Simone

One Stop!

Life is like taking a bus. How, you may ask? Well, when you get on a bus, you have already decided where and when you will get off. Everyone on the bus has already made that determination. In live we have a series of actions and events that take us from one point in life to another. Plus, people always associate life to being on a journey, that will one day come to an end.

Now, at certain points along the journey, there are bus stops. At the bus stop some people may get on and others get off. Those who get off do so because they have reached their destination. While, those who get on are either just at the start of their journey or are continue for whatever reason -maybe they have complete one phase and are about to begin another or they have decided to take another route and try a new place.

As we make our own journey we will see people come and people leave us. Now similar to taking a bus, we need to be prepared to see our own bus sometimes full to bursting with people and sometimes sparse and a bit lonesome and that should be okay. Some persons were not meant to be in our lives forever, their stay with us have an expiration date that is very short. What is important is what we learn from them, while they are with us. It is important to remember that people and not things are placed in our lives to help us grow, and keep it real when we try to be what we are not.

At every bus stop, someone must get off. This simply means that the those who eventually get off our bus on our journey were there for a reason and when they leave, they leave for a reason. What we need to do is not to get stuck on people leaving us, but we need to make the most of the time they are with us and see the lessons they leave behind as a gift for us to use wisely.

The Right Timing.

To be alive──is Power!
― Emily Dickinson

It’s not Paradise, It’s Life…

I recently went to Royalton Blue Waters, for three days and two night on an annual staff trip. I thought I would be writing about my time there: about the Calypso restaurant and the wonderful staff or the Zen a Japanese restaurant, where our meals were prepared before us, while we are entertained in song, sung by the chefs and encouraged to catch a choice piece of mouthwatering bite as it goes flying across the table.

I could have written about any number of things, about Polly the Rastafari craft vendor I met on the first day at the beach, who sold us bags and spoke about Inity and love; maybe next time I will. But on the second night, the group I was with and I met Michael Daley; and it is based on our conversation with him that I am writing this post.

We met and sat beside Mr. Daley and his family of seven at the Zen restaurant. We all sat to to have what had been sold to us as a once in a life time experience. So with great anticipation we sat to enjoy our meals. From time to time we exchanged smiles and laughter as we truly had a very unique dining experience. When the meal was over, most of those present had already left when we decided that maybe it was time to go, so that we could get out of the way of those who had a nine o’clock reservation.

It was as we were about to leave that Mr. Daley decided to engage us in a conversation that lasted almost an hour.

Gemstones From Mike

Mike, it turns out is a very resourceful and success driven man of God. His current venture, he informed us was the purchase of a piece of land in the same areas as the Natural water wonder, the Luminous Lagoon in Falmouth. However, in his sharing of this milestone, there was no conceit no attitude o, ” look at me I have done all of this”. He indicated that his purchase was based on a seven day period of fasting and praying to God for guidance. By the way he was also praying because he had no idea where the money was coming from to purchase the property!

Image result for luminous lagoon falmouth — Luminous Lagoon Falmouth

Apart from his very inspiring story of coming from Spanish Town – FYI, I am also a Spanishtonian (those born and raised in Spanish Town). He indicated the need to make God the head and not the tail of everything he did. He encouraged us to put God first in everything, seek His counsel and not anyone. Though advice from close friends and family maybe invaluable, they can also lead us away pursuing the things we ought to pursue or do. He also reminded us of something we know but sometimes forget,that is, to not settle for what we have if there is more we can achieve. We know when we have settled and we know why. Sometimes when we need it the most along comes a message to remind us that we are not where we need to be. We may have more growth to make and more things to do. For us also, we may find ourselves doing the same things and expecting a different result. Mike reminded us of the need to try new things and get out of our routine. There he was about to become a hotelier, something he has never been but a path he has committed to, as he embarks on this new journey.

Then, there was the last but certainly not least piece of gem , no matter what you do and what you achieve God always needs to get the glory. Sometimes we are so happy, so excited, so consumed by our own sense of importance that we forget about God’s part in what we achieved. However, we need to remember that our stories of success and what we have been able to do are all lies if God is not a part of the telling.

It Will Be Okay.

Imagine if you lost. Everything you thought you could never live without.

That is a terrifying thought for many of us, but what if we did? What would we do?

It’s easy to look at someone who is not okay and give them advice on what they need to do. Then we think or talk out of their hearing: “Man, that is hard, but thank God it’s not me!”

