 About two weeks ago, while walking in the center of Mazatlan, a teenaged boy approached me. He seemed somewhat harmless. He spoke to me while at the same time showing me a note on which he had written a request for a few pesos in English. Since I speak Spanish, I then asked him to speak to me in Spanish. I was then able to have a better idea of his situation. He informed me that this particular day was his and his brother's birthday (I did not ascertain the reason for the joint celebration). His shared that his plan was to ask different people with the goal of ultimately getting enough pesos to buy a cake for them to celebrate and share. Also, he informed me that his mother was the family's provider and worked as a maid. According to this young man, his mother was now working fewer days than before causing their family to really struggle to get food. He expressed his desire to make his brother happy. I then asked him did he have a bakery in mind. There was well known bakery about 2 blocks away. I informed him that I would buy the birthday cake. His response was unforgettable. He literally jumped for joy and expressed such sincere gratitude that I was almost moved to tears. We walked to the bakery and he chose a beautifully decorated chocolate cake with miniature chocolates on top. He was still expressing his gratitude as I paid for the cake. We then exited the bakery. Again he thanked me with great joy. I then told him to remember this day and know that God sees, knows and answers prayers.
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The news is filled with sad stories of war, murders, shootings, viruses, and many troubling stories. Each day, we must choose to be hopeful. We must choose to have a quiet time during the day to read the Bible, pray and be thankful for what we have. With that said, please answer the following question.
And let all your ways be established.” Proverbs 4:26   As we face such difficult and stressful times, I would like to start a blog to hopefully encourage open and honest communication. My blog will provide you with thought-provoking content. I hope that you take the time to respond. The goal of this blog is to provide a platform for you to see what others are thinking and to be able to share your thoughts. There are three (3) rules
1. Be Respectful, 2. Show love. 3. Show empathy. Love and prayers. Question 1-How was your life before social media? Another night has passed. You have lived to see another day. How do you feel? Are you hopeful? Has life been difficult? What are you doing to do today? We face these types of thoughts daily-often upon waking up. I would like to encourage you to hold on to hope and not give up. Embrace hope daily and believe that your life is worth living. Choose to be hopeful despite what seems like insurmountable odds. God is always faithful! Have an amazingly blessed day! Keep praying. Keep believing.  Here in the United States and in other developed countries, Christmas is very commercialized. I feel that the commercialization of Christmas causes many to feel that they must spend, spend, spend even though they do not have the money to do so. The end result is the lost of the true meaning of Christmas. As a Christian, the true meaning of Christmas is at its core, the celebration of Jesus' birth. His birth is foretold in Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Just imagine if we could remove the commercialization of Christmas and celebrate it for what is really is! In my book, _Once There Was a Girl: A Memoir_, I share that my mother, aka, Mama told us that Christmas was everyday. And please note that she meant the true meaning of Christmas. We were too poor for her to mean anything else as I describe in the chapter of my book entitled, "Presents-What Presents?" As Christmas fast approaches, please take a minute to celebrate the "true meaning" of Christmas. Spend time in prayer and reflection, reach out to the hurting and thank God for what you have. Sending love and prayers to you!  At the beginning of my book, _Once There Was a Girl: A Memoir, I share my experiences with my first best friend. As I was growing up in the now-defunct Florida Housing Projects, like any child, I wanted friends, especially those who lived nearby. And along came, Robert. Robert and I spent a lot of time playing outside in the dirt. And when it rained, we played in the mud (that is if Mama permitted me. I spent many hours playing and having fun with Robert. And then one day, Robert disappeared. It was during the time when white people started to move out of the Florida Housing Projects. Sadly, I never saw Robert again. "A man who has friends must show himself friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24, NKJV)   For many, the weekends represent going to the movies, out to dinner, and to the mall. Such was not the case for me. For most of my childhood, weekends-I should say Saturdays were extremely boring. Thank God that I went to church on Sundays. And I must share that my family and I spent almost the entire day at church. Without our church, weekends would have been almost unbearable.
It is another Saturday, and I am again bored. I open one eye and then the other. I glance around my shared bedroom void of any semblance of décor. I then decide to close both eyes again. I think no need to get out of bed. Getting out of bed would mean that I would need to do chores and afterward be more bored than ever. We have the same old foods as always and our cupboards are mostly bare. This fact makes me realize that I will not be able to entertain myself (like many) with snacking out. With my eyes closed in hopes of going back to sleep, I lie in bed and use my imagination to travel far away from the Florida Housing Projects. Let's Talk About It! Thanks for checking out my blog! My goal is to give you an up-close and personal view of growing up in poverty. I plan to blog about my own life and the lives of others. I would like to invite you to comment and share your experiences. I would like to hear your stories. I believe that the world needs to hear your stories. There are many voices talking about poverty and yet, many people do not understand what it means to LIVE in and with poverty. Share your stories with us. Your stories are important. In my book, _Once There Was a Girl: A Memoir, I share my story of growing up in abject poverty and surrounded by crime. The theme of my story is that you are NOT your circumstances or your environment. Also, I would love to have you share how you overcame or are overcoming living in poverty. Thanks. I appreciate you! "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes, He became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich." (II Corinthians 8:9)  |
AuthorI love to take long daily walks. During these long walks, I pray, I listen and I think. Archives
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