I want to wish everyone a wonderful Valentines Day 💕. Let today be a day of love and forgiveness. Love on your spouse, love on your children, love on your parents, but most importantly☝🏽☺️love on yourself! 😉🤗🌹
Still I Rise
This morning I woke up to a sick baby. My daughter, Hannah, has unfortunately caught the flu. This is the poem I read to her to remind her that she is a fighter, not just physically, but mentally as well. I want to teach her, that no matter what she faces in life, she will always and forever RISE.
I pray that no matter what you are facing in life, you find the strength to push through another day.
Stay strong, warriors.
Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
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.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own back yard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
Funny Friday’s
Good day all!
This has been a trying week, but I refuse to be defeated. This joke is dedicated to everyone who has had a rough week, but is still kicking butt and taking names👊🏽👊🏽Keep smiling through the chaos🤪 😁 Don’t give up ☝🏽& tell a stranger you love them today ❤️
“Tricky Jar”
An 85-year-old man goes to see his doctor for his regular physical exam. The doctor says that the man needs to provide a semen sample and gives him a jar saying, “Take this jar home with you and come back tomorrow with a semen sample.”
The next day the old man goes back to the doctors and gives him the jar, which is as clean and empty as when the doctor gave it to him. So the doctor asks what happened and why there is no sperm sample in the jar. The old man says, “Well, doc, it’s like this… first I tried with my right hand, but nothing. Then I tried with my left hand, but still nothing. Then I asked my wife for help. She tried with her right hand – nothing; then with her left, still nothing. She tried with her mouth, first with the teeth in, then with her teeth out, still nothing. We even called up Maisie, the lady next door and she tried too, first with both hands, then an armpit, and she even tried squeezing it between her knees, but still nothing.”
The doctor is really shocked by all this and asks incredulously, “You asked your neighbor???”
The old man replies, “Yep, not one of us could get the jar open.”
“A day without laughter is a day wasted.” -Charlie Chaplin
Joke borrowed from LaffGaff.com
Journey to Forgiving Yourself
The Journey to Forgiving Yourself By Ashley, is a motivational article filled with advice for those who wants to bring in a positive change in their lives. Click to read more.
via The Journey to Forgiving Yourself By Ashley — The Immortal Arts
Social Media Fast Update
Good day all,
So, you want to know how I’ve been doing on my 30-day Social Media fast? Well, I’ll tell you anyway 🙂 To catch up, click here My 30 Day Fast From Social Media to read the details of my social media fast and why I am doing it.
I was doing really well. I really was, until…I received a notification on my phone from the Apple News app saying, “Kylie Jenner reveals the birth of baby girl.” This was a trigger because social media has been in a frenzy since September due to pregnancy allegations. No one has been able to provide tangible proof of this “alleged pregnancy”, until Tuesday. I looked at the headline for about two minutes arguing with myself. I wasn’t sure if Apple News counted as “social media”. It is a news outlet, right? So, I clicked on the article.
After I read it, I felt a bit ashamed. I was excited that I had gone a week without reading celebrity gossip. I was able to convince myself that this is more of an announcement than gossip, so I hit the link to watch the video that she made during her secret pregnancy. I was so curious, but later felt robbed of the 7 minutes of my life that I gave to watching her video. It left no satisfaction at all.
I thought long and hard as to why I was so interested in this girl having a baby. Millions of women have babies every day and I’m not lurking on Apple News to read about their experiences.
I am going to take my little slip up as continued motivation to complete my challenge. Honestly, it has left a nasty taste in my mouth. I’m not sure what made me more upset, the sudden urgency I felt to check her pregnancy video or me giving in and watching the video. Either way, this incident has further proven why I NEED to do this challenge. I should have control over what I read and watch, not the other way around.
