Be Inspired by Miss Stone

We receive so much bad news on a daily basis, that we forget how it feels to hear something good. We forget that feeling of joy and gratitude when God shows off and performs a little miracle. And He does show off quite a bit. A while back, a very close friend of mine’s Dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Not many people knew about it because he did not want anyone feeling sorry for him. Just like my Dad, he is a strong man. He also has this deep voice that can be heard even when you’re not trying to listen. You really cannot miss it. His presence cannot be denied or ignored. He is such a strong man, but he is also a good man, with a pure heart. So this news did not sit well with him. It was not an easy time for his wife or children, but I admired their strength. I admired his more. Today, my friend told me that her Dad is now in remission. This is a very good prognostic sign, especially after he was told that he would never be in remission. Immediately, being the cry baby that...

She lost two brothers. They both died in a car accident. She told me about it and I was at a loss for words. How was I going to comfort this beautiful soul I had just recently met? How could I possibly make her feel better? What words could I utter that would make her smile? Could I make her feel better? Death is painful. You never get used to losing someone to death. Dealing with one loss seems bad enough, but how do you deal with two? How do you say farewell to both your brothers? How does your heart handle it? It is not easy inspiring someone who is faced with such pain, I'm not even sure if it is possible. It is not even easy to feel inspired. To be inspired. But at times like these, even when we question the Lord, we cannot push Him away. We need Him to carry us. We need Him because we lack strength. We need Him because He is able to comfort us. Today my heart bleeds for Mandisa. I wish I could take her pain away, but I cannot. Today I want to tell her this: I have exper...

I love writing personal stories. They are a reminder that I am human too. I make mistakes. I have good and bad days too. I rise and fall too. These stories remind me that I also have insecurities. These stories also remind me how good it feels to be appreciated. And in those moments when I am appreciated, I realize that all this is not in vain. This morning I received a beautiful message from a special woman. Now, I know I can be a real cry baby at times, but this message did make me teary eyed. The message read: Morning gorgeous. Lol! Ek sit en lag nou so lekker hier en dink aan al die mal tye wat ek en jy saam het altyd... Lag altyd vir iets wat nie snaaks is nie, but we always make it sound hilarious. Thank you for all the support and pep talks, giving advice and being straightforward even if we don't want to hear the truth. You are like a big sister to me, even though I always act older than you. You are one special lady in my life. The woman who sent me that message i...

So, I usually see all kinds of silliness on social networks. I read updates from people all the time. Some are inspirational, some are funny, while others are thought provoking. Then you get those love sick teens who always tell us how in love they are with their boyfriends or girlfriends. And that's all you see, for like the next two weeks...until they break up. Then you have to read about how relationships suck. Well, for the next two weeks anyway, until they've found a new boyfriend or girlfriend. The cycle seems never ending. It's weird how things have changed. I'm not trying to play the 'when I was your age' card, because I'm really not THAT old, but it was so different back then. Maybe it was because we did not have Facebook or Twitter, so no one knew how we fell in and out of love. Nonetheless, these updates have been bothering me. You cannot possibly be in love with someone today and two weeks later be in love with someone else. It is possible to h...

I know I have written a post about pride before, but I thought it would be fitting to bring it up again since I was recently forced to swallow mine. I was listening to a song yesterday and it reminded me of a friend of mine. We always sang that song, word for word. It was fun. He has a lovely voice, I, on the other hand, cannot sing to save my life :) He and I recently had a bit of a fall out, and for the most part, I overreacted. Two months passed without us talking to one another. Two months wasted. Time that cannot be returned or replaced. So, yesterday when I heard this specific song, I sent him a message and told him I miss him. For a few minutes after I sent it, there was no reply and I started regretting it a bit. But when he replied and it was favorable, my heart smiled. My friend missed me too. And just like that, with a few words, all was forgotten. The truth is, it was all so silly. And that silliness resulted in time wasted. That is one of my weaknesses. Pride. We all ...

There are a lot of people I know that are going through tough times. They are facing obstacles that I have not faced. I do not know how to provide comfort, or what words to say that will make things better. So, today, I thought I would share the words of Oriah Mountain Dreamer. Words that have helped me through some tough times in my life. I hope it will help you all too... The Invitation It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing. It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive. It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or yo...

Remember the telephone game we used to play when we were young? You and your friends would sit in a circle and the first person whispered into the second person’s ear and told them something. The second person would then relay the message onto the third one, the third to the fourth, and so the game would continue until the message was given to the last person. By the time the message did reach them though, it could not be more far from the original message even if it tried. Then you all laugh about it and the first person tells everyone else what the original message was. It is all fun and games and soon everything is forgotten. Today, the same game is still played. Only, this time it is on a bigger scale. It involves people and their lives. It involves people and their reputations. It involves people and their dignity. It involves people. People like you and me. Something happens, and before you know it, the story spreads like wildfire. When it comes back to you, your situation has...

Sometimes you miss someone so much, but your pride gets in the way of telling them. Why is it that way? What are we afraid of? If you miss someone, tell them. They might feel the same way and may be scared of telling you. And if they do feel that way too, it only opens doors for new and exciting events. It allows you the opportunity to create new memories. I missed someone today, but I was afraid to tell her. I did not know where to start, so I kept quiet. It bothers me still. But I guess I am not brave enough. I guess too much has happened, things that cannot be reversed. Too many words were said that cannot be taken back. Today, I have no right to tell anyone to do something I am afraid of doing. But if you dare say ‘I miss you’, I do hope you receive an ‘I miss you too’. Take Care Miss Stone

I was not planning on writing this specific story today, I had already written today's blog post when this came up. I was sitting at my desk and instead of working, I logged onto Facebook from my phone. I sent an old friend of mine a message, he is going through a lot in his life right now. I told him that I know I am supposed to be strong for him and I am trying, but at times, I feel weak too. I felt particularly guilty about this because I saw him yesterday and he was so bubbly and full of life. He was the strong one. I also told him that although he always makes me so angry (which happens a lot), I love him and he is my 'Boeta'. The reply I received back from him brought tears to my eyes. I hope he does not get mad at me for doing this (because his macho man image will be destroyed), but this is the message he sent me: ''I am sorry for making you angry over the years, no intention from my side... I guess it is what I got used to, but one thing that has nev...

