I DIDN'T GIVE UP!!

April 17th, I fulfilled one of my 2010 goals by participating in my 1st 5K and let me tell you, what an awesome and life changing experience!!

The race that I participated in was the Susan G. Komen Race (Savannah, Georgia) for the Cure whose primary focus is to raise funds dedicated to the fight again breast cancer in the world. On race day, there were 400 survivors present and approximately 4000 other participants to run and walk. The atmosphere was ELECTRIC!

So, I have to admit I went to bed the night before thinking I wasn’t going to go through with it. All of the negative thoughts were weighing heavy on me....you haven’t trained enough, you aren’t ready for 3+ miles, you are going to make a fool of yourself. Then, to top it all of...my sister…my support person...told me she didn’t think she was going to run either. I wasn’t going to do it without her! Nevertheless, I set my alarm clock...prayed for rain...and went to sleep.

I woke up the next morning really, really, REALLY wanting to do the race. I knew I wasn’t prepared to run the entire race but I was prepared enough to do interval running and if nothing else, there was the option to walk it. Even better, my sister called and said she wanted to do it too. YAY! I showered, threw on my pink ribbon t-shirt and headed for the race. (Oh by the way, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky...it was probably the most beautiful morning that we had so far this year).

When we finally reached the starting line, you could feel the excitement in the air. The music was pumping and you couldn’t help but to get hyped about running (imagine that)! It was great!
The best part of the race wasn’t the actual race though....it was the people that I met that have touched my life and inspired and motivated me in ways that I would have never imagined.

The first lady that I met long the route (during a walking interval) was a middle aged woman who walked in the race for the first time in 2009. She told me that last year when she walked she had completed treatment just a few weeks before not only for breast cancer but also for cervical cancer. She said it was difficult, she was tired and weak but she was determined to complete the entire walk...and she did. She is now a 1 year survivor!

There was another woman who I didn’t personally meet but she looked like she may have still been going through treatment....her hair was short and curly like it was just starting to come back....but she was out there and she was walking.

There was Ms. Louise...who appeared to be about 70 or 80...but she was there walking...and every now and then, she got a burst of energy and would even trot for a couple of steps…LOL (almost ran faster than me!!)

There were several out there like me...running a little and walking a little. There were people along the way encouraging them...”Come on…you can do!” “Just a little bit more”....”You are doing great!”

And then, there were the ones that I didn’t meet but their names were etched on signs on their friends and families backs. These were the ones who you had to imagine what their story was. The signs read...In Memory of...or In Celebration of. These were the true heroes!

Being amongst all of those survivors and warriors motivated me to hold on to my goals and to not give up. I am even more determined now to meet my birthday goal. It’s all about fighting for what you want, rising above your circumstances and never giving up. It’s all about living your best life possible and living a life of no regrets. It’s all about enjoying everyday that God gives you and taking nothing for granted.

So back to the race. I did complete the 5K course but I did not run the entire thing. I did run/walk intervals. I am still proud of myself though because I followed through with my commitment and I didn’t give up. I rose above my fears and pushed myself out of my comfort zone to try to achieve my goals. AND NOW....I am even more determined to continue running and continue training until I run the ENTIRE race. Success comes in pieces and not chunks, right?

Before I leave, I want to take this opportunity to remind you all to make sure that you routinely do your monthly Self Breast Exams. If you find a lump, see your doctor immediately. Also, if you are 40 or older, be sure to get your yearly mammograms. Remember.....Early detection/diagnosis means great prognosis!

The women wearing pink t-shirts in the top picture are all survivors of "Breast Cancer. I would have to say, "They have a lot to dance about!" The picture below is of me and my sister.


Until the next time,
Sasha

I will be back on Monday, May 10th, hope to see you then!


Tuesday's Blog: Marie will be bringing us, "Life Unscripted"

The Peanut Butter Stage of Life

Sometimes my life feels like the peanut butter squished between two pieces of bread: just sitting in-between everything. It’s sort of like everything was or is happening on either side of me; high school is behind me. Somewhere ahead there’s college and a career (hopefully) but I’m not there yet. I’m just sitting here… doing… well…. nothing really. Jobs are unheard of in Portland at the moment and, so, as you can imagine, the days began to drag by with nothing to work towards and no motivation to get me up every morning. The plus side: everything was simple. There can be very few conflicts to deal with when you’re just sitting squished between everything.

