Creative Inspiration for Passionate Living

Pulling into the gas station in the south Chicago suburbs this morning, my daughter and I saw the police approaching a young man.   He appeared to be in his mid-twenties and was tall and slender but, at the same time, solid.   He had his hands in the air, screaming inaudible words but his pain permeated my core.   An officer gripped the man’s arms from behind and brought him to the ground.   His long frame flipped upside down.   My daughter began a frantic cry. “Momma, don’t let them kill him”.   As tears of terror flooded her face, the innocence of being nineteen was no more.   I stopped my car in the middle of the gas station parking lot and she jumped out, pure protective instinct on fire, and bolted toward the scene to check on him.   I kept my eyes trained on the young man and the officer that held him.   He didn’t resist the officer’s grip as cold metal cuffs were clasped onto his wrists behind his back and he was pulled to his feet...

Dear Heel of My Shoe, I would like to first apologize for my failure to realize your significance in my life. I thought my swag was all mine, my two step too but now that you've left me, I see it was you... holding me down. It's no surprise you sent karma in the shape of an adorable shelter dog to chew at the heart of you until you were no more. Your guts and innermost feelings spilled on the floor atop my rug. And though I miss you dearly, I know that, to me, you shall never return in original form.   As I wear the shoe where we first met, I reflect with joy despite the pang of your absence where you used to caress my skin --we had some good runs --and know that if you could, you would have stayed but it wasn't your fate. So I bid you farewell.  Till our paths cross again, I shall fondly remember our moments together and await your acquaintance anew. For, in any shoe, in any style or lifetime, I would recognize and certainly appreciate you. ...

One day my youngest daughter went to use the bathroom then cried out in her emergency voice "Momma!" I darted from my bedroom to her aid. She asked me. "Are we cutting back?" "What are you talking about cutting back?" I asked, puzzled by her question. With her face contorted in concern, she continued "1-ply toilet paper? Where's the soft stuff?!" I laughed until my sides hurt then explained that the toilet paper purchase was a mistake and not an indication of impending financial doom as she feared. Satisfied at my explanation, she finished her business and I returned to my room feeling both blessed and amused. What had happened was…    My older daughter   accidentally bought the wrong case of toilet paper but we'd ripped it open before anyone realized.   This moment was hilarious to me and at the same time brought things into perspective:   If my child's biggest complaint in life is an accidental downgrade to ...

My oldest son once got in trouble in school for misbehaving. Seems he and a buddy thought it would be a good idea to flash their bottoms out the window as unsuspecting classmates walked into school from the bus. After everyone had their fill of laughs, they reported the partners in crime to the principal. Following the incident and subsequent investigation, I got a call explaining that I needed to pick up my son and keep him home for a 3 day suspension. Once we returned home, I began drilling him about why he did something as idiotic as show his behind out of a school window. All he knew is that his friend did it and he followed suit. I won't go into detail about how he was disciplined but lets just say he was in trouble less for the initial act than he was for playing monkey see monkey do... Today's Inspiration We are Responsible for the Decision on Who We Follow Peers, family, community/church leaders, managers, spouses. There are countless people ...

My children often criticize me (lovingly) for the number of times they are required to eat baked chicken in a given week.  I don't fry food for health reasons (and I hate the putrid odor it leaves behind) so baking has become the normal way I prepare meats aside from grilling when time and weather permit. It just so happens that I don't cook pork, consume very little red meat and the kids aren't fond of fish so, chicken is the natural winner. Recently, they asked what we were having for dinner. I thought about it a minute (as if i really needed to ponder) and responded - baked chicken and vegetables. Instantly, their voices joined in song to express disapproval at my decision. "Again?" they cried out in laughter. I couldn't help but laugh myself considering we probably eat baked food 25 nights per month. I paused to consider dinner a bit further then came up with what I thought was a brilliant idea. "How about we go to Popeye's or KFC then?...

My family and I recently took a road trip from Northwest Indiana to Diamondhead Mississippi.  The 15 hour drive routed us through Illinois, Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisiana before we were fortunate enough to check into our economy hotel room without a view. A few hours into our drive, my daughter asked "where are we?" As a curious pre-teen, her question made sense but given the fact that we still had so far to go (12 hours to be precise), I showed her the GPS to reassure her we weren't lost then advised her to relax and let me know if she needed to use the rest room. Today's Inspiration Where you are is NOT as important as your final destination At any point in time we can and should perform a self-assessment to gauge progress toward goals.  It is how we ensure we are taking steps forward rather than running in perpetual circles or even worse, taking steps backwards.  Sometimes, when we reflect on our current situations, we may find that we are nowhere...

I have a dear friend who loves to share information and recipes with me.  During one conversation in the dead of winter, they shared how, they added baby oil gel to their body while in the shower. Intrigued, I asked for more detail. As they explained it, this technique left their skin softer and more supple than any other moisturizing tactic. I didn't doubt the sincerity of their claim, after all, it was my friend and who wouldn't be tempted by promises of butter soft skin in the dead of a harsh winter?  One day shortly after our discussion, I grabbed my baby oil gel and began applying a liberal amount from my ankles up. The hot water rinsed all excess and, just as my friend proclaimed, allowed my skin to absorb the gel much better than dry or recently moistened skin - this was heaven then... Whoa, woops , ouch! I squirmed, squealed and almost pulled down the shower curtain reaching for safety as I slipped about the oil sli...