If you are trying to overcome any addiction right now, I am proud of you for taking the first step. I also want you to know that if you have a slip-up, forgive yourself and keep pushing forward. You may have thoughts of self-doubt, but give yourself some credit. You taking that first step to admitting that you have an addiction and setting a plan in place to subdue it is a lot more than many of the people living right now.
We got this!
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Photo Credit to http://goaliefights.blogspot.com/
My 30 Day Fast From Social Media
*Yawn* I wake up, roll over grab my phone to see the time. I then determine how long do I have before I actually have to get out of the bed. If it’s more than 2 minutes, I scream “yes!” in my head because that’s enough time for me to hop on Instagram. Specifically, to check gossip blog pages. I know, I know, I have a weakness for gossip. I’ve been able to bring it to a halt in my personal life by living by one rule, “minding my bizness!” But celebrity gossip is a completely different monster.
When Beyoncé broke the internet by announcing her pregnancy (both times), I religiously checked the gossip blog sites for updates on maternity shoot photos and gender reveals. I was an addict. I found myself getting sucked into her life and drama. When I found out Beyoncé got cheated on, I was angry. When I found out she had a miscarriage, I was devastated. It’s crazy when I think about it because I’m feeling so many raw emotions for a person that I don’t even know! And I wonder why I’m depressed.
Before, I lied to myself about saying deleting Facebook was enough, but my addiction to Instagram has proved otherwise. My husband made a snippy little comment about how much I love Instagram. I have to prove to him (and myself) that he’s wrong. So, I’ve decided to start a social media fast. It actually began at approximately 8pm (CST) this past Wednesday night and I’m jonesing a little bit. I’ve deleted all of my social media apps (except this one ☝🏽☺️) so I won’t be tempted to “check something really quick”. That’s usually how an hour long binge of trying to find out who cheated with who begins. Nah!
Now, usually, when people decide to fast, they abstain from food. In my case, abstaining from food is not a problem since I’m limited to what I can eat. So, I am offering Instagram as my sacrifice because it really is something I enjoy, but it’s bad for my mental health and just simply a waste of time. I could be doing something more conducive to my recovery. I want to be able to use social media for business only. This is what I pray that I will accomplish at the end of my fast.
My faith teaches me that fasting, or “to abstain from” pleasurable things will bring me closer to Christ through prayer(1 Corinthians 7:5) which is what I want to accomplish as well.
But I believe the idea for fasting should be an open idea for anyone who wants to evolve from depression and anxiety. Maybe, abstaining from some of your desires will give you a sense of control and pride when you accomplish it. Plus, it’ll help you focus on something other than your own thoughts. Making such goals and sticking to them will be awesome for your recovery. It’ll give you pride and self-worth. Most importantly, it will feel grrrrreat! I’m more than positive that taking this step will boost my mood overall and I can’t wait!
Here are the tips that I plan on using to fast:
1. Find something else to do when I get tempted
2. Consider the personal and spiritual consequences if I give into the desire
3. Don’t think about it, pray about it.
If you guys have any tips I can use, please drop a comment below. I would greatly appreciate it. Wish me luck 🤞🏽
“The philosophy of fasting calls upon us to know ourselves, to master ourselves, and to discipline ourselves the better to free ourselves. To fast is to identify our dependencies, and free ourselves from them.” -Tariq Ramadan
Funny Fridays
A frog goes to a fortune teller to find out if he will ever be lucky in love.
The fortune teller reads his palm and tells the frog, “I have good news and I have bad news. Which would you like to hear first?”
The frog asks for the good news first.
The fortune teller says, “You are going to meet the most beautiful girl, who is going to be very interested in you and will want to know all about you. She will want you to open up for her and you will give her your heart.”
“That’s great!” says the frog. “But what’s the bad news?”
“Well, you’re going to meet her in Biology class.”
Hope you guys have a wonderful weekend!
Story borrowed from SunnySkyz.com
Come, Destiny (Reprise)
Come Destiny, thou wild haired, wanton wench!
