Jane's Song

This month, I almost said farewell to my Happiness Project. What was supposed to be a month full of doing the things I love (baking, reading and playing those ivory keys) it turned out to be a month of disaster. Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. 

I finally sat down at the piano last week and played “Jane’s Song” over and over and over again.

As I played, I realized that I can’t quit. I’m not a quitter. Regardless of all the disappointments I faced this month, I’m determined to finish this project and to push through all my challenges.

"Jane's Song" is my absolute favourite song to play - mainly because it reminds me of my late Grandmother. Every time I play it, it’s as if I’m having a conversation with her. I tell her all my problems and she tells me that everything is going to be alright.

 Weird, huh? I know but that’s what I get from this song. It’s my “go to” song anytime I’m feeling down or confused. This song brings me joy, comfort and peace all at the same time.

Here’s “Jane’s Song” by Christopher Norton for your listening pleasure.

Name a song or two that uplifts your Spirit.

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

  

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)

Where were you?

In the wake of a celebrity death or any sort of tragedy, I always remember where I was and what I was doing when I learned of the deaths of Princess Diana, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and the terrorist attacks on 9/11.

I know I’m not the only one. I’ve often heard of people telling me about their whereabouts when they got the news of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, or the death of Robin Williams, John Ritter and James Avery.

As morbid as this post may be, here’s a recount of where I was when learning about the deaths/terrorist attack for the following:

Princess Diana, Princess of Wales

I was combing one of my sisters’ hair and watching television when a news flash interrupted our show. Princess Diana and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed were in a serious car accident with life threatening injuries.

I didn’t think much of it. I said a quick prayer for them and hoped for a speedy recovery.

The next morning while listening to CFRB 1010, they announced that Princess Diana, her boyfriend and their driver had died.

The news was one of shock and disbelief. 

Sunday, August 31, 1997, the “People’s Princess” was no longer with us.

9/11

I was heading home from Humber College when I decided to make a quick stop at Scarborough Town Centre. I was passing Foot Locker when I stopped to watch reruns of the terrorist attacks on the North and South Towers of the World Trade Centre.

I rushed home to find my Mom and siblings glued to the television as they watched the events of that day. We spent hours watching footage of the worst terrorist attack in history.

That night I couldn’t sleep. For days I wondered if Toronto would be next.

Michael Jackson, The King of Pop

I was at work when I heard that Michael Jackson was taken to hospital for cardiac arrest.

I was in the middle of a lesson when my ex interrupted me to tell me the bad news - Michael Jackson had died.

As soon as I finished that lesson, I went on the internet to confirm.

Thursday, June 25, 2009 – the King of Pop had died.

Whitney Houston, The Voice of an Angel

I was at a Valentine’s Day banquet when one of my friends told me that Whitney Houston had died. I laughed and told her to stop lying. She showed me her facebook page where many were mourning the loss of Whitney.

Saturday, February 11, 2012, the world lost a woman who could sing like no other.

What celebrity death(s) or tragic event(s) will you never forget?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)

A dose of patience

How many of you like to practice patience? I sure don’t. When I pray, I expect God to answer my requests immediately. When He doesn’t, I often times take matters into my own hands and regret it later on.

You would think we’d learn the art of patience after messing up one or two times but we don’t. The problem is, we like to be in control of our lives. We like to do things our way.

Unfortunately, our way is not always God’s way. When we pray, we must have faith that God will answer our prayers when the timing is right and if it’s in line with His will. 

“When you are tempted to lose patience with God, remember how patient God has been with you”

The key to being patient is having a good attitude while waiting. So even if God takes one month, six months or even five years to answer your prayer, be patient with Him. He knows what’s best.

Being patient with God also requires us trusting in Him.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths”

~ Proverbs 3:5, 6

Anytime I grow weary of waiting on God, I always go back to the one scripture that has brought me through some of the most challenging times in my life:

“But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint”

~Isaiah 40:31

In the midst of waiting on God to answer your prayers, remember that “good things come to those that wait but better things come to those that are patient”.

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :) 

My Pastor, My Friend

With Father’s Day on Sunday, I thought it would be fitting to pay tribute to my Spiritual Father – Pastor Audley Castro.

I’ve known Pastor for the past 23 years. I didn’t get to know him until I started attending the Apostolic Pentecostal Church (APC) in 2005.

I have never had a Pastor who cares so much for his congregation. He is always putting the needs of others –whether it’s the saints or the community – before his own.

He is always willing to give his last dime towards anything Kingdom related.

Once you get to know him, I think you would agree with me when I say he’s one of the most down to earth men around.

On a more personal note, next to my Dad, Pastor Castro is my biggest supporter. No matter what idea I’ve come to him with, he has always jumped on board with me while offering to help in any way he can.

No matter how many times I’ve messed up, Pastor has never judged me or talked down to me. He has always taken the time to pray with me while giving me a scripture or two to mediate on.

He has always encouraged me to be the best person I can be, to always put my trust in God and to keep on smiling.

This past Sunday, Pastor spoke about how we can be difference makers in the lives of others. One thing he said that stood out to me was, "In order to be a difference maker, you must have an interest and passion for what you're doing". 

Pastor Castro is the biggest difference maker I know. He takes his role of Pastor very seriously. 

Like I mentioned earlier, Pastor has a deep love for the saints of APC and the community. He wants nothing more than to see every soul that enters our church doors saved. 

