I was inviting someone to visit Madelinesays and while I was explaining the site to him, he stopped me to ask: “but, what are you selling?” I thought about that for a minute and then I answered as honestly as I could. I said to him “I am selling HOPE.” He actually laughed at me and said “oh yeah, and how much does that cost?” I smiled and said “it only costs the time it takes for a person to sit down at their computer and log on.”
Peace, Love and Lots of Hugs to all of you who understand that the very best things in life are absolutely free and to those of you who may not know it, no worries. keep logging on. We will make you a believer.
The Simple things in life really are free and children have a way of making us appreciate the simple things. I often stop myself when I am stressing over things and try and remember the way I handled similar situations as a child. If a boyfriend did something wrong, I would kick him in the shin, break up with him and get me another boyfriend. If I made a bad grade, I would simply try harder to make a better grade next time. If someone did not want to play with me, I would play with someone else or play by myself. As a child I had mastered the idea of not attaching myself to the outcome of anything. As an adult, I learned to try and hold on to everything for dear life! as a person on the road to enlightenment, I am back to realizing that it is easier to let go than it is to try and hold on to anything God may not have meant for me. It does not matter whether it is a job, a friend, a companion or a dream. if it is clear that it is not meant, I know that I have to let it go. Its that simple.
TJ went out with his Auntie Nikki, last week and she later emailed me about how much fun they had and how he had reminded her how much fun the simple things can be. What did they do? They took pictures every time TJ found any version of the Statue of Liberty. People say nothing in life is free. I beg to differ. click below to see a smile that cost nothing and remind yourself that if anything is too complicated, maybe it is simply not meant to be.
Yesterday’s post with Aaron’s email inspired today’s post with a comment from our loyal reader, Mari, who said the following:
“AWESOME! Although I must admit I need to try to take away from this to APPLY it to real everyday life which is where the rubber meets the road. I do many of the things on this list but really need to expand to ALL of them. That e-mail was VERY inspirational and encouraging. I think thats why I have become a junkie to this site. It has so much in it that not only encourages and inspires, but lets you know real true stories of real people going through similar same things or even those stories of those who have overcome things to become successful and share what they have learned with others so that they may also become successes! YOU GO AARON!”
This is what I am talking about, people!! Lets keep the “E” Ball rolling! continue to Empower, Enlighten and Encourage one another! Please click below to check out mari’s contribution to the education and empowerment of young people.
I received the email below and I have literally been walking on a cloud from the moment I opened it! It comes from an old friend with whom I had lost touch. We worked together at a boutique I owned a few years ago. I could not wait to share this with all of you.♥
“Remember me? Aaron from your store. Its been a while. I was looking online for a pair of Sevens for my daughter (remember Arianna? She’s 7 now and loves Juicy, Sevens and Hannah Montana) and thought about your store and—BANG!! there’s you and TJ’s smiling faces on your website. Its good to see you doing something super positive with your website. Of course, I felt compelled to read about the things that were written and one thing pretty much MADE me write you this email. Its that short piece written by Loretta Young. If your readers could really get a grasp of what is being said in that piece and then couple that with the realization that “Rome wasnt built in a day”, there would be MANY happy, successful people out there. I remember a time in my life when I lived in an old Honda CRX for about 6 months—then one day I said to myself “what the hell are you doing?” From that day forward, I armed myself with the rationale behind (Loretta’s) piece, picked MYSELF up, started doing for MYSELF, graduated college by MYSELF, and now I am blessed enough to live in a house so big that I (we) literally need a housekeeper–Mary cant keep up with the housework. If you could also let them know that (even though its been said 10 thousand times) God wont give you anything He doesnt think you cant handle–all YOU need is the FAITH and EFFORT to make something happen with it, be it a good or bad situation.(…and yes, I have found God.)”
To all my Madelinesays readers, I love his message! Take his advice and apply it to your own life. If you are already applying it, please pass it on to someone who is not.
Here is the passage he speaks of, which Loretta submitted for the Perfect present Page:
RECIPE FOR SELF-LOVE
Submitted by Loretta young
Take full responsibility for your life.
Stop blaming others.
See yourself as the cause of what happens to you.
Do things you like to do.
Don’t stay in a job you don’t like.
Participate in life at the highest level you can.
Stop terrorizing yourself with your thoughts.
Be gentle and kind and patient with yourself.
Give yourself the simple pleasures of life abundantly.
Wear clothes you feel good in, get a massage etc.
Watch what you say. Avoid self put-downs.
Stop being critical of yourself and others.
Take care of your body.
Give it exercise and good food.
Be willing to create a life-style that generates and nourishes self-esteem.
Associate with others with high esteem.
Acknowledge yourself frequently.
Keep a diary of your successes and accomplishments.
Avoid comparing yourself with others.
Remember that it’s who we are, not what we do, that’s important
Give yourself permission to do nothing periodically.
Schedule time by yourself.
Frequently take deep breaths.
Discover the benefit and pleasure of breathing fully.
Eat first class frequently.
Don’t look at the right side of the menu.
Stop trying to change others.
Focus your attention on being the way you want others to be.
Look into a mirror regularly
and say “I love you, I really love you”.
Stop feeling guilty and saying “I’m sorry”.
See mistakes as valuable lessons and avoid judging yourself.
Consciously generate positive thoughts and feelings of self-love
in place of old thoughts of inadequacy.
Be willing to laugh at yourself and at life.
Stop taking yourself so seriously.
Accept compliments from others without embarrassment.
Don’t invalidate their positive thoughts and feelings about you.
