Kenneth Davis

T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N
TODAYS WORDS - PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR 

     The relationship with yourself is the most important relationship you’ll ever have. Look at your life as your main career and your divine classroom. How you react emotionally is a choice in any situation. Remove the emotional and physical clutter from your life so you can soar. Stop protesting the hand you've been dealt! Become partners with your life instead of making it an exhausting wrestling match. Trust your intuition. It is the best friend you will ever have. A woman isn't very powerful without her intuition. Don't try to control what's outside. Be at peace with what's inside. When you have no idea how to surrender and you're tied up in knots, JUST BREATHE! 
     All the Hardships. All the Mistakes. All the Rejections. All the Pain. All the times you Questioned why. All of these things have given Birth to the Wisdom and Strength that will Help you Shine your Light on the World, even in the darkest of Hours. Certain people give off positive energy, others negative. It's the quality of someone's being a measure of the love with which they've led their lives. It also reflects the inner work they've done, their efforts to heal anger, hatred, or self-loathing, which poison us like toxic fumes.
     People who hold on to grudges, insist on being right, and try to change other's minds have a difficult time maintaining healthy, happy relationships. Surrendered people easily forgive. They are open to new ideas and aren't attached to being "right." As a result, people love working and collaborating with them. Others seek them out as mediators and advisers. They are more laid back and relaxed than their rigid counterparts, which makes them highly valued by others. Surrender is a positive, healthy state. Being a surrendered person does not mean one is beaten down and so hopeless he or she has "given up." It's quite the contrary. Surrender is a state of living in the flow, trusting what is, and being open to serendipity and surprises.
     Surrendered people enjoy life, relish their personal development, and value their friends. They may have an exceptionally good career and be wealthy, but they are more concerned with meaning and fulfillment. The drive to acquire money and power is a behavior that drains people of their passion and emotional connection to others. An (emotional) vampire goes in for the kill by stirring up your emotions. Pushing your buttons throws you off center, which renders you easier to drain. Of all the emotional types, empaths are often the most devastated. Release all the anxiety that keeps you from moving ahead. Keep breathing it out and letting it go.
    Adopting the behaviors and habits of surrendered people helps us improve our relationships, feel love and gratitude, get healthier, give up destructive people and behavior patterns, and become more successful and influential in our lives and careers. And that's just the tip of the iceberg as far as benefits go. Surrender to life today. Don't fight anything. Just enjoy the flow. The most influential person in the room isn't the one who is being a bully, talking loudly, and imposing him- or herself on others. Surrendered people understand that true power comes from being respectful and listening.

     Judith Orloff (born June 25, 1951) is an American board-certified psychiatrist, self-claimed clairvoyant (psychic), and the author of five books. Orloff received her Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from the University of Southern California in 1979. She completed a medical internship at Wadsworth Veteran's Hospital in Los Angeles in 1980 and held a psychiatric residency at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute from 1979 to 1983.

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY

New Study: Skipping Breakfast Could Lead to Higher Rates of This Disorder
Meaghan Cameron, MSMeaghan Cameron, MS
https://www.thehealthy.com/

     Breakfast has often been called the most important meal of the day. In recent years, however, intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating waves have changed our perspective; nowadays, it wouldn’t be completely outlandish if someone ate breakfast at an unconventional time or skipped it altogether. So, is breakfast still important? Several studies still show that it can be important for physical and health—and what you eat for your morning meal matters more than you might suspect. Starting your day with foods that can cause inflammation, for example, might be doing more harm than good.
     A new study, to be published in the March 2024 issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders, aims to evaluate the effects of skipping breakfast and the effects of eating an inflammatory diet for breakfast on rates of depression. They note that while breakfast and its relation to depression and inflammatory foods and their effect on depression have been studied, fewer studies have analyzed the relationship between the two. The study gathered data from over 20,000 adults in the U.S., 20 years and older (with an average age of 47), from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Researchers looked at self-reported breakfast consumption and the types of foods that the participants chose overall. The foods were compared to the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), an evolving database of foods that have been analyzed for their macronutrients, flavonoids, and chemical makeup for how inflammatory they tend to be in the body.
     The study found that skipping breakfast was a predictor of depression, but an inflammatory diet also increased risk. “DII mediated the positive association between eating breakfast and depression,” noted the authors. Eating breakfast might reduce inflammation and reduce depression, but prioritizing foods at breakfast that are anti-inflammatory would be an even bigger boost to well-being. “Besides the frequency of eating breakfast, what you eat for breakfast was associated with chronic inflammation,” said the authors. Along with the tendency to skip breakfast and eat an inflammatory diet, the participants with depressive symptoms were also more likely to be female, less active, smokers, and have diabetes or cardiovascular disease. So, other healthy lifestyle choices certainly played their part in mental health beyond food choices. “We recommend that adults should develop the habit of eating breakfast regularly, correct poor lifestyles, and then reduce the risk of depression,” said the authors.
What to eat for breakfast to reduce inflammation
     Foods that lower inflammation in the body can easily be part of a healthy, well-rounded breakfast, including whole grains—like oatmeal—low-fat yogurt without added sugars, fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, and low-fat sources of protein. Inflammatory foods you should avoid starting your day with include pastries and donuts, processed meats, and those high in saturated fat such as bacon and sausage, white bread (sorry, everything bagels), and sugary cereal. Unfortunately, your heavily sweetened coffee drink also qualifies.
     In terms of meal timing, you can still follow intermittent fasting schedules and include breakfast in your diet. A recent study suggested that a fasting protocol that included breakfast was more beneficial for overall health and weight loss than one that skipped it.

This is for information purpose only, and should not be considered as a substitute for medical expertise. These are opinions from an external panel of individual doctors. Please seek professional help regarding any health conditions or concerns.

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS
TO

JOYCELYN LACY
SOMMERVILLE

      To add value to others, one must first value others. People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude. Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them. As you get older, time speeds up but life slows down.
~John C. Maxwell~
 

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Curtis Farmer

I wish you a very very Happy Birthday Joycelyn! Enjoy this special day. Thank you for what you do. 

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  
TODAYS WORD - DARKNESS

     When you're not rooted in your authentic self, you believe what someone tells you. You'll fall for it. I always say, 'Have a good day and if you can't, don't you dare go messing up nobody else's.' I set intentions every day to do well, be well, feel well, and accept all good things. Living your life, you build character within you. Going through things, being on my own journey, not focusing on one particular thing but allowing life to happen, it all built something inside of me that is worth sharing. I needed to share my stories with people on how I've gotten through the toughest times in life. We all have times that are a little bit dark, but the thing that we must remember is: They're always temporary and they will pass.
     I was sick for a long time. I had a resting headache and chronic fatigue, and many days I didn't think I would wake up. Some days were better than others, and I knew how to fake it to look normal. But some days I wanted to sleep all day because I had chronic fatigue. I just couldn't get well. One of the lowest moments for me was during the time when my mom was sick. It was really hard to focus on anything other than her and the thought of, Oh my God, how am I going to live without her? Because I am able, I smile. It is a gift to be able to smile, and I don't take it for granted. I watched my mother be one of the most vibrant, happy women every day. She loved to smile, all the time. She was a smile; she was pure sunshine. And with ALS in her last few months of her life, she lost her ability to smile. When you've been to that dark place and you come out of that, every day is a gift. I was exhausted with putting this mask on every day and trying to be someone else. And I realized also that I'm not honoring God when I'm trying to be something other than what he created.
     Don't be hard on yourself - the world is hard enough that we don't need to be hard to compete with that. I never expect anything from anyone. The way that people support me, it makes me emotional. Because all I do every day is try to show up as me 100% and spread love to people, and to receive it back the way that I do - it is really mind-blowing. When you take the time to be calm, that means you are actually taking the time to be good to yourself, and to reset, and to calm down. I realized that when I allowed myself to be free again, I started to shine on the inside and outside. I'm thankful that God gave me light again, and to be light for other people's darkness is a responsibility that I take very seriously. We are all meant to be free, in that when we're free - whether it be from holding ourselves hostage with secrets, or trying to be someone else that you're not - our life changes.

