on.

My car was right where it was supposed to be all along,  but I couldn't find it because I didn't trust God to lead me through the process.  You can still be afraid, as you walk toward your destiny...but for goodness sake, please don't miss out because you insist on doing it your way.

Now walk it out (with God by your side)..............and turn the doggone corner.....

My letter to O Magazine

I was sitting up eating Cream of Wheat hot cereal (I love the stuff!) while reading the November issue of O Magazine. I came across a small promotion about "creating your space"  with #IKEA and O.  I immediately started writing my letter to win a chance to get a newly decorated bedroom.  But when I looked closer to the rules, it said that I needed to live within a 60-mile radius of an IKEA store.  Really guys?! Ever heard of buying items online and shipping them.  Actually Dallas is only 2.5 hours away ( the closest IKEA), so we could make a quick drive and go get my bedroom. 

I will send the letter anyway, along with photos of my bedroom for a chance to win.  My philosophy is they can either say yes or no, so I have a 50/50 chance to win.
After I completed the letter, I thought it was kinda cute and I wanted to share it with you.  Who knows...even if O magazine says no, the next interior designer might be reading this blog and want the challenge.

So here it goes...

Dear O Magazine,

I live in Oklahoma, for crying out loud.  Of course, I don’t live within a 60-mile radius of an IKEA store, but I’d still like to have a nice bedroom.  Although Oklahoma City is a town on the rise, it’s by no stretch of the imagination Dallas Texas.  In fact, it is 189 miles away. 

We have an NBA team, but no IKEA. 

We have the Bricktown Canal and Waterway, but no IKEA. 

We have great universities, but no IKEA.

We have large concert halls and casinos, but no IKEA.

Had I known this 16 years ago when we moved here, I might have considered someplace else to live.

I’m being facetious, of course.  But just because I don’t live near an IKEA does that mean, that I am not deserving of a beautiful bedroom where my husband and I can relax and unwind at the end of the day and wake up the next morning refreshed and ready to change the world?

My husband is a Pastor in Oklahoma City, which is why we came here 16 years ago from Philadelphia, PA.  Not only did we leave our family and comfort zones, but apparently 2 IKEA stores behind as well.  Our house is not big and luxurious, but it is definitely a happy home.  It’s a place where the tone is set in the kitchen, as I cook breakfast for my husband and boys before sending them off to school and preparing myself for work.  And it’s a place where the aroma of the crockpot fills the house as you enter at the end of the day. Nice and comforting!

We have pulled the carpet in both sons’ rooms and painted the walls a couple of times, but we have never gotten around to transforming our own bedroom.  Our bedroom lacks luster.  It’s institutional.  It has a bed, a primitive chair, two dressers, a TV mounted on the wall, one night stand that is cluttered with books and papers because there is no storage space.

I’d love to see area rugs instead of old carpet.  I’d like to maximize the space that we have to add more storage.  Honestly, I would just love for a professional to come in and see what the room could be, through their eyes.  I know that there is potential here, but I have not been able to bring our bedroom to life.  We run around all day serving others and taking care of our family and then fall into bed at the end of the night.  I would like to come home after doing all of that and be able to retreat to the comfort of our own bedroom and perhaps read the latest issue of O magazine.

So this is my request for help to transform our bedroom into a mini retreat at the end of the day.  I have attached a few photos.  Everyone else from Oklahoma shops in Dallas anyway, so maybe you could make an exception. 

Blessings,

Sharri Coleman

So what do you think?  Do I have a chance?  Well it doesn't matter, I'm about to hit "send" anyway.  The contest ends on November 6th.  As I tell my kids, "all you can do is try".  

Now go ask for something that you want today, regardless of the rules, and walk it out.....

God's textbook

About a week and half ago, I dreamed about Ray Charles for two nights consecutively.    I listened to his music growing up but I wasn't an avid fan or anything, so I couldn't figure out why I would be dreaming about him.  Yes he was a great musician and artist, but I hadn't been listening to any particular songs or watched any movies regarding Ray Charles, which might have kept him in the forefront of my mind.  Nevertheless for two nights, he visited me in my sleep.   I walked around for a couple of days afterwards thinking about it (it just seemed so strange to me) and then forgot about it until yesterday.

Ray Charles, although blind, was not blind from birth.  He didn't begin losing his sight until he was a young boy about 7 years old.  Because he had been with sight for this period of time, it meant that he had already learned his primary colors.  By age seven, he would already have known his alphabet and how to read.  He would have witnessed the sunrise and watch it set in the sky.  He would have already seen buttons and learned how to button his shirt and tie his own shoes.  By age seven, he would have played kickball, dodge ball, baseball, and hide and seek.  By age 7, Ray already had a view of the world and how to function in it.

Because of his past experience with sight, there were certain things that he would have already experienced and had an internal memory.  If you've ever seen a video clip of Ray walking with assistance, you'll notice that he wasn't a tentative walker.  Different from a person born blind, he already knew what a floor looked like and how it felt to have the earth push up against the sole of his foot as he walked.  Different from a child born blind, he undoubtedly had seen a staircase and had climbed a set of stairs before and would already known how high to lift his leg when climbing them. He didn't have to rely on someone else's testimony of what something was because he already had a recollection from birth to age 7. 

By dreaming about Ray Charles, I believe the Lord was trying to tell me to trust what I already know to be true.  Sometimes we get caught up in the "now situation" and forget about the deliverance or experience of God in the past.

•   We might have financial difficulties now, but we have to recall the times when God supplied our needs in the past and we paid all of our bills on time.

•   We might be faced with the loss of a loved one now, but we can recall how God gave us peace over an unsettled situation in the past.

•   We might have a decision to make now and are simply scared of the unknown, but we can recall how God helped us to channel our fears in the past and we stepped out on faith anyway.

If you think about it, EVERY thing that you are faced with now, God in some way has already given you proof from the past that He is with you.

Sunday, we had a guest preacher, who preached from Psalm 119:71, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes” or the Message bible says it like this "My troubles turned out all for the best- they forced me to learn from your textbook."  Being a teacher, I love the idea of learning from a textbook. A textbook is a manual or guide of sorts that has several chapters, which have their own learning objectives.  If it's a Chemistry book, one chapter might be about chemical reactions.  This particular chapter would share all of the types of chemical reactions.  It would give sample reactions of compounds and elements reacting together.  The joy is this though; you would have never skipped directly to these chapters, without being introduced to the periodic table of elements.  You first need to know that the periodic table is a table of the chemical elements in which the elements are arranged by order of atomic number in such a way that the periodic properties of the elements are made clear. Knowing the periodic table is a baby step or the necessary foundational information, so you can tackle how they react in a chemical reaction.  

As a podiatrist, I can tell you the different degrees of ankle sprains or types of foot fractures.  I also learned the tools that would help me to repair them surgically, if necessary.  However before I got to that part of training in the textbook, I first needed to know that the hip bone's connected to the thigh bone and the thigh bone's connected to the leg bone...(you remember that song, don't you?) Then I would have already known how the phalanges connect with the metatarsals that connect with cuneiforms and cuboid that both touch the navicular, which sits in front of the talus.  The talus rests upon the calcaneus while serving as a support for the tibia and fibula in the the leg. (Oh I'm sorry did I get to deep for you?.... I just got excited about the foot.)  What I'm trying to say is that God prepares us for everything we need, if we would just follow the textbook from the beginning.    Recall what He's done for you in the past, then rest because you know that your present situation and your future are directly in the palm of His hand.

Just as Ray Charles had a foundation from his past "knowing", which enabled him to tackle his current situation;  God, too, places us in situations not to hurt us, but to remind us that He's got us.  He doesn't require us to tackle the chemical reactions in the textbook, until we have been quizzed properly over the periodic table of elements.  You might ask" so why do I keep going over the same situation?"; maybe you need to go back and remember that Oxygen is a nonmetal that has an atomic number of 8. 

Go back to the basics!

Don't rush God, but rather trust Him in the process!  Recognize that this is a PROCESS! You can't cross the finish line, until you begin the race properly in the starting blocks.

Be encouraged my sister and my brother, whatever you are faced with now, go back and remind yourself of the promises of God....those baby steps.  You already have the foundation, you just have to believe that it will work out for your good!

