True story:

I was suppose to go on a trip this past weekend to Savannah with some ladies form church and I really needed it. But unfortunately, I had some truck issues that cost a bit more than I bargained for and I couldn't go. I was mad, upset and irritated. I was telling Tony Friday how these things always seems to happen to me. I try to do everything in order and "right" but it never pans out the way I want it too. I have 50 million things around the house that need fixing or taken care of and I can't. My brother never returns my calls or texts,could be dead for all I know. My schedule is the same thing for me day in and day out, boring. And then, he and I have just had discussions about our relationship that are not bad, but not moving like I want them too. He started telling me the stuff I tell everyone else who gets in those "ruts" and actually I really didn't want to hear it. I think he could tell by the look on my face. But he told me anyway. He said " maybe we should try to go to the Whodini concert" but he didn't realize that the concert was the next day and this was not our pay week so that was out too. I went to bed madder than I started out and with a serious headache.

Saturday morning:

All the kids are getting ready to go with my ex husband to a picnic so at least I would get the house to myself for a while. Better than nothing I guess. 8:30 my doorbell rings and I am fussing because the ex is early picking them up. I yell for Khaaliq to go to the door and tell him just a minute. Khaaliq comes running back and said " Its Mr Ken from church. He just wanted you to know he was in the backyard." In my backyard? Why and its 8:30 on a SATURDAY morning.... So I throw on some clothes and go outside to not only Ken, but about 8 people from my church who thought I was going to be out of town in Savannah and they had come to do my yard work. Cutting grass, trimming hedges, picking up sticks and limbs... you name it. I didn't know what to think or say but I did thank God for them coming because I hadn't even thought about the yard, too much else to do. The yard was beautiful when they finished and as they left I thought to myself, THANK YOU GOD for this, but EH.......

I decided to go call and friend to see if she was up and we came up with the idea of eating breakfast at her house and watching a movie. I didn't have anything else to do, so why not. As I was talking to her, I get a text message from a mutual friend of our and it says "I have two tickets for the concert tonight, want them?" OKAY, is this a joke or what....Not only did I get his two tickets, the friend I was having breakfast with had two tickets that other people did not want so she gave them to me. Four tickets to this concert for Tony and I, plus whoever else I wanted to go with us. Alright God, MAYBE this is you or it could just be some kind of coincidence. Either way, we are going to the concert tonight. : )

I tried to text Tony while we were watching the movie to tell him what had happened that morning but he was in the hunting field so I figured he would just text me later on and sure enough about an hour later my phone goes off. The text says

" Hey, how are you, what are y'all up too?"

But it wasn't Tony, it was my brother. I kid you not. I have not spoken or heard from him in 2 or 3 weeks at least. I got chill bumps...I thought about the conversation the night before and I was like " hmmmmmm, no... can't be...."

Tony decided to go to church with me Sunday and Ken, the same guy who came to help with my yard was guest speaking... on Love. And as he was preaching, I heard him say and talk about the very same things Tony and I had discussed about our relationship that Friday night. I felt a lump in my throat because every once in a while,. Tony would squeeze my hand or give me a nudge when he said it. And at that point, I KNEW it was not coincidence at all.

I didn't pray for any of that stuff actually. It was more fussing and complaining but God, well I guess decided to show me. Tony told me last night " I will only say this once and I will leave it alone, but this weekend was an eye opener for you and for me. I couldn't have planned that, it had to be God."

And he was right. So caught up in my wants and needs. Trying to ask God for help but still had my hand on it, not giving it to him completely to deal with. So he took every thing that came out of my big mouth on Friday and make it come to pass.If people say God isn't real, they say He still doesn't answer prayers (even unspoken ones) or can't do miracles.. they are wrong and you can tell them Tony and I said so.....


I pray you all have a wonderful Monday. Until next time, Lord willing....

So this morning I had all intentions on getting up and going to the gym. I set my alarm clock at 4:45 and was gonna be there in time for the 5:30 SPIN class. As a normal part of my morning routine, I got my phone and decided to see who was up and out on Facebook already. I know I know... kinda sad but oh well, it's what I do. So as I am scanning down, I see a friend of mine is flying in to Albany to go on a trip with some other friends this weekend, I see people posting really positive messages and scriptures and then something caught my eye. Someone who I went to high school with (he is 3 yrs younger than me) had a number of posting that implied he was not happy with his life and he was about to do something about that. We are not close friends, we didn't hang out in school, but we are FB friends and immediately I went into shock mode. I noticed that he worked with a friend of mine so I called him (at 5 this morning) and told him what was going on. Long story short, I ended up sitting outside his job waiting to see if he made it to work. He did... my friend got him to come out and talk to me and I just told him that nothing is so bad to want to leave this earth before God is ready for us too and to really pray and pray hard and I would be too!

