Dreaming

Dreaming of the day when I will have his last name and use these hips to bear the seeds that he plants. I only dream for a moment allowing my heart to smile and a sense of peace to wash over me. I sit in my dream content...even if it's just my imagination I'm the happiest I've been in a little bit. I don't stay in the dream for long though...I blow it a kiss and continue to trust that God will some day make it a reality.

Haiti

December 2012

I just want to briefly share my experience almost a year ago. I traveled to Haiti, the mother country of my parents, for the first time in my life. I was never fortunate enough to visit as a child but when my parents decided that they were going back to visit, I knew that I needed to come along with them. As I prepared for the journey, I had some anxiety about what I would see and experience and I even had some friends express their concerns for my safety. With every fearful thought that entered my mind, I prayed that God would remove them. I went to Haiti with the desire to explore the country and to be a blessing to my family and I would not allow fear to overtake my desires. Travelling mercies were given and I arrived safely, I traveled throughout the island safely and I came back safely. I was able to accomplish all that I set out to do but I also left Haiti a changed woman. I was humbled by the entire experience and I fell in love with an island and family members who I had only just met.

Haiti is impoverished, there is an absurd amount of people who are homeless, and there is utter devastation from the earthquake in 2010. I arrived in Haiti prepared for a culture shock. Yes, I encountered new and sometimes scary things. Yes, I was heart broken by what I saw. Yes, I was humbled and overwhelmed by everything around me. But above all of the things that I experienced the thing that stuck with me was LOVE. It did not matter that they were poor or that they were unsure where the next meal would come from. Above every fearful thing that they could think of, I saw that the love that they had for one another made life so much easier. I was beyond grateful for the experience and the overabundance of love that was in everything and was everywhere made Haiti feel like home for me.

There is so much more that I could share but I want to end with this. The last day in Haiti my family and I visited MUPANAH (Musee du Pantheon National Haitien), it is a beautiful museum located in the capital, filled with art, artifacts, and the rich history of Haiti. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and it was an awesome experience for me. I was able to learn so much about Haiti and it helped confirm how valuable Haiti is. While there are so many negative things one could focus on in regards to the island, one thing cannot be denied: Haiti is strong with so much potential. 

My first trip to Disney!

This morning I have been thinking about my family and wanted to share something I wrote over this summer after my first time to Disney!

A family vacation full of adventure, bonding and love…it was definitely exactly what the doctor ordered after several stressful months without a break from work and life’s demands. We landed in Florida full of numerous emotions. Relief that we landed safely, excitement for the upcoming week, fear that we wouldn’t all get along (4 women and 2 children) and more. We quickly started our adventure and were ready to see what this vacation would bring. 

Florida greeted us with a warm hug (sun) and cooled us off with cool wet kisses (rain) throughout our stay but we didn’t let that hinder our plans!

Our first few days were full of driving! I never knew how big Florida was until we had to take several long drives…Orlando to West Palm Beach to visit a special young lady, zooming from West Palm to Tampa for a long overdue sleepover with some wonderful family members and lastly a smooth drive from Tampa to Orlando. It was such a wonderful 2 days to the start of our vacation. 

I was brought back to my childhood when I stepped into Magic Kingdom. It was full of childhood memories and was more than I could have imagined. My favorite parts of the park? The light shows at night! They were spectacular. The electric parade, the fireworks and the enchanted light show on the castle were all so beautiful!

Overall this vacation was wonderful. Yes, it had it bumps in the road but I wouldn’t have changed a thing!

Taking my health back!

I've committed to taking my health back one day at a time. Lately I've been very nonchalant about what I have been eating and afters weeks of disregard I've noticed that I've had a decrease in my energy and just haven't been feeling like myself. I knew the chips and pizza would catch up to me!

I've decided to get back into the gym weekly and to be more concerned with what I'm eating. I have also started to research and experiment with juicing! So far I'm loving the benefits of the increase in nutrients from juicing and I look forward to all the good things to come!

I've also found this website to be very helpful for recipes and research!
http://chaudsjuicetherapy.com/

The picture below is my prep for my tomorrow juice. Prepping beforehand helps because I juice in the am before heading to work.

My Delicious Orange Twist:
1 sweet potato
1/2 red pepper
1 inch of ginger
2 apples
1 tangerine
3 carrots

Juice and enjoy!!

Humbled

Sometimes it is so hard, or at least it feels like it, to be humble. Our flesh wants us to always have the last word, the biggest attitude, to ensure we are "victorious" in a sense against our brothers and sisters. This way of thinking and acting out this behavior ultimately leads to division. With this attitude we no longer worry about each other but are concerned with only ourselves.

Today I choose to stand up and do this thing called life a little different. It has NEVER been just about me...it is about us as a community. If I don't start caring now, when will I?

God's word is true and full of wisdom. Read it and apply it to your life...you will never regret it.

1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves, therefore under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.

My Promise

On November 02 I celebrated my one year anniversary!

This year has been full of temptation and close calls but I am thankful that God has given me the self control and the strength to walk away from situations that would not glorify Him. This year has been a great learning experience. I've learned so much about who I am and whose I am and settling or compromising is no longer part of my vocabulary.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

It is never too late and your past will never be too marred to keep you from God and His love for you. It takes courage to take the first step but surrounding yourself with people of like faith and trusting that God has greater in store for you will make the journey all the more manageable.

I made this commitment one year ago and found some awesome women of God to be accountable to.

Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my friends, and my future mate, to a lifetime of purity including sexual abstinence from this day until the day of biblical marriage relationship.

I acknowledge that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and I will protect and guard this temple and will present my body as a living sacrifice to God. I acknowledge that sex is not only a physical act but a spiritual act as well. Therefore I save my mind, body and spirit for my future mate.

I was worth dying for, therefore I am worth waiting for!

Marriage Isn't For You

Marriage isn't for you.
You don't marry to make yourself happy; you marry to make someone else happy.
Marriage isn't for yourself, you're marrying for a family.
Not just for the inlaws but for your future children.
Who do you want to help you raise them?
Who do you want to influence them?
Marriage isn't for you.
Marriage isn't about you.
Marriage is about the person you married.

Truly, love and marriage isn't for you. Its for others.

-Excerpt from a blog on
http://sethadamsmith.com/