Christmas is over!!

Hey everybody...Christmas 2009 is over! How many of you are overjoyed? I know I am. Put your hands up and give a big Ho, Ho, Ho!!!! Now don't get me wrong, I love the Christmas season. I love hearing sermons about Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, sharing gifts with loved ones and watching the children scramble with bated breath to see if they got what they asked for. This year I have to give shout out to Half.com (for the dvd collection) and Game Stop (for the DS collection). My two Divas wrote their short lists early and were able to receive just about everything on it. But I'm glad it's over. With it comes too much stress. What to get the mother who has everything or the son who wants nothing (gotta love 'em - go Les). It was a hard task as it is every year but I must bid it adieu! Au Revoir, Christmas 09'.

I vow this year to start and finish my Christmas shopping before the end of June. I mean it. I'm not going to wait until the last minute to buy my gifts and I will be done long before anyone I know. Come on now.....you know although Sistas get the job done, we are known for taking our time with just about everything. But not me, not this year. A new year a new me. Pray for me yall!! SMILE.

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and I will post again to wish you a special New Year!

Lovin' You is easy,


J

Who cares?

Tiger Woods...need I say more...we have been inundated with the story about his transgressions and I hope your with me when I say, WHO CARES? Who cares if he had alleged affairs with white women instead of black women? Would the offense be any less painful and would the press about it be the same?


The point is he had these alleged affairs and the women happened to be white. Black woman don't carry the torch nor do we care that black men with money consistently choose to marry white woman. I believe we have grown to love ourselves enough to know he is missing out on a confident (Oprah Winfrey), intelligent (Michelle Obama), dynamic (Alfre Woodard), funny (Mo'Nique), a mentor (Valerie Jarrett), determined (Tina Turner), proud (Maya Angelou), grace (Diahnn Carroll), beautiful (Gabriel Union), and fierce (Beyonce). Gone are the days when we cut our eyes at black men when they have a white woman on their arm. Frankly its their choice and who cares?


Lovin' you is easy,


J

Rediscovery

I recently spoke with a friend who had much like everyone been hit by financial challenges.  She was amazingly calm and collective about her situation and she remained prayerful for change. The thing I admire most about her is that she never loses faith.  She said I'm just going to keep on living right and I know things will change.  Sure enough she went back to her dream of her own consulting firm and she got a client who is offering her an opportunity she can't pass up.  Wouldn't it be great if we all lived in the now?  We can't change the mistakes we made but we can learn from them and continue to grow.  Understanding that there will be challenges in our lives but reconizing that they are not much more than a bump in the road to our rediscovery of self.  I challenge you to move forward and don't look back.  Live right and watch the world around you change.  Make the commit to yourself whether it be to go back to school, change careers or become an entrepreneur and live in that decision.  You will be glad you did!


Lovin' you is easy,

J

Change

Why is it so easy for our children to adjust to change but it takes us forever to get use to new things? The economy, a new job, a new home..these things take time for adults to adjust to. When I relocated to Georgia, I thought my girls would have a hard time getting use to a new place. There would be new friends, a new school, just too much new stuff. Well I must say after nearly five years they are the most well adjusted girls in the world. They have the most precious friends who love only to spend time laughing and giggling with them. They don't need fantastic toys and expensive games to keep them busy. They act out plays they've written and sing songs from musicals (Cats, Sound of Music, Legally Blonde and the Wiz are household favorites) and they just simply enjoy each others company.

It seemed like it took my husband and I forever to adjust. I didn't have any friends here and I felt shoot I'm old and don't care if I don't have any friends. Now yall know that's a lie!! I must say, I have met life changing friends since moving to Georgia. I have a network of women who would be sitting in a jail cell with me laughing about how we got there. These ladies are awesome! Thank you ladies...SMILE!!

So change isn't so bad. Recognizing the need to let people in and understanding that its ok to ask for help is a major part of change. Allowing yourself to evolve and welcoming the new you is an awesome experience. What ever stage of life your in, or country, or challenge, embrace the change. Accept that it will only enhance who you are and once your through you will find a better you.

Lovin' You is Easy,

Have a wonderful day!!


J

Who am I?

It may take a lifetime before this question is answered. Are you the little dancer you were at 3 years old with your chubby thighs stuffed into pink tights and tu tu that your mother thought was so sweet? (How could I breathe in those things?) Are you the 7 year old no nonsense lawyer that tried to make your father understand you didn't care what people said about your cable knit tights with jean shorts in the NYC summer heat? Just live!! We try to define ourselves by what we do, how much money we have, who we are married to or who our friends are and still can't honestly answer the question - Who am I? Maybe defining who we are limits us. Just maybe it puts us in a box and requires us to put a label on it so that everyone else will know who we are. What if we lived outside of the box and not let that label determine out qualities, our vision or our purpose? God has given us all unique qualities and He made no mistakes about it. Try living outside of the box. Let your uniqueness, values and His purpose for your life emanate through you. When you walk into a room no one will need to ask...who is she? Your presence will come before you and you can proudly say I have arrived!!

Lovin' you is easy..

Have a wonderful day!!


J