Tag Archives: lessons

Playground Shenanigans

11 Monday Jan 2016

Posted by in Growth, healing, Journey, Learn, Life Lesson, Live, Love, Pain

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Dear Daughter,

As a child, I always had the hardest time crossing monkey bars. After holding on tight for a while and reaching for a few bars, I would always grow tired, dropping to the ground. So, I would run to other areas to play. The slides and swings were my favorite. That’s where I was most comfortable. Those play areas were much easier and didn’t take as much effort.

There’s nothing wrong with swings and slides, but I was often left alone to play by myself while all my friends went to conquer those rusty, old, dirty monkey bars. For me, the monkey bars were hard and they took so much time. For some reason, I just didn’t have the strength it took to reach forward with one hand and let go with the other to make it to the other side… Go figure…

Just as I had a tough time reaching and letting go physically, I have often found myself in the same emotional mindset as an adult, maneuvering through life’s playground, never straying from the most comfortable play areas. I wouldn’t dare go near those rugged, old bars. As long as I don’t touch them, maybe no one will notice they’re there. The truth is that people may not always see the broken fragments of your heart, which are constantly buried deeper and deeper from daily debris, but it does not negate the fact that they are still there and sometimes it is difficult to move on. If you want to see those broken fragments healed, you have to step out of your comfort zone, letting go of what was and reaching toward what will be. My love, always remember, “Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.”

 Respect the Process,

Ana J.

 

A Mother’s Love

14 Thursday May 2015

Posted by in Encouragement, Growth, Happiness, Journey, Learn, Lessons, Live, Love, Power, Purpose

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A Mother's Love

Mother’s Day has always held such a special place in my heart and I’m sure it has for you too. Over the last several years, it has gained even deeper meaning to me. Three years ago, on Mother’s Day, my grandmother, affectionately called Grandma Lulu, went on to be with the Lord. That day, as I reflected on the impact Grandma Lulu had on my life, I was saddened because I never told her how much she meant to me. I never want that to happen again. Experiencing such tragedy has shown me that my biggest regret in life would be to never express how much my own mother has impacted my life. In honor of Mother’s Day and your birthday (tomorrow), Mom, this letter is for you!

Dear Mom,

I would be remiss if I didn’t express my deepest gratitude to you for the example you have set before me over the last twenty-seven years. You have taught me countless lessons over the years. I have not only learned through the many dialogues and heart-to-heart chats we’ve had about life, but I would say the greatest lessons that I have learned were taught without you even speaking a word. I have watched you over the years, observing how you handle various circumstances. The most impactful lesson: grace, class, and prayer always triumph! I am so thankful that God trusted you to deposit in me the essentials of life and humanity. You taught me the importance of spirituality, but you have also instilled the importance of being the best that I can be… the best citizen… the best human… the best person… the best me.

Your character is second to none. Your love and compassion for others supersedes what I could ever imagine to be. You have delicately transformed our house into a home. “Home is where the heart is” and your heart is impeccable. Your graciousness to not only raise your own children but also extend your nurturing and loving spirit to our friends and acquaintances is remarkable. The warmth you carry with you creates a peaceful, comforting environment everywhere you go. The grace and class you consistently display, even in times of discord, is admirable.

I can only hope to be half of the daughter, sister, mother, wife, mentor, leader, and overall woman that you are! Over the years I have seen that the heart of my father safely trusts you. Everyday, you do him good and not evil. You watch over our house. You are clothed in strength and honor. You always speak wisdom. Your children call you blessed… Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all. You are a woman who fears the Lord. You are praised. So, I honor you… not just today… but everyday.

I Love You to Life,

Ana J.

Secrets

16 Monday Mar 2015

Posted by in Freedom, Growth, healing, Learn, Lessons, Live

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Dear Daughter,

As I reminisce on the early teenage years of my life, I can vividly remember feeling that there wasn’t anything remotely interesting about me. I had a decent childhood. I would say I was a “good” kid… Never really got in trouble; I can count on one hand the number of times I was severely disciplined by my parents. Up until a certain point in my life, I felt that I lived a mundane, indolent lifestyle from day to day. I heard countless times that “God has a purpose and plan for everyone,” but that just didn’t seem relevant to my situation. Lo and behold, somewhere along the journey, I had one of the most inspiring “aha” moments of my life… I realized and embraced the fact that I have a story… not only that, but people actually want to hear it!

I once heard someone say, “We are as sick as our secrets.” I was blinded for years. You see, it wasn’t that I lived a dull, boring life, but I masterfully tucked away all the not-so-pleasant areas in a safe place cautiously protecting the memories I didn’t want anyone to know. The longer you convince yourself that your secrets are too shameful or that nobody cares, the longer they hold you hostage.

Your life isn’t just about you. There is someone in this world who will find solace in hearing your story. No detail is too small. What you think is insignificant may be a monumental epiphany for someone else. There is a liberating power in sharing your story. It gives others a sense of hope, and shows them that there is beauty in their ashes. How empowering!  My love, never forget that your scars help others on their journey to healing open wounds.

Share the process,

Ana J.

Start NOW!