There are so many people around us hurting right now for all kinds of reason. And even though so of those reason seem to make no sense to us, it doesn't mean that it is not hurting them inside to the point of not wanting to be here anymore. We have got to start taking time to get to know the people we associate and deal with. Step outside of our own comfort zones and be willing to do things we may not be use too. And on the flip side of that, we need to be willing to open up to people if we are having problems. God gave us friends for that reason. To be there for each other in times of need.

Please pray for James. I have no clue what all is going on in his life, but I know he is hurting and needs all the prayers we can give.

I love you all and until next time, Lord willing....

I was baptized in December of 1986. At 13, I knew "exactly what I wanted in life" (HA!) and what it was going to take for me to get it. I was gonna graduate from high school, go to law school, get married and have 2.5 kids and oh yeah, go to heaven cause I did get baptized of course.

At 28, I had lost my mind. I thought I knew what I wanted, although through all the alcohol, it was a little blurred. I did graduate from high school, but trying to get through college now with three kids and no husband seemed like a lost cause and heaven, well.... I was only 28, so I had time to think about that .... later on.

"And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They've refused for so long to deal with God that they've lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can't think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion. But that's no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you." - Ephesians 4:17-24

Giving up a way of life that you are so use too is not always easy. People throw it up in your face more times than a few and honestly, it's easier to be the person PEOPLE want you to be and alot more fun. But if we are to truly grow in Christ, the way God wants us too, we have to make a conscience effort to leave the past just where it is. Don't beat yourself up about the woulda, coulda, shoulda's and don't let anyone else do it to you. I had to let go of alot of things and people associated with my past. And honestly, that was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done, but things are better now. Not perfect or without issues, but better.

Just some thoughts in my mixed up head.......

I pray you all have a great day and until next time, Lord willing.....

Khaaliq is pretty mean when he does not eat for a long period of time. When he wakes up in the mornings, he doesn't want to talk, he doesn't want to smile, I actually think he would love it if he could just roll down the hall instead of walk. So after 4 or 5 yells of "GET UP KHAALIQ", he grumbles, gets up, and stomps down the hall straight to the kitchen. He grabs the first thing not moving that is some form of nourishment, and makes these really odd sounds at the kitchen table. Within a few minutes (food gone of course), he gets up, puts his dishes in the sink and starts talking. It's pretty much none stop talking from there too just fyi.....lol

Brianna cannot walk by a person standing on the outside of a store asking for money or food. It literally upsets her. I guess as adults, we are so jaded to the world because of this and that, that we can walk by and it not touch us in some kind of way. We were walking out of the BP station last week and a guy was asking for change and honestly, it really didn't phase me. I kept on walking but i noticed I didn't hear Bri behind me. She was digging in her pockets to see if she had change. She didn't so she ran up to the car, asked me to "look please in my purse for some". I kind of grumbled, but I looked and gave her all I had and she smiled and took it back to the man. When she got in the car, she said " I would feel bad when I got home drinking my green tea and eating my chips knowing he didn't have any".

And once again, my kids have made me think... how encouraged I am when I am filled up. How much simpler and better life is when I am not running on empty (or my belly is full, as in Khaaliq's case). It doesn't take much. A listening ear, a shoulder to cry on or even a smile or kind word. It's not always about money, but if you have a little extra, what harm would it do to buy someone lunch, ask them over for dinner or just drop off a bag of groceries "just because".

So my kids have challenged me in a few different ways. I could let alot of things fill me up..... anger, greed, jealousy, worries or I can choose to let positive things fill my thoughts and mind. I can encourage others in whatever way possible and if God puts an opportunity in front of me to help someone, then I will.

"Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each others nerves you don't snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out." - I Thessalonians 5:13-15

I pray you all have a wonderful, wonderful, blessed weekend!! Until next time, Lord willing.....

If any of you have me as a friend on Facebook, you saw this last night, but I had to share it again this morning....