So let you calcaneus strike the floor, gain forward momentum, pushing off of your phalanges and WALK IT OUT.........

Stop blaming everyone else and DO YOU!

Two years ago, I began on this health quest.  I was doing Zumba at least 4 times a week and counting my calories on the Myfitnesspal app.  I was so excited to work out and everyone in the house knew that I was serious.  The boys would see me after putting on my workout clothes and they would say,"have a good time at Zumba Mommy".  I was sold out!  Even when my mother fell ill and passed, I was still diligent in my health quest.  I was determined not to allow my heartache and grief keep me from maintaining my own health.

I was happy to purge my closet and bless other people with remnants from my wardrobe.  I was even more excited to go into the stores to purchase clothes in a smaller size.  Anyone who knows me, pretty much agrees that I am a morning person.  So if I wasn't doing Zumba in the evening,  I was surely getting to the gym about 5:30 am to run on the treadmill or do the elliptical machine.  This was my pattern and it was truly working for me.

Well something happened at the end of last year that changed my workout schedule and caused me to revert back to my old ways.  My husband developed blood clots in his lungs and we discovered some underlying health conditions, which caused him to spend the entire week of Christmas in the hospital.  Praise God that all went well and he returned home.  From the moment he returned home, he was determined to make some major health changes.  We ate differently, he began an exercise regimen that fit his schedule and I supported him in all of his efforts.  As he began losing weight and his body began changing, I was so excited for him.  We had to take his pants to be altered, because they were falling off of him. And he even ordered smaller sizes. What an exciting time!!!
But I have a confession to make... I resented my husband for getting in shape and doing better than me.  Ridiculous right?

I didn't realize at the time, but my workout schedule was almost nonexistent. My morning workouts were over and evening Zumba was no longer a contender in the Coleman schedule.  During the summer,  my husband and I would sometimes go to the gym together, but I was not consistent.  Slowly, but ever so surely my weight began to creep up.  Then the semester began and the boys returned to school.  All of my focus shifted to them and not on my own wellness.  It's funny because as my husband continued to go to the gym, he began encouraging me to go whenever I got a free moment.  Are you serious?  Is this dude coaching me now?   OH GREAT!

Present day...
I have noticed that I haven't been feeling as good as I used to.  I know it's simply because I have picked up a few extra and unnecessary pounds.  Yesterday, I was talking to someone who is working with a private trainer.  When she asked if I was still working out.  I said no and then I heard myself going through a list of reasons why I wasn't doing what I knew I should be doing.  When I finished, I thought to myself, 'how lame'.  So many times I have criticized others for making excuses and not tapping into what they know is right for them.  I had become one of THEM.  Oh Lord please help!

I really don't want to be the type of person who blames everyone else for why they're not accomplishing certain things.  The funny thing is that I was able to disguise this behavior because it was wrapped in a few of my successes.  Yes, I'm celebrating the publishing of my new book, celebrating the opening of my business account, celebrating my opportunity to speak at a women's conference on the East Coast.......but failing in the upkeep of ME.

Well this morning when I woke up, I laid in bed trying to decide if I was going to get up and go to they gym.  The kids are out of school, it's raining outside and this bed is quite comfortable.  As I swung my feet over the side of the bed, I made up my mind that I was going to put my workout clothes on and go to the gym.  As I was dressing,  my husband woke up and asked if I wanted to go to breakfast. I heard myself say, " Sure, after I work out".  Did that just come out of my mouth?  Woohoo!  My first step towards making my health a priority once again.

I arrived at the gym and did the elliptical for 35 minutes, traveling 3 miles and burning over 300 calories.  But I knew that I needed to do some circuit training.  However, every time I look at those 19- red Hoise fitness machines, I instantly become intimidated.  I made up my mind and decided to ask one of  the trainers for assistance. I admitted to her that I loved cardio, but machines were not my favorite.  "Which machines should I make a part of my workout regimen?" Well, wasn't I pleasantly surprised when she only chose 4 out of the 19 machines for me to work on?  She said that if I did these 4, I would cover every large muscle group in my body.  I'm glad to say that I did it and felt great afterwards.  It wasn't as bad as I had imagined.