25 Wednesday Feb 2015

Posted by in Learn, Lessons, Live

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Dear Daughter,

“You may not be able to start over but you can start now.” A phrase I once heard that didn’t quite make sense to me at first. The more I thought about it, the more insight I found in what this phrase really means. Sounds a little backwards, right? Technically, I’m supposed to offer you some sort of hope in spite of the past. I’m supposed to tell you “It’s never too late to start over.” Don’t get me wrong; sometimes that’s true. In some cases, you will be able to completely start over, erasing a defaulted approach while wiping away careless mistakes. On the contrary, however, there may be times when you are not truly able to start over entirely.

Slightly confused? Let’s look at it this way. Think of your life as a single sheet of paper. You only get one sheet, and every experience is precisely written, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. As each experience is jotted down, there are times when we want to erase what was written, but then we notice it was written so intensely that even if we eliminate the words, the letters still remain imprinted. As we look at the sheet in its entirety, there’s no way to go back and write over the darkened spots. Even if we could erase the light-hearted fragments of our past, you can tell that there was once something else written and, while writing over it may emphasize the change, it doesn’t completely erase the fragments underneath.

Oh, how I wish this weren’t true. I wish I could offer you hope that you could telepathically travel back in time and relive some of the key moments in your life changing the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that were left behind, but that simply can’t be done. No matter how much we dwell on the past, we cannot erase the embarrassing, hurtful, annoying, irrational, disappointing, disastrous, unfortunate experiences we have faced. But wait… THERE IS HOPE! What we can do is start where we left off, changing our story from that point on to what we want it to be, and keeping in mind that these very experiences have shaped us into who we are today.

Beloved, never forget you may not always be able to start over but you can absolutely start now. So, start loving now. Start forgiving now. Start dreaming now. Start planning now. Start living NOW!!!

Live through the process,

Ana J.

Sweet Dream or Beautiful Nightmare

17 Tuesday Feb 2015

Posted by in Dreams, Lessons, Obedience

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Dear Daughter,

Be careful with whom you share your dreams. On one hand, there will be people who won’t want to see you succeed but, on the other, there are those who don’t mean harm but may not know exactly how to support you in fulfilling those dreams. In an effort to help you tweak and develop your dream, sometimes those around you can inadvertently discourage you from pursuing the vision that God has given you. When I was a teenager, I had a vision about pursuing a dream that I knew was something God wanted me to do. I was so sure that it would be a blessing to the body of Christ but, at the time, I didn’t know where to begin. I needed help with the step-by-step planning process. I had no idea how to make this vision in my mind come to fruition but I felt compelled to do something…

With much excitement and anticipation, I presented the idea to someone I looked up to as a mentor. I shared what God had given me but I never expected what happened next. Much to my surprise, the response pinpointed every reason why the idea wouldn’t work, including the fact that something else similar already existed. The feedback focused on how difficult it would be to conceptualize a plan to carry out this God-given vision. The worst part was that I actually believed it. I believed that it wasn’t a good idea. I believed that it couldn’t be done. It seemed to me that it was no longer necessary to pursue. Instead of using the negativity constructively as ammunition to thrive, it had the complete opposite affect on me. I was so discouraged… I let that dream fade away.

Well, fast forward ten years later… You can imagine the shocking, painful stab I felt in my chest when I found out that someone else I knew started an organization similar to what I had envisioned. I couldn’t believe it! Outside of being angry with myself and slightly jealous of this other person, it saddened my heart that I didn’t allow Christ the opportunity to strengthen my faith and complete His work through me. Soon after, I felt the guilt of not operating in obedience to God. With a heart of repentance, I made a promise that I would do my best to never allow negative influences to deter me from fulfilling God’s purpose for my life.

My love, always remember… you can’t control how people react to the visions you strive to fulfill but don’t let that discourage you from pursuing your dreams. Be cautious of who you trust to help and support you along the way. No matter what, obedience is key.

Be cautious in the process,

Ana J.

The Truth About Happiness

02 Monday Feb 2015

Posted by in Happiness, Learn, Lessons

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Dear Daughter,

There will come a time in your life when you explore the idea of happiness. When this happens, you may have feelings of confusion, worthlessness, depression, discontent, or even fatigue. You may question your purpose and why you were placed on this earth. If you’re anything like me, you may look for happiness in relationships, material comforts, or over commitment – if I’m always busy I have to find happiness in something I’m doing, right? WRONG! Just as I have learned, you too will see that none of these things will satisfy the emptiness you feel inside.

Happiness: “a pleasurable or satisfying experience.” There was a point in my life when everything just seemed so (for lack of a better term) “blah.” I was just going through the motions and keeping myself busy but I wasn’t happy. I noticed the more I searched for happiness externally, the more frustrated I become internally… leaving an unexplainable void plaguing every facet of my life. What I didn’t realize then, was that it could never be satisfied with external possessions. It just won’t work.

On my quest to be happy, I realized what I was missing… Joy: “a source or cause of delight”; a subtle change in wording but a HUGE difference in meaning. Happiness directs our thoughts to outward circumstances but joy focuses our attention to the Source. When you have joy, everything around you can come crashing down but you won’t crash and burn with it. Weeping may endure for a night but joy does come in the morning! As long as we keep our eyes on the Source and allow Him to direct our paths, our joy will sustain. My love, in every situation, never forget those who sow in tears will reap in joy… ALWAYS!

There is joy in the process,

Ana J.