Creative Inspiration for Passionate Living

Spring is such a beautiful season.  Because nature does it's job so well, we are blessed with fragrant buds sprouting from once frozen ground, tree limbs that entice birds with fresh blooms, soft rains that incite romance, and sunshine that stimulates smiles. Trees never worry about getting tall.  Flowers aren't ashamed of their vibrant hues.  Grass doesn't think about being green.  Rain feels best when it falls from the sky. Today's Inspiration Accept Yourself, You are Your Best It is said that nobody is perfect yet, often times we stress ourselves by making perfection our primary goal in all we do.  Many times, we worry about how well we perform against expectations that we set for ourselves and, in spite of accomplishing goal after goal, we consider ourselves deficient. Undoubtedly, we will sometimes make mistakes and even fall short of amazing every now and again. When less than our best is the outcome, it is not only our right but our responsibility to impro

Yesterday, I sent my daughter to get the charger for my computer.  I made my request very plain.  "Honey, go to my room and get my charger".  I had my laptop in front of me so the rest made perfect sense but she returned to me with my phone charger in her hand. I noticed my daughter was a bit confused so I told her "not that one, the other one".  She was a bit fussy like most twelve year old are but she marched back up the stairs for another attempt at getting what I requested.  When she returned the second time, she was carrying a different phone charger.  I started to get upset because she OBVIOUSLY wasn't listening. Today's Inspiration Express expectations clearly that they may be fulfilled Do we always say what we mean and mean what we say?  Most of us would like to think so.  If there were statistics on the number of times we miscommunicate, we can safely assume the count would be off the charts.     Sometimes, we assume the person we're talk

Have you ever met someone who could receive the worst news in the world and still smile?  I've always been baffled by what seems to be an amazing talent - smiling in the face of troubles - until yesterday.  An unwanted visitor stopped by my home and delivered mind boggling news about one of my children.  As any mother might be, I was extremely displeased with the message and, though I didn't lash out at the messenger, I felt like I could choke-slam the world. As I laughed hearty laughs with my daughter and niece laughing later the same evening I had an epiphany.  I came to understand how a smile could be the reaction to bad news. Today's Inspiration Though we may not always be pleased, we CAN always be Happy Happiness is a CHOICE.  Though it is undoubtedly an emotion, we may choose to express joy regardless of our surroundings or circumstances.  Adorning our faces with sincere smile is, in some ways, showing the world that we are strong and positive; it shows our resil

Everything in my house was cooked so that nothing was crispy or crunchy.  Instead, eggs, after being scrambles, were placed back in the bowl with remnants of uncooked goo.  Chicken was fried just until the skin was soft like bologna, the bared a slight tinge of pink and the veins were still stringy enough to be completely gross.  Fish... fish was usually fried but, just like it's clucking counterpart, was only cooked until we knew it wouldn't flap on the plate - it too was served super slimy style. As a result of what I consider undercooked food, I do NOT fry any chicken at home (besides the horrible smell it leaves in the house), eggs must show a hint of brown before I'll touch them and I have adamantly defended my dislike of fish for at least two decades. Recently, with slight apprehension, I baked Mahi Mahi seasoned with fresh lemon juice, ginger and pepper. I accidentally overcooked it just a bit (maybe to ensure there was no slime in sight) but it was still quite e

There are some visions placed in me that seem so out of the ordinary that it feels like I must be dreaming.  I'm sure my presence in church after a month-long absence was no coincidence especially when I learned that today's message in church was about a topic that has been on my mind for weeks - blessings so magnificent and immeasurable that my carnal mind can hardly hold on to them. Today's Inspiration Dream, Believe. Commit, Achieve If you've ever gotten a glimpse of the future God has for you, you understand how it can be both awesome and frightening.  To accept that we are here to live beyond our daily existence is to accept that our purpose requires diligence.  In addition to hard work, having purpose means that we must be willing to face unusual obstacles to reach extraordinary levels. The beautiful thing about all the hard work and trials we will face on our journey is that each prepares us to accept the glory of victory, to appreciate the essence of succes

Have you ever felt like you're always waiting on things to happen?  Ever feel like nothing can happen until all the stars align with the moon, the groundhog see his shadow and you find a four leaf clover?  I certainly have.  I typically feel this way when I'm hanging streamers for my own pity party.  I become lethargic and unproductive and, when it gets really bad, I just say I'm being patient - who could argue that patience is important right? Today's Inspiration Patience Does Not Replace Initiative. Take Action and Make Life Happen Though it is true that we must not act in haste, it also a reality that we cannot expect much to happen if we dawdle while waiting on the world to match the vision in our dreams.  When we need things to happen but feel like we're perhaps being pushed around by life, that's the time where we must focus on our sphere of influence - the aspects of a situation we control.  If we allow ourselves to be consumed by that which we have no

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I've been blessed to work on a book project that will affect and inspire many people - this is my sincere hope and prayer anyway. At any rate, when I found out about the project I was undoubtedly excited and ready to write.  Every time I sat down though, it was extremely challenging to translate my thoughts into words on paper.  Some call it writer's block I call it torturous frustration. I've been writing for some time now and usually, my thoughts flow onto the paper quite naturally so the sudden onset of blankness was both disappointing and scary.  I put my pad away and politely stared focusing my attention on the plethora of other equally important tasks before me - everything EXCEPT writing.  I got deep into laundry (anyone can tell you I HATE laundry), household projects and anything else that could be excused as 'necessary' and therefore a worthy excuse for me to not face my fear - I wouldn't be able to submit a

This is my first post after a month-long hiatus.  I was blessed to work on a book project with a few other inspiring authors.  When I set out to write for the book, I found that I only had a certain amount of creative energy in a given day.  If I wrote my daily inspiration (my baby), my creative energy was running at a deficit and I didn't feel like there was enough umpf left in me for working on my book project - I had to make a decision. With mixed feelings, I committed myself to writing ONLY for the book project.  I was excited to work on my first major project but to do so meant no blogging, no twitter updates and no hanging out on facebook.  I felt like I had abandoned a part of myself, like I was quitting at something essential to my being. It was a difficult decision for me.  I left a post on facebook explaining my absence and got to work on my chapter still feeling a bit of me was missing.  I promised myself I could get back to blogging and facebooking as soon as I met my