Be sure to check out the February issue of Ruby for Women

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In the dark hours of yesterday morning another tornado ripped through my state of Alabama. This time it hit home. The tornado was within a half mile of my house. It obliterated communities, destroyed homes and took the life of a 16 year old girl in my community.

This one was too close. My family and I huddled together in the downstairs closet. We survived. God had His hand on us(no other explanation). My husband is a weather watcher and he didn't go to bed the night before. He stayed awake to ensure our safety. Many families were not so lucky or blessed.

It's a tragedy once again in our state, but this time it was too close to home. It could have been my family, my house or our community. I praise God we are alive today. It saddens my heart and soul that others are picking up the pieces of their lives today. The painful memories of January 23rd, 2012 will never be erased.

East Jefferson County Alabama was almost wiped off the map(Clay, Centerpoint, Trussville and Pinson). The damage was mainly centered in Centerpoint (buildings and homes gone), Clay(subdivisons gone, one life lost) Trussville(homes gone) Pinson(businesses gone).

My grandson attends a Pinson school and today we are thankful and blessed his school is still standing(many aren't).

Please pray for the many victims of yesterday's devastation....

The American way....
Truth, justice, liberty for all?

Today many American's celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He had a dream, a dream that became a reality.

As an American Christian I also have a dream. My dream is not a reality as we forge into 2012. The American people still live divided among racial and cultural barriers.

 When our founding fathers wrote The Declaration of Independence it was their goal that every one was to be created equal. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"

ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL!

Today we not only celebrate a great man's legacy, but we celebrate our freedom, we celebrate all people...

We are not white, black or brown; we are the human race!

We are all children of God...do not let barriers divide you. Stand up for the American way!

It's almost that time of year to sign up for the A-Z blogging challenge. It's fun and a great way to get your creative juices flowing. I participated last year and had great fun.
Sign up starts January 30, 2012. To find out more about the challenge click "What is blogging from A to Z" 

Hope to see you there!

It's O.K. to fail...those words echoed in my head as I prepared to go back to school and earn my college degree. My parents were my champions. They taught me I could go as far as I wanted in life or education. Before I could write my room was filled with encyclopedias, medical and science books. I knew early in life what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to be successful. I wanted to be somebody.

Unfortunately, my life took an unexpected turn down a one way, dead-end street. My father passed away, I dropped out of high school and became pregnant. My aspirations were put on the back burner,but my parents words still rang in the distance."It's O.K. to fail." I didn't understand what they meant. How was it O.K. to fail at something you worked your whole life to achieve? How could I live my dream if I failed?

What I didn't realize was the true meaning of my parents words. Its not they encouraged or wanted me to fail in whatever I chose to do with my life. They wanted me to know  failure is a part of success. In order for me to succeed I first had to fail. I had to make mistakes. I had to go down dead-end streets.


It's O.K. to fail...when I made mistakes and took wrong turns toward my goal I learned valuable lessons. I learned I may not always succeed at my intended goal, but that's alright because I learned to never give up on the most important things.

Success cannot come without failure. Failure is the price I paid in order to become who I am. It is what makes me stronger in my convictions.


This is an essay I wrote. Please take the time to vote for me. Thank you.

Who inspires you?

I hadn't thought much about that question, until I sat down to work on my law school essay.

I am getting ready to enter college in the Fall and these three women have inspired me...

 At fifty-one I am about to enter into the world of college freshmen. College will be a different avenue. For the last thirty-five years I have  been raising a family and working, now I am about to realize my dream. A bachelors degree in criminal justice will be just three and a half years away.  

 

  I'm not in high school anymore. College will be different beast. I know I will feel as if I have gotten myself way in over my head. Long hours of studying and up all nights will start  to take a toll on my mind. The underdog syndrome will take over. Determination and desire will  fly out the window. I won't be able to see myself graduating. All I will see is failure. My courage was lost until I turned on the television.

Three women changed my life and those same three women inspired me to continue my education and not give up.

One of those women was Claire Danes in the biopic of Temple Grandin an autistic woman who struggles but goes on to graduate from several colleges with multiple degrees. I was inspired by Ms. Grandin's courage and determination. She was an underdog because of her disability, but she forged through, turned her life into ability and lived her dream.

 

Another inspirational woman from whom I drew strength and courage was Loretta Young as Swedish born Katrin Holstrom in The Farmer's Daughter. Katie was a naive girl from the farm who winds up in the city and becomes a congresswoman. Her life gets turned upside down when she involves herself in politics. I was encouraged by Katie. She showed me just because some people think a person is naïve doesn't mean anything. Katie showed everyone she had spunk and set out to fulfill her dream. She was an underdog who might have not accomplished anything if it had not been for spunk. Katie Holstrom inspired me to have spunk, without it I would have quit.