Be kind to your mind.
Don’t hate yourself for having negative thoughts.
Gently change your thoughts.
Keep your awareness and your thoughts focused in present time
instead of living in the past or future.
Acknowledge others frequently.
Tell them what you like and appreciate in them.
Invest money in yourself.
Go to seminars, workshops and courses that develop your talents.
Make a list of 10 things
you love doing and do them frequently.
Treat yourself as you would treat someone you really loved.
Praise yourself.
Emails like these from Loretta and Aaron are what this site is all about!
Today’s entry was sent to me by a good woman who is also a good friend. Thank you, Natasha, for the positive reinforcement♥
A good woman is proud of herself. She respects herself and others. She is aware of who she is. She neither seeks definition from the person she is with, nor does she expect them to read her mind. She is quite capable of articulating her needs. A good woman is hopeful. She is strong enough to make all her dreams come true. She knows love, therefore she gives love. She recognizes that her love has great value and must be reciprocated. If her love is taken for granted, it soon disappears. A good woman has a dash of inspiration, a dabble of endurance. She knows that she will, at times, have to inspire others to reach the potential God gave them.
A good woman knows her past, understands her present and moves toward the future. A good woman knows God. She knows that with God the world is her playground, but without God she will just be played. A good woman does not live in fear of the future because of her past. Instead, she understands that her life experiences are merely lessons, meant to bring her closer to self knowledge and unconditional self Love♥
below is one of my many classic conversations with T.J. he is obsessed with both playing and watching Basketball. Because of this, he is like a little walking encyclopedia of NBA knowledge and he relates everything back to basketball. We were discussing reasons people can go to jail and this is where the conversation took a funny turn:
TJ: mom, you know Carmello Anthony is in jail?
Me: no he’s not. He got out the same night.
TJ: mom no he didn’t. He was drinkin and drivin and he went to jail.
Me: yes but I’m telling you he’s out.
TJ: mom I’m tellin you, he is in jail.
Me: boy, what do you want me to do to prove he’s not in jail, get him on the phone?
TJ: well, you gon have to call 911 for that cuz he’s in jail!
I am reading this really good book. I know what you are thinking! and, you’re right. I AM always reading a book. This book is another great one. In fact, it is so good that I am NOT going to tell you the title, just yet.I want to share some things from this book over the next week and then I will give away the title and hope that you all run out and grab it.
What I read, today that made me sprint to my laptop to write this entry was a few pages about excuses. The author says something I find to be completely accurate. He writes “while I was making excuses, others just like me were making progress.”
I don’t know how many of you are willing to admit that this could absolutely be a true statement about you but I have no problem admitting it. I used to make excuses to “excuse” myself from everything. I was abused as a teenager and that was my excuse. I excused myself from responsibility. I excused myself from Love. I excused myself from appropriate behavior. I excused myself from anything that did not seem fun. While I was making excuses, life was passing me by. I was missing my calling. I was denying my purpose. I was suffering everyday.
I eventually ran out of excuses and realized that I AM responsible no matter what happened in my past. I CAN Love, no matter how badly I have been hurt before. I MUST behave appropriately, because every choice I make not only affects my future but also affects all of those around me and possibly their futures, as well. I can NOT always choose what is fun or what feels best because life simply does not work that way. I made a commitment to live my life excuse-free and It feels great. If you find yourself making excuses. Try, everyday to live an excuse free day until eventually, you are living an excuse free life. When you don’t make excuses, you are more credible, more trustworthy and better respected. Best of all, you feel good about yourself!
This picture is a perfect example of what tired looks like! No makeup, no fancy clothes, no extra time spent on hair. just a hello kitty tank top and a long day of going to school, then to work, cooking dinner and doing laundry. Nothing glamorous, here. The beautiful thing about this picture? I love it! I Love it because I love me. I love the skin I am in!
As you look in the mirror, today, remember to do one thing. “See” yourself. Know who you are, love who you are and reward yourself with words of praise. Keep in mind that we draw to us, what we are. So, if we want to draw people to us who will love, honor and appreciate us, we must begin by loving, honoring and appreciating ourselves.
“yes, okay. got it. excuse me, sir… would you like some fries with that appointment?”
I am always asking for inspirational writings to place on the “perfect present” page of Madelinesays. My sister, Onika sends me submissions, often. She recently sent one along that reminded me of how serious some of my blog entries tend to be. So, I decided to lighten things up a little and share this with you all, just for fun! It is a list of ways to keep a healthy level of INsanity. please feel free to add any suggestions you might have in the comments section and I will add them to the post!
Unique Ways To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity
♥ Page Yourself Over The Intercom, at work and Don’t Disguise Your Voice.
♥Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, ask If They Want
Fries with that.
♥In the Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write ”For Liquor and Beer”
♥Finish All Your sentences with ’In Accordance With The Prophecy’.
♥Skip down the hall Rather Than Walk and see how many looks you
get.
♥Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious
face.
♥ Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is ’To Go’..
♥Sing Along At The Opera.
♥Put mosquito netting all around your work area and Play tropical
Sounds All Day..
♥Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can’t Attend Their
Party Because You have a headache.
♥When The Money Comes Out of The ATM, Scream ’I Won! I Won!’
♥When Leaving the Zoo, Start Running towards the Parking lot,
Yelling ’Run For Your Lives! They’re Loose!’
♥Tell Your Children Over Dinner, ’Due To The Economy, We Are
Going To Have To Let One Of You Go.’
♥And The Best Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity ..
Painting by Nikki white