So today, I reclaimed ME and moved past an 'unreal' fear.  As I was finishing up in the gym, I began to talk to myself and decided that I would no longer blame anyone else for causing me not to accomplish my goals.
I will pick the exercise schedule that works best for me, even if it means getting up while it's still dark outside and the family is still asleep.
I will control my portion sizes while I am making healthier food choices.
I will not be intimidated by what I think will be difficult.
I will ask for assistance when needed.  (Remember the 19 machines, turned out to be only 4 machines for me.)
I will not rest on the laurels of success in certain areas, without attempting to gain success in all areas.
I will treat myself well, so that I can be around for my family.  ( I can't help them when I don't help myself!)

I encourage you take a look at your situation and if there is anything that is keeping you in fear from branching out... acknowledge it, confront it and work through it.   For you it may not be exercise.  It might be a dream that you haven't begun to actualize.  It might be a career shift.  It might be facing the reality of your situation and working to improve it.

Take time to focus on the betterment of you and less time blaming others.  They are doing them, it's time to do YOU!

Now walk it out...

Standing on their shoulders

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a conference in Charleston, SC.  You know that Charleston was one of the most lucrative states involved in the enslavement of my ancestors.  We visited Magnolia plantation.

First we entered the “big house” and saw all of the beautiful antiques and family pictures and heirlooms on the wall.  We were told that we couldn’t take pictures for insurance purposes.

Then they took us on a little tram ride and we came to another part of the land, which housed 4 broken down slave houses, one of which was last inhabited in 1992 (descendants of slaves).  There was nothing of value (to the natural eye) but I knew the spirits of my people were hovering over us.

We traveled on foot, through the wooded area, which was surrounded by a swamp filled with alligators, only to end the tour in the African American cemetery.  We walked through the cemetery solemnly.  Some graves had headstones and some were unmarked with just a brick lying in front.

Some of our sisters cried and some just shook their heads as they thought about those who were enslaved.  One of the ladies whose father is from Barbados (The Draytons came to the US with slaves from Barbados) and whose mother was from South Carolina) saw a headstone with her family name and she broke down. 

At the end of the tour, as we were preparing to leave the cemetery, we all joined hands and began praying.  We started out by thanking God for blessing us and keeping our ancestors through all of their hardships. Then we shifted and began praying to the spirits of our ancestors.

·      Thank you for not slitting your throat.

·      Thank you for not throwing in the towel.

·      Thank you for enduring the nights when the slave master came in to rape you.

·      Thank you for not giving up on your children, even after they emasculated your husband and separated him from the family.

·      Thank you for praying that your children, grand children, great grandchildren and generations yet unborn, would have a better life than you.

·      Thank you for taking the remnants from master’s table and cooking a hearty meal that would sustain your people for years to come.

·      Thank you!  Thank you! Thank you!

We stand on the shoulders of great women that have gone before us.

We stand on the shoulders of Sojouner Truth.

We stand on the shoulders of Harriet Tubman.

We stand on the shoulders of Mary McCleod Bethune.

We stand on the shoulders of Josephine Baker: dancer extraordinaire.

We stand on the shoulders of Daisy Bates: civil rights activist.

We stand on the shoulders of:

We stand on the shoulders of Ruby Dee: actress, activist.

We stand on the shoulders of Angela Davis: activist.

We stand on the shoulders of Alice Dunbar-Nelson: writer, teacher; Harlem Renaissance.

We stand on the shoulders of Elizabeth ("Old Elizabeth"): preacher, emancipated slave, and autobiographer.

We stand on the shoulders of Althea Gibson: tennis player.

We stand on the shoulders of Fannie Lou Hamer: activist, sharecropper

We stand on the shoulders of Lena Horne: singer, actress.

We stand on the shoulders of Rosa Parks: civil rights activist, social reformer, and racial justice advocate.

I’m reminded of the words of Dr. Maya Angelou from the poem, “Still I rise".

You may write me down in history


With your bitter, twisted lies,


You may tread me in the very dirt


But still, like dust, I'll rise…

.... Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,


I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise. I rise. I rise.

Embrace all of your past and appreciate the journey as you catapult yourself into your future.

Now walk it out....