I went to pick Brianna up early last night from work, so the boys and I decided to go in for a drink and wait. I went in and started talking to Bri and another of her co-workers and this guy (about 28 or so I guess) came from the kitchen basically yelling, but really excited. He looked at me and said " Is your last name Washington?" I said yes, thinking that he was going to ask about Brianna being my daughter but he said " your mom's name was Barbara?" I just kinda looked at him and thought, he must have been one of her students. (she was a Special Education teacher at Albany Middle) I said yes. Then he said you had a baby. I smiled and pointed at Bri and he said yeah, I remember her having two pigtails all the time... lol. Then he said " I was even at her funeral. It was at that church off of Gillionville." Again, I said yes. With that he kind of trotted to the back. So I sat down with Chris and Khaaliq thinking about my mom since he had kind of put her in my head. Then he came out and sat next to me in the booth. He said " Your mom was so sweet. She taught me how to read. She was the reason I passed middle school. She was really special." I held back tears and said thank you for that. And with that, he went back to work.

God gave my mom a gift. And she did just what He wanted her to do with it, she used it to serve others. She loved to teach and she LOVED her students. I was talking to a friend this morning and she said people may forget your face after a while, but they sure will remember if you help them. And 13 years later, he did.

I was again reminded about what Pam says " be blessed and be a blessing." I have been so guilty lately of worrying and thinking about me. What is going on with me. The problems I am having. When are things going to get better for me. I have been so consumed, that I have let many opportunities pass by to be a blessing to someone else. I have said before, its not about the money you spend, the stuff you have, it's just about showing God love to the people who need it.


I pray you all had a wonderful weekend and I hope that today is just as great! Until next time, "be a blessing".....

Good Monday Morning loves!

I can remember being in middle and high school and being picked on alot. I guess that's what kids do. The thing with me was being overweight. I have never been a small person and I was also never short, so I heard it alot. Even from my brother, who got the tall part but not the weight. I can remember making myself sick so that I could call my mom and go home. Sometimes I still hear those words when I wanna work out or even if I am eating and that was over 20 years ago...

Last week, I said some really hurtful things to someone that I love very much. Honestly, I think the stuff I said was stuff I needed to say, but I sure didn't need it to come out like it did. I got angry and I let that anger get the best of me and my emotions, something I said I would never do again, but I did.

My son, who is not a small child himself, got in trouble at school last week for calling a little girl fat.

Yesterday, a conversation I had with some friends that came to town went kinda in left field. It's not that the things we were saying were wrong, but sometimes as parents, even though we mean well, kids don't understand and can get their feelings hurt.

A friend of mine got hurt yesterday by someone who thinks that just because you throw a "LOL" behind what you say will make it funny to everyone. It doesn't. And what makes it worse, is when other people around don't say anything or stand up for what is right...

Who ever said "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me"... lied.

Ephesians 4:29 - "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Everyday, whether we think about it or not, we are shaping and molding someone else's life by the words that we use with them. As Christians, we need to know when and IF to even speak, or if our task is to just listen. How will our words impact others...build them up or tear them down...

I pray this e-mail finds you all safe and sound. The weekend was really good, weather was beautiful.

Please remember to be praying for Mrs. Heath and Mrs. Daniels and their health and also for my friends who are still looking for job (Angie, Valerie, Pam, Darlene). Oh and don't forget our teens, Morgan and Brianna!! : )

I love you all bunches, and remember, "be a blessing" to someone.. it sure made my day last week!

Last night I heard that a person I went to high school with had lost her son in an accident. He was on his way back from Florida with two of his best friends and they hit an ambulance head on. He and another guy were killed instantly. One was taken to the hospital in critical condition and the two ambulance workers were also listed in critical condition. This morning they said that the other best friend also passed away. My schoolmates son was 19. He had just graduated from basic training in San Antonio and was leaving for the Air Force soon. His long time girlfriend, is pregnant with his daughter. I watched the news clip again this morning and saw the sadness and pain and I realized that my problems didn't really seem so big anymore.

I pray for Daphne, her family and all the families that lost their child in this accident. I can't imagine what she is going through right now but I pray she knows that even through this, that their lives are and were not wasted, that God will never leave them or let them walk alone.

Continue to also pray for Mrs. Heath and Mrs. Daniels and their health, for my friends who are still job searching.. Angie, Darlene, Valerie, Pam.. for Morgan and Brianna.

Be blessed my friends and remember , be a blessing to someone. Today is not promised to any of us. There is no guarantee that we will live to be 80 or 90 years old, so make every moment count! Love ya and until next time, Lord willing....