I was reminded of the great author, Chinua Achebe’s quote this morning. He says: ‘A man who makes trouble for others is also making trouble for himself’ It is one line. One sentence. 13 words. It is also one significant line. One powerful sentence. 13 simple words that together, carry so much weight. We do not realize that by wishing ill upon others, we too will suffer one day. That is all I want to say today. Read that quote. Think about it. Remember it. We are all God’s children. Let us not make trouble for each other. Take Care Miss Stone

This year is the year of big dreams and even bigger achievements. That is what I am calling 2013. I am extremely optimistic. In the first four months of this year, I have already done things I have wanted to do for quite some time now, and I think it can only get better from here. I am not afraid to dream big. My big dreams may differ from the next person’s big dreams. To most, they may not even be considered big. But they are my big dreams. MINE. And they are within my reach. Today, I am embarking on another big journey. It may work, it may not, but there is no harm in trying. It is better to try and fail than to sit back and wonder what may have happened. And if I fail, I will get back up and try again, until failure is no longer an option. Through all the trials, through all the falls, through all the setbacks, through it all, we must remember to rely on ourselves. We need to believe in ourselves, if we are to make our dreams come true. We need to blame ourselves when we fail...

Winter is slowly creeping in and we can all feel the chill in the air. It is becoming increasingly harder to wake up in the morning. When my alarm goes off at 05:30 am, I peek out from under the blanket and see that it is still dark outside. I have the urge to sleep some more and wake up when the sun is out, but I resist it. Only just. And I get up and do what needs to be done. But at the end of a long and challenging day, I am always comforted by the fact that I have a home to return to. And in my home, I have heat and protection from the elements. Others are not as lucky as I am. As I write this, I am in bed. I am warm. But there are people who are sleeping in the streets tonight in makeshift homes made of boxes and plastic. I had a warm meal this evening. But there are people still standing on street corners, begging for a few coins so that they are able to buy bread and fill the empty hole in their stomachs. When I say my prayers tonight and thank the Lord for all my blessi...

Today I received a belated birthday gift. In the gift bag were three items, but there is one that stood out. It was a book mark with the following words written on them: ‘You are an amazing lady I want you to know that you’re one amazing lady. You are so good to the people in your life – So considerate and caring. When you give, it’s easy to see that it comes straight from the heart… And it gives everyone around you the gift of a nicer world to live in. I hope you’ll never forget how much I treasure just being in this world with you. I really hope that all your days are as beautiful and as bright… As the ones you inspire in other people’s lives.’   -           Lorrie Westfall       And then suddenly, everything seems so worthwhile. All the bad days are forgotten. All the lows are washed away.   I feel appreciated. Someone treasures being in this world with me. With me. Not someone...

I know I will receive a lot of flak for this post, but this is merely my thoughts and my opinion. As a Coloured, I am so ashamed of our conduct at times. Notice I say our, because we are all to blame. We find more pleasure in talking about others and their pain and we do not focus on our lives. We sit around and discuss people, instead of getting up and doing something constructive. We find pleasure in the downfall of others. We rejoice when others fall because then we stand taller. I am disgusted by our behavior. This is not how we were raised. Our community is falling apart because young and old are drinking and using drugs. Children who are supposed be sitting in school benches are standing on street corners, smoking and getting drunk. Girls who are supposed to be going to their matric farewells are going into labour. And what do we do? Are we trying to help them? Or are we tolerating this? We are spectators in this tragedy. We are sitting and watching things fall apart. We d...

I came across this picture and thought it would be a sin not to share it... What are we doing about the injustices in the world? What is your answer to that question? Can we answer it? Think about that. Take Care Miss Stone

There is a man I know. He is strong. The strongest man in my world. He is also brave and true to the people he loves. This man has strong arms for heavy lifting. This man has big hands for protecting. This man has a deep voice, so deep that he does not need to raise it in order to be heard. This man is strong. This man is loving and kind. I call this man Father. He is my Father and I love him so. Growing up, I remember how my Dad would be up before the sun and get ready for work. He worked so hard to make sure that my siblings and I received everything we needed. We did not have much, but what he gave us was more than enough. That is one of the first things I remember as a child, and to this day, my Dad still works hard and makes sure he takes care of those he loves. He is a provider. He provides for his family. So, I always felt safe and protected with my Dad around. I never lacked anything. The boys, on the other hand, were all scared to come to my parents’ house.   ...

We always hear people say, ‘Before you judge me, walk a mile in my shoes’, ‘Before you say you know what I am going through, walk a mile in my shoes’ or ‘Until you have walked a mile in my shoes, do not tell me you know what I am going through’.  This is true. We never really know what anyone is going through. We can have empathy for the next person, we may even experience something similar to them, but we never really know what the person is going through. We can never really tell how they are feeling. We never really know everything. As people, we are so quick to judge one another. We are so quick to point fingers and throw stones when others have done something wrong. But we always forgot that we are not without sin. There is no mortal who is without sin. Today, all I want to say is this: Unless you have walked a mile in anyone’s shoes, there really is no need to point fingers. And we are all guilty of this. We have all discussed someone else at some point in our lives. B...