So I decided to ask God for something. I asked him to provide enough things for me to do so that I would be tired by the end of the day! Sounds weird but after a few weeks of not being able to sleep because of too much unused energy, it makes more sense. I was excited. Of course God would fill my days with “important” things like a nice job as a receptionist (still mad that that job went to the boss’ daughter instead of me) or a surprise trip to Paris to work with Peruvian missionaries (maybe someday) or… who knows… maybe even a really cute boyfriend somewhere squished in there (not even close to happening). I was excited. I had visions of myself prancing around in expensive, new high heels (bought with that nice paycheck I was going to get), going to work with all the grownups, talking on a silvery new blackberry saying good morning to gorgeous boyfriend as I, with the click of a few buttons book my flight to Paris! (In my vision I also looked like a supermodel all of a sudden).

But guess what. That’s not what God had in mind!!!!!! Can you believe it? Of course I couldn’t. My plan was picture perfect! He filled my days, but not how I was expecting. He said, “No, money is not important (I’ll provide what you need), looking like a runway model is not important (I made you how you are) and guess what? Going to Paris isn’t important for you right now (my plan for you is in Portland at this time). AND you don’t need a boyfriend to make your life complete! What is important, are you ready? What’s important are the people around you that I have placed in your life, right now and right here!”

He did fill my days. He’s filled them with millions of conversations over millions of cups of coffee and tons of hugs and tears and craziness! It’s still not exactly what I would have chosen for my peanut butter stage of life. It’s not all simple anymore. There’s conflict, and drama and worry. It takes all my patience sometimes to listen to others talk. It’s made me dig deeper into trying to figure out God and who he is and how he uses us. I don’t get it yet. But he answered my prayer: I am exhausted every night when I get home!



Blessings,
Lydia

Until Saturday, May 22nd, remember to allow the Lord to fill your days!


Monday's Blog: Sasha's up, "Beauty & Healthy Lifestyes"

I Always Wanted To Be Free

I ran into a little bit of trouble when sitting down to write this blog, because I wasn’t sure what to write about? This morning I thought I had a clear cut idea of what I would write, but as the day progressed I realized that topic didn’t really pertain to my life right now. Then I listened to one of my favorite songs and I realized exactly what this blog needed to be about.

I always wanted to be free
'Til I was bound and then
I always wanted my own way
'Til I saw that I find my life when
I lose His

I used to think that me, myself, and I were all that mattered
But You've shown me all this world can give
Cannot compare to the joy that comes from
Giving away

You make me come alive
You make me come alive
I found the secret
It's only when I let go of what I want in this life
You make me come alive

These are a few of the lyrics to the song, “Alive” by Rebecca St. James. One of the many reasons that I love this song is because she talks about that moment when she realized how important God was, once she took a moment to stop thinking about herself. As creatures born with a sin nature, we are basically selfish and only care about what is best for ourselves in the long run. When I’m around my friends and we’re having a conversation, I constantly found myself thinking “Wow, this person is really hogging the conversation.” “Would you please stop talking about yourself?” Until I realized that I was doing the exact same thing. I’m one of those people who tend to get really annoyed when I’m talking and no one is listening, and that’s really selfish of me. Maybe they’ve got more important things to worry about, or maybe I’ve been hogging the conversation and their bored listening to me? But that doesn’t matter to me because what I am saying is important in my eyes. Does this sound familiar to any of you?

You may not have even noticed, but maybe you’ve been a little selfish lately. I’m kind of being selfish right now because my mom really needs me to write this blog and I don’t feel like doing it…sorry. LOL!! But, back to the point. Philippians 2:3 says “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” Now it says, we are to consider others better than ourselves….I’m sure that this sounds like a lot of fun to you right? No? REALLY? Okay, I agree, it doesn’t exactly sound like the most fun thing any of us would just like to do. The question would have to come to mind, “What can I do for me if I have to think about other people? That’s not fair!” But something that I’m beginning to notice is that, I feel a lot happier with myself when I am more concentrated on other people, and not my own selfish needs. God wants us to put others before ourselves, and to spend less time thinking about how to benefit me, myself, and I. Are you ready to do that? I’m not saying it is easy, but if Paul tells us not to be “selfish” then it’s something we should work at not being.

I hope that this blog was a little piece of encouragement for you to really take a look at yourself and, in turn, see if you are putting others before yourself…. All this world can give, Cannot compare to the joy that comes from, Giving away.



