My Daddy, My Hero!

Today is Father’s Day 2010 and I am feeling so many emotions from reading the various comments on my Face Book page. Personally, I was blessed to have my father in the home growing up and he and my mother celebrated 54 years of marriage in January 2010. My daddy, Ollie Lee Jr. was the hardest working man for his 4 girls, son and wife. He did not allow his lack of education (7th grade) to prevent him from working 3 jobs at once to support his family. He was a strict disciplinarian and someone who you knew expected nothing but greatness in your appearance, delivery, presentation and overall life.

He supported me, my sisters and brother through college and one through graduate school; never complaining ALWAYS working. He was a stickler for having immaculate credit and taking care of business as it was required. His consistent demand that we be disciplined children has made me who I am today. He lived in my middle school as the nuns always knew if they called Mr. Lee, Edith would straighten up and fly right. His attentiveness to our education has taught me to do the same for my daughters.

When he was tired of the children in public schools wanting to fight my sister and me, he enrolled us in a catholic school. To this day, I give him much respect for caring enough for us to change our environment even though there was a hefty cost for tuition. BUT HE DID IT!

When my dad was a young man, he was an exceptional baseball catcher and was being looked at by professional teams. He was offered an opportunity to go play with a team, but turned the offer down to stay home and work helping to support his family. Through the years, my mother has raised many, many children in the neighborhood, and my dad never once asked her why are all these kids here? lol. He just very quietly made his way to his bedroom and continued providing for not only his biological children, but for every child that ever crossed the threshold of our home. Oh and it wasn’t just the children…the pets were all treated like part of the family too. There was never a stray dog that we bought home that he said had to go.

Family is very important to him; he gets a great kick out of watching his 3 year old twin great-grand daughters. They give him much joy as they come into his room to steal bubble gum from the gum ball machine he has there. They love their granddad and anytime they are there, they will both just go in his room and sit on the side of his bed with him to watch TV or to jibber -jabber to him. This is truly something to behold.

Of course he was human and had his issues, but my daddy is my hero. Ailing now with the beginning stages of Alzheimer's, dementia and other health issues, I had a chance in May 2010 to spend with him a good quality afternoon, just he and I talking. We reminisced, laughed and talked so vividly about family times. I praise God for the opportunity to have had the father I have and I pray that he knows how much his being in my life has made a difference to not only me and my sisters, but my children and the Lee generations to come. So that he will know, I plan to read this to him over the phone today as he lives in Pittsburgh, PA and as far as my recollection goes, I’m only aware that he has traveled out of the state one time, and that was for his sister’s funeral.

I love my dad and I know that his genes are strong in all his generations. So we who are his seed have NO excuses. His love for us inspires me to persevere even when quitting is an option I would love to choose. His love and support is sufficient enough for me to run on all in the name of his love, discipline and high expectations. I love you Daddy. Happy Father’s Day!

My Commencement Speech to the Class of 2010….

We are blessed beyond measure. The Favor of God is on those who believe and is distributing throughout. Yes it is very evident that for those who believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost blessings, favor grace and mercy are with them daily. But I have also witnessed blessings and honor in the favor of unbelievers too. But that is a fine example of how great is our God that he would love those who choose not to love him. 

Breath New Life in Christ Jesus…renew your commitment to him. Allow him to lead, guide and protect you as you venture into the next glorious part of your life. Strengthen your faith; share with another the goodness of God; rejoice in your accomplishments and the accomplishments of others.

Rules to live by…build up the defeated others… rise and be heard…watch and be diligent.  Love God with all your heart, soul and mind.   The time has come for understanding the master plan and for seeking more wisdom on the plan.

The foundation is poured and a structure is in place, where will your building blocks come from? Whose walls will you help to construct; whose seed will you water. Pay it Forward is a must.

Your witness, your counsel and your generosity is needed in the world today. Don’t hide it or squander it…RELEASE IT for the world to know…

Love, Peace and Blessing Class of 2010

My Lover Man!

Sex me, text me, perplex me…

My lover man

Good son, good father, good friend

My lover man

Hard worker, provider, protector

My lover man

Creative, bright, entrepreneurial

My lover man

Strong, bold and deliberate

My lover man

Engaging, enlightening, engrossed

My lover man

Inviting, intense, invigorating

My lover man

Committed, faithful and true

My Lover Man!

