First, Happy Belated International Women’s Day to all the females of this world. Contrary to popular belief man is not better off without you, and vice versa. Women you are a part of us men, for God took a rib from the first one of us and made you. Bone of our flesh. I truly believe that women are able to see; nurture; connect; and understand things in a way that a man cannot nor will ever be a let I don’t call that evolution; I call it design. We need each other. May God continue to give you strength and endurance in everything you do. I thank all of you- my mother who raised me; my teachers and professors who enlightened me; my bosses who saw my potential as an employee; and my fiancée who is with me in every high and low, never ceasing to take me by surprise.
Last Sabbath, after church service I went to the mall to go pickup my new pair glasses. As soon I slipped them on my face it was like I was a little taller, which admittedly doesn’t make any sense. I had to slow down as I walked around with my new vision.
These glasses in my opinion make me look like a creator and down to Earth, which I consider myself to be.
Speaking of down to Earth, two weeks ago one of my church members gave me a couple plants to grow. Never before had I done any gardening. Seeing how much life it brings to my father I decided it might be a great experience for me.
Though I didn’t quite see any growth I could tell the plants were soaking in that sweet H20. For the water they sat in went down about an inch or two every other day. Because of Clarksville’s bipolar weather-cold one day and warm the next- I was letting the plants get some sunlight on the window stool of my bedroom and in front of my living room glass doors.
Last Friday after filing my taxes I was so ecstatic when I saw that my plants started to root. It was now time to place them in some soil. I made a quick trip to Dollar General– love that place- and picked up a bag of potting mix and a simple plastic pot so my new plants could continue growing.
This was a must needed blessing for me because I had never planted anything before. Also, that week I was very worked up about a matter. I don’t wish to go into detail, but let’s just say we all work hard these day and uncertainty can cause us to overthink. I’m just thankful that I have people in my life who can give me wisdom and show me what I need to do. Even something simple as a plant sprouting and rooting can take your mind away from your troubles.
That experience motivated me to take a crack at planting flowers. I purchased two 6 -inch teal flower pots off of Amazon. In one pot of potting mix are Marigold seeds, and in the other pot lay Cosmos seeds patiently on their journey. I could definitely see myself in the future having my own small garden in my backyard, once I have a house. Plant some sunflowers for my lady and some all natural vegetables for a meal. Fun fact: my first paying job involved harvesting vegetables for the homeless. Looking back, it was so humbling for a group of selected teenagers from different backgrounds to come together to work out in the sun; get our hands dirty in the earth; and be able to provide food for those who don’t have the privilege to have a meal everyday. It was more than a job; it was an opportunity to fellowship and to be a light to the community without even quoting a scripture.
Three weeks ago, while running a route for Amazon my van refused to start. I was already having a tough time because I had showed up to work late due to backed up roads caused by inclement weather and an accident. For those who drive to Nashville you know Interstate 40 is the worse at any time of day. Accidents backing up the interstate for miles. The rumbling of your tires driving over potholes in the asphalt. Constant roadwork, even in the dead of night. Drivers giving you grief whether you’re doing the speed limit or not.
I asked one resident if she had jumper cables, but she politely said that her husband did, yet he wasn’t there. Next door to the right I noticed a man and woman in their backyard sawing the branches of a tree. I asked for their help and without question they stopped everything they were doing just to help me. Blessedly their pickup truck had just the juice needed to bring my engine back to life. In rescuing me these residents came to the rescue of over a hundred customers awaiting their packages. I thanked them, but as soon as I pulled off it hit me that I never got their names. Nevertheless I was so grateful that the Lord used these two souls to show me that He’s always looking out for me, even when I’m in a foul mood.
One specific thing I love to do writing wise is journaling. There’s just something I love about filling up a booklet with all my words and getting to run my fingers over them. With everything we face as of late- coronavirus; the raise of gas prices; what’s happening overseas in Ukraine- I think we all need to have a journal to relieve ourselves. Better to put it to paper in private than to leave something spinning in your mind like a tornado. Also, we might not want to disclose everything to another person. For two months now I have been jotting down my ideas in a little black notebook. I call it my Idea Journal. Yeah very original title.
I am positively in love with it. I could get modern and stick to just typing up ideas in the notes app on my phone, but I strive to spend as little time on that gadget as I can. Yet I’m using that said gadget to blog as I write right now.
Every Christmas since I’ve been living in my apartment duplex, I always receive a Christmas gift bag from one of my neighbors. This year amongst my gift bag was a black leather notebook. With how many I already use- six- I wasn’t sure what to do with another. That was until I got the idea from Courtni(my fiancée) to just write down any idea that comes to mind. So I welcome my Idea Journal into the Diary Family.
In a previous post I said I would share a couple of suits that I got as birthday gifts.
This light pink suit I still can’t believe I was bold enough to walk up into church decked out in. Yes I did indeed get a pimp comment. I’m just a Deacon I promise. The second suit I enjoyed because it was all white with blue and gold flower designs. When it comes to dressing up for church I take pride in what I wear. I love showing up to the house of God in suits; dress shirts; dress pants; ties; vests; cuff links; tie clips; and flower pins. I’ll even wear a dashiki to represent my culture as well as T-shirts with Christlike messages for when I’m coming back to church in the afternoon. Though I know God could care less about my fancy threads- just so long as I’m there- I believe that if you are able to dress your best before Gis by all means go ahead.
My boss has been telling me and the rest of our team there are things in life that we can’t control . But rather than staying mad at what we don’t have a grasp over, we can focus on what we can control.
I have accepted that I control
- How others feel, because everyone has a mind of their own.
- The weather. For as the an old church favorite song goes, “He’s got the wind and rain in His hands”.
- Traffic. Regardless of whether you leave on time or not you can’t predict what obstacle is going to show up on the road. People speed; drive drugged or drunk; get fatigued; etc.
- Gas prices. Whether it be because of war, coronavirus; or rebuilding the economy we are all going through the pain of pumping up our cars everyday. We just have to accept that this is how life is now. I don’t know for how long but I foresee it staying like this or getting higher priced.
- How much work gets dumped upon me.
What I can control is how I respond to any situation. I would love for everything I desire to go exactly as my heart wants, but as my pastor reminded and my church family in a sermon, our vision is small compared to God’s.
That’s enough out of me. I’m would much rather hear how you the reader/ fellow blogger is doing.
How are you? How have you been?
DavidSpeaks 