Stuff We Talk About

Although my mother went home to be with the Lord, she told me something years ago that I will never forget. I want to pass on the same...

By Vernalee Written by Lionel Richie, "Jesus is Love" has powerful lyrics. A song of my generation, it shows that God uses various methods to deliver his message. You can receive a heart felt message from a number of sources; music being one. In the 1970’s, this song found its way into my spirit. It moves me now just as much as it did then. A few years ago, it was played at an ominous time that I will never forget … which is why when I hear the song now, the memory of that

By Vernalee Grateful. Thankful. Blessed. Every day that we wake and breathe the fresh morning air is a blessing. Each day gives us another opportunity to enjoy life; to realize dreams; to perfect our skills; to do what we want to do - and enjoy doing; to love and be loved; to be a better person; to help someone along the way...to live life to the fullest! Every day has its own unique beauty. You can either wallow in misery or enjoy the pleasures. The latter is the best alte

By Vernalee It’s Black Friday! Will you be standing in the crowded lines and driving in congested traffic jams? Where are you going? Walmart, Target, Macy’s, Kohl’s.. .? Humorously, it's a misnomer. Black Friday should be called Green Friday. From the consumer’s hands, those green dollar bills start running like water . Kicking off the Christmas spending season, it is considered the biggest shopping day of the year. Stores discount prices that they have escalated all yea

By Vernalee Happy Thanksgiving! As we cook, bless the food, and enjoy the day off, it is a joyous time of reflections. Oh yes … Thanksgiving is more than a day of the huge feast – turkey, ham, dressing, cakes, and pies. Though the delectable food is yummy to our tummies! It’s more than a day of parades and countless football games. It is a day to be thankful – thankful for life, loved ones, family, friends, blessings, and the amenities of living! Recognized as one of the bus

As we countdown the days to Thanksgiving, I thought that I would share a story or two. We all have our holiday stories buried somewhere in our memories. Well this one places me in my hometown, Glen Allan, Mississippi many years ago. Anyway, my Mother short of taking me across her knee really chastised me upon discovering that I had not taught my daughter, her namesake, the basic essentials of cooking. I remember her words to this day when she said, "It's a down right sha

By Vernalee The admonition to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes means before judging someone, you must understand his/her experiences, challenges, etc. In effect, it is a reminder to practice empathy; to put yourself in their shoes. Truly, it is only then that you will understand their situation. Stop judging. Start understanding. See life from their perspective. Have compassion. It will make you a better person … every step of the way! Photo credit: the abundantmystic

By Vernalee The above phrase means “that you shouldn't doubt yourself just because you're not good at a specific thing. Focus on what you're good at” and conquer that. Work on the other things. Practice makes perfect. Stay at it. You may even surprise yourself! It’s amazing when we reflect at those things that we once could not do or were afraid to try … that we now have mastered. Our preserverance paid off!

By Vernalee This song engulfs your soul. It's powerful message moves your spirit. The more we do the works of the Lord, the better off we are. To see things through God's lens gives us a wholesome perspective. It teaches us so much about sacrifices, love, and forgiveness. That is why we pray, sing, and ask the Lord to “open the eyes of our hearts” so that we can see him and his good works. Sometimes, we miss what is right before our eyes! We worship you Lord and give etern