Category: Chat

What details of your life could you pay more attention to?

Sometimes, when life gets busy, I forget to look out for myself. I keep going and going, not pausing for a break. For a long time, I would not notice anything until, wham, I am exhausted to the point I want to crash both physically and mentally.

I am learning to take breaks from time to time. My Mom always said, “Put it up. Tomorrow is another day.”

I am not a slacker, and with Christ in my corner, I will get it done.

Health is wealth.

What’s the trait you value most about yourself?

I have never been tenacious in my everyday life until after the passing of my Dad. It hit me hard because even though he was getting up in age and slowing down, he always seemed to me as larger than life full of energy. Unstoppable. But he died, and I had to learn to rely on myself and my relationship with the Lord.

Some say it is all me. I say God is my source, and my traits are my resource.

I have five sisters, and there are two who stand out when it comes to encouragement. They never stop. They never give up. They are amazing. When I want to call it quits, they are there for me pushing me forward.

I admired them, and I started thinking like them. Pushing forward, not looking back and never giving up. If I don’t make it, I dust myself off and move on. They taught me this. And I used it in my grief with our Dad. Then late with our Mom.

The problem is that one of the two is going through a rough spell, and it is my turn to comfort and encourage her. Unfortunately, I am a sledgehammer where words are concerned.

Now, I have to learn to be gentle.

Oh…the trials of life.

List three jobs you’d consider pursuing if money didn’t matter.

I am a writer. And a published one who is not making money, but I love the craft.

I also love mixed media sketching. I love to capture life on canvas. I like to take pics using my cell or my digital camera, and then I edit them. That is just as much fun to do. Nature, with all the textures and colours from any season, is mysterious and beautiful.

Can I make money doing any of these professions? Yes. I need to market myself. I need to put myself out there.

What aspects of your cultural heritage are you most proud of or interested in?

When I was studying photography in university I came across a black and white photo of three little girls dressed up with little ribbons in their hair and holding their bibles running to Sunday School. The photographer’s comment was that he saw that diligent and happy behavior all through the island, and he had to capture it in that moment.

My parents provided a great life for my siblings and I. Are we uppity? Maybe, but who cares. The point is we grew up with the value of putting on our Sunday best and looking forward to meeting the Lord every Sunday. We still do this in our individual households.

This is my culture, not a national culture but one of my family and of God fearing.

We put God first in our lives. That is a great value to follow.

What brands do you associate with?

I can not say I associate with any certain brand. If the product works for me, then I invest in it.

I like to try different brands to see what works and what doesn’t. Maybe something is new on the market and has good reviews. It could be worth a try.

For example, for outdoor hiking clothes, I like the Eddie Bauer brand. They are comfortable and durable, but lately, I have been leaning toward the Columbia brand because it is harder to get Eddie Bauer clothes where I am. Sometimes accessibility and availability play a role in choices. I don’t stay with one thing. If it is cold and I need good winter boots, Sorrel or Pajah are my first picks.

It all depends on several valuables. Some are beyond my control.

What could you do more of?

I am a writer with not much published, only a short story here and a few magazine articles there. I need to screw myself to my desk and write more regularly.

I have an outlined schedule I need to keep if I want to complete my novel this year.

More writing for me.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

My Mom always told us that. Whatever is destined for you, you will receive.

Being brought up in a Christian home, we are taught at a young age to pray and ask the Lord for all we need. I accepted Christ as my Saviour at a young age and started following him ever since.

Mom witnessed my struggles in life at school and work. Sometimes, I would come home depressed, complaining about not getting that promotion or crying about the poor score I received on a test. I studied hard and even prayed day and night for better results.

She would sit me down and say those words. Really I didn’t want to hear them I wanted what I wanted.  But as I grew older and then Mom passed I realized she was so right.

I don’t need to struggle and to walk around upset. God has a plan. A plan that will be fulfilled not in my time but in him time, which is the right time. What he has for me, nothing can take it away for me.  If God is for me, nothing can be against me.

I need to trust Him when I can not trace Him. In other words, when it is dark and he seems quiet, he is at work on my behalf.

I looked back at my requests over the years, and nothing I asked for I didn’t receive. I did not get it the way I thought I would, but I received it nevertheless.

For example: I always prayed to get a job at a certain department store. I loved the clothes I loved shopping there. Year after year, I prayed for a summer job there. I never got called. I went off to university and got engrossed in my studies, forgetting about that job I so wanted. I went off to college to further my education and graduated in a field. I had no clue if I would get a job.

I got an interview for a job with good pay even before the ink was dried on my diploma.

Guess where the clinic was located?

In that large department store, I so long ago wanted to work. I was not going to be a clerk because I did not work for the store, but the clinic was a concession in the store. I worked for the clinic that paid way more than that store would ever pay, and I worked at the store and location I wanted.

Mom was so right.

Let God take control, and he will turn it all around in ways you have no clue or idea. He will do a new thing, and you will be satisfied.

She always told me to trust Him.

Best advice ever

What things give you energy?

I hate waking up groggy and still tired from my sleep. When I get very little sleep, I don’t feel good enough to start my day.

Sleep is healthy and so important. When I get enough, I wake with a smile and a hallujah on my lips.

It is so refreshing.