What I promised myself at 8 years old...

This was me....20 years ago.

3rd Grade Picture

I guess you can say I was pretty fashion forward with my red, black and white polka dots dress.  We were on the brink of the 90's and well...I had to look "sharp" for picture day.  I loved dressing up.  Especially with  my shiny buckle black shoes.  My smile was a little weird and lets just say Ma wasn't to happy with my curious looking ummmm........look.  This picture brings back so many memories though but, most of all it brings back a bible verse that my mother and father used to tell to say.  I wasn't really good in the subject of Math....well not good at all.  It just wasn't my thing.  Reading and Spelling I was the "Best" but, Math was the pits.  So, as usual I would have to have my brother check my math  homework to make sure things were correct.   I remember I had a Math quiz and I got the worst grade possible on  D-/E.(We got E's not F's...still not getting that but okay)

It hurt me to my core.  I thought I had the right answers, we went over the time tables over and over again.  I just couldn't do it.  I couldn't do it.  I had to show one of my parents my bad grade on my quiz because you know, you had to have at least one of the parents sign it so they know you did bad on your quiz.  So, I relutantly showed to my mother.  I remember she looked at the paper, looked at me and than looked at the paper again.  I felt dumber than ever when she did that and I started crying.  I told her I just can't do it.  I just can't.  Its too hard!  She silently signed the quiz and told me to go get my Bible.

So, tears streaming down my cheeks uncontrollable I went in my room and found my little Red bible.  I came back with it, hiccuping and all from crying so hard.  She told me to turn to Philippians 4:13.  Thanks to Sunday school bible study every Sunday, I knew where Philippians was in the bible.  She told me to read it out loud to her.  And I did.  She told to read it again and I did. 
(For those who may not know Philippians 4:13 in the Kings James Version says-I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.)
It was strong verse.  Verse that I kept in my memory bank for so long.  So, many people use the word can't.  I can't. do this or I can't really do the things that I want to do.  Because well....its human nature.  We back away from things that aren't routine or seem like some pipe dream.  We listen to naysayers because well....we often "naysay" ourselves.  But, if we took out "can't" out of all languages...I mean literally ban the word.  I think we could achieve some pretty powerful things in our lives.

So, what did I promise myself at 8 years old?  That I would never say can't Ever again.  Have I stuck to that promise? No. haha! But, honestly that moment is something that I can look back on and sayto that this little girl pictured at the top....I promise her that I would  never use "can't" as an excuse to set out to be what God intended me to be.

Love life and live it's fullest....the way God intended it to be.

-Robie.

My Family Circa 1985

Counting your blessings...

Family is always there when you need them. In good times and in bad, we are there for each other. This year in particular with millions of job losses, cut salaries, foreclosures, bankruptcies and rising costs of health care, my family had managed to pull through. No job losses or foreclosures amongst us. My pop was able to retire comfortably this year and I started Graduate School along with keeping my own job. We are all in good health and there's not a day that goes by that I don't take the time to Thank God for watching over us. Sometimes we over look our blessings and we tend to ask for more. Or ask why me? I do it all the time. I get feverishly frantic when things don't go my way or the way that I planned. But that's life. It's not planned, it just happens. So, in 2010, entering new decade: Take time to enjoy your blessings, your family, your loved ones, the ones that are in your corner no matter what.

Happy Early New Year!
Love,
Robin