The Ultimate Friendship

They were 2 peas in a pod

Both loved God

There was a bond so tight

So there never was a fight

But one day there was a wedge

Although they forged ahead

No one could tell

That there was a scream and yell

It was unconditional love

Divinely from above

An understanding so deep

A friendship for keeps

SURRENDER

There was a time when I said enough is enough.

A time when I thought I couldn’t take anymore.

When I threw in the towel, closed the door, wrote the last chapter and turned my back.

I didn’t quit I surrendered. I surrendered my will for God’s Will. I laid it all on the altar.

For Him to do his perfect and divine Will.

I gave it to Him.

Surrendering to some is an admission of defeat and giving up.

But to me, it is Victory in Christ Jesus.

Jesus asked God to “take this cup from; yet not my will but yours be done.”

Even Jesus surrendered…Have you?

Surrendering means you have to humble yourself.

Recognize that it’s not about you.

That you are powerless and your thoughts, dreams, desires and wants mean NOTHING, if God doesn’t say YES.

And there are stipulations on that “yes.”

You have to delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

There’s always a price to pay, Jesus paid the ultimate price…Have you?

Because I know that I serve a living Savior who came so that I might have eternal life, my desire
is for all mankind to know this truth.

Surrender your will for the Will of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places, EPH 6:12.

Why wrestle with the Lord when you can surrender to His Will and His way and allow Him to fight the battles you will never win without him.

How’s the word “surrender” sound to you now?

How BIG is your Mustard Seed?

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb.11:1) and if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20)

How BIG is your Mustard Seed? Is it bigger than your illness? Which is larger? Your electricity bill or your faith? Your child is in a gang, hanging with the wrong crowd and you don’t know what to do. Where is your mustard seed? Let me see which is bigger.

Out of work and no severance pay? Why are you hiding your mustard seed? Boss didn’t take their meds this morning? Mustard seed? What mustard seed? This mustard seed…the one that is minute and barely visible, but you know it’s there. Just like your faith huh?

We need to use the spiritual resources we have to get by all the pain staking issues we deal with on a daily basis. The number one spiritual resource we have is our FAITH. Faith in God, that no matter what, he has our best interest at heart. He loves us.  He has the last say in everything, once you ask him. He wants to know, that you know, without a shadow of a doubt that he will bring you through. He is the “fat lady” we talk about when we say “it ain’t over until the fat lady sings.” If you use your mustard seed, no matter what the battle the enemy is waging against you, it ain’t over until God says it’s done! Like the song says, by Maurette Brown Clark, “keep praying, keep fasting, keep pressing, progressing, keep moving, it ain’t over NO, keep reading, interceding, keep believing, it ain’t over NO, keep trusting, keep trying, keep travailing, Why? It ain’t over, NO, keep living, keep giving, whatever it takes keep going, it ain’t over, NO. What the devil meant to take you out…God meant for your good. Cause it ain’t over.

S t r e c h your faith because the impossible is where God will work a miracle, but you got to use that mustard seed and watch the battles be won one at a time. Then that mustard seed begins to grow and so does your faith so that when the next fight comes, you are stronger because you have history with God.

Let me see that mustard seed. How big is it now?

Be encouraged and take a listen to “It Ain’t Over” by Maurette Brown Clark: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXNhArf-MSk

Lyrics used in the body of this blog from: “It Ain’t Over” by Maurette Brown Clark

I LOVE ME!

I just gave myself the biggest most warm and loving hug and was inspired to write this piece because so many of us don’t like who we are, because we are “to this or too that” , “not enough this or not enough that”. We have allowed others to label, demoralize, taunt and abuse us to the extent we hate and abuse ourselves. ENOUGH ALREADY! Love you for who God made you to be, respect yourself so you can respect others. When you love yourself, you will be surprised who will love you back.

I love the living, breathing creature God made me. Full of errors and flaws, but willing to be all God has called me to be. With God ALL things are possible, so those things that I need to work on I ask God for his guidance and direction. As it is Him I aim to please; not you, not me, but Him. Why? Because he loved me first before I even knew what love was. And guess what, he took me as his child…regardless of what my sins were/are and despite my weaknesses.

I love the woman I have become, and yes it does matter what man says about me to a degree because I am an ambassador of Christ and made in his image. But I don’t look for man’s approval of me anymore. I let His light shine for all men/women to see, I am prayerful it is pleasing in God’s eyesight. Good, bad or indifferent I am His and I LOVE ME.

“The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I am He who comes to deliver and save so that you (we) could have eternal life”, says the Lord. I’ll take eternal life thank you very much. That’s how much I LOVE ME. Yes, I plan on spending eternal life with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. So I LOVE God first, me second, my family third and then all other.

Love, peace and blessing to you. Love yourself as God loved you FIRST!

PROCRASTINATION

What’s so “PRO” about procrastination? It’s a negative. There is nothing “pro” about putting off today what you can do tomorrow. As NIKE has so vividly branded in our minds, hearts and thoughts, JUST DO IT! I chuckle as I write those words because I also very vividly saw the NIKE logo run through my mind as I typed the words, JUST DO IT. But I digress and will save that subject matter for another blog piece.

I hate being a procrastinator, especially when there is an urgency or deadline due. It seems that the most important things on my list of “Things to do” are usually the ones that get shoved so far back in the back of my mind that when I do remember or have the time, I should have done them earlier so I’m not down to the final wire or crunch time.

BUT…I will say, I work so much better under pressure. I know that’s the “procrastinators” creed. Although it is better to be more disciplined, my creative juices and energies seem to be turned on by the mere fact that it’s got to be done and DONE NOW!

I remember recognizing my mired ways when a freshman in college and I pulled my first all nighter, writing a research paper in one night. HA! What a joke. I remember I met the deadline and I usually do, it’s just the undo pressure I put on my self to perform and to perform with an excellent outcome that bothers even me. When and how do we demand more of ourselves and determine that we are not going to allow that part of us rule and reign?

I believe that God gives us grace in those instances, but it is up to us to take the first step to show God that we are serious about turning around a point of action in our lives that clearly is in need of organization and is one that should be more closely controlled.

As God requires excellence as a prerequisite of His proof that we love Him, I believe we should also give Him the Glory in actions and deeds, during good and bad times. As we purposefully live for Him, we should be more mindful of his expectations and purpose to fulfill His desire for us. Besides procrastination begets stress and stress can lead to a premature death.

So starting today, I vow to STOP PROGRASTINATING. I will work toward becoming a more organized person who is more closely self controlled in the planning and implementation of all things as they relate to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit’s Will for my life.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Sometimes you just have to SCREAM!!!!!!!...or do you?

“There’s a time and a place for everything under the sun”…and right now it’s time to count to ten…NO…it’s time to SCREAM. Will it make me feel better, worse or numb? We really have no control over the things that happen in our lives or do we? From a Spiritual perspective, NO we don’t if we’ve prayed for God’s Will; but from a worldly and pragmatic point of position, “Oh there’s something we can do!” I guess this is what most people say before they find them self’s handcuffed and sitting in the back of a squad car. :) Not cool at all after the anger has subsided and rationale sets in.

“There is life and death in the power of the tongue. “ Control over what we say and do is our responsibility and no one can be held accountable for our actions but us. I tell my children all the time, watch how God will bless you if you exhibit discipline and self control. “Obedience is better than sacrifice.”

For the issues that arise that make us want to put our heads under a rock and let denial reign, remember they don’t go away until you address them. Ignoring the elephant in the room only makes him grow teeth and bite you where it hurts very badly. Thinking it will go away if only you leave it be to work itself out is WRONG. Pacifying it, coddling it and feeding it what you think it’s hungry for only prolongs the inevitable.

To SCREAM or not to scream? That is the question. And my answer is unequivably NO…I prefer to pray. Screaming is a temporary fix. Praying is the ultimate fix. If you feel as though you just can’t take it anymore and the pressures of life have you weighed down, remember,” God is the author and finisher of our fate and greater is He who is in me than he who is of the world.” As the songwriter once conveyed, “trouble don’t last always”, I beg to differ…it will if you choose to SCREAM and not pray.

I Fell in Love Today

I fell in Love today
Not like
Not physical attraction;
But Love :)
I heard his heart and it connected with mine and it was real and pleasurable and felt right
I fell in Love today
It sent chills through my spine and veins and went through the most intimate parts of my body;
But it wasn’t a sexual arousal it was a Spiritual and divine connection
A moment in time that could only come from God
I couldn’t take anymore so I abruptly said STOP!
The truth he spoke was so true it was transparent he spoke words I’ve spoken before
He was in a place I had seen before and it was familiar and I LOVED IT and it was then I knew…I LOVED HIM.

