Its day two of the Lent Season and this year I’ve decided to give up sweets and snacks, to fast and pray, and get my health and diet back on track.  To make this achievable, I’m going to take three approaches: making my own snacks and desserts, participating in the Daniel Fast and giving the Raw Foods Diet another shot.

Snack-tastic!

This is going to be tough because I love snacks.  Sweet snacks, savory snack, my snacks, your snack, his snacks, her snacks…I love snacks! And, that’s the problem.  They are my go to “food” which isn’t good for my waistline.  Overdoing it is bad, but the sugar and sodium is worse.  They are both usually high in the good tasting, red dye #40 laced treats.  Instead of denying myself a snack by going cold turkey, I’m going to make my own. 

Using healthy recipes, I’m planning to make snacking health-ful & tasty.  Not convinced?  Need some examples?  Ok, how about 94% fat free popcorn spiced up with herbs and seasoning, or sprinkled with a little cheese.  I especially like it with a little cayenne pepper on it.  And I mean a little.  If you use too much, you’ll be coughing your head off every time you pop some in your mouth.  You do not want that.

I’ve also been making dehydrated apple and banana slices that everyone in the house seems to like.  I can’t make them fast enough.  They’re perfect for travelling, that 3:00 munchie attack, snack when in my night class, and the really ripe fruit doesn’t go to waste.  That, my friend, is a win-win.

Daniel Fast

I’m also going to be apart of the Daniel Fast. This fast is based on Daniel 10:2, 3 in which Daniel fasted and prayed for 3 weeks eating only fruits, veggies.  It was during this time that he received a vision and the revelation that explained it. 

  ² At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. ³ I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.

What better time than this to get clarity in a few areas of my world.  So, what can I eat?  As Monique put it, “you can’t eat anything that has a mother.”  Sounds fun right?  Yeah, well my mental and physical health says that it will be.   If you think about it, this is basically calling for a vegetarian diet for three weeks.  I have enough cookbooks and recipes on hand to keep this interesting.  I won’t be doing this alone, which is always good for staying on track, and I plan to get going tonight with Black Bean and Vegetable Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce.  Sounds so good, I can’t wait to taste it.

 Living Foods Diet

This is also referred to as the Raw Foods Diet.  You’ve heard me talk about this before when I took a raw foods class with Krista.  It’s not as gross as it sounds, and no you’re not eating raw meat (it’s not allowed on the fast anyway!).  You are actually eating fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds and sprout, but in their raw state.  That means no cooking and no temps higher than 118 degrees (getting mixed info on this one) when using the food dehydrator. 

I gave this a try last summer and lasted about 2 weeks.  I felt great and my skin glowed.  Then I got a nasty summer cold from all the running around and went back to my Standard American Diet (SAD).  At the time, I was trying to do it 100%, but this time I’m going to incorporate it into the meal rotation and work my way up. 

That’s it!  Sounds challenging, but I’m going to do my best to stay the course.  I’ll post some of the foods I’m making so you can give them a try as well.  Most importantly, I'm looking forward to clearing the mental clutter and getting back on a healthier path.

What sacrifice are you making this Lent Season?  Let me know in the comments below.

Tonight is the final for my Gospels & Acts class, and the official close of the semester.  In three short months, I have learned so much in and outside of the classroom.  Here are a few things that have really stayed with me.

