Post #51 - Life Is Fine!

Life is Fine
By: Langston Hughes

I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn't,
So I jumped in and sank.

I came up once and hollered!
I came up twice and cried!
If that water hadn't a-been so cold
I might've sunk and died.

But it was cold in that water! It was cold!

I took the elevator
Sixteen floors above the ground.
I thought about my baby
And thought I would jump down.

I stood there and I hollered!
I stood there and I cried!
If it hadn't a-been so high
I might've jumped and died.

But it was high up there! It was high!

So since I'm still here livin',
I guess I will live on.
I could've died for love—
But for livin' I was born

Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cry—
I'll be dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.

Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine!


Poem courtesy of Poets.org.

Post #50 - Meditate on This

Meditation, at least for me, is imperative for a stress free life. It helps to quiet my mind and help me to relax.

When I don't meditate, I find myself worrying about everything... and trying to fix all of it!

I find myself stressing a lot and becoming frustrated when things don't work out the way I need them to. I also find myself wondering why my prayers aren't being answered and why I'm not receiving any guidance from God.

But, it's not that I'm not hearing from God, it's that I'm not listening. I pray, but I don't take the time to be quiet and listen.

That's when I know I need to meditate.

Meditation helps my mind to quiet and focus. Without meditation, my mind tends to ramble with various thoughts, switching quickly from one thought to the next.

When you meditate, your mind can focus on a specific thought, or on nothing at all. The main idea of meditation is to rid the mind of all of the clutter and replace it with clear, meaningful thoughts.

It takes some practice at first. You have to FORCE your mind to stop rambling, and focus. When your mind drifts to a thought other than where you want it to be, stop that thought where it is and deliberately bring your mind back to where you desire it to be.

When I meditate, I put on my favorite soft music (using headphones) to drown out any background noise. I like relaxing instrumentals or classical music. I sometimes like to listen to guided meditations, as well. This is where someone instructs you on how to meditate and often focuses on a specific issue or topic.

The best way to deal with an issue is to start in the mind.

The mind can increase or decrease the significance of an issue. It can make a problem seem much bigger than it actually is. Meditation helps us deal more positively with our issues by quieting the mind. With consistent, effective meditation, we can replace our mind's negativity with positive, self assuring thoughts.

Philippians 4:8 tells us to focus our minds to thinking on "whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

This is usually the case in meditation. We focus on letting positive energy in and expelling negative energy out.

Over time, meditation - and keeping your mind quiet - becomes easier.

If we meditate correctly and consistently, we can learn to control and quiet our minds. We can easily wipe away negative thoughts. And we will be able to better control our actions and reactions.

And most importantly, we will be able to hear God's voice more clearly.

God speaks in a still, small voice. He does not yell and He will not attempt to compete with the noise and the clutter we allow to take over our lives. He will allow confusion and frustration until we realize that we need to slow down and listen. And become desperate enough to quiet our minds so that we can.

I, honestly and unfortunately, have found myself in this state more than once. And when I go back into meditation, I find that I can quickly get myself back in line... and back on track.

So, I highly recommend meditation. If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, confused or frustrated, take some time out (about 10-20 minutes), light a candle, put on some soft, relaxing music, close your eyes, and just clear your mind. Allow yourself to relax (mind and body) and possibly even drift off to sleep.

Once you try meditation, you will want to do it more and more. You will look forward to the serenity and relaxation it brings.

Soon, you will be able to easily relax your mind and wipe out any negative thoughts. You will even be able to replace them with positive ones.

Just be consistent with your meditating. And don't be like me... don't get distracted and quit. Make it a habit and do it as often as you can. It will benefit you greatly!

-Erika!


There is a lot more to know on meditation. I will share a meditation tip or tool every Monday to help you get your week off to a great start.

For now, click here to find other posts in this blog to inspire and encourage you. 😃💚

Post#49 - My Doubt

I had another topic planned for today's post, but I didn't do it because I doubted myself. 

I doubted my ability to present the topic well and explain it thoroughly and correctly. 

I sat here all afternoon, thinking myself out of completing the post and presenting it to you. Convincing myself that it wasn't going to be good enough. 