While many Pastors today are preaching about prosperity, Pastor continues to preach on how one can be saved and enter the Kingdom of God.

While many Pastors today are lowering their standards just so that they can keep their church members, Pastor continues to preach Holiness.

My prayer is that God will continue to use Pastor Castro and that He will continue to bless him and his family.

Happy Fathers Day to the best Pastor in the whole entire world!

What do you love the most about your Pastor?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)

Racism will always exist

In the Summer of ’97 or ’98, I was looking for a second part time job. I remember looking through the Scarborough Mirror and saw an ad for an Italian Bakery close to where I lived. They were looking for someone to help with cash and help serve customers. I decided to apply since I had some bakery experience from working at Dominion (now Metro).

I went the following day and had a quick interview with the Manager. She asked me about my experience and told me that she would get back to me.

As I was leaving, something told me to turn around. As I did, I caught her placing my resume on top of a cupboard – high enough for her to forget that it was even there.

My heart sank. 

I wanted to cry. 

Before I left, I looked at the staff she had hired. They were all Italian. 

Why did she bother interviewing me if she knew she wasn't going to hire a black person?

Too bad I didn’t have enough guts back then because I would have taken back my resume and called her a racist to her face.

Up until that point in my life, I had never experienced racism like that.

Toronto is said to be the most multicultural city in the world with over 200 ethnic groups but still racism exists. 

When hiring, employers always talk about wanting to give everyone an “equal opportunity”. HA! Don’t be fooled. They’re only going through the motions. They already know the type of person they’re looking for and probably hired them already.

I don’t care how multicultural this city is, racism will never go away. The world will always be divided. That’s just the way it is and we’ve just got to accept it.

What was your first racism experience?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)

Summertime means Vacation time (I think!)

Guess what? There are only 18 more days until Summer!!! Time to book some vacation time and head to your favourite destination spot for some R&R. 

Aren’t you excited? Well, I guess that would depend on where you live and how much paid vacation time you’re entitled to.

If you live in Canada (like me) we’re only entitled to 10 days of paid vacation plus 8 paid holidays (give or take a few - depending on which province you live in). 

Two weeks out of fifty-two weeks a year? Absolutely ridiculous. No wonder so many of us are stressed out, depressed and losing our minds. We don’t have enough vacation days to unwind and enjoy life.

While I was browsing to see which countries offered the most vacation days (including paid holidays), I was shocked – but not shocked – to see that Canada didn’t make any of the lists.

If I had the money, I’d consider moving to one of these countries:

7 Australia –  28 paid vacation days (20 vacation days + 8 paid holidays)

6 Ireland – 29 paid vacation days (20 vacation days + 9 paid holidays)

5 Italy – 31 paid vacation days (20 vacation days + 11 paid holidays)

4 Spain – 34 paid vacation days (22 vacation days + 12 paid holidays)

3 France – 38 paid vacation days (30 vacation days + 8 paid holidays)

2 Sweden – 41 paid vacation days (25 vacation days + 16 paid holidays)

1 Brazil – 41 paid vacation days (30 vacation days + 11 paid holidays)

To my fellow Canadians, be thankful for your ten paid vacation days because our American neighbours get a BIG FAT ZERO! Based on every article I’ve read, the only time off they get are their holidays (another reason why I would never move to the States!).

Since many of us can’t afford to relocate to any of the countries listed above, enjoy your ten days of vacation. 

Happy Summer when it comes!

Do you think that every country should have the same amount of paid vacation days? Why?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)

Hands off...He's married!

He tells you that he loves you.

He wines and dines you.

He promises you the world you’ve always dreamed of.

There’s only one problem – he’s married.

He says that he doesn’t love his wife anymore. The only reason he’s still in his marriage is for the sake of his children. He keeps promising that he’s going to leave her for you.

Six months pass. Nine months pass. One year passes and he’s still married.

I don’t know if I should feel sympathetic or disgusted with women who date married men.

On second thought…I’m disgusted. What’s wrong with these women? They deserve to be #1 in their Man’s life – not number 5, 6 or 7 next to his wife and kids.

I know of too many women who have gone down this path and ended up with their hearts broken.

Ladies, never put your life on hold for a married man. He’s NEVER going to leave his wife and kids for you.

Real men don’t disrespect their wives by having an affair.

You know what they say, “once a cheater, always a cheater”.

Remember, the wife always wins in these types of situations and the mistress is always the loser.

Do yourself a favour – find yourself a nice single man. You deserve to be the only woman in his life. You deserve the best because you’re worth it!

Why do you think woman continue to fall for married men?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)

My Happiness Project: Doing the things I love

It’s June which means I’m halfway through my Happiness Project!

Last month’s resolution was Family & Friends: to spend more time with the people I love. My highlight was hosting a Pancake Breakfast for some of my friends. We ate, we laughed and we ate some more. I’ll definitely have to host another before the Summer ends.

I’m looking forward to hosting a Dessert Night at the end of this month.

June’s resolution is Doing the things I love: Read, Bake & Play. I’m way behind in my reading and super behind in my baking and have a long list of songs that I’ve been meaning to learn. There just never seems to be enough time in the day to do it all.

In addition to that, I have a ton of bags full of pictures that have been collecting dust for years. This month I’m going to finally sort them out and create photo albums. 

I’m also going to print all of my pictures that are stored on my phone and computer and create albums for them too. I’ve lost way too many pictures that were stored on these devices. I can’t afford to lose anymore memories.

What resolutions have you made for this month?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)