Gratitude

Today I'm thankful...

I'm thankful for the sound of laughter
and the smell of rain
I'm thankful for the sweet taste of chocolate.
and warm coffee in the morning
I am thankful for the things that most take for granted.
The warmth of a bed and the beauty of touch
I am thankful for family, for friends,
and for the beautiful life I've been given.
I am thankful for the small things..
Small things are the biggest of all


Lately, it seems that I have been inudated with complaints. Everyone around me is cursing. F this. F that. It is getting old very fast.
I have a six year old cousin that lives in a nursing home because she is paralyzed and yet people are still cursing about frivolous things.
Get over it people!
Count your blessings! Be grateful that for the breath in your lungs. Don't dwell on what you don't have.
Thank God for what you do.

One of those amazing moments where you are forced to say...Only God can do that

One day I was driving in my car and I asked Jesus..."dear Lord, how am I doing? Are you proud of me, I asked? Are you disappointed? Please let me know.

The next Sunday I was at church...We have the kind of church services where anything goes. During the middle of the sermon my pastor looks at me and says, "Rachelle, Jesus wants me to tell you something. He says that he's proud of you. Tears welled up in my eyes because I knew, at that moment, that God hears me. I know He is there, but I know we sometimes wonder if He hears us.

My pastor also spoke about my writing. He has never read anything I wrote, but he told me that my writing was going to be anointed.
A few weeks later, I find myself writing as if a new breath of life has breathed into my spirit. A lady emailed me and told me how my writing has been helping her. She told me that my writing was anointed.

If that's not God then I don't know what is....

I never shared this with anyone but I thought it was just one of those amazing things. This isn't the first time something like this has happened. It happens quite often, actually.
I'm not bragging that God was proud of me....I simply want people to know that He hears us...

He hears YOU.
Now, make Him proud.
He loves YOU.

Thank you, God...all that is good in me comes from you and you alone. Even writing.
Let Him lavish His love upon you.

The LORD is the everlasting God,
   the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
   and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
   and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
   and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint.



The key to joy

yesterday, I got out of bed and I could hear Jesus silently urging me.."rachelle, get down on your knees and seek me. I only need ten minutes of your time."

I was groggy. My first thought was....I don't have time. I need to get ready for work. I will talk to you on my way to work and throughout the day.....

But I decided to listen to His still, sweet and beautiful voice.

I'm glad I did. Lately, I have been attacked by the enemy in vicious ways. I can feel a heaviness upon me. The enemy has been coming against my body.

This may sound strange to some, but I have often experienced spiritual warfare in a tangible way. I can feel the physical prescence of demonic forces. But through it all, God has shown me so many things and I have learned not to fear.

So...

I got down on my knees and I prayed.
I obeyed despite what I was feeling. I listened to His voice.
All I can say is that those ten minutes, not only sustained me...they completely revived me.
Obedience to God is uncomparable.
yesterday made me realize..even though God has shown me this many times before...that I am powerless...
Sometimes I pray for people...I pray for my family..I pray for lost friends...coworkers...people I've met over the years...I pray for my children....Somedays, I envision these grandiose plans that will alter lives for the better.....
But, on days like yesterday, I realized that I am completely powerless to truly change anything.
On my own, I am helpless against the powers of darkenss.
I am unable to save anyone.
But yesterday, I once again realized that ten minutes of submission to God's will....is more powerful than a lifetime of anything else.

Yesterday, those ten minutes saved me. I believe that God wants more than ten minutes of our time. But, often we get stuck in these mind numbing routines. We think we are holy and righteous do gooders..but we still aren't giving God what He asks. I could've ignored God and prayed when the time fit my schedule a little better. But I chose to obey Him and it has made a world of difference.


After my prayers, I began to sing a song to Him...and I could feel a very real heaviness lift. Lately, I have been fought in major ways....but, by submititing to the wishes of God...resisting the devil... I could feel the very light of God piercing through the darkness....

I could sit here all night and tell you of the wonderous things that God has shown me. I could try and try with everything that I am...tell you that God is real and that He loves you.....but if you seek Him and listen to that still, small voice on your own....then you will see it all for yourself.

Words can't describe  God.  He is pure light. He is a magnificent, radiating, Spirit of power and love...that that cuts through the darkness.

Obedience to God is the key to joy.

coping with infidelity, part II

Infidelity has a way of playing tricks on the mind.   It has a way of humbling.
It is fertile ground for the enemy, and I can see how many can be complety broken when it rears its ugly head...

