I Miss You So Much (Forever Young)

Hello, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Today, was a very hard day after losing a loved one.  I just want to express the importance of spending as much time with loved ones because you never know when it will be your last.

I vividly remember my nephew being born, he was a nice, healthy, beautiful baby with the thickest, blackest, curls on his head.  My heart melted when I first saw his little face and he and me were close.  He always had the biggest smile on his face that would make my day on even the saddest times in my life.

I would watch him play and he had the cutest little giggle and until he left us, he still had that boyish quality.  We noticed when he was a baby in his car seat, that he would sing when the car radio was on and my mom specifically said that he had a voice and would be a singer. Fast forward into his teen years he could be seen singing at many events and he loved to act also.   He accomplished many things in his short life and we lost him doing the thing that he loved   
 ( singing praises to the most high).  I am sad knowing that I will not see him again but I know that he will personally be singing to our Father in heaven, just like he did on earth.

I want to ask you all to not take anyone for granted because time is not on your side.  Spend as much time and take many pictures of your family so you can remember all of the good times. God only lend our family members to us for a short time.  We are not promised tomorrow. As we look over his life we will think of all the joy he has brought to our family.  Rest in peace nephew and when it is my time to cross over, I hope you are the first one that I see at the gate.

The Truth About Poverty And Its Effects.

The Truth About Poverty And Its Effects.

A poverty mindset begins at a very young age.  We eat, sleep, and breathe its effects.

Poverty breeds contempt, greed, desperation, and instability.  If you have ever been poor, you will never forget the grip it has had on your life.

Even if you are no longer poor you will still wake up in a cold sweat from dreams you have had about your childhood.  The chipped paint, the times you probably have seen your parent cry because they are wondering where the food and the school clothes will come from.  Scenes of children going to bed hungry and their cries are something you will never forget.

Being poor is shameful, especially to children because they are usually teased and picked on in school.  They wear the badge of scorn that shouldn't be theirs. 

Sometimes you will see young mothers wearing designer duds while their babies are in a soiled shirt and diaper, most of the day.

Some fathers will avoid coming home because they don't want to face the reality because they are unemployed and a non-contributor to the family. Most of the time they will disappear or drown their despair with alcohol.

Some people will borrow money from a neighbor or friend to buy food and then the next month they will have to pay this person back and revisit poverty once more.  This is a never-ending cycle that will hold you in the prison and grip of poverty.

The problem with poverty is, we escape through spending money that we really don't have.  We run away through alcohol, gambling and sometimes drugs and do not hold the other parent accountable for the responsibility in our children's lives.

How To Escape Poverty?

Educate yourself.  If you cannot go to college, go to your local Library and read self-help books and money management books.  Get a job and find other legal ways to supplement your income.  You can take low-cost courses through your local high school. If you do not have your high school diploma, study and get your GED.

If you or your children need clothing, go to a clothing bank, participate in clothing swap meets so you can get bigger size clothing for your kids if they are outgrowing their clothes.  You can also volunteer at a local thrift store to get skills and free clothing.  Also, try Freecycle.org to get free clothing.

If you need furniture, there are thrift stores and also organizations that donate furniture.  Contact social service organizations again Freecycle or ask family and friends for furniture they no longer want or using.  You can also get furniture from the curb but be careful you do not want to bring bedbugs home.

For food, only buy generic brands and learn how to cook with inexpensive ingredients.  Watch YouTube videos for good, cheap, recipes.  If you are really desperate contact social services for help with food and if you are really in dire straights consider dumpster diving and if you live near a lake or stream learn how to fish and read books on how to cook and clean it correctly.

Live beneath your means, pray, and don't borrow what you cannot pay back.

  

Is Social Media making you antisocial?

I have been involved in Social Media for some time now and I am noticing that it is so easy to email, text or chat online, that my social interactions with other people are diminishing.  The fact that you do not have to leave your house to have communications with anyone is ideal but is it healthy?  We are becoming a society that is drifting further apart and a lot of us don't really see or understand what is happening.

Honestly, I really have to make myself go out to see people that I love because I have become complacent with my interactions.  All day, most of us are looking at the phone screen, computer screen or on gaming systems. We don't realize that we are being programmed.

I love Social Media but I feel that I need to step away from it to gain my life back and a healthy well-being. We need each other.  Families need to be close and share life without the phone and etc.

Computers and phones are a blessing but do not let it become a curse.