     Tabitha Bonita Brown (née Thomas; born February 4, 1979) is an American actress and social media personality. She creates online video content incorporating veganism, humor and motivational speaking. Brown has over 5 million followers on TikTok and over 4.2 million followers on Instagram as of March 2023.

  IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER

Kenneth Davis

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAYS WORD - QUIET YOUR SOUL 

     In the realm of divine consciousness, you can see beyond beliefs, beyond knowing, and beyond not knowing. Compassion is one of the highest states of consciousness that you can choose to assist you in times of enormous pain. If you look to your past or even your present to see why you are here or what your purpose is, you may get stuck in a limited view of yourself. Instead, look beyond your years here on earth, reconnect with the divine, and bring forth your soul's legacy into the present moment. It would be impossible to estimate how much time and energy we invest in trying to fix, change and deny our emotions - especially the ones that shake us at our very core, like hurt, jealousy, loneliness, shame, rage and grief.
     An exciting and inspiring future awaits you beyond the noise in your mind, beyond the guilt, doubt, fear, shame, insecurity and heaviness of the past you carry around. To live in the light of a new day and an unimaginable and unpredictable future, you must become fully present to a deeper truth - not a truth from your head, but a truth from your heart, not a truth from your ego, but a truth from the highest source. Fear is the culprit that robs us of our greatest lives. And although it's mostly made up or a learned behavior from our past, almost everybody I've ever met in my life struggles with fear. The level of consciousness you choose to tune in to each moment of each day will determine the quality of your experience of the world.
     It is your soul's journey to enroll the ego in the quest for the ultimate victory - the evolution of your own individual consciousness. Beneath the surface of your ego's insatiable cravings, your authentic desires are waiting patiently for you to acknowledge, claim and express them. To get past your ego and its defenses you need to get quiet, be brave, and listen to your inner voices.... When you embrace the messages of each aspect of your shadow, you begin to take back the power you’ve given to others and form a bond of trust with your authentic self. The voices of your unembraced qualities, when allowed into your consciousness, will bring you back into balance and harmony with your natural rhythms.
     By acknowledging, accepting, and embracing our dark side, we create natural steam vents within ourselves. By providing an opening, we eliminate the worry about an explosion because we are allowing the pressure to be released in a safe and appropriate way. The underbelly of the human psyche, what is often referred to as our dark side, is the origin of every act of self-sabotage. Birthed out of shame, fear, and denial, it misdirects our good intentions and drives us to unthinkable acts of self-destruction and not-so-unbelievable acts of self-sabotage. Look for the light. Look for it in everything. Look for it in yourself, in your children, in your job, and in your dreams. Look for it in the food you eat and in the people you surround yourself with. When divine consciousness enters, the shift occurs and you will be engulfed by what will feel like the greatest love imaginable – a love in which your soul realigns with your spirit and they meet together as one.

     Debbie Ford (October 1, 1955 – February 17, 2013) was an American self-help author, coach, lecturer and teacher, most known for The New York Times best-selling book, The Dark Side of the Light Chasers (1998), which aimed to help readers overcome their shadow side with the help of modern psychology and spiritual practices.

WELCOME TO 
SMOOTH
 CONTEMPORARY JAZZ 
FRIDAYS

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS 

TO

JOANN GRIFFIETH

  &

  GARY HIGHTOWER

      I have many friends who do not believe in luck; they believe in blessings. Likewise, I do not believe in coincidences; I believe in miracles. Live each day the fullest you can, not guaranteeing therell be a tomorrow, not dwelling endlessly on yesterday. You have to count on living every single day in a way you believe will make you feel good about your life - so that if it were over tomorrow, you'd be content with yourself.

