Be Inspired by Miss Stone

Laying in bed, heavy eyes, tired, but I am unable to fall asleep. And so I write. This is where I find my comfort. In words. Sometimes, I think about life. Through all the hardships, I still find myself in love with this thing called Life. I smile when I think of all the stupid things I've done and all the lessons I've learned along the way. I smile when I see how I've grown .Each  day, inch by inch, I grow. Spiritually. Mentally. Socially. Intellectually. I grow. And yes, physically too (this does not always make me smile though). Mistakes are made along the way, but I grow. That is inevitable. I have an insatiable hunger within me. I yearn for things that only my Lord and I know of. There are things only He fully understands. And with each day that passes, I realize that I am a step closer to the things I long for. Today, as I post this, I feel extremely blessed. Today, I may not have all that I may need, or even want, but I am blessed. I rise each morning and I a...

I am often asked 'Don't you ever get lonely?' or 'Don't you feel alone at times?' The answer is always no. I get bored at times, but lonely? No. I have learned that you need to be comfortable with yourself. You need to enjoy your own company. In those quiet times, when reflection takes place, you need to embrace that conversation with yourself. You need to be happy with your thoughts. Many nights I sit at home, with no company, other than my own. I do not feel despondent though. I do not feel afraid. I put self-love into practice. It is important for me to love myself, so that others can do the same. We are often told we should treat people with respect, but do we respect ourselves? We can only respect others if we know how to respect ourselves. It sounds simple. Some might say it is common knowledge, but many fail to do it. Today I would like to encourage you to be good to yourself. Love yourself. Be kind to yourself. Enjoy your company. Enjoy those quie...

Sometimes we neglect to say thank you for everything we have. We take a lot of things for granted. My friend took a few pictures the other day that reminded me of how much I have. These pictures reminded me how often we forget to just say thank you.   They dwell the streets. Roaming around from one corner to the next. One block to the next. Dwelling. No Place to go. No Place to call their own. Tortured by their problems. Tortured by their hunger. Tortured by their solitude. And so, they sniff glue. They sniff it because it makes them forget. They forget their pain. They forget their hunger. They forget the invisible shackles that have bound them. They feel free. They find their utopia in that bottle. Because of it, they are able to break away from all that troubles them. They are able to get away. Even if only for a while. Until the effect wears off and reality creeps back in. Then, their problems have increased tenfold. Their hunger has not vanished. Their solitude was ne...

Every morning I wake up and after taking a bath and getting dressed, I look into the mirror. For the most part, I am always pleased with what I see. I am happy with the person looking back at me. Yes, there are the occasional off days when my hair is not the way I want it, or I have pimples in my face. On these mornings, I usually feel less than attractive and not very confident at all. But when I usually look into the mirror, I am pleased with what I see. I do not wear any make-up, but I make sure I look good. I plan my outfits each day. My shoes and clothes are all that which I love, not that which I think others will love. Everything I do is for me, not for others. I do not wish to gain their approval; I do it to make myself happy. So, when someone tells you that you should change something about yourself, what do you do? It could be a small request like your hair colour. It could be a bigger request like losing weight. Or it could be changing the way you dress. Now you see, to m...

So yesterday morning I had car trouble. I drove down the road and it just died. I looked to the heavens and said ‘Lord, I know this is just one of the many tests I have been given this week, but really, could you not give me car problems some other day?’ I don’t think He found this request very funny, because my car just did not want to start again. So there I was, in the middle of the street, trying in vain to get my car going, but with no luck. So, I finally made that call to my Superman, my Dad, and in minutes, he was there. But still, after jumper cables, my Flavio (that’s what I call my little car) did not want to start back up. So, after a great struggle, my Dad made sure I got to work and he would figure things out. I really do not know what I would do without him. When I eventually got to work, I sat at my desk for a while and thought about the week I have had. I know I am not the only one who has had a rough time. There are many people out there going through a lot of thi...

I learned something yesterday and today. I learned that hard times can be a blessing in disguise, because it is in hard times, that I am drawn closer to God. It is in hard times, that I realize He will not give me anything I cannot handle. He already knows my strength. I am yet to discover it. So today, I sat down and I wrote a note to God. It went something like this: I thank you God for making me the way I am The tall freckle faced girl who always stood at the back of all the class pictures The teenager who was considered ‘different’ The young woman who always felt too much The young woman who has now been moulded into who You want me to be There are many things I am thankful for Lord, and these do not even begin to cover it all, but I thought I should at least start somewhere There is no one who knows my heart the way You know it There is no one who loves me the way You do When I feel pain, there is no one who understands it better than You do Therefore, when ...

Last night I spent time with an old friend. I have known her for more than 21 years. I still remember the first day I met her. I was sitting on the steps at our Pre-School. It was our first day of school and I felt alone, sad and so overwhelmed. I did not know anyone and was too afraid to speak to any of the other kids. Then, out of nowhere, this fair skinned girl with long straight hair walked up to me and introduced herself. And so, the beginning of a life-long friendship started. On windy days, we would go all Mary Poppins on each other and jump from the steps with an open umbrella. Luckily, for both of us, we managed to escape unscathed every time. We owned the playground with our daily adventures. We just had so much energy. We had even more love for each other. From sleep overs (which did not start off well because I was always home sick, lol) to play dates, we did it all. We were each other’s light, constantly lighting the way for each other when our own lights were a bit d...