Until Next Time,
Tovah


I'll be back on Saturday, May 8th, until then, Peace Out!!


Saturday's Blog: Lyida is up "Eighteen"

Women of the World....Are We Really Free?

One thing I have come to see in my years of traveling, living in different countries and being exposed to many different cultures is that as women who are used to certain freedoms; we are really not as free as we would like to think we are. And if we are free to come and go and do as we please, “Are we really enjoying it?”

Several years ago, a company in the UK ran an advertising campaign for a new perfume called “Sheila”. They placed posters strategically at bus stops and around towns of a beautiful woman wearing the Australian cork hat (see the picture), as well as running ads in some of the papers and on some of the radio stations. By ad campaign standards, it was really quite a small one – yet the response was almost overwhelming, as the stores were mobbed by people looking for this new perfume.

The twist to all of this is……There never was a perfume called “Sheila” – it was all done to show the power of advertising, and boy, did it work! People were disappointed that there was no new perfume, but it sure made a lasting impression on me!

So I ask again, “Are we really free?” “Or are we enslaved to advertising and images more than we realize?” Take a good look at your wardrobe, your hairstyle, your food cupboards, your car… How much of what is in each place is there because it’s something you – YOU – actually wanted, and how much is there because you gave in to all the subliminal messages shot at us daily through TV, radio, newspapers, billboards and ad campaigns? Are you REALLY unhappy with how you look – or is it simply that our multi-media society dictates we should be a size 2, waif-thin, blonde bombshell - and since 99.9% of us don’t even come close to fitting in that category, we’re constantly trying to do things to make ourselves fit?

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not actually anti-advertising – although I am strongly against all the messages we’re sending to our young women that they have to conform to certain measurements / specifications to be considered beautiful. This message is worldwide to most women.

The DOVE Real Women (Redefining what real beauty is) Campaign is the best thing advertising has turned out in as long as I can remember, and is definitely the exception. It has something for every woman in almost every country and language. http://campaignforrealbeauty.com/

Advertising can be – is – a very powerful thing; we just need to be careful that we are not enslaving ourselves to it consciously or subconsciously and thereby giving up our freedom to choose, freedom to be ourselves, freedom to be the beautiful women God created us to be, just the way we are, just the way He made us – in His glorious image.

Whether we live in Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, North America, or Australia, as women there is a common thread of being told in order to be considered beautiful we must be a certain size, and look a certain way. That is not so because the beauty of this world is vain. The truth is…..I am a Beautiful Woman of God. I am a capable, intelligent, and a virtuous woman. These are things we have to remind ourselves of daily. These are the things that make us “Free” in Him.

By the time this blog is posted I will be in Europe, and I look forward to sharing the wonderful experiences I'm sure to encounter through my new job. Don’t forget to come back in May to see what country I will be writing from.



Blessings & Hugs
Esther-Marie

I will be back on Thursday, May 20th!


Friday's Blog: Tovah "Life as a High School Junior"

FREE FROM IT ALL!

Single working mothers come in all shapes, and sizes. We are very young and some of us are much older, but there is one thing we all have in common, and that is, there are days we wished we were FREE!!!

Over the years I’ve learned that as women we are not always as open and upfront as we could be for other women. I’m not talking about telling all of our personal business, but just being transparent enough to tell the truth that everything is not always coming up roses.

As parents we need to be honest about how we are really doing and or how our children are doing. No matter how smart or well behaved your child or children are, they are not perfect and they all go through growing pains. And when they do, we usually have to go along for the ride with them. ~Smile~

There is a particular MO (motive of operation) that our enemy has used since the garden, and that is to isolate us and then advise us. He did it to Eve, and since it worked so well, he continues to use that same MO, still getting the same wonderful results. As single working mothers it is easy to become isolated in our own little world or family. This is a good setup for us to begin to think that we are the only ones who have those days when we wish we were FREE! Free from the responsibility, free from the madness, free from the drama, free to do what we want to do, when we want to do it! Yes, there are days we just want to be FREE from it all. Why is that? Simply because being a single parent is not easy. But then parenting period is work, single or two parent household. It is work! And both scenarios have their pros and cons. I know married women who have become Believers after marriage with kids and their husbands are yet to come into the Kingdom of God, which does create its own brand of problems. I say this because often we feel that married women have it better than us. Not necessarily so. But in Christ we are all equal, and that is an important truth to remember on those days you feel like you could run away and never come back.