I strolled from the office to the train station at a casual pace enjoying the weather, pondering what early evening snack could satisfy my tummy without ruining my appetite for dinner.  I stopped at the street light and settled on a $1 fruit smoothie. As I waited for the walk signal, a blue car turned South onto a North bound one way street right in front of me.  At first I thought he was trying to access the parking garage at the corner, cars were in all but one of the lanes traveling in the opposite direction of his turn, but he sped down the avenue against traffic as if he was traveling in the right direction.  Midway down the street I saw him tap his break but then accelerate again.  Four neat rows of cars blocked his entry to the East bound one way. His options were to make a u-turn or continue in the wrong direction against traffic. As I crossed the street in laughter, I looked behind me wondering if maybe the one w...

One summer afternoon I was driving with my children to run a few errands. It was the summer that Jay-Z released The Black Album - one of my favorite CDs. My children and I often sing along to the radio or CDs to make our commute fun and relaxing. Jay-Zs new single (at the time) queued up and I got into it. "If you feelin like a pimp [ ], gone brush your shoulders off Ladies is pimps too, gone brush your shoulders off [ ] is crazy baby, don't forget that boy told you Get back TURN UP YOUR SHOULDERS you betta get, back turn up your shoulders" I had my bank head bounce goin as I cruised down the street. My kids were in stitches. At first, I figured they were REALLY enjoying my performance (I can be quite animated) until my daughter asked me to repeat what I was saying. "What?" I asked. Through tears of laughter she asked me again "Just sing the chorus one more time momma". I did. "GET BACK, TURN UP YOUR SHOULDERS. What?" I was gettin...

In Northwest Indiana, the high schools do not offer driver's education so I proudly took on the task of teaching my oldest son how to drive.  We started in sub divisions where there was little traffic and less opportunity to cause major damage if the lessons went sour. During one particular lesson, I told my son to make a right hand turn at the stop sign.  He stopped  without pounding on the break, causing the whole Durango to jerk forward - I was proud.  When he began to accelerate, he turned the steering wheel in the direction of a left turn.  I told him to stop in a very stern voice which must have startled him.  He heard and comprehended my instruction but for reasons  unknown to me, he did the exact opposite.  He attempted to steer the truck to the right while in the middle of maneuvering for a left turn and trying to stop. At the same time, a car was approaching the intersection where we danced an SUV Samba. We su...

I once had an eyelash fall into my eye.  I didn't realize it was there right away but once my eye began to feel like it had a rock under the lid, I knew I had trouble. I ran to the mirror, lifted my eyelid and began searching for the fleecy culprit.  I spotted it just under my brow bone - the highest part of my eye.  I washed my hands and prepared for a surgery of sorts. That single lash moved around in my eye back and forth, to and fro but would NOT come out!  Though I could always see it, I was unable to manipulate it to the safe place where I could pluck it without causing harm to my eyeball. I tried every tactic I knew - making my eye water, gently massaging the hair to the corner of my eye and even flushing it - nothing worked.  With little left in my arsenal, I was forced to grant the eyelash reprieve.  Both me and my eye had become visibly irritated but I could do little but leave it where it was and continue with my day. Within a half ...

Today is the first day I've written an inspiration in at least two weeks.  It wasn't that I didn't have anything to say or that I didn't have time.  I simply didn't feel inspired to write an inspiration - how ironic. At inception, I titled this blog "Daily Inspiration..."  a friend asked me if I'd have time to write daily to which I immediately answered "I'll make time."  And for a long, consistent while, I did make time.  Sometimes the words would flow as freely as bath water waiting to soothe aching muscles.  At other times, I was forcing the words onto the page like I used to when my parents served liver and peas for dinner.  The resulting works may not have revealed my internal struggles and some may have still even found encouragement. Still, I felt insincere and hypocritical on days I was trying to inspire without having first found my own inspiration. I cannot promise a daily post but I commit myself t...

When I was a girl of maybe 6 years, I would have a recurring dream about Raggedy Ann and Andy taking me through the forest to see the Wizz (not the Wizard of Oz).  When we arrived at the ivory castle, an evil witch would appear sitting high atop a golden throne (i.e., toilet).  We'd make our humble requests to the witch but she only scoffed at our pleas and told us we were fools.  This always angered me because my request was to use the bathroom. Because Raggedy Ann and Andy were my friends, they didn't take well to the witch's callous cackles.  They argued with her as I stood defenseless, legs crossed trying in vein to abstain from soaking my favorite baby blue pajamas with hot urine.  After unsuccessful  appeals on my behalf, they fought and defeated the witch and flushed her down the golden throne.  My fears were replaced with relief and elation as the village made me their new queen.   The lolly pop kids, Tom & Jerry, and other char...