Now, my issue with such a sentiment is this: does God allow good things to happen to some and bad things to others? Sometimes when we say the above, it seems as if we are somehow exempt from going through certain trials, but we are not.

I spoke recently to a colleague who is undergoing cancer treatment. I had not seen her at work for some time, and then I saw her back out at work. Though she had lost some weight, she seemed so calm and was laughing and smiling, which made me pause and think about how I overreact to some simple things at times. After all she has been through lately, where did she find the courage to get up and live each day as it comes?

As she pointed out to me, it is not easy, but she does it because the alternative is death.

I am realising that the problems I see as insurmountable or really not impossible to overcome. I am in the process of reconstructing my mindset regarding the outlook I have on every situation I face. If I can be devastated at the thought of someone else’s diagnosis and surprised by her ability to get up every day and smile and be pleasant, then maybe I need to change how I view my own problems. Are they really that serious or require the reaction I sometimes have?

Would I be okay if I lost all the things I fear losing, that have nothing to do with the life I have been given by God?

I remember a point, as I got older, that I feared losing my grandmother, and so I used to pray every year that she would live one more year and that God would make it ten or twenty years-or forever if he could. It has been 15 years since my grandmother died, and I still have not forgotten how important she was in my life. Since then, I have made some terrible decisions and some good ones, but the most important thing is that I have been able to continue to live.

An article I recently read, entitled, In Haiti, the Art of Resilience, comes to mind. The article was written in 2010 by Bill Brubaker, after the earthquake which devastated the country and killed 230,000 and displaced approximately 1.5 million others. The writer highlighted a series of stories concerning the impact of the earthquake on the Art community. One that stood out to me was about 87-year-old Haitian artist Préfète Duffaut, who lost family members, friends, his home, and most of his artwork. What was so inspiring about his interview was the hope that Brubaker noted was “shining from his eyes”. The hope is to build from the rubble something new and vital. There were other stories of gallery owners, whose galleries had not escaped the devastation, who provided money and art supplies to artists who had lost everything. Duffaut, at 87, having experienced crisis after crisis in Haiti, along with his countrymen and women, was able to affirm this particular event: “My future paintings will be inspired by this tragedy”. How many of us would be able to create something meaningful and inspiring from the rubble of our own tragedies?

We all have the potential to take ourselves out of the dark abyss that life places us in. All we need to cultivate is a vision of possibilities in the face of adversities.

Though it may be hard for us to keep the faith when things go wrong fast, it will be okay. Just keep telling yourself this until you believe it.

Like many Haitians, let us adopt their attitude when faced with difficulties: ‘Let’s get on with it! Tomorrow is another day.’

Image result for bible verse i know the plans

Old Things.

Old things can be made new so think twice before you throw them away

While we may want to throw everything out with the new year coming in, let us not be too hasty.

Image result for getting rid of old stuff gif

There is this belief that we have that everything is suppose to magically change with the start of a new year. If we had a negative mindset we instantly develop a new more positive one. If we ate poorly the year before we just make the resolution and it will be a healthy year ahead.

All our problems will disappear and puff, we begin with a clean slate.

So we hastily try to get rid of everything , the good and the bad, they all must go!

Hmm, I have realized from experience that more thought, planning, action and discipline is required than we give.

While we need to get rid of the things that have held us back from reaching where we need to be, we need to make sure that we do not make the mistake of getting rid of something we may need later down the road.

Sometimes it take a while and some effort to recognize the beauty in what we have and to appreciate it fully.

In the act of being mindful, let us all be cautious and think carefully about what we are about to let go of.

Is there more value in keeping something, than letting it go?

Image result for An old thing becomes new if you detach it from what usually surrounds it.

The Danger of Forgetting.

Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.
Ps 103: 02

Sometimes we get so busy with live that we forget God.

We become so in love with the many things we have (titles, material possessions, friends, name and reputation), that we forget from whom it all comes.

We get so busy that we forget to meditate on the word of God, while we strive every second of the day to be the best that we can be – without God.

Yes we have all at one point or another forgotten that we have limited power compared to a greater force that enables us to reach the heights we have achieved.

We begin to forget or do not recognize our purpose when we forget God. Instead, we begin to follow the poor and limited advice given to us by those who seem to be on our side and end up being causalities in a very unforgiving world.

When we forget that everything we have or ever will achieve, then we are careless with them and end up losing it all.

Whenever we find ourselves doing foolish or desperate things yep we have forgotten God. It is at this point that is when we need to check in with ourselves, we could be about to lose our way or even our very souls.

When we forget the awesome things that God has done for us, because we now face some of the hardest challenges and greatest trials of our lives, then we have forgotten God.

When we think we can solve our own problems, we say to God we don’t need Him and He in turn leaves us to solve the mess we create. We do this because we forget God.

When we worry and fret about the future, it is because we have forgotten that we serve a Mighty God. One who needs no testing because the greatness of God is beyond our understanding.

Image result for quote about forgetting God

Not There Yet!

For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God
Hebrews 3:4

So ehm, I have a confession…

I’m not perfect and that’s ok.

I realize that I have always lived my life with the erroneous assumption that I have to be perfect. I have to say and do the right things at the right time with the right people. And you know what I am tired. I’m tired because trying to be perfect is a lot of work that involves mental and physical contortions.

Image result for When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are

I am tired of trying to be everything to everyone and never messing up for them to see. It’s kind of ironic that behind them I mess up all the time and I am still here. God has not struck me dead and neither has he brought down fire and brimstone upon my head.

Perfection is overrated really.

Image result for humans under construction gif

I was listening to a sermon that spoke about living perfectly with our imperfections and being blessing. Based on an uncomfortably yet necessary situation I experienced the other day, I realize that I am a work in progress; and, as I work I will have to get rid of some things and people that are holding me back from following God’s blueprint for my life. So today I acknowledged and embrace all my imperfections as I use them as a measurement of how far I still have to go, and how far I have come. I also realize that I value the truth from myself and others above all else. But first, let’s be honest with ourselves. It maybe hard but we have to practice doing so. When we do so the truth we speak will be lasting.

Image result for Truth without love is brutality, and love without truth is hypocrisy

It’s hard not trying to fit in when you have developed a fear of belonging nowhere, when you have been told or given the impression all your life that you do not. If you feed off the negative then it becomes the only reality you are known for and that I do not want. We have to decide what we want to be and how we plan to get there. But in the middle of planning and plotting, we have to ensure that we put the Almighty at the center of all things; when we leave God behind things will fall apart. So, before we seek the advice or counsel of any man, woman or child, we need to check in with God.

I am realizing that it’s hard to be honest with yourself about your faults than it is to be honest with others about their imperfections. If we focus on the wrong things, then that is all we see, and we miss out on being apart of something great. We miss out on what we are meant to experience. So moving forward, honesty will be the key ingredient to any goal we hope to achieve. Using your voice is also one of the most powerful things anyone can do. If we realize that those around us influence us to use it in the wrong way – consciously and unconsciously -then we need to leave them at the next stop. As 2019 marks the end of a decade, Leave everything that needs to be left in 2019 and begin 2020 committed to focusing on restructuring for the 10 years ahead. The construction work is never done.

I have said before and I will say it again, this platform is geared towards help all those who need it and me. In the process of finding our real voice we will have to release idol worship , and embrace all that we are, the good the bad and the ugly.

But, for now I’m not there and I don’t know how or when I will get to where I should be . But I’m holding on tight trusting that God will get me there.

Point of No Return.

If you have done or said something that you later regret well then we have all been there and done that.

Usually, when this happens the most powerful three letter words are, if I knew. Of course by then it is also too late.

Image result for In everybody’s life there’s a point of no return. And in a very few cases, a point where you can’t go forward anymore. And when we reach that point, all we can do is quietly accept the fact. That’s how we survive

We all experience regret but guess what, it is a negative emotion that we should not dwell on. We can become so consumed by the regrets that we have, that we do not recognize our blessings and worse, do not recognize or accept the opportunities to expand our horizon. We are so traumatized by the one incident that gave birth to a paralyzing sense of regret that become the great stone we cannot remove.

Our sense of regret, at something or somethings that happened in the past, may cause us to want to repent for the rest of our lives. Now that is a sorry state of affairs.

Sometimes when things happen we have to accept the role we played and if needed, make changes that show our growth.

We need to be at that point of no return when we no longer apologize for what we did in the past, because that is no longer who we are. The thing is, we cannot freeze the past and fix it and the present cannot influence the past. All we can do is continue to life the live we have been given, the best we know how at the stage we are at.

The point of no return can seem ominous based on the situation you are faced with. However, it can be the opportunity you need, that we need, to break free from the regrets of the pas,t to find, that being at this point can only make us stronger; it’s at this point that we either sink or swim.

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