We may have taken different roads to become single mothers. It could have been the road of being a widow, going through a divorce, adoption, In Vitro Fertilization, and or just plain old poor choices. But in the end it really doesn’t matter which road you traveled to get to the place of single mom, as much as once you find yourself there, there is much work to be done.

I don’t know about the rest of you but there have been days in my life that I just wanted to scream, “I’VE HAD IT!!!” In fact I’ve done it in my heart of hearts even if not out loud. Most times when I find myself in that place, I am feeling overwhelmed, alone and very frustrated. It can be a gambit of reasons at the time and depending on what age my child is at the time, dictates the level of frustration. If you have teens or children who are tweens, you know that life defiantly gets more challenging, versus when they are 6 or 7 years of age. And when I would sit back and took a good look at what was going on, isolation or feelings of inadequacies often where the root of the problem. How many of you have ever experienced thoughts such as, “I’m such a bad mother!” From the show of hands I would have to say, “Just about all of us!” Or I’d start to feel sorry for myself and my life. “God, why me? Why does life have to be so hard?” “I try so hard, and it never seems to workout! Boo hoo.” But one day I felt free enough to voice to someone how I was feeling and why, and guess what? She was going through the same thing, and she was married. Oops!!!

This particular woman had a husband that traveled a lot for his job and her life on some levels looked a lot like that of a single mom. Though she did not have a paid job, she still had to hold down the fort so to speak. Our daughters were around the same age and as we began to talk about some of the behaviors and attitudes they were exhibiting, we begin to realize that this must be a normal stage for them at this age. But, since we were sort of isolated in our feelings, we had both been listening to the voice of that little lower level devil that has a tendency to sit on your shoulder and whispers doubt and unbelief to you. It looked like all our payers had gone unchecked as our girls seemed to be crazy, when in truth they were just testing the waters and stretching their wings. Also we were being a bit controlling when it was time to let go a little and really trust God a little more. But because we were afraid to voice how we were really feeling, our misconception of how things really were, began to get bigger than life in our minds. Boy were we both so relieved to know we were not alone and our kids were not losing their minds. And neither were we! LOL!!

As an inner city missionary whose ministry is women and children in crisis, I must say the Church and most church assemblies have really missed the mark for single moms. And single mothers are a huge part of the Body of Christ, yet……they are not looked after as they should be. I’ve been associated with many different churches and different denominations and I’ve seen this over and over. Single mothers need support. Sometimes that support is financial, but mainly it is spiritual. Single mothers need a safe place (a place were they feel free to speak what is on their hearts without fear of judgment or hearing their lives repeated as gossip) to gather and talk. Because what happens is, they find out they are not alone. They find encouragement and support. They are reassured that they are good mothers and that though life may be hard or difficult at this time, that raising children is but for a season and then they are on their own. And they also come to see that children go through stages in life that are normal for growth and maturity. It is very reassuring to hear that 4 out of the 6 women in the group are experiencing the same issues you are with their children. Then it becomes, “Wow, then it’s not just me…phew!! What a relief that is.” But most of all with this comes hope and encouragement to hang in there. Even if you are experiencing something that is really challenging, the others are there to listen, encourage and pray with you.

I want to encourage you as single mothers to find (or even create) a safe place for women to talk about being single moms. Don’t continue to carry the burden of single parenting alone. Psalms 1 tells us that there is safety in godly counsel. There are some of us that have raised our kids, or are coming to the end and we can help just as others have helped us. Once I knew that I was not alone in how I felt, I was more willing to seek an ear when things seemed to be crashing down around me or those old feelings of being inadequate reared its ugly head. I was blessed to have a mentor who still to this day, helps me see more clearly my relationship and responsibility to my youngest daughter. And she has guided me through the toughest part of single parenting and that is….Trusting God in all of it!

To be able to express the “truth” about how you feel, really will make you FREE!

Single parenting has its ups and downs just like any other part of life, but God has not left anyone out in His grace, mercy or love. Single mothers do not get a lesser portion; in fact He has made special provision for the widow and fatherless child. Also, He has promised to be our Husband (Ishi) see Hosea in the Amplified Bible.

Do not continue to suffer in silence. Start by not only praying for yourself, but begin to pray for all the single mothers you know and those in your congregation. It should be easier now that you know that you are not alone and others need prayer and encouragement too.




Blessings & Love
Ponnie

Thrusday's Blog: Esther-Marie our single "World Traveler"