Helllllooooo my friends! Today I would like to reflect on Counting our blessings. Last article, I emphasized how by helping each other out, we are defying the devil and living for the Lord. I would like to expand on that today. 

FEMA was assisting us Hurricane victims with $770.00 payouts. These were generic and not everyone qualified for them. Some people are still jumping through hoops to try and recoup lost groceries, days from work etc. I applied on a Monday and was issued my funds by Thursday so mine was very quick. My mother exclaimed "The Lord is always blessing you" and I couldn't agree more! 

Every day, I thank him for big things and small things that happen in my life. Without him, my life would have no color, no joy and I would deserve every hardship that I "earned" in my life. With God, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. 

My youngest son gives me the most grief, the most tears, and the most grey hairs! When we prayed together last night, I prayed "Thank you for the things we don't know how to do yet as you have given us an opportunity to learn more." Always count your blessings! I could sit and cry about how he is so much harder than my eldest, but I KNOW that God has something in store for him and I have to be patient and learn how to be his mother.

My boy's Dad and I have been separated for 8 years, we have stayed "friends" so that we can both be there for our children. He never asks me for anything unless it's like to swap a day with the kids. He messaged me yesterday morning asking if I could help him scrub his bathroom and kitchen as he was having an inspection and was afraid of the state of the home. Most people would be like "Kick rocks... I don't owe you anything" but I accepted his request for help and went over for about an hour to help clean the hard stuff. 

Driving there, I thanked the Lord that I had the opportunity to help him. I thanked the Lord that the kid's Dad had the strength to ask me for help. And I prayed for stamina as I am recovering from what seems to be my 15th cold of the year... The Lord is so good to me, and I hope that he sees by blessing me, I am able to bless others.

Life is hard, times are tough. But if we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, and help our fellow brothers and sisters, life isn't so bad. I only pray that my children watch who I am rather than listen to me constantly yelling at them. I pray that they learn to serve others and care for each other, and I pray that God protects and comforts them as he is always doing for me.

I hope that you all can count your daily blessings. Being a soul in a flesh suit is uncomfortable. But when we dig deep, we find a well of blessings the Lord has provided to us and we are rich beyond measure. I love you all! Have a BLESSED week 💖

Hellooo my friends! It has been exactly a month since my last 'Testimony Tuesday' and for that, I am sorry. Here in Florida, we have had 2 major hurricanes and are still feeling the after effects of rebuilding our lives. For me, I only lost power for 6 days after Hurricane Milton, and my life and property made it through the storm. That being said, there was a lot of clean-up work we all had to do and we had to restock our Refrigerators and Freezers! 

God is so good to me, I evacuated to Lakeland to my Mom's and she only lost power for 1 night. I returned to work partially to ensure our staff and customers were ok before returning to my mom's to await my power restoration. I always believed the Lord would cover us and protect us. Hurricane Milton was NO JOKE. With winds up to 100MPH, we had so many trees pulled up from their roots, and tree branches laying on homes and power lines. Don't even ask about the fences, most are left barely standing. Thankfully our state does really well with the clean-up and power restoration, nearly 900,000 people were without power.

Most of the state struggled with gas availability. Many stations ran out prior to the storm with mass evacuations. The remaining stores that had gas lost power so it was a MESS! I had to wait for about 45 minutes for gas at 1 in the morning just to make sure I could get back to my mom's. The limited gas really brought the worst out in people. People were arguing at the gas stations, pulling sticks, knives, and guns at each other. Many policemen had to be onsite during gas refueling as it was mass panic and chaos....just the way they like us.

Looking around me after the storm makes me so sad. The world has grown so cold and its everyone out for themselves. I have a neighbor that we kind of just pass each other with our dogs and stuff, but I offered to help her collect her items that blew all over the yard and had my son's help too. They were kind of confused and I told them, "no matter what is going on, we are here to be helpful neighbors and help each other out" My kids are being raised in this world too, and I don't want them to harden against other people.

Yes, other people can be insufferable. Yes, people can be hateful and callus. But does that mean we have to stoop to that level? No, it does not. I am so thankful the Holy Spirit dwells within me and I always look to how I can help. I remember what it was like when I had no one, and one simple offer of assistance could change my world. 

God made you and I for just a time as this; This specific part of the battle. We are here to worship the most high and spread the gospel to the ends to the Earth. How can we do that if we are all fighting? We can't, and that's just how the devil likes it.

Friends, defy the devil! Help each other. Give until the last drop you have. The Lord is our portion, so we are abundantly blessed. I love you all, and I am praying that you have a blessed week! Amen. 

Helllllo Friends! It has been a few weeks since I have been able to post and for that, I am truly sorry. I know some of you have come to appreciate these posts and the little things that draw you closer to God. August is a CRAZY month for me with back to school, 2 kids' birthdays, and the hottest month in Florida for the HVAC business. 

I titled this post "Don't count on me" because honestly, I will probably always be a letdown. My Dad, who helps me with everything I could ever need, (down payment for a house, a new AC unit etc....) had his birthday on 09/14. Guess who is the worst? ME! He helped me buy so many things and the least I could do was call him on time for his birthday, but I forgot and called the next day. It seems easy, to do what others expect from you, but it is also really easy to disappoint the people you love. 

My mom has a wedding in November, and all she asked was for me to make her some invitations, It took me weeks to get this done! She helps me with food and just talks to me daily so I can vent and sound ugly and she provides me with a safe space to be mean and loves me anyway. This is a big help to me as I don't always play nice. And being able to sound mean and ugly helps me blow off steam. 

I wish that I could "show up" for the people who love and count on me, but people should expect me to disappoint them and just rejoice when I get things right! I think we as people often fail other people, and this also relates to our relationship with God.

He is a parent who has expectations, rules, and examples to live by. Every day we fall short, and bruise our knees, and our Loving God picks us back up, wipes our tears away, and is proud of us when we get up and try again. I was praying the other night, "How can I do more?" "What do you want from me?" the usual... and I swear God told me to love myself.

This is as you know a foreign concept for me, but when I stopped and thought about it... It probably hurts God that I am so self-deprecating and lustful for the big sleep. He created ME to enjoy this place. He created ME to help pick others back up when they fall. He created ME to love and be loved, so I need to start allowing myself some grace that I generously provide for others.

I hope you are all well, and enjoyed this little bit of self-reflection. I hope YOU have a great day, and rejoice in the day. God made this whole world and then thought to himself... how much greater it would be with YOU in it! I love you guys <3