Thou wouldst as soon destroy as e’en behold
Come pluck me from this wooden student’s bench
My soul with awesome, windy wings enfold!
I see thee, waiting near me in the wood
So vigilant — I never see thee sleep
Thine rapier drawn, on this side of it good
The other evil far away to keep
Yet should I slip upon the twisting path
Or fail to see a sign, or miss a door
I know I should incur thine instant wrath
Nor be permitted earthly light the more
For ’twas to thee that I was consecrate
When midwifed by the iron hand of fate
Last call
We all are waiting for that final call, aren’t we?
“Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that’s troublesome.”
― Isaac Asimov
What are you made up of
strong metallic armor
with a toned body
covered
with a warm
beating supple heart
and love undefined
Did that iota of the primordial
gell still flows in your veins
and you descend from the
family of warriors and fighters
and still, lay your claim
To the thrones
which are marked by the
scars and washed with
the proverbial blood of the
those who broke
their backs and bent their bones
to resurrect your existence
What are you made up of
your pallid face
and the defeated broken soul
which tries to
lay itself in the deep slumber
never to be awakened
those bent and broken fingers
which still long
for the
warmth in the womb
That single ray of light
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Thoughts And Memories
Everywhere I look
To the left, to the right
In front or in back
You are there
Smiling at me
Like only you can
I am filled
With thoughts of you
Renewing our vows
At the top of Whiteface Mountain
The wonder in your face
As we rode the chairlift to the top
Your childlike radiance
As you watched Cirque Du Soleil
Perform La Nouba
Hearing your nervous laugh
The first time we sat in a hot tub together
Watching you play
The new Martin guitar I bought you
As you sang songs you had written
Riding horses together
Through the woods and the fields
So many memories
Flooding my mind
Happy and sad times
Through the last 15 years
Falling in love with each other
Over and over
Together forever
For thousands of years
In so many lifetimes
We have found each other
Again and again
Our love is…
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26. Having a Hobby, or ‘A Thing’
Be Strong💪
Often when we hear ‘Be Strong’ our brain quickly dashes to the physical strength, but does been strong all about the physical strength? No, of course. It’s way more than the physical strength. It equally includes the emotional and the spiritual strength amongst others. Life is a struggle. Have you discovered that about life yet? Well, if you haven’t I bet you will when you sit back and check how life the past years had unfolded for you and guess what? You will attest to these words which I wrote 2016 when I turned 25:
To live is to fight battles, emerging from one either a loser or a winner to engage in another; a continuous affair so long as breath remains in the lungs.
And greatly agree with what Nelson Mandela stated about life:
After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to…
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Time for A Celebration!
Picture me, sliding across a wooden floor in white tube socks like Tom Cruise in Top Gun, because I just realized I’m at 365 followers!
All of you, each and every one, is awesome sauce for hitting that follow button. You guys are the real MVP’s, seriously. You inspire me everyday with your blog post, likes, comments, award nomination, etc. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
In celebration, I would like to share the wealth. I want each of you guys to know each other. Most of us follow the same blogs, but here is a chance to meet someone knew. I’ve meet remarkable people with different religions, backgrounds, ethnicity, etc. Its been a beautiful experience. I encourage you guys to do the same.
My favorite feature of the WordPress community is we all have at least two things in common; we’re all human and we all have something to say. I love that I can share my thoughts and struggles without being judged for my race or social class. I’m just one person amongst billions trying to make it through life.
I came across a wonderful blog, CharlieCountryBoy and he reblogged a wonderful idea from Dream Big, Dream Often blog that says IF YOU DROP A LINK IN MY COMMENTS, I WILL REPOST YOUR BLOG! And I want to participate.
So, I want to you to drop a link of your blog in the comments below. I will reblog it on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will also try to remember to reblog this for any new followers.
Let’s all help each other. Drop the link below to get a little exposure. We’re all here for a reason, right?
Stay blessed loved ones! And thanks again!
Healing with Harotian 