• Finding balance is a constant progression, and distractions will keep me from my purpose.
• I’m not a horrible student.
• When I get out of God’s way, I can be pretty awesome.
• I can worship God through scholarship.  Never thought about this before, but I can offer up our academic life to God as a form of worship.  It does make me look at things differently.  Thank you Prof. Catherine Williams.  I will take your little nuggets with me.
• I have to be careful who I align yourself with.  Through a very strange situation with a classmate, God showed me that I don’t have to go along to get along.  If a situation, thing or person is out of alignment (or out of order in this case), I don’t need to be apart of the amen choir and back-up their chaos.  Especially if it’s something I don’t agree with.
• Some see going through the Master of Divinity program as a means to an end and they set out to complete it in as little time as possible.  This reminds me of something else Prof. Williams said this semester.  “It may be God’s will that you are here, but you also need to do it God’s way.”  Overloading yourself with a full-time work schedule, full-time grad school schedule, and a family may not be the most wise of choices to make.
• Digging deeper into the Word is fascinating and mind-blowing.
• The Gospels were not written 1,000s of years after the resurrection of Christ.  They were written within the first generation of those who walked with Him and are based on eyewitness accounts. Period!
• “True faith is not a leap into the dark. It’s a step into the light.”  Thank you, Dr. Keener.
• There are just as many scholars spending their lives trying to disprove the accounts of Jesus as there are those bringing forth the truth.
• Spiritual warfare is not a joke, a myth or to be taken lightly.
• “If God sends you somewhere, you don’t have to worry about being qualified to fulfill the task. God will qualify you!”  Thank you, Bishop Gilbert Coleman Jr.  I will stop thinking and saying anything that resembles the opposite of that thought.
• I will meet people from all walks of life and they will each bring something different to my life.  And, I will bring something to their life in return.
• Prayer is a powerful thing, but I don’t need to receive it from those who are in “position” to pray over my new journey. I can pray over my own circumstance and have God’s blessing upon me.  It’s also the people who know my spiritual journey, old and new, and pray me through it all that are the real blessings in my life.  (Thanks Auntie. I love you!)

I can only describe this semester as being the start of scales being removed from my eyes.  Honestly. It’s like I’ve change my seat and the view is so different from where I’m sitting now.  It was a challenging semester, but I approached it with humility and openness which I believe helped me to not see it as burden worthy of panic.  Rather, it was a step out of the darkness and into the light. 

What a wonderful day I had at Union Baptist Church! On June 6th, I was one of 26 people honored as an Everyday Hero. What is an Everyday Hero? I’m glad you asked. An Everyday Hero is someone who is out doing wonderful things to help their families, communities, churches, schools, etc.  And, I gotta tell you, there were some extraordinary people being honored that Sunday afternoon.

I was honored for being a support and caregiver to my mother during her journey with breast cancer and, during that time, doing the same for my father during his medical situations. It was a tough and long three years, but we’ve all come out on the other side better than ever.

I was also happy I was able to share the day with my Aunt Gloria and friend Charles. Thanks for coming out!

I was asked for a brief bio to be added to the program and I wrote something that didn’t really speak to why I was being honored. Well, lucky for me, the person announcing me and giving me my award we none other than Marlene Johnson, the mother of my best friend. I stood at the podium waiting have her read what was in the program. Poised, dignified and smiling.  Unbeknownst to me, she wrote some completely different because she knew my story. It caught me completely off-guard and before I knew it, the tears were running down my cheeks.  I’m telling you, going through something and hearing about what you’ve done from someone else is an emotional and humbling experience.

I was presented with a certificate, a beautifully framed poem entitled Everyday Hero, and beautiful brooch. Great gifts  right?!

I wanted to again say thank you to Union Baptist Church for honoring me with such an awesome award and letting me be apart of such a special day. I also want to congratulate all of my fellow award winners. We looked great in our red and white!

The news of the earthquake that rocked Haiti this week has been dominating the news.  It’s on every station, almost around the clock.  The devastation is so great and far reaching, it hard for me to watch for more than one story or two. 

It brings back memories of helpless watching as Katrina devoured New Orleans and the Gulf coast.  I felt that there was nothing I could do.  I mean, I’m just one person and this needed a major movement of people to turn this around. 

Then I realized something.  It’s not always about being in the thick of the battle, sometimes is about making sure the trucks has something to go into them, to take to the survivors.  Sometimes it’s about giving of your time and hands to help get things collected, sorted and packed.  Sometimes, the little things you put into motion can transform into something that’s is beyond you.

So, this time, in my effort to help, I’m compiling information that you can use to get the word out, check on loved ones or make a donation.  The list will continue to grow as I find new links and information.