Once when I was feeling a bewilderment about how my team fit in a changing organization, I sought input from a trusted mentor.  By the end of the discussion, which lasted less than 30 minutes, I was not only assured that my team had an opportunity to play a vital role in the organization's transition but also admonished for not seeking ways to ensure we were involved at the appropriate levels.  My mentor encouraged me to seek ways to add value rather than artificially asserting the need for involvement and complaining when the invitations didn't come. Today's Inspiration Seek No One's Permission to Fulfill Responsibilities That Are Yours Oh so many times we sit feeling like we're bound by the validation or acceptance of others.  In some cases, though we know (internally at least) that we have certain obligations, we wait for someone in our lives - oftentimes we don't even know who - to make a way for us or to mov...

During the Christmas of 1997 I decided to try my hand at peach cobbler. I was nervous because I didn't have a recipe and my in-laws were at dinner. My only experience was watching my husband's aunt make one once so I really took my time with everything.  I felt as if needles were tumbling around in my stomach the whole time the cobbler cooked. When I removed the pan from the oven, I was proud at the look of my finished product.  The crust was golden brown and fit for a photo spread in a recipe book.  The aroma caused mouths to water - I had to threaten my family with bodily harm so they wouldn't dig in to the delectable treat prematurely. When it came time for tasting, I found that the cobbler - a balanced blend of butter, sugar, spices and special ingredients - was seasoned to perfection!  My family raved about it all night and I knew it wasn't just talk because the entire...

I started this daily inspiration blog in hopes of reaching people with a message that could encourage and lift the spirits.  Some how, I imagined having hundreds of readers stop by  daily  to flood each post with comments about how relevant and helpful they found the message.  Well, after about four and a half months in, I became discouraged (not completely, just a little bit).  The list of supporters slowly grew to 14 and comments are sparse so I figured perhaps what I was doing wasn't as significant as I'd hoped it would be.  I allowed myself to skip multiple days - nobody was reading anyway right? WRONG!!!  I recently got an email from a friend in Slovakia telling me he was reading my little blog and rather enjoyed it.  WOW!!! Today's Inspiration Out of sight is NOT always out of mind   The advent of instant sharing and social networking has many of us spoiled.  If we update our Twitter or Facebook status, comments and 'likes' f...

My brother and I are really close. If I am looking for a pat on the back, I can count on his strong, gentle hand.  One evening, I called him to vent about a matter that had my gears shifting.  He listened as usual but instead of siding with me, he asked me a series of questions that helped me understand that I was wrong for my actions though my emotions were well justified.  Tough pill to swallow but great medicine all the same. Today's Inspiration Encouragement Breeds Confidence; Admonishment, Humility Bring on the accolades, let the compliments fly!  We love to be praised and why wouldn't we? It feels so good.  Some enjoy praise so much till they surround themselves with people who only tell them what they want to hear - dangerous, dangerous, dangerous. Just as we need and enjoy praise, our social circle is complete when we are surrounded by people who will also keep our egos in check.  We continue to learn and grow when we have loved ...

One evening I wanted to hear a new song "Closer" by Cor inne Bailey Rae.  I jumped back and forth between the three radio stations that would likely play it.  While station surfing, I heard another song I like (can't even remember what it was now) and took a pause from my search to enjoy it.  When I commenced to surfing again, low and behold, I caught the tail end of the song I wanted to hear in the first place. Dang IT!! Today's Inspiration Only A Planted Seed Grows Into A Tree   Ever feel like you're floating like the leaf fresh blown from a tree?  So many things to get done, so many obligations and desires.  Life is good at pulling us in different directions and frankly, can wear out the strongest of us if we're not careful. When we have goals, we must plant our feet and nurture ourselves firmly with the thoughts and actions that will help us achieve them.  It is easy to be distracted by noise or discouraged by s...

When I lived in Illinois, I would often pass through Blue Island to reach my mother's home in Robbins. I chose a path riddled with train tracks because it was always the quickest route - except when there was a train.  One particular time, there was an assembly of train cars stalled on the tracks.  I waited in vein for the train to move then, after more than 10 minutes, decided to circle around another way to get pass.  As luck would have it, the train was so long that it blocked two crossings and showed no signs of moving.  I had to either wait it out or go back home. Today's Inspiration We often meet our destiny on the road we take to avoid it We move, change jobs, file bankruptcy, etc. to get a fresh start in life.  Though most of the major shifts we initiate are justified, sometimes we simply feel frustrated with our current circumstances and figure a do-over is all we really need. It feels good and makes sense to start f...

My older daughter was once involved in a sport where bickering, gossiping and negativity were the norm for her team.  Don't get me wrong, they were one of the best in the state - they could join forces against rivals and come home with first place bragging rights.  Aside from the competition induced moments of unity though, my daughter rarely had more than her disheartening experiences to share when I asked "so how was your practice."  She was argumentative at home and had turned into somewhat of a negative ninny. On her own volition, she traded the bickering bunch for a different group of young ladies in an altogether different sport.  These young ladies are pleasant toward each other, encourage each other and keep personal opinions off the record.  Not surprisingly, she comes home full of compliments about her teammates and coach.  She shares stories about the encouragement she gives/receives during comp...