Monae`Denise

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" (1 Corinthians 13: 4-6 NIV).  Love is when I'm doing my morning walk/run and I see a little toddler walking with his grandmother in the park. The grandmother and I say "hello" and the toddler looks up at me with the brightest eyes and gives me the biggest, loving smile and says, "hello-hello-hello". No matter what else  I was feeling or thinking at that moment all I felt was love. Love from a child that I did not know, never seen in my life but he was willing to show me love. The love he showed me was overwhelming and I wanted it, needed it, appreciated it. I wanted to pick him up and give him the biggest hug and kiss his chubby cheeks...

Who are you praising? I'm a firm believer that you praise individuals who are deserving and who earn the praises. Praise is defined as the act of expressing approval or admiration. Everyone likes to be praised for the good things they accomplish. Whether it's a child that did good on a report card, a teen passing their driving test, that man proposing to his girlfriend, a marriage, graduation...I can go on an on. All of these things listed are worth praises. Do we praise people for the "good" that they do or do we sit and spew hate or negativity towards them? There's a saying that states, "It's a poor frog who doesn't praise its own pond", I agree. Why wouldn't you praise yourself for your own accomplishments? If you can't praise yourself for the "little" or "big" things that mean a lot to you, that means you can't genuinely praise anyone else for theirs. You have to start with yourself first. Even if it's a ...

"I don't know"... "I just didn't feel like it"... "See what had happened was"... "Well, he/she didn't do it, so why do I?" "Because I didn't want to"... "Well Lord, I'm just tired tonight"... Those are just a few of the excuses that I have said & that you have also said. I know that list could go on & on. We have more excuses than we really need at times. Too many excuses to keep up with. I get tired of my own excuses and I really don't like to hear anybody else's either.  Excuses are defined as explaining a fault or an offense in the hope of being forgiven or understood. How many of us make excuses on a daily, weekly or monthly basis? Are they really necessary or justifiable? Why do we make excuses? If I really think about it, I make excuses when I don't feel like being bothered, when I don't want to take the time to figure out something or when I don't want to put too m...