The Selfishness of Man

The Selfishness of Man
That he would think that WoMAN is his forever;
That he would think a WoMAN is the leader and he is the follower;
The he would think submission is forced and knows not of God’s intent;
That he would think with anatomy parts that were made for creation;
That he would think less of children and more of himself;
That he would think less of what he thinks but more of what he wears.
That he would think, destroying, conniving, scheming, concocting, not creating, building, nourishing, investing and flourishing.
That he would think himself higher than The Most High God;
The Selfishness of Man

God the Protector

Last night while I was home alone I stood in a chair to open the ceiling vent to get more heat circulating in the room. When I stepped down out of the chair, my foot was entangled in it somehow and I fell on the floor. KABOOM, bottom first. (I can thank the NCCU School of Education building for the two flights of stairs I take daily that have given me the new cushion on my bottom for buffering the fall. Those stairs are just as good as a stair master. ) And then BOOM back of the head hitting the lightly padded carpet in my living room, but feeling as though my head hit a soft concrete slab. At the moment I saw stars and was frightened I’d pass out and no one would know. But as I rolled over on my stomach I realized that I was ok, I had been protected by God. I kept still until the throbbing in my head stopped.
I remember thinking all night “now what was that all about.” Why was it necessary for me to fall out of the chair and bang my head so hard on the living room floor? I don’t know, but I’m one of those people who has to have an answer for everything. I’ve always been that way. So today, I found my answer.
My sister said to me yesterday, you asked to be in God’s Will. Well yes I have. And that got me to thinking. When I pray, I’ve prayed for God, to lead, guide and protect me and my children, family and friends. But are those merely words or do I actually expect that God would do what I ask?
I believe as I’m moving into another phase in my life, God is requiring me to understand fully who he is. One of the ways He’s asking me to acknowledge Him is God the Protector. No matter what calamity I may encounter, I believe God wants me to recognize the He’s got me and mine. And for that I am truly appreciative.
I’m learning that as I pray for God’s Will, I am relinquishing all power to Him and relying upon his judgment to reign supreme in my life. Great place to be, but realize that “my” will is nonexistent when I ask for His Will to be done and His Will is the only Will I need in this journey we call life.

Ahhhh, this thing about 50…

Age ain’t nothing but a number so many have said over the years. Fifty is the new 30, I’ve heard. And just recently my daughter said fifty is the new 20. Too funny, because what some people fail to realize is the age 50 is fifty. It is what it is.
January 25, 2010 I will celebrate my fiftieth birthday and I am proud to become a member of the fifty and older club. As a matter of fact, I’ll volunteer to be the president that’s how proud I am to be in this club.
Don’t laugh you’ll be there or have already gotten there by God’s grace. But have you determined (if you’re there), that the next fifty years will be much better than the last? I have, mainly because I understand now what the first fifty years were about. Now that maturity, experience, longsuffering, relationship building, forgiving and nurturing have all run their race in my life, I must take hold of the baton and round the corner to the finish line.
The next fifty years are all about completing the purpose and fulfilling the destiny for why I was born into this world fifty years ago. I’ve known for many years what my purpose and destiny are, but I haven’t been able to pinpoint how to begin the journey. I’ve prayed, I’ve been faithful to the vision, I’ve worked toward goals that I felt were related, but it wasn’t time. This year, 2010 is the time. I feel it deep down in my Soul. So I ask for your prayers as I know the time is near for the journey to begin.
I believe that as this milestone is turned, a new fresh anointing is given for the birthing of the plan to accomplish the purposes of God in my life. I vow to draw neigh as it is His undying love for ALL people that he’s purposed his Will in our lives.
God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost will surely lead guide and protect me through the next fifty as he has during the first fifty.
I embrace the second half of my life with a great big hug and a big juicy kiss. I am happy to see ya fifty welcome…don’t take a seat because we’ve got places to go, people to see and things to do!

Love Poem

Love
Why not feel love
Breathe Love
Look love
Smell love
Read love
Relate love
Receive love
Release love
Honor love
Be love
Behold love
Appreciate love
Adore love
Determine love
Consider love
Embrace love
Exalt love
Distribute love
Know love
Greet love
Bring love
Hear love
Speak love
Love love!