When other people treat you poorly, keep being you.  Don't ever let someone else's bitterness change the person you are.

Strong women don't play victim, don't make themselves look pitiful, and don't point fingers.  They stand and they deal.

If someone won't lift a finger to call you, see you and spend time with you, it's time for you to lift 5 fingers and wave goodbye.

People who are secure in themselves don't put others down.  They lift them up.

Other people are going to find healing in your wounds.  Your greatest life messages and your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts.

Don't mix bad words with your bad mood.  You will have many opportunities to change a mood, but you will never get the opportunity to replace the words you spoke.

Sometimes, not saying anything is the best answer.  You see, silence can never be misquoted.

Some days there won't be a song in your heart.  Sing anyway.

If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it.

If you retain nothing else, always remember the most important rule of beauty which is: who cares?

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more.  If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never ever have enough.

If we don't feel grateful with what we already have, what makes us think we will be happy with more?

In my final moment, I'm sure I'll look back at everything, both good and bad, and realize that it was all beautiful.

When you stop fighting things and just live, breathe and try your best to treat people right, life just flows.  It's just that simple.

Trust that when the answer is no, there's a better yes down the road.

If I give you a straw will you go suck the fun out of someone else's day?

I'm not lazy.  I just really enjoy doing nothing.

Our reaction to the situation literally has the power to change the situation itself.

They say love is blind.  I disagree.  Infatuation is blind, love is all seeing and accepting.  Love is seeing all the flaws and blemishes and accepting them.  Love is accepting the bad habits and mannerisms, and working around them.  Love is recognizing all the fears and insecurities, and knowing your role is to comfort.  Love is working through all the challenges and painful times.  Infatuation is fragile and will shatter when life is not perfect.  Love is strong and it strengthens because it is real.

In life you will take chances.  Some will be good, some may be sad.  But you'll never know until you try.

Being positive in a negative situation is not naive.  It's leadership.

Most of the stuff people worry about never happens.

Train your mind to see the good in everything.

Running away from your problems is a race you'll never win.

How would your life be different if you walked away from gossip and verbal defamation?  Let today be the day.  You speak only the good you know of other people and encourage others to do the same.

You are a perishable item.  Live accordingly.

Complain, Complain

I never understood a chronic complainer.  Like, what is so horrible about your life that you have to constantly complain about it?  Yes, I find myself complaining at times.  And, when I do it, I feel horrible most of the time for it.  I couldn't see myself constantly doing it.  I know, times are hard.  I work from paycheck to paycheck and barely make it that far - but God always makes a way for me to do it!  Always.  Without fail.  So, let me ask you this- is there a roof over your head?  For somebody that answer is no.  Have you eaten one single thing today?  Somebody out there hasn't.  Did you have enough money to pay at least 1 bill this month?  Somebody don't have enough to do even that.  Do you have a job?  There's someone praying for one.  Can you walk without the need of assistance?  Some people can't.  Can you speak without falter?  Some people struggle to get one word out.  You breathing okay?  Someone out there has a disease that keeps them fighting for every single breath.  It's cold out right now...so, do you have heat?  Someone on the street is freezing with no escape from the cold.  Did you wake up this morning to another day?  Someone breathed their last today.  Quit complaining.  Be thankful.  You better make it count because you can't get it back.

You can't just plan a moment when things get back on track, just as you can't plan the moment you lose your way in the first place.

Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men.

There are moments when I wish I could roll back the clock and take all the sadness away, but I have a feeling that if I did, the joy would be gone as well.  So I take the memories as they come, accepting them all, letting them guide me whenever I can.

If the world was blind, how many people would you impress?

Just Say No

All my life I have been a "yes" person.  I'm the kind of person who doesn't want to hurt anyone's feeling by saying no.  If someone asked me to do something, my answer was usually always yes.  Without thinking, yes.  Whatever you need, yes.  But, after 33 years, I am finally learning to be able to say no.  Now, this is not to say I'm some kind of Grumpy Gus that will never do anything you ask her to again.  That's absolutely not true.  If it's within my power to help you out, I'm going to do it.  What I'm mainly speaking about is not trying to get yourself so tied up in every single thing going by saying "YES TO ALL" that you make your life a mess.  Have you ever seen the Jim Carey movie Bruce Almighty?  It's one of my favorites.  If you have, you'll remember the scene where Bruce (who is playing the role of fill - in God) has set up the entire worlds prayers in e-mail form.  When the billions of prayers start rolling in, he becomes overwhelmed and replies yes to all.  And, or course, it creates mass chaos.  Saying yes to everything to try and be a people pleaser will do that in your life.  It did it to mine.  It's okay to say no.  Especially in ministries.  If you don't know that you know that you know that God has placed you within that ministry, it's okay to say no or to walk away.  I recently, after many years left a ministry post I was heavily involved in.  It wasn't without pain or struggle.  Lord knows, I loved every single person involved and I loved being a part of something.  I loved it.  But, I wasn't called to do it.  After awhile, what started as such a blessing to me, became a stressing to me.  I became consumed with trying to prove I could do it.  I became overwhelmed with trying to connect to each and every person involved.  It became so much that I couldn't do it anymore.  I was afraid and I was sad, but I gave it up.  And, now, seeing those people move in that same ministry blesses me so much more!!  It was my time to say "no" and walk away.  Time for a freshness to be added to the ministry.  Time for me to devote more time to the Children's Church and Teen Blogs at church.  Time for me to do what I know the Lord has called me to do.  And, if you need further proof that it was of God, out of nowhere today my Sunday School teacher said "sometimes you have to just say no." 

If you have a family that loves you, a few good friends, food on the table and a roof over your head, you are richer than you think.

If today is the worse day of your life then you know tomorrow will be better.

Don't save something for a special occasion.  Everyday of your life is a special occasion.

Never trust a person that has let you down more than two times.  Once was a warning, twice was a lesson and anything more than that is simply taking advantage.

Life has a funny way of working out just when you start to believe it never will.

Thank you Frozen for teaching me that I shouldn't trust people who finish my sandwiches.

Being kind is classy.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that I don't have to do what everyone else is doing.

How will you know if it's the right decision if you never make it?

Jensen Ackles on Twitter is an absolutely beautiful thing.

There is still much to be done.  Let's not lose sight.

Just remember, you're blessed beyond measure.  Every single day is a day you should treasure.

You see this little man?  His parents tried to trick him and act like they were giving him a banana for his birthday.  This was his reaction.  If only we could all be as excited.  It's the little things people!  I love this kid!

Finally, I understand little things are the most important in life.

No beauty shines brighter than that of a good heart.

I'm a big fan of people being exactly who they are.

I always find beauty in things that are odd and imperfect.  They are much more interesting.

"Don't wake up in the morning and say 'I don't know what I'm fighting for, so I'm not going to fight.' Just keep fighting and it will reveal itself." - Jared Padalecki

I've come to the realization that the only way I am going to be "smoking hot" is by being cremated.

A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected.