Be Inspired by Miss Stone

Today, I had a chat with my sister and close family members and while we were laughing and discussing things, it came to my attention that some people are too involved in the lives of others. They do not concentrate on their own lives; instead, they examine the deeds of others and find fault with everything they do. They fail to see that by doing this, they do not learn anything. They do not gain anything in any way. Instead, they lack something in their lives. I have mentioned it before, I love quotes, I love words, and I get lost in them. I find inspiration in all kinds of words, from all kinds of people. Some of my favourite quotes come from Tupac Shakur. So while I was being informed about the pathetic things that people were saying about me and others close to me, a beautiful quote came to mind. ‘It’s like if you plant something in the concrete and if it grows and the rose petals got all kinda scratches and marks, you ain’t gonna say, “Damn, look at all the scratches and...

“When there are a million people telling you no, that’s okay. All you need is a yes from God.” I was watching a Tyler Perry movie tonight and that line stuck with me. And that is all I want to share with you. People will not always support you; they will not always believe in you, they will not always encourage you. But if you have encouragement from God, if He gives you the go ahead, then you are good to go. That is the only approval you need. It is the only approval you will ever need. All we need is a yes from God, and then everything else will fall into place.

I am grateful. I am blessed beyond measure. I celebrated my birthday yesterday with my loved ones by my side. It was a day to remember. So today I just want to say thank you to the Lord for blessing me. I am a year older and most certainly wiser. The obstacles I have overcome in this past year have all strengthened me. I am strong because of Him. Thank You for Life and the opportunity to live. I am proud to be called Daughter of the Most High. So here's a toast to Life. I look forward to all the adventures and even the obstacles ahead. I know I was not built to break. Look after yourselves and have a blessed Easter weekend. Take Care Miss Stone

I love rainy days. Days like today. I love them. The air seems so much cleaner. I inhale it and I feel alive. I feel alive. Rain has a cleansing effect. It falls down to the Earth and wipes all the dirt away. It penetrates the ground and works its way through every soil granule and blade of grass it can find. It leaves its mark on everything it touches. It cleanses. And then, it makes way for growth. That is what rain does. It touches the Earth and makes flowers grow, it makes grass green, and it nourishes and feeds so that growth can take place. And after the rain has stopped, the dark clouds that once threatened are gone, and it leaves us with a beautiful rainbow and the sun that eventually makes its way through the clouds. After the rain, growth takes place and the sun does eventually shine again. And in our lives, it works basically the same way. The dark clouds arise in the form of our problem and obstacles, chasing the sun away. They chase our joy away. They hover in our s...

I am an almost 27 year old woman. A tall woman. Ever since I can remember, I was always the girl who stood at the back in all the class pictures, right in the centre, because I was always taller than everyone else. I was the girl who intimidated the other girls and boys, not because I was mean or a bully, but because I was always so tall. My first day of school, my parents took pictures of me outside in the garden. I came across one of those pictures and I was surprised to see the size of my calves. They were pretty, but they were also big. Exceptionally big for a 7 year old Grade 1 girl. The picture made me smile. My big calves made me smile. All through primary school I was the tall girl. In high school, to my delight, the boys started growing. This made me happy. Finally, there were boys who were my size. Finally there were boys who could look me in the eyes and not look up to me, literally. Finally, I did not feel like the tall one who everyone found intimidating. I felt like a ...

Pride.  It is defined as a ‘high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct etc.’  It is good to be proud. We all have reason to be proud. We perform exceptionally well in school, or we receive a promotion at work, and this is reason to be proud. We work hard, we put our all into tasks and we feel good when we receive recognition. So, we are allowed to be proud. Our conduct has given us enough reason to be proud.  However, be proud and move on. Do not hold onto that pride. We need to humble ourselves again in order to grow and learn.  Sometimes, when it comes to love and friendship and basic relations with others, we allow our pride to take over. Pride can sometimes cause us to lose precious things. Precious people too. Sometimes pride is all we have left when we have lost those who are important to us. And even then, what good does it do us? Like e...

Today, a friend of mine sent me a beautiful message that read "I just feel I have to say this to you... You are a blessing. You may not realize the impact you have in people's lives (the blog for instance) but you do! Many may not like you, but to those who do, you are an amazing gift to have. Keep on doing what you do best! #TeamToya." Right there, with those words, I was silenced. I am in awe. I still cannot wrap my head around those words without thinking it was meant for someone else. Could someone really think that highly of me? That I am an amazing gift to have? And for a while, I sat and thought about this. Until I realized that it is possible. People can think that highly of me. The devil is a liar. He wants us to feel worthless. But we are worthy! We need to stop second guessing ourselves and embrace the good vibrations. We need to cast out seeds of doubt and plant seeds of hope and faith. We are worthy! Today, I want to thank Nadine Saila for reminding me th...

My sister. Her name is Zenobia. She is one of my reasons for breathing. When I was younger, she was always an inspiration (although I would never admit it). I looked up to her, not because of what she had or the clothes she wore. I looked up to her because of who she was and who she still is. She is one of the kindest people I know. There are many times we would walk into a place and people would greet her with a huge smile and just give me a nasty look. I can handle it now, I couldn't back then. But I realize now that my sister just has that warmth and positive energy that draws people to her. I, on the other hand, seem to have the opposite effect. And that warmth is what has drawn me to her. Even when she gave me pepper to eat every time I cursed when I was little, I was still drawn to her. Today, we were laying on my parents bed, just like we always used to when we were younger. We made jokes, teased each other, laughed at the things our parents said and just had our silly ...

So my birthday is coming up and I think my girlfriends are more excited than I am for this day. Thinking of it all, I am happy and feel so blessed. I am a few days away from becoming a year older and certainly a year wiser. Last year was a tough one. It was one of many lessons learned and many bridges burnt. One of the most important lessons I learned was the value of friendship. Sometimes friends come and go, it is life, it happens to the best of us, but now I know how important it is to hold onto the ones that are worth keeping around. You can try and act tough and tell yourself that you do not need friends around, but that is a lie. We all need a friend or two. There are just some things that you cannot share with your parents or siblings, things that you can only share with your girlfriends. Friendship is important. So today, when I was discussing my birthday plans with the girls, I kept thinking of all the times we spent together. The times we laughed until our stomachs hurts...

Today is March 21st. It is Human Rights Day. Do you know your human rights? I certainly hope so. If not, it is best you get aquainted with them. Today, however, I would like to talk about a right of a different kind. I want to talk about a right that is not written down but that we still have. I want to talk about a right that is not always mentioned by politicians or priests or presidents, but is a right that we should still hold dear to our hearts. For our well-being. For our souls. How many times has someone said something ugly to you and you've just accepted it and walked away feeling worthless? How many times has someone made you feel less than worthy with their words? How many times have you been walked on and you did not stand up for yourself? How many times? We cannot always be quiet. Even if it is in your nature. You cannot always be quiet and allow the voices of others to be louder than your own. Sometimes you need to speak up in order to be heard. Sometim...

In life, we are given choices. There is always a choice. The choice could be simple. Yes or no.  Up or down.  Left or right. In or out. Black or white. Morning or night. Summer or winter. Long or short. Simple. Some choices are simple. Some choices, however, are not as simple. Sometimes we have to choose between right and wrong. Sink or swim. Fight or give up. Win or lose. Heal or damage. Live or die. We are always given choices in life. We just do not always make the right ones. That is not our fault though, we learn through the choices we make. We make the wrong ones so we know how to make the right ones next time. We make the wrong choices so we know how it feels to make the right ones next time. Sometimes, we have to make mistakes first in order to learn the lesson. Today, you will be faced with many choices. The choice might be simple. Write with a black or blue pen. Have lunch at midday or 1 ‘o clock. Wear pants or a dress. Go to gym or not. Those are all simple...

Last night I watched as my Mom was chatting to my cousin. They were making plans for my Aunt’s tombstone unveiling this coming weekend. My Aunt, who was a ray of sunshine and always full of energy, lost her battle to cancer in 2011. Hearing them making plans and working out the final details of the day, made me feel sad but also so grateful. I was grateful that I still had my Mother. I almost did not have her today. In December of 2003, my parents and I went to my high school for our annual Thanks Giving Mass. It was just before schools closed for the year. This was a special mass though. My friends and I all passed and would be in Grade 12 the following year. It was what we had been waiting for for years. So that night we gave thanks and went home. In the middle of the night, I was awakened by my Dad. He had a look on his face I had never seen before. He was worried. He was scared. My Father was scared. That was something I had never experienced before. He told me to get dressed; w...

We put up walls to keep people out. We try to keep them out of our world. We do this because we do not want them to see the burdens we are faced with. We do not want them to see the struggles we see. We do not want them to feel sorry for us. So, we keep them out. We keep them out of our lives and out of our problems. We keep them out so that they may think everything is fine with us. We want them to think that the world is good to us, that we have no major problems. We want them to think that we are strong enough to overcome all the trials and tribulations we face. We want them to think that we are so strong, nothing can faze us. We build walls to keep people out. We want them to think that we brave and strong. So we keep them out and hide the truth. We put on our brave faces and heavy armour, and although we feel like dying inside, we fight on our own so that no one can see us suffering. But there are things we fail to realize. When we build walls with the aim of keeping people...

Young women have lost sight of things. They are blinded by many evils. They need to remove the blinders from their eyes and realize what an honour it is to be called Women. It is an honour to be called Woman. We need to go back to the basics and instead of breaking each other down, we should build each other up. Instead of sowing hatred, we should sow seeds of love. Instead of jealousy, we should be proud when our peers do well. We have forgotten what it means to be called Women. It is an honour to be called Woman. Today, I did not want to write a page full of meaningless words. All I want to do is tell women to remember the essence of womanhood. Let us remember what our mothers and grandmothers taught us. Let us act like ladies. Let us be ladies. Let us be phenomenal women and walk with our heads held high. We are gold. It's time we realize our worth. It is an honour to be called Woman.

A tattoo is permanent. You sit there at the tattoo parlour and as soon as that machine starts buzzing and goes to work on you, you know this is something permanent that is being inked into your skin. It is something that will be seen by you and others for many years to come. You start thinking about old age and what your body will look like then. You start thinking about what exactly you are doing and if you will regret it someday. You think about whether the pain is all worth it. Then, when the buzzing stops and the final product is revealed, you are satisfied. You are happy. You are excited about this new piece of art. This piece of art that tells a story. That is what a tattoo should do. It should tell a story. I do not think there is any sense in getting something permanent inked on your body if it does not tell a story. Tattoos tell you different things. Some remind you of battles that you have fought and overcome. Other tattoos remind you of how strong you are. Some tattoo...

I was asked yesterday what makes a quote significant. My response was ‘There are a lot of things, but I think the most important is, you need to be able to relate to it.’ Then I was asked if it is profitable to absorb all these ‘wise’ people’s words and this time my response was ‘You can learn from it, just like you can learn from people you see every day. And you cannot relate to everything, but if you do find that one piece that you cling onto, why not?’ Then I was asked another question and it was ‘Learn what exactly?’ and to this, my response was ‘Learn. Anything. Something. That which you need. It can be anything for a number of people.’ And with that conversation, I started thinking. We all learn. Every single day of our lives we learn something. It may be great or small, but either way, we learn. So what if it is from a quote or something someone who had already died said? So what? If we can relate to it, if we can learn from it and if it helps us out of our dark corners, the...

What is a love affair without Christ? What is anything without Him? That Higher Being whom you serve should be the centre of it all. The centre of your existence. My friend said something to me the other day that reminded me of this. She said, 'Toya, I know what I need in my life, I need God.' Those words made all the difference. She has been going through a lot lately and although many things were going right in her life, there also many things going wrong. She did know what was missing though and she was taking active steps to fix this. Today was an off day for me. But through it all, I made it. I can only be thankful. Thankful to Him. Let us seek to live according to His plan for us. Let us seek to find Him in all we do. When there are gaps, let us fill it with Him. Not man. Not possessions. Him. Whether you call Him Jesus, Lord, Saviour, Redeemer, or whether you call him Jah, Allah or Yahweh, remember to put that Higher Being firs...

We go through life preparing for the big days. The big occasions. The days that we think will be great ones. We plan for the day we leave high school, the day we start University, the day we graduate. We plan for our first car, our wedding day or the day we will have our first child. Then we plan for retirement and how we will live then. We plan for these events in our lives; we plan these events like they will be the most important events in our lives.  But in all this planning, we forget about the days that start off as ordinary ones, but turn into life altering days. We always forget about those. What about the days we meet our soul mate? Those days are not planned, but they turn out to be one of the best days of our lives. They alter the course of our lives dramatically and because of that one encounter, the plans we have made for our wedding day and our first child seem real. They seem realistic. They become more than just dreams. Or what about the days that starts off no...

I did not feel very inspired today. I woke up, came to work, and started doing my reports. I worked hard, but I did not feel inspired. I kept thinking about the weekend and the good time I had and the memories that were made. It made me smile. But then I thought about today. And although I felt good and was not in a bad mood, something was missing. I did not feel inspired. This bothered me. But then it hit me. How could I not be inspired? How could I not feel inspired? I was alive. God has given me another day. Many did not open their eyes this morning when I did. I am blessed and so fortunate to see another day. I have been given another chance to do what makes me happy. I have been blessed with another chance to see loved ones. I should be inspired by Life. I should be inspired by the opportunity I have been given to Live. There are clouds in the sky today, but I feel like I have sunshine in my pocket. This is all because I realized how fortunate I am. At times, all we need is ...

If there were no storms, how would we know what a rainbow looked like?  I took this picture a few days ago and I would like to share it with you.  So today, my post is short. All I want to say is this:  Even when the dark clouds arise, do not give in or give up. Do not lose hope. Wait for your rainbow. There is one after every storm.  Take care  Miss Stone

Today I had a past pupils reunion at my Alma Mater. It was good seeing all the faces from the past. I was excited to hear about their lives and their stories. Being reunited with old friends was comforting. It brought me joy. Reunited. Sometimes we drift away from people. People who were significant to us at some point. People who meant something to us. People who made us happy. Life happens and we drift away from these people, not because they did something or we pushed them away, but because life happened. People enter our lives for a reason. To teach us something, to learn from them, to take the lesson from them and move on. Do not be angry when these people leave. They have taught you what they needed to and their time in your life has expired. Learn and move on. Do not hold grudges or be bitter, there is still too much to be enjoyed. These people were significant at some point, yes, but their light has faded. So there might be no chance of a reunion taking place, but there is ...

I received a visit from one of my friends this morning. I have known her for as long as I can remember. We have been through a lot together, from conquering the playground in pre-school all the way to adulthood and all the trials that accompany it. Today we are Women. Women with purpose. Seeing her made we realize how we have grown. Not only grown physically, but in all other areas of our lives too.  Mentally, socially, psychologically, emotionally, spiritually. We have grown. Her visit made me realize that we all need to grow. Growth is essential if we are to become the people we are destined to become. What does it help anyone by remaining stagnant? If you look back to last year this time, take stock and ask yourself a few questions. Are you still in the same place now as you were then? Are you still doing the same things you wanted to change then? Do you still have the same bad habits you had?  And if so, are you at least making an effort to change that which you do no...

Ever felt broken? Lost? Defeated? I have. Many times. But I have also overcome those feelings. Many times. It really does not take an army of people to help you recover from past hurt or pick you up when you are down. Sometimes, all it takes is you. All it takes is a reminder that we have a fighting spirit within us. One day, I felt so defeated, I put pen to paper and started writing down what I felt. That seemed to be my release. Words. So, this is what I wrote: I sit on the floor, naked and bruised to the bone In my solitude, it is only I who can see the scars They appear as fresh, open wounds, oozing raw flesh and warm blood Scars that tell a story that goes on for days Scars that speak of pain and sadness Scars that only I can see In my solitude, I am naked and bruised to the bone I am weak and weary, but too weary to shut my eyes For fear of not being able to open them again It is not in my nature to be weak But everyone has their breaking point So, I continue to ...