First, one begins to wonder..."how many other lies have I been told?"
Then comes the worry and the fear.
How many other women that I didn't know about?
Then comes the gut wrenching disection of time. You begin to look at the past and wonder...was he cheating on me during our anniversary? 

For me, one of the most humbling question that I was forced to ask myself: Did, during the course of our marriage, he infect me with a disease?

Adultery is ugly. It is humiliating. It is gross.
Last week I had a test administered. I wanted to find out if I had an ugly nasty disease. A disease that I'm too afraid to even mention.  The unmentionable disease.
I had no reason to think I had anything. But that is what adultery does. It causes one to question.

The test came back fine..
But during the course of the waiting, my stomach hurt.
I felt a gut wrenching pain that made me realize that I had always taken my health for granted.
I cried out to God to spare me.
I wept for the people who are facing disease.  I wept for people with cancer. I wept for people with Aids. I wept for children orphaned by Aids.
I wept for people suffering from disease.

I vowed to do what I could to help them because for the first time in my life, I completely understood thier vulnerability.

As a Christian, I understand that death is not the end of life. God has shown me more of Heaven than most people realize. He has become the reality. Sometimes, I tell myself that I am not afraid of Death..

But when faced with the possibility of disease, I suddenly became afraid. Deathly afraid.
perhaps not of dying..but of the unknown.
I feared my own blood.
It was humbling to say the least.

When I found out the test was fine, I felt as if a weight was lifted from my shoulders.
But what if?
What if the test results had been different?
Could I still go on, confident, assured? 
I am humbled.

I was forced to look back at the course of my life and look at the mistakes I have made. I took a cold, hard look at my past and remembered all of the times that I played russian roulette with my body.

Why do we do that? We weren't made for sin.
I look back at my past and I cringe.
But I take immense comfort in the assurance that I have been forgiven.

I felt anger for the fact that someone could have put my life in jeopardy by potentially exposing me to disease. Adultery is not love.  Love always protects.

The other day I stepped on a thorn.  I was walking barefoot through my grandfather's kitchen. It must have been from a rose leftover from my grandmother's funeral.

There is so much meaning in a simple thorn.
So much.

These past few weeks, I have felt the thorns of my situation....

I drove through the desert a few months ago. I noticed how life thrived, even in the most dire circumstances. Beauty grew amonst the thorns. Flowers bloomed, often solitary, in the desert.
Amidst the cacti, and the thorns...every now and then, there would be a single, solitary flower, blossoming and blooming in the desert.

A symbol of how there is beauty in ashes.  There is life where chaos abounds.
I think about Eden. That beautiful garden, a perfect existence. And then I think about our sin and how it brings forth the thorns.
Some people think that God is not good. But I have come to know Him and I know that He is....
He loved us so much that He gave us a choice. He gave us a choice to live our lives in thorns or to become the single, solitary flower that gives hope and love to others.

I want to be the flower.

Does anyone know how I found out that my husband was cheating?
The story speaks volumes.

I prayed.
I got off the phone with my husband one night. I could sense that something was wrong. Deeply and dreadfully wrong. So I prayed. God, show me. I am tired of worrying, Lord. I just want to know. Will you please show me? Dear God, I am  tired of living in the shadow of lies, please just show me.

That night, I felt a very real tempation to drive by his house...( we have lived apart but were trying to work things out. He assured me that he was faithful.)

That still small voice bid me not to go. So I didn't.
The next morning when I awoke, I had a very gut wrenching feeling that something was definitely wrong.  I felt like I needed to go to his house. I knew he wasn't at home so I decided to go over. It was a feeling. A very strong feeling.

When I got there, there was a woman sitting on his couch. I introduced myself and asked her what was going on. She told me and then we parted ways. She was angry and felt victimized also. She had been lied to, as well.

I learned from speaking with her that she didn't have a car. If I had followed my instincts and not listened to God,  I would have driven by his house and been none the wiser.  I would have pilfered my time in worry and questioning.

There really is no beauty in that story. Except for the fact that God hears our prayers. God is faithful to answer. I asked Him to show me and He answered. For that, I am grateful.

Adultery is a nasty, ugly business...It is thorns..
But, through my Christian walk, I have learned that beauty can grow even despite the fact that people are hurt.
God loves sinners.
He hates sin, but even now...I am forced to put away my anger and recognize that God loves and does not judge my husband.
God does not condemn us. God gives us a choice.
As humans, we condemn ourselves by our actions.
We condemn ourselves by our lack of action.
The beauty is in the choice.