So, I ask for your prayers as I work up the courage to give you what God has given me. I need your prayers to cover me so that I don't allow the enemy to shut me up.

I will not give up on the topic. I'm just going to present it a little later than I wanted to. 

Maybe I'll do a double post tomorrow, just to show the devil whose child I am!! 

Thank you for your love, support, and understanding. 

And, God willing, I will see you tomorrow... DOUBT FREE! 

🙏🛠❤💪

Post #48 - I Lost Myself

I lost myself somewhere. 

I lost my drive, my passion, my willingness to dream and to try...

I lost my laughter and my desire to make others laugh. 

I lost my love for love and for life. 

I lost me.

And it's been hard to pinpoint exactly where I was lost. 

Was it when I realized that my husband didn't believe in me? Was it when church people hurt me soon after I got saved because I was trying to walk like Jesus? Or was it when they put me down and humiliated me because they realized I had a gift?

Or was it way before that when I felt so unloved and alone at home? Or when I got bullied in school? Or when my mother left me for the streets and my dad denied me?

I don't know exactly when I lost myself, but I can remember the changes I went through. 

How I went from cracking jokes to never smiling. How I went from being the center of attention to hiding myself away. How I ran from love so it wouldn't hurt me anymore. 

I stopped doing the things I loved. I stopped pursuing dreams. I let the difficulties of life and the things people said get to me. I gave up and withdrew. 

I lost myself.

And then... I realized that I was lost.

And I determined that I would find myself again. Find my smile, my love, my light, my fire... My life.

I had to take my life back.

And I am taking it back. Day by day. 

It's a struggle. 

And every day I have to fight for my mind. Fight to remember that God is in control and He has given me authority and dominion. 

Every day I have to remind myself who I am. I have to remember to love myself. And remember that God loves me... even if no one else does.

Every day I am fighting for my dreams and my ability to go after them. I'm fighting to matter. But, not to anyone else... to myself.

I'm striving each day to be better than I was the day before. 

And to never retreat back into sadness and defeat. 

God has given me a joy in the midst of my pain that I, seriously, don't understand. But I am thankful for it. And no matter what I might be going through, I am going to continue to fight for that joy.

I am finding myself. 

And I am fighting to never lose myself again!

Post #47 - Forgiveness

Forgiveness is hard but it's necessary. 

Necessary for life and love and moving forward. 

Forgiveness is for you, not the other person. It doesn't require you to feel a certain way or have a particular experience...

It's a choice. A decision. 

I have been dealing with forgiveness, and it's really difficult for me. 

But, I know that I have to forgive. Even without a sincere apology, I know that I have to forgive freely, completely, and sincerely. And let it go. 

I've got to leave it alone and not expect anything from the other person. 

If we expect people to act or perform a certain way, we are sure to be disappointed. But, when we place our trust in God and place our expectations in Him ONLY, He will always come through and show Himself faithful. He will never let us down. 

But, first, we've got to forgive. 

Forgiveness leads to healing and happiness. It gives us the strength to move on. And to live and love again. 

Forgiveness gives us FREEDOM! 

So, I choose to forgive. 

Every time I think about it, I say, "I forgive you."

Every time I find myself dwelling on a specific situation or issue, I say, "I forgive you."

Every time I get upset because the same level of regret and apology has not been reciprocated, I take a deep breath, remember that God has it under control, and I say, "I forgive you."

Every time I pray, I remind God that I have forgiven and I thank Him for giving me a forgiving heart that does not harbor resentment or bitterness. 

It's what I have to do to ensure I don't get caught up in my past again, and I'm able to move forward.

It's what I have to do for me!

Forgiveness is hard, but I'm doing it because I deserve to live... and I deserve to live FREE!

Inspiration is nice, isn't it? Read more here!

Post #46 - My Absolute Perfection Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

This cookie is absolute chocolate chip PERFECTION!

It's not too sweet. Not too cakey. Not too crunchy.

It's perfect, scrumptious little morsels of rich, dark chocolate studded about the perfect balance of softness and chewiness. Mmmmmm.........

I love when the chocolate almost overtakes the cookie and you get a yummy, chocolatey treat in every delicious bite.

That is this cookie!

There's nothing better on a lazy Friday night than the ooey gooey goodness of a batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies! 

