2011 Countdown

The end of the year is vastly upon us and it's getting tiring, exciting, busy, costly, crowded, fun etc.  One of the things that I try to do each year, about this time - is pace myself, spend what I really need to and not get too excited when I slam into a sale! :) That's always so so hard, because you know how it is, you go to the store looking for a gift for someone else and VOILA - you run into something on sale that you want and the battle begins... lol.

For our family, we try to keep it fun and exciting each year.  One year, we went to out of town for Christmas and didn't get gifts for anyone - instead we spent time with each other; another year, we did the gift exchange thing; and another year, we made a wish list of 3 things that we want and each person had to pick/purchase one.  This year, we decided to buy $10 gifts for each person.  This is HARD! But the deal is that we have to keep it creative and fun!

So, whatever it is that you, your family, your friends are doing....remember to pace yourself, keep it fun, don't spend next year's money this year if you can help it, stay within your budget, remember the reason for the season, have lots of family time, stay healthy, go to church :), be thankful for what you do have, and look forward to next years blessings.

Be good!

Breaking Bread

Hey ladies,

We are a few days away from Thanksgiving day and the holidays are quickly upon us.  I want to encourage you during this time, that its not all about the food, but really about the people that are with us.  Take the time to gauge your friends and family, spend time with them, eat with them, pray for them, uphold them, listen to them and their needs, get to meet new people and invite them to dinner...etc. 

Thanksgiving is a very hard time for a lot of people that do not have family members with them, as this tends to remind them of their loss or absence of...however, as Righteous Women, we are to key into these needs and offer assistance as we can.

Remember to look out to others, and share what you have with them....and hopefully, your relationships will go beyond Thursday's dinner and will carry on for a period or a lifetime...

I pray for your families, and know that God will continue to shine upon you. 
Happy Thanksgiving week...and be blessed!

Where we belong.....

This weekend was a restful, productive, enjoyable time with family and friends. Our friends/family come in different forms, morals, standards, convictions, values, etc but as they say "every family has that ONE crazy person" ... :) I have a feeling that I might be that crazy person in mine... (smile). But in all seriousness, I realized even more this weekend that family time is very important and is necessary to bring balance and rest in your life. Now, for some of you, some family time may not be as enjoyable as the last, but if you try to make the best of it, it might be worth it. All through the bible, we see that when a character is mentioned, the lineage/geneology is listed....to show the family/blood line. And you can see great warriors, evangelists, preachers, teachers, prophets came out of a not-so-good looking blood line. Even the blood line of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the natural eye did not look so promising but Jesus Himself, came and died for us all. God is all about family, and He continuously teaches us of this in His word . Sometimes, we feel unlucky (if I may use that word) to be in the families that we are in but I believe that God is totally strategic in where He places us. It is not coincidental that you are in the family you are in right now. If you start looking at the spiritual side of things; it is more of a blessing, for you, your friends and for your family members. Ok, so things may not look great but maybe you are to be the voice of reason. On the other hand, things may be wonderful in your family..and that in itself is a great blessing. But no matter what family you come from or what issues you see in them, this is where you belong. It's time we start seeing where we are, what we can do to change things, how we can make a difference, who we can bless, why we should be praying, who we should be praying for and what we should be praying about. Family and friends are a huge part of our lives, let's share stories with them, cherish them, challenge them in their callings, truly thank God for them, take pictures with them, encourage them in their giftings, respect them, house-sit/baby-sit for them, listen to them, seek God on their behalf, laugh with them, really spend time with them, rejoice with them, dine with them and amongst other things, make them KNOW we love them!