We can choose to love our Father. We can choose to take care of our families. We can choose to love even when it is hard. Or, we can walk our own path. The wide path, that feels right, but leads to Death.
We can walk as a flower, brightening the lives of those around us...basking in the very light of God..
Or we can choose to be a thorn, piercing people with our lies, our deception, our greed.

This post isn't meant to judge my husband. We aren't meant to judge. This blog is an outlet to show the things that God is teaching me. Every day is a learning experience. 
Put down your stones. We are all guilty in some way, shape, or form. Self righteousness is as dangerous as adultery.
Maybe even more so..because it is disguised as good. It wears a mask, whereas adultery is the bold flaunting of a weakness.

I'm sad for families these days. If we look at the moral makeup of our country, we get a very real picture of a desperate and hurting society. Not too many people seem to be getting it right.  Many of us give up at the drop of a hat. many quit when "our" needs aren't met or we are left unfilled. Too many people quit too easily and the result is broken people and fatherless children.

But then there are those who diligently work and work and love anyways.
I know a girl who recently confided in me about her marital situation.
She told me that her husband cheated on her. She had endured so much. They have several kids together.
She told me how she  had thought of ending the marriage, but she looked at her children...and she chose to fight. She fought. She became a warrior and she took her marriage back. She loved when it was hard. She gave her husband a choice..to stay or to leave...she was firm. she was courageous. she let go of anger and fear and hatred and she loved. Today, they are thriving. They are a happily married couple serving God together.

I admire this woman.

My thing is...I feel as if I have fought for well over a year.
I told my husband what needed to be done to save our marriage. He turned his head. He walked away.
He made the choice...
It's all about the choice.

Some people cast stones of condemnation at those who have divorced. Put them down. Love the broken and hurting people that you are called to love.

_________

One more thing about adultery:
It causes one to question his worth.....
I was reading a blog today by my favorite blogger, Stephanie Cherry..
and I read a post that left me in tears.

The message was so simple, and yet so beautiful and powerful. She spoke of how she had watched a Veggie Tale movie with her young daughter. There was a character called a snoodle..
Everyone laughed at the snoodle. People ridiculed. They drew mean pictures of what they thought the snoodle looked like.
But the snoodle went to a quiet place and called upon God.
God answered the snoodle. He showed the snoodle a picture of how He saw him.  He held up a picture of a beautiful and courageous person to the little snoodle.
I cried when I read that story. I felt like that ugly little snoodle who only needed God to remind her how beautiful she was..

The other day at church was amazing. Complete strangers told me things about my life and situation that only God could have known.  One of the things they told me was that there was someone in my life that made me feel like a snoodle, (yes, I'm paraphrasing there) but that God saw me as something different.

They reminded me that we are called to be doers of His Word and not hearers only. One thing I have found is that it can be tempting to fall into the trap of self misery and pity. This week I have suffered from severe vertigo. Rooms have been spinning. I've been nauseous. I have felt beaten down. I have felt like I want to go in a corner and just die.I have wondered, "what is wrong with me?" What is physically wrong with me?

The strangers in church told me that I am called to live a victorious life. They also confirmed something that God had already shown me. So, I will trust Him. I will walk with Him. And He will get me through this. All of it. The death. The infidelity. The vertigo. The fear.  I give it all. I could choose to fester in it....but I won't

Jesus, it's yours. I love you and I thank you for showing me, even now, that I am still beautiful to you.

7 Days of Heaven, Day 5

It's been a little over a week since my family and I traveled to a small town east of Shreveport, Louisiana.

In the tiny town of Minden lives a precious six year old girl. Her name is Kadence. She is my cousin.

She was born with spina bifida. As a young child, Kadence thrived despite her disease. She could move around on her own. She was a happy, thriving child. A few years ago, Kadence was in a car accident. She completely lost the use of her legs. She had to relearn how to use her arms. Now, she is confined to a wheelchair in a nursing home/rehabilitaion center hours away from her family.

I had never met Kadence before last week. But as a family, we were determined to change that. And what I have found is that Kadence is a girl worth knowing.

As we walked into her room, we introduced ourselves. "Hello, Kadence. We are your cousins. We came to visit you."
 But I don't have any cousins, she replied.  