The last woman I drew inspiration from was Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. I have always wanted to become a lawyer, but when I saw Legally Blonde and the way Elle Woods didn't let any obstacle get in her way I knew the possibility could become a reality for myself. She was an underdog. Elle had to compete with highly intelligent people, but she did and proved because a person looks different doesn't make them any less smart. The inspiration I took away from Elle Woods was drive. The drive to succeed had always been there. I had just forgotten how to use it.

 
These three women were underdogs, like myself. They each taught me it takes strength, courage, spunk, determination and drive to make your dreams become a reality. It takes inspiration not to give up. I didn't. I will graduate with my degree in criminal justice and I will be  very proud of that success and that part of my life. Without inspiration, strength, courage, determination, spunk and drive I would still be an underdog cowering in the corner.

The world is brown...
It's a sad fact that everyday we are turning our environment brown. Let's face it, our world is dying and we're not doing anything about it!

It's a brand new year and it should be a brand new world. In 2012 every person on this vast planet should do their part to "reduce, reuse, and recycle". I know I am!

My "change the world" initiative is to change the world from brown to green with the three r's. No, I don't intend to change the world with reading, writing and 'rithmatic but reduce, reuse and recycle!

I WANT TO LIVE ON A GREEN PLANET....

The first step I can take is teaching my family and myself how to reduce. I need to face the fact head on that we are a family of wasters.

REDUCE: Remember every destruction  utilized causes erosion.

In order to have a plan to reduce what my family uses and wastes I came up with a simple solution. I had never really thought much about the destruction I was causing to the planet. I didn't realize every negative thing I was doing when I bought certain product packaging.

I had to reduce my family's wastefulness. It was my duty to turn my family into a green family who actually cared about the planet.

I began to utilize new product packaging. Just because a product is packaged in a smaller container doesn't mean I don't get the same results.

I looked for green packaging. Landfills are over capacity and my household was a contributing factor to the problem, not a solution.

Now instead of utilizing destructive purchasing behavior, my family now utilizes environmentally friendly products. We want to keep the Earth green and clean!


REUSE: Remember efficient use saves Earth.

 It's hard for me to remember to reuse. It's also something I need to get into the habit of doing on a daily basis. I've got to learn it's efficient to reuse what I already have and it saves Earth.

Instead of paper or plastic I now use a reusable grocery bag. It's not only economical, but it can be used many times and not harm the planet and take up unwanted space in a landfill.

Many products have multiple uses.  I hadn't thought about all the plastic jugs I threw away that could serve other purposes. I now use the jugs for bird feeders, plant containers and scooper's.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to reuses something lying around the house. My family now thinks twice before throwing anything away.

I want to be efficient not deficient with the products I buy. Tons of plastic, glass, aluminum and paper sit in landfills because someone like I used to be didn't reuse what they already had.

 Earth is only borrowed, I want to make sure it's here tomorrow!


RECYCLE: Remember Earth cannot yield continuous lost energy.

Through reducing and reusing my resources I learned to recycle. Recycling is one of the most important factors in saving Earth. Earth is overloaded with junk. Junk depletes energy.

I don't want myself or my family to be the cause of energy depletion. We created a recycling station. It's a family affair. The family that recycles together saves the planet together.


Our family uses colored coded bins. It's a great system for my grandson to learn about recycling. Recycling not only teaches him values, but how important our planet really is.

To make recycling more interesting I also have special bins I use to make a point about the condition of Earth. I have a brown bin and a green bin.

During the week everything recyclable goes into the brown bin. It overflows by the end of the week. I point out to my grandson this is how Earth is. It becomes so full of garbage and becomes overcrowded.

On recycling day it's his job to sort the glass, plastic, aluminum and paper into the different bins. When he gets through everything is neat and in its place. The brown bin is empty and the green bins are full . He knows green means money, but I taught him it also means when we take all the stuff we collected throughout the week from the brown bin the Earth is happy and now because we chose to recycle the Earth is now a green planet!


TURN THE EARTH GREEN AGAIN!

The plan to turn the earth green is simple and it starts with you and me. I want to live on a green planet. I want my grandson to continue to live on a green planet.

Save the Earth
that's my motto;
we're about to hit
bottom.
Stop all the smog;
the drain is getting
clogged.
Save the Earth
plant a tree;
so we will be
pollution free.
Clean up the mess;
so we can be our
best.
Save the Earth
give it another chance;
it's time to
enhance.
Protect our resources;
join forces.
Save the Earth
do it today;
don't delay.

Take the first step. Become proactive....
Create a green world!

This post is part of the Castle Ink Paperless Scholarship. The theme is "reduce, reuse, recycle."
Castle Ink is a leading office supply store, specializing in printer ink cartridges and laser toner for most printer brands.

Quest:The act or an instance of seeking or pursuing something; a search.


EAGERLY PURSUE and seek to acquire [this] love [make it your aim, your great quest]; and earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual endowments (gifts), especially that you may prophesy (interpret the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching). 1 Corinthians 14:1  AMP


Making your ear attentive to skillful and godly Wisdom and inclining and directing your heart and mind to understanding [applying all your powers to the quest for it] Proverbs 2:2 AMP


During a new year many people seek things they cannot attain. I used to be one of those people. Every year I would make my resolution. I would seek something I already knew would be impossible to find. I kept failing my quest for perfection. I had to step back and realize I am not perfect, but I do have a different quest I must attain.


This year my quest will take me in a different direction, down a different path. This year I will seek the gifts God has for me. My quest may not be easy, but a quest is never easy.

This year I will eagerly pursue, seek and acquire love. Last year the love I had in my heart faltered and I lost it somewhere along the path to spirituality. I will earnestly desire and cultivate  my spiritual gifts. I will make this my great quest!

I will make my ear attentive to skillful and godly wisdom. I will direct my heart and mind in the direction of understanding. I will apply all my powers to quest for these things this year!

What is your quest for the new year? Will your earnestly desire and apply all your powers to seek what you are searching for?




This post is part of January's Christian Writers Blog Chain. You can read more great post by clicking on the links to the right. The topic this month is quest. 

This post is part of Decembers Christian Writers Blog Chain. You can read more great post by clicking on the links to the right. The topic this month is gift. It's a fitting topic for me because today I turn 51. I didn't receive any gifts because I have already received the greatest gift. Today I want to share my gift with you.

THE GREATEST GIFT

“...And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done , that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying , Behold , a virgin shall be with child , and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is , God with us...” Matthew 1:21-23 KJV

Christmas. When we think of Christmas the first thing that probably pops into our heads are presents. I know for my seven year old grandson presents are the first thing on his mind during the Christmas season. Unfortunately the true meaning of Christmas has become less focused on the Savior and more on commercialism.

For many Christians Christmas has become materialistic instead of spiritualistic. It is more about getting instead of giving. We tend to forget we've already received the greatest gift. On that first Christmas morning over two-thousand years ago we received a life-time gift from our Heavenly Father.

The Lord brought forth His greatest gift. Our gift was not wrapped in gold and silver, but in swaddling clothing. The tiny babe who lay in the manger was our gift of salvation. He didn't cost an exorbitant amount, but paid the ultimate price for being given to us.

Can you think of a better gift to receive on Christmas morning? I know I can't! That precious gift was delivered on Earth as a reminder. When God gave us Jesus He made a promise to always be with us.

The Lord gave us many gifts to show how much He loved us. He gave us the gift of life. He gave us the gift of peace. But the greatest gift He gave was his Son. When He placed his Son on Earth that long ago first Christmas He did knowing one day Jesus would pay for our sins. God loves us so much He gave his only begotten Son.

  When you opened your presents on Christmas morning, did you think about what you might receive, instead of what you have already received. Did you think about the commercialism, instead of the spiritualism. Christmas is only about one price. It's about the price Jesus paid so we could live. It's about the greatest gift we could ever get. Christmas is about Emmanuel.

This Christmas Season when you celebrated with your family and friends what was your greatest gift?

I know the greatest gift I received on Christmas and today on my birthday was my Savior(God's Son) Jesus Christ....



Are you standing on a solid rock?



Are you sinking in quicksand?

This is the time of year many of us find ourselves sinking in quicksand instead of standing on a solid rock. Unfortunately it has become a constant struggle for myself as well. When I comitted to do as God commanded of me, I felt myself sinking into quicksand fast and felt there was no way out.

I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. Psalms 69:2 KJV

It'a easy to give up and let yourself sink deeper and deeper to the point you can't climb out. Even Christian's tend to let themselves sink into quicksand.

The Lord will take you out of the quicksand. He will not let you sink. He will recue you only if you let Him.

Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters. Psalms 69:14 KJV

God does not want you to sink into quicksand. He wants you to stand on a solid rock of faith. How soon we forget the Lord is our rock.

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. Psalms 18:2 KJV

He is my rock and my fortress when I start to sink into the quicksand of life's woes and worries.

There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. I Samuel 2:12 KJV

There is no other that will rescue from the quicksand but the Lord. He is the only one that can save you from a life of destruction. He is the only one that is willing to throw you a lifeline and pull you out of the pit that will swallow you alive.

Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: Isaiah 26:4 KJV