~Jane Seymour~

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAYS WORDS - BE FLEXIBLE 

     I learned a lot from my mom. My favorite lesson: remember there is no such thing as a certain way to parent and to remember that you are learning along with your child - it's ok to make mistakes. My mother was a single mom, and most of the women I know are strong. I feel like I was lucky to have a mother that allowed me to dream. But, once again, when I said I'm so grateful for my mom just being adamant about me staying in public school - that is what allowed me to be exposed to so many different types of people. 
     I went to a high school that was by the beach. I elected to do bussing my junior high school years. And my first year of high school, I would take the bus from my neighborhood to the beach schools. And at those schools, you had such a mix of so many types of kids. And once I was in college, about - maybe the end of my first semester of my sophomore year, I realized that college just was not my jam and that I felt like I was learning more when is actually on set. And I think a lot of that had to do with - I was working while I was in college. I was on "227," so I didn't get a chance to really be immersed in the culture of my school. I want to live a full life - period.
     I would like to believe that most people don't get married anticipating divorce. I know in my own marriage I stayed in it to provide my son with what I thought was a stable background and to give him what I thought was the family life a child should have with two parents. But that isn't always the best way, and it took me taking my son to therapy after the divorce to really see it. When I reached that crossroad, I felt like such a failure. After years of therapy together, I realized that staying together was emotionally destructive.  
          I was married for nine years before my husband, and I separated and eventually divorced. Just as I'd watched my parents arguing and fighting, my son watched his parents arguing and fighting. It was like history repeating itself, and I felt terrible about him having to witness that. My husband didn't want the divorce, but I did. So, there was a lot of bitterness initially. Once we got to the space where we understood that we have the most important thing in the world in common; no one else shared that commonality. Our son is priceless, and in order to give him the best, we have to be better to each other. It was a journey to get there, but it's a beautiful place to be.
     I don't think something is a failure if you put your all into it. I'm a big fan of the saying, "Nothing beats a failure but a try." It's an honest place to be if you don't understand someone else's experience, but there's no way for the other to understand if a conversation or an explanation isn't made. And just because someone doesn't understand doesn't mean they don't want to. I've tried to be flexible in my career by doing a little bit of everything and that's worked for me. I create my own backstory regardless of if I'm told something about the background or not. There's always more that you can develop in your head that makes a character more layered, more honest. I stay in tune with my family and God.

Regina King

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

The Orgins and Birth of the Blues

Enslaved people would sing work songs while working the plantations and religious spirituals in church. Combined with the African rhythms, these musical styles were the foundation of blues. Work songs were sung rhythmically in time with the task being done.

Kenneth Davis

  SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

     March 31, 2024: Identification with God in its purest form is being totally unified with Him in thought, word, and action. It is to know Him and be known by Him, which will be accomplished through understanding yourself and becoming one with Him. John 17:20-21 I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one as you, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAYS WORDS - PUREST FORM

     Time is cruel like life. It slows down so that you can truly experience the worst moments of it. Only if you make it through them do you get to say ‘It all happened so fast. Yesterday I thought about why I felt the need to get up at exactly the same time as the day before and do everything I did the day before. Why? What compels any of us to do the things we do when deep down a part of us just wants to break free from it all? It’s like irresistible poison: I’m mesmerized by the way it’s making me feel though it has the potential to crush my soul and I drink it down anyway. And when someone grows up knowing so little of what real love feels like, whether from family, or friends, or the love of a companion, that person starts to believe that they weren’t meant to be loved, that good things will never happen to them. They start to believe that whenever something good does happen, it’s inevitable that something bad will come along to replace it.
     Pain hurts, but pain that's so powerful that you can't feel anymore, that's when you start to feel like you're going crazy. The moment you tell someone else is the moment you become a whiner and the world’s smallest violin starts to play. The truth is, we all have problems; we all go through hardships and pain, and my pain is paradise compared to a lot of people’s and I really have no right to whine at all. What compels any of us to do the things we do when deep down a part of us just wants to break free from it all? I don't know myself. I don't know what I want or how I feel or how I should feel, and I don't think I ever really have. There was no logic or any sense of purpose except that I knew I had to do something other than what I was doing, or I might not make it through this. 
     Things always change when someone you love dies. You just can't prepare yourself for those changes no matter what you do in advance. The only thing that's a certainty in always wondering who's going to be next. I guess sometimes the greatest memories are made in the most unlikely of places, further proof that spontaneity is more rewarding than a meticulously planned life. I believe that no matter what happens, or where we go, or if there's an afterlife, that we'll always be connected. Not even death can make me forget you or forget that I love you. I think when you fall in love, like true love, it’s love for life. All the rest is just experiences and delusions. Live in the moment, where everything is just right, take your time and limit your bad memories and you'll get wherever it is you're going a lot faster and with less bumps in the way. Heart always wins out over the mind. The heart, although reckless and suicidal and a masochist all on its own, always gets its way, has a mind of its own and it always gets what it wants, especially when it's dying. It’s like, you know, it doesn’t matter what you do, even if you try to replicate an experience down to every last detail, it’ll never be the way it was when it happened naturally the first time.
     I’m not a follower. I never have been. But I’ll definitely become someone I’m not for a few hours if it’ll make me blend in rather than make me a blatant eye sore and draw attention. It’s not only about sadness. In truth, sadness really has little to do with it. Depression is pain in its purest form, and I would do anything to be able to feel an emotion again. Any emotion at all. I think I've been afraid most of my life to be myself. Ultimately, it's my choice and only my choice. Let yourself cry, OK? One of the worst feelings in the world is being unable to cry and eventually it…starts to make things darker. Just remember to always be yourself and don’t be afraid to speak your mind or to dream out loud.

     J.A. Redmerski (born November 25, 1975) is an American New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestseller List novelist.

James Stone

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  
TODAYS WORDS - BE KIND TO YOURSELF

     When you realize your own magnificence, you will only attract magnificence into your life. Love yourself like your life depends on it, because it does. When you're good to yourself, you're actually being good to everyone around you because when you feel good, you'll only react well to other people. At the same time, it's very easy for you to do things for other people when you know that other people are just an extension of yourself. Transform your world by transforming your internal state. Start by learning to let go of negative self judgment, and replace it with positive and loving thoughts about yourself. Be kind to yourself, and watch your external world change.

     Anita Moorjani (born Anita Shamdasani 16 March 1959) is the author of five books, including the New York Times bestseller, Dying to be Me. After she was diagnosed with stage 1A Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2002, and rejected conventional treatment, Moorjani was taken to a hospital in 2006 where she lay in a coma for 30 hours, during which Moorjani claims to have undergone a near-death experience.

IT'S TIME FOR 
JUST JOKING MONDAYS

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

   SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

     April 2, 2024: This is a time when you can solve long-standing problems, but you must not dwell on the problem as much as you seek the solution. I will give you the wisdom you need to see what your next step needs to be. Do not be afraid to move beyond where you are. Put your trust in Me, says the Lord. Psalm 119:133 Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me.

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  
TODAYS WORDS - LONG - STANDING PROBLEMS

     God grants us the faculty to open ourselves to peace. Like the air, God's Grace is available to us. It is permeating every fiber of Being and the Being of the entire universe. When we take our attention to that Being, finer than the finest, then we establish ourselves on the level of God's Grace. Immediately we just enjoy. Life is Bliss! The golden gate to peace in life is the experience of bliss, and it is easy for everyone to acquire this great glory and live it throughout life. There is nothing in life to take seriously except the joy of life. If one is not happy, one has lost the very purpose of life.

     The experience of happiness is a direct means of replenishing life energy and revitalizing the mind. Happiness radiates like the fragrance from a flower and draws all good things toward you. All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become. Under all circumstances be happy, even if you have to force it a bit to change some long-standing habits. Problems are all in your head. Problems are not solved on the level of problems. Analyzing a problem to find its solution is like trying to restore freshness to a leaf by treating the leaf itself, whereas the solution lies in watering the root. If we are all strong, stable, we can set our sail