Yes, you do honey. We are here.

We had a wonderful visit. We painted her nails, had a tea party, laughed. Kadence brushed Olivia's hair. Kadence talked about Rapunzel and said that she wanted Rapunzel hair. She brushed her hair and asked us if we could see it growing.
We brought her some wonderful Christmas gifts, but the nursing home director said that there would'n't be much room for them. She said Kadence already had too many gifts from volunteers.

As I walked around the nursing home, I became humbled. So many rooms were filled with children.
Yes, you heard me correctly.
Little children.

They were severely disabled and many were mentally handicapped.  There was a young blonde girl who was in the room next to Kadence. I went in to tell her hello. I held her hand for a moment and just told her how sweet she was.

I asked the nursing home director about her. She was standing next to the door. She told me that she had been in the facility since she was a little baby.  She was eight. There was another girl in the room, as well. She appeared to be severely handicapped. She had just turned 15.


Cade and I began walking around visiting with each of these forgotten children. My heart broke as I saw them living out their days without a mother or father around.According to the nursing home director, volunteers are the only source of love that these children have.

After we left the nursing home, we drove thru the town of Nachitoches to see the Christmas lights. We didn't know what to expect.
AS it turned out, we ended up in traffic for over an hour. The lights were beautiful, however.
After we saw the lights, we were hungry so we stopped at Little Ceasars. They got our pizzas wrong and they didn't have any drinks, so we went to McDonalds.
As were waiting in a very long line at McDonalds, I began to complain.
 Immediately, I realized what I had done.

There are children that cannot use their legs. Children that mete out their days in nursing homes. And I am complaining that my ice cream is taking too long. Immediately, I became humbled as I realized that there are children out there that may have never even tried ice cream.

What a humbling day. Take time today to count your blessings. Things could always be worse.
Take time today to pray for a child in a nursing home. Or an orphanage.
Take time to spend with Jesus. Cease to complain.

AS I saw each of those children, I imagined what they would look like in heaven.
They were all running. They were laughing and playing. They were free from their restraints. I know that God loves those children. They are His. They are not forgotten.

"screw em' over"

First of all, pardon the slang. This is a post about workplace mentality. I'll be using workplace slang. Hope I don't offend anyone.

For the past few weeks, it seems that certain shifts on my job have been slacking on thier duties.
The result has been that other shifts, including mine, have been picking up the slack.
We work hard. We often find ourselves doing physical labor, sometimes for extended periods of time.
It's hard enough carrying our own weight. Carrying everyone else's burden can sometimes be too much.

Today, as I ventured into work...I became angry. It seems that the previous shift neglected some of thier duties, even after having an easy night.

At work, many of the guys have adopted an attitude..."Screw em over."

The mentality being that , if a shift puts it to ya, stick em right back.

Screw em over.

Today, I was tempted to fall into that mode. Justice, right?
We want fairness in this life.

But then I remembered a verse.."Overcome every evil with good."
I decided to use my anger and frustration to confront the issue. I wrote a message to my coworkers telling them of my angst with thier work performance. I apologized for the times that I had been slack and said I would try to do better.

We don't have to "screw em over"
Jesus reminded me to overcome evil with good. Justice doesn't  always come in this life...but it will most certainly come in the next.

We aren't to concern ourselves with justice. We are simply called to love..even those who stick it to us....

I really hope this post encourages people to work harder. Or at least do the work assigned to them.
Everything we do affects someone in some way.

I don't want to stand before Jesus some day and have Him ask me why I saw fit to "Screw em over."
I want Him to say...Well done, you did the hard thing. You loved when it was hard. You overcame evil with good. I am proud of you..

Any self proclaiming Christian should strive for the same.

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Dear Strangers from all over the globe

I just wanted to remind you how special and beautiful you are in God's eyes.
I wanted to remind you that you have a very unique purpose.
I write this blog because I have seen many things that leave no question in my mind that God is real.
I have experienced Him...I pray that you will seek Him...get rid of the things that hold you down..
Experience life..
I've gone thru a lot. Infidelity. Dealing with death...I talk about those things on my blog...I hope that you will take the time to read thru the amazing things that God has shown me...
but if not...then simply just remember how special you are.
You are beautiful, stranger :)
My prayer today is for you.

Roots: Coping with infidelity

Roots: Coping with infidelity: this past week has been one of the most humbling and humiliating weeks that I have experienced in a very long time. I feel as if I have bee...

Roots: To the fatherless

Roots: To the fatherless: Today was a “less than typical” day. I was driving to work and I saw a young man and woman sitting on the side on the interstate. I was st...

My big and beautiful bucket list

Lately I have been thinking about death. I recently read a book called "If God is Good" by Randy Alcorn. The book provides insight and biblical answers to the question of suffering.
One thing that was said is that we all have the same disease - Mortality.
One day, we all will die.

For a few days this week, I felt horrendous. I am so much better now, but for a few days I truly felt beaten down by life. I needed to be reminded that I have a purpose. I needed to remember that there are places that I haven't yet ventured, like Spain. I needed to dream.

Above all else, I want God's will for my life. I have learned that the very breath of Christianity, the core is the spirit of sacrifice. I am learning to take comfort in life's small pleasures. I am learning the deep meaning of hugs. I am learning the beauty of prayer. I have learned to appreciate the sound of laughter, because true laughter....genuine and pure laughter isn't something that you hear much these days.

I want my life to have meaning. I've learned that God gives our lives meaning. I have come to know Him. I am learning His depth, His beauty...and the beauty of our individual purposes.

Yes, reader, you have a purpose. It probably doesn't involve watching television programs or checking facebook every hour. But we are all human.  I am guilty.
If we lived out our true God given purpose, the world would look different.
Love would flow naturally.  We would embrace life.  We would appreciate beauty in the mundane. We would cease to complain. We would teach one another. Learn from one another. Embrace and love one another in the purest and deepest form imaginable. If we truly followed the divine will of the Father, this life would look very much like Heaven.

Let's make big and beautiful bucket lists.  Let's live.  Let's surrender our lives to God and watch great things unfold.  Let's find beauty in one another and find peace at the foot of the Cross.

MY BIG AND BEAUTIFUL BUCKET LIST

1. Learn a new language - Spanish? Italian? still deciding....

2. I think it would be beautiful to learn to crochet and then knit hats to donate to infants and children...My sis in law knits hats :)

3. Learn to play the guitar - and then go sing and play at hospitals and nursing homes

4. Make snow angels with the boys

5. Ride a scooter through the Italian countryside

6. I'm praying that God would show me the Northern Lights one day

7. Write a book about the wonders of God, the things that He has shown me, the greatness of His love, and the myriad experiences I've had that leave no question in my mind that He is real. And then give the book away for FREE to one thousand people.

8. Make another cd, this time with the songs that He has given me...songs of hope

9. Make everyone around me feel like a first class citizen in a world that treats you like coach.

10. visit an orphanage, volunteer

11. hot air ballooning

12. reach out to the homeless and get involved in prison ministry

13. drink coffee at a Parisian cafe...with a view of the Eifel Tower

14. enjoy the ocean with my children

15. take a mission trip to a very poverty stricken area. It would make me that much more greatful for the comforts of home.  I would like to write about the experience to share with others so that we all remember to truly count our blessings daily

16. Have a foot washing...There is a story in the Bible where a prostitute washes the feet of Jesus. It was a very intimate act that expressed her love and respect for Him. One day, I asked Jesus, "Lord, can I wash your feet?  He told me that by washing the feet of others, I wash His feet.  We wash the feet of others with kindess and with deliberate acts of love. Some churches, however, have had actual foot washings. It sounds silly almost, but I have heard that it is a very powerful experience.  One day, I washed the feet of my ten year old boy. He began to cry and tell me how much he loved me and that he didn't want me to go to work the next day. We all need those deliberate acts of love. We all need touch. We need to have our feet washed now and then. I want to  have a foot washing. I want to wash someone's feet.

17. Take my family, mom, dad, sis, bro, kids, on a very nice vacation

18. watch as many meteor showers as I possibly can...with hot chocolate, of course.

19. speak about my experiences in public forums

20. get involved, life, love, laugh...this day could be the last...

Strong people

tonight I got my strength back.  I began thinking of how sometimes we simply need to stand up for ourselves. We need to recognize that we aren't doormats. We can respect ourselves and clothe ourselves with grace and dignity.
Strength doesn't come in the form of brawls or nasty revenge plots. It comes in the form of speaking up, having a voice...having something to say and making words count.

As I reflect on need for strength...I want to highlight a list of strong people...people who have braved the odds and created a name for themselves...not through thier wealth, but simply by standing for something and exemplifying strength in the midst of adversity. They showed persistence, faith, and bravery despite thier circumstances. Their names are remembered. Their legacies are powerful.

rosa parks

1. Rosa Parks ....Rosa, through her strength and determination, provided a voice to her entire race. If she hadn't stood up for herself, history may have been written differently. Rosa, you deserved that seat!

Rosa Parks (1913-2005) ­ By refusing to give up her seat on a city bus to a white man in 1955 Montgomery, Alabama, this hardworking seamstress set off a thirteen month bus boycott and a long chain of civil rights protests. The result was the national attention of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a  Supreme Court ruling outlawing segregation on buses.



bethany hamilton

 2. Bethany Hamilton....Bethany's story inspired the movie, Soul Surfer....Her arm was bitten off by a shark. She got back in the water to the disbelief of many and inspired thousands of people, including people with disabilies. She is a surfing legend. Her faith in Christ never wavered. Her story showed that anything is possible with determination and a positive attitude.

anne frank

3. Anne Frank...Her diary, written during the time of the slaughter of millions of Jews in Nazi Germany, touched millions of lives.  Her heroism shined through her writing. Even though her world fell apart, Anne's light shined in the darkness.

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.
Anne Frank

I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.
Anne Frank



mildred cable



4. Mildred Cable - Mildred Cable was a Christian missionary who, around the turn of the century, spread the gospel throughout China. She braved bandits, harsh winters, and other extreme conditions to spread her faith. She is known for venturing to unknown places, like the Gobi Desert, to deliver a message of hope to the lost.

mother teresa

5. Mother Teresa - Mother Teresa was a small woman with a giant heart. She exemplified the great love of Christ by caring for the suffering. She visited families in the slums of India. She nursed wounds. She took care of children. She started various missions and dedicated her entire life to serving Christ. She is an icon of the Catholic religion, but she provided a model of love for every denomination. In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.




george muller

6. George Muller - George Mueller is a man whose life shows the power of prayer. He is responsible for housing hundreds of orphans in England. He never petitioned for money, but prayed for God to supply the needs of his orphanages. There were days when food was scare, but just as it would run out...God would send someone to deliver bread or necessities. His service and faith provided a chance to destitute children who would have otherwise never had a chance.

helen keller

7. Helen Keller- Helen was born without blind and deaf. She persisted in the desire for learning and despite her disabilies graduated from college. She won numerous awards and became an advocate for the disabled.

8. Stephanie Cherry - Several months ago, I stumbled across a blog. The writing of Stephanie Cherry has helped me in numerous ways.  Her faith and obedience has been an inspiration to me in more ways than one. She and her husband left thier comfortable home in the suburbs to move to a neighborhood ravaged by addiction. They have opened up thier home to the lost and the hurting and to those in ministry who simply need a place to rest. Despite enduring much hardship, she keeps moving forward with a beautiful and inspiring outlook on life.  Her blog address is http://www.stephaniecherry.com/

9. Connie LeBleu BristerMy mom- My mom is an amazing woman who works tirelessly to take care of her family. She personifies hard work and dedication. Like my grandmother, she is an inspiration and I am thankful to have her in my life.

10. Melonie Nunez Brister - My sister-in-law has endured much tragedy. Her dad was killed in a horrible accident and her mother was recently brutally murdered. Despite Mel's immense pain, her light still shines as a beacon of hope to those around her. Her mother's killer is still on the loose. Her story was recently featured on America's Most Wanted. If you can, go to the website and search the name Joe Constance. He is still at large and a family is still suffering.

11. any woman, weak or strong, or any man who has the courage to speak, with dignity and grace, what she believes regardless of what others think...To me, that is strength...
 (there are so many others that examples of strength that I encounter every day. My sister. Several of my friends, family, in laws....the beauty of strength is that God provides it to us when we need it most. He is a refuge for the weary. "come all who are burdened and I will give you rest."
Sometimes resting is strength in itself.

 

Strong Women Quotes

Always be a first-rate version of yourself,
instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.
- Judy Garland

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
- Helen Keller

When you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.
- Lee Ann Womack

Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...
It's about learning how to dance in the rain.
- Vivian Greene

One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.
- Helen Keller

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.
- Marianne Williamson

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence actually liberates others.
- Marianne Williamson

Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.
- Helen Keller

As we light a path for others, we naturally light our own way.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Never allow a person to tell you No who doesn't have the power to say Yes.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't.
- Erica Jong