Keep the people and country of Haiti in your prayers, but also, help where you can.

Ways You Can Help:

• U.S. Department of State Hotline
  • The State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747 (due to heavy volume, some callers may receive a recording). Our embassy is still in the early stages of contacting American Citizens through our Warden Network. Communications are very difficult within Haiti at this time.
• Skip the latte & donate $5
  • Wyclef has a text donation set up for Haiti. Text YELE to 501501 to donate $5 for Haiti Earthquake relief. It’s automatically added to phone bill.  You can stay updated with the organization at http://www.yele.org/
• Donate locally
  • Join in the efforts to bring supplies to the Haiti people by finding a local organization or church and making a donation.  They are in desperate need of food, water, clothes, bandages, water, socks, underwear, etc.  If you don’t have the money to buy what’s needed, you can always donate your time.  This will be a big push in a lot of communities and I’m sure the extra body of help would be welcomed.
• UPS Provides FREE SHIPPING to Haiti 
  • Service to Haiti suspended; UPS provides aid Service Update UPS is providing financial support and emergency logistics assistance to help survivors of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. We are working with relief organizations to transport much needed supplies and food to the area. If you wish to donate to the relief efforts, UPS encourages you to work directly with the following organizations: The American Red Cross – www.redcross.org CARE – www.care.org UNICEF – www.unicef.org

    UPS is not accepting shipments from individuals or local organizations due to the logistics challenges in Haiti. Service will resume as soon as conditions allow. Shipments to Haiti made prior to the earthquake are temporarily being held at UPS facilities in Miami.

    The UPS package guarantee does not apply when transportation networks are disrupted.

Do what you can, but please, if you can, do something.  Even the smallest things add up to something greater.  As the saying goes, many hands make light the work.  Lend yours today.

Another year. Another decade.  Another opportunity to face challenges, dreams and to just plain get it right.  As usual, I didn’t set any new year resolutions.  I figure I know what I need to do, I just need to get off my butt and get it done.  And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing lately.

Busy, busy, busy…

The end of 2009 had me busy writing, knitting, cleaning and reconnecting.  No, I haven’t finally finished editing the 3rd draft of my novel.  But, I have written 2 free aromatherapy email courses.  So, still writing, just not in the genre I’ve been living in.

I’ve been knitting all those Christmas wraps and scarves and didn’t give them to the intended giftees.  I did a holiday craft show in December (my first show in 3 years) and decided to take all of the gifts I knitting to the show.  The plan was to sell the knits for the Team Millie Mil Race for the Cure fundraiser.  It was a great way to get it kicked off and rolling.  Well, that plan flopped, especially since I put next to a woman who crocheted hat and scarf sets.  It wasn’t the fault of the organizers.  They know me as the aromatherapy and shea butter lady.  The fundraiser was a last minute idea.  <sigh>

Instead of holding on to them, I gave them out to co-workers as gifts.  They know I knit, but have never received any knit treasures from me.  I surprised them all with a scarf and the response was priceless.  The look of appreciation of their faces was the best gift for me.

Winter Cleaning

That takes care of knitting and writing, now we’ll move on to the mountain I have to move.  When I say mountain, I mean mountain.  I have accumulated so much in my business and personal lives that it’s time to really let things go.  I’m not going through the task of cleaning out all of my crap stuff.  I have a lot of business inventory I need to sell and personal items I need to donate or trash.  It will probably take me all winter, but when I’m done, I’ll be done.

Another good thing, when it’s all done I’m having a major clearance sale.  I’ll keep you posted about that.

Saying Hello Again

2009/2010 has also offered up opportunities to reconnect with old friends.  I have yet to make a few phone calls, but it’s great to have at least connected over facebook (forcing me to visit more often than my usual every 3 months).  This month I plan to make those phone calls and catch up to those who have added a light in my life in one way or another. 

Journey Ahead

I’m really looking for all that 2010 will offer.  I know it will be a year filled with changes and blessings.  I know it, because I can feel it.  And, when I feel it, I become more and more excited about it.  Here’s to a great year!