I often plan for this amazingness by taking all of the ingredients out of the cabinets and refrigerator before I go out for the day. The ingredients meld and blend together effortlessly when they are at room temperature. And when I get home, they are happily awaiting me, yearning to be poured and mixed and baked into my deliciously satisfying Friday evening treat.

The ingredients include:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, room temperature (I like mine to be almost melty soft)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
AND

6 oz dark chocolate chips

As with most recipes when baking, we start by separating our wet and dry ingredients.

In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir them together lightly and set aside.

Sifting or whisking is not required here. We are not looking for light and fluffy. We want the cookies dense and chewy and amazing.

In a medium to large bowl, combine the softened butter and both sugars. Cream them together until well blended.

Don't look for a silky smooth batter here. The sugars won't be completely melted yet. Give it time.

Add the lightly beaten egg and the vanilla extract. Mix until well blended.

The egg is going to bring a bit of creaminess to the batter, now. Everything will come together nicely.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet in one to two batches, if necessary. Mix well, fully incorporating all of the flour. But, JUST UNTIL THE FLOUR IS MIXED IN. Do not over mix. We don't want hardened, tough cookies.

This is when we add the AWESOMENESS!

Add the 12 ounces of chocolate chips to the batter and mix until just blended but well distributed.

My recipe says to combine semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips. But, of course, you can add any combination of chocolate that you wish. Chunks would be nice, Hershey's Kisses, pieces of your favorite candy bar... they sky's the limit!

Also, most recipes call for adding only 8-10 ounces of chocolate chips. Well... most chips come in 12 ounce bags. And I like using THE WHOLE THING. Otherwise, it's just not enough chocolate for me (Don't judge me 😉).

And for the double chocolate option, make sure you have some white chocolate chips on hand and add a hefty helping of those pearl colored jewels into the already chocolate drowned batter. AND, you'll want to add 1/4 cup of cocoa powder to the dry ingredients.

(I sure hope to read the whole recipe before you try to make them... 😬)

Now, I like my cookies large. So, I use an ice cream scoop to measure them out. Again, you can use whatever you'd like and make your cookies as big or as small as you want them.

I use a standard sized ice cream scoop and place about 6 to 8 mounds of sweetness on a parchment lined baking sheet.

They only need about 8 to 10 minutes to bake, depending on your oven.

But, to be honest, I RARELY let my cookies bake the whole time. I like them only lightly browned around the edges and still looking kind of raw in the middle.

I'm telling you.... PERFECTION!

When you take them out of the oven, let them rest on the baking sheet for about 3 minutes. They will continue to cook and the centers will set.

But, don't let them cool all the way. The cookies HAVE TO BE nice and warm when you take the first bite. That is when they are at their best!

And, of course, these cookies just would not do without a tall, ice cold glass of milk.

If you're anything like me, just 2 or 3 of these cookies will have you in chocolate heaven and drifting off to a blissful Friday night sleep.

Just try not to get any of the chocolate on your forehead...or cheeks...or chin... But, you probably will!

Enjoy!

Post #45 - Get Back Into Focus

Today was a good example of how life - and time - can get away from us. Today, while I was doing some "spring cleaning," I lost track of time and forgot to check in with y'all.  

It happens, doesn't it? 

We get so caught up in doing one thing that we forget that we have other important things that we have to do.

This is the reality of life.

Sometimes, because life gets by us, or we get caught up in the throes of it, we get distracted from the things that mean so much to us. 

We make our distractions our focus. They become more important than the things that should be our priorities. And we miss out on what is meant to bless us. 

Sometimes the things we are distracted by are very important and mean a lot to us, too. 

This is when we have to prioritize. Decide which item is more important. 

Which one has the most value? Which one requires or deserves more of our attention?

Then, we divide our time accordingly. 

We give more time to the one that is most important and holds the most value to us. 

This is how we take control of our lives and not allow them to overtake us. 

The hustle and bustle of life, the stress and complexity of it, can wear us down if we let it. But, that's when we stop, remember what's important, and bring our priorities back into focus. 

We can't allow life to take over or get away from us. We have authority over the throes of life. And we can bring them under submission when we remember what's important.

And don't get caught focusing on the distractions.