What brings you happiness? What is one word that can describe what has entered your life and changed it so much???? Many would say when I have the home I want, financial security, or the love of their lives. I use to say all those things as well. Until, I found something more valuable that material things, money, and man (male or female) couldn’t compare to. You already think you know my answer huh? Some of you have guessed God. Good answer! But you’re wrong. Now before you go throwing holy oil on me or planning to throw me on an alter, think about this. When did he leave me? My God never forsakes me or leaves me. Even when I was in the midst of my sin he was there protecting and speaking to me, although I may have ignored the little voices that warns me of my wrong doing. Well what sin was I doing that I ignored the spirit? Anything that isn’t of God to me is a sin. Quick to anger, impure thoughts, or even a turn of the head to a person of need that may ask for some spare change. Come on now, you all have seen and done it. Though I do better now at giving those that need, even when they don’t ask because it could have been me down and out. About the impure thoughts, God knows I try to stay away from firemen, and men with English accents. 

Back to what has made me look back on my past failures and think of them as lessons, what sparks my soul and gives me my smile. What has given Lartrice her happiness back and what is that one word that is often said but not understood how importance it is to have? PEACE!!! And yes, with God there is peace. Once I said, “I give up, I don’t know what I am doing wrong, please take this and help me find me.” I was instantly released. I remember as I was sitting in my car in Atlanta, April 26, 2015. This was supposed to be my spa get-away, my me time. I had so much confusion, pain, frustration and I was tired. Everything that I was going through, all the mistakes I had made, disappointments from people, trying to maintain being a good mother, work, school and dealing with the death of someone that I couldn’t imagine life without…I was headed for someone’s psychiatric ward. How many of you know that when you are going through, asking “what else can go wrong,” only invites more spiritual warfare in your life. That one last straw that broke the camel’s back actually pushed me to my breakthrough. I have PEACE EVERYDAY! Of course I still have things going on, BUT GOD! I know that there is an instruction manual, and I have found the recipe, and I am not changing books. Find your PEACE. And when you find your peace, you’ll find forgiveness, hope and ultimately change! I’M NOT WHERE I NEED TO BE, BUT I AM NOT WHERE I WAS YESTERDAY. Much love and blessings from me to you.    

 

 

 

It has always been a part of me to be easy-going, fulfilled, and eventually submissive when I got older. It took practically 30 years for me to realize that I didn’t know the person in the mirror.  From the outside I smiled and people saw a happy carefree and loving person. But the question I asked myself was who was I? So many years I have been everything for everyone else and that was a part of me just being me. That was not only my situation for all those years, but for many of you also. Today I can stand in the mirror and smile. With a considerable amount of gray in my hair, I am in a joyous relationship with the person in the mirror. She is kind, loving, forgiving, spontaneous, but mostly God-fearing. Although total transformation hasn’t taken place yet, the cocoon I am in I am changing what matters the most. MY THOUGHTS! Your thoughts can dictate what mood you are in, and you can SPEAK love, life and prosperity in your life!!

I can’t speak for anyone else but myself and I was truly one that relied highly on someone else telling me what I should do next, my worth, and I never felt the love that I gave out. No, I never wanted the material things, but pure love and friendship that I gave out. Unfortunately, the ones I thought would always be there for me, or the ones I held dearest to my heart, disappointed me in ways that would break the average person. I can remember the moment where someone walked out of my life, erased me from their memory as if I was not a part of their lives for so many years, and all I could think of was “do you know what I have done to make you happy?” At that moment, I was free. Remember, I am blessed yet cursed to be a forgiving person… so I felt my burdens lifted and although the pain remained with me for a while, I found a way to let them go. It takes one step at a time. When something you have been doing for years seems to become a way of life for you to let go and you decide you deserve better.

Today, I have been blessed abundantly with more than I can imagine. I have more PEACE, JOY, and BETTER UNDERSTANDING of who I AM! One thing you have to do in this day and time is continue to pray for those that hurt, misuse and abuse you. Pray for their souls! Pray that they prosper, that they go back to school, and that they are the best mothers or fathers to their children! I am still a believer that if you ever loved someone you never stopped loving them when you part ways, but you love them enough to let them go so YOU can grow!  Before I close I want to tell you one thing that I still see happening that can slow your process of growth. DON’T allow ANYONE to tell you your YESTERDAY is how you are TODAY! Every day we can change, no matter our history, we can CHANGE daily for the better of ourselves!

 “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” ~Albert Einstein

 

It’s been a while since I’ve had chance to reconnect with “my time.” Writing without being paid and just allowing the words to tumble out of the many thoughts that are going on in my head seems to have become a task that I can never get to these days. However, I am here now and just to give you some words of encouragement to lift your burdens with hope of a better you for today and days to come. So sit back and be ready to chat with me on these beautiful fall days that are coming so quickly.
Until than, Blessings…