Waste. To neglect to use. To destroy or consume gradually. To wear away. To use to no avail or profit. That is what a dictionary would tell us about this word. Waste can also refer to rubbish, trash, or something that is unwanted or uncultivated. This word can be used in so many contexts. This is a simple five lettered, one syllable word, but it carries so much weight. We carry it around with us everywhere we go. Sometimes, we do not even realize it. We have been given Life. Some people are not as fortunate. Some lose theirs too soon, when they still have so much to live for. While others are fortunate enough to hold onto theirs for years, yet, they waste it. I cannot decide which is more heart-breaking. A young life gone too soon, or a life that is given but is wasted. We live long lives but do not cultivate them.   We waste our lives because we lack determination. We lack motivation. We lack dedication. Which is mor...

There are times in life when you feel like you have no power. No control. Like there is no way out of a situation. You feel like your world is falling apart and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. We feel like we cannot do things. We do not feel the need to strive for better. There are those times. They may not be the same for everyone, but we do feel like that at times. I have felt that way before. I am not ashamed to say it. I would not be human if things always went right in my life, if I made no mistakes, if I did not stumble from time to time. Our darkness makes us feel ashamed. Lonely. Not good enough. Our darkness is what makes us hide away from the rest of the world on those days when nothing goes right. Our darkness is that which we fear most. That is what I always thought. Until I realized that it was not my darkness. It was my light. That is what frightened me. All the things I was capable of doing is what scared me. We are ...

I was thinking of writing a series of posts based on people who have inspired me. This inspiration may come from things they have said, or things they do, or both. So today, I start off with someone who seems like a rather unlikely inspiration. Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin. Better known as Charlie Chaplin. It seems weird that a comedian who rose to fame for his silent films could be an inspiration, but he is. He had a troubled upbringing and was moved around from place to place. With his father becoming a drunkard and his mother in a mental asylum, things were far from easy. But through all this, he made it. There is a lot that can be said about Charlie Chaplin, good and bad. There is a lot that can be learned from him. There are different things in the story of his life that may attract different people. Reading up on him, there were numerous things I could learn from and associate with. But there was one thing that stood out. One speech he made in a movie c...

Love. L. O. V. E. The famous four lettered word. Today, my love story comes from the two people who love me unconditionally. Without limits. Regardless of the mistakes I make. My love story is inspired by my parents. This year, they celebrate their 34th wedding anniversary. 34 years of love. 34 years of loyalty. 34 years of showing their children what true love is. It is because of them that I know myself. It is because of them that I feel love. It is because of them that I never feel anything less than worthy. My parents were my first example of true love. My parents are not perfect, but they are the closest thing to perfect I have ever known. I grew up in a house full of people. My parents were married a year, yet never had the chance to enjoy their young love. They looked after me and my two siblings, my two aunts and their 3 children, my five cousins (who became my adopted siblings) and my great grandparents. They had so much love to give. How could I not want what they had?...

Today I attended a funeral. Another funeral. Death be not proud they say. But proud you certainly are. You claim lives and rejoice in it. Today I am inspired by Life. This thing we so often take for granted. We wake up every day, take a bath or shower, and start our routines. We work, but do we find joy in what we do? We talk to each other, but do we truly listen to what is being said? We look at the the things in the world, but do we truly see? We should stop living like things will be given. We need to live and appreciate. We need to wake up in the morning and realize how fortunate we are to be given another chance to breathe. To be alive. To take chances. To live. Today, when we woke up, many took their last breath. When we witnessed our loved ones smile, some witnessed theirs smiling for the last time. You have been given a chance today when many were not as fortunate. How will you use it? Will you go through the motions of yet another day?  Or will you live each mome...

Today's post is a little late. I apologize for that. I wanted to wait until after the prayer session we had here at work. Charity begins at home. That is what we always hear. Today, like last week, is Black Friday for my colleagues and I. We are all clothed in black to show support for rape awareness. Gathered outside, my colleagues came in numbers in their black attire, to take a stand. To pray. To speak out. To show that they are tired of doing nothing. To show that they are willing to stand up and do whatever it takes to stop this violence, not only against women and children, but against men too. It was just a few weeks ago when we heard about the shocking rape and brutal murder of Anene Booysen. A young girl, who still had so much to look forward to, was taken away from her family and friends in such a shocking manner. But before Anene Booysen, there were many who suffered a similar fate. And sadly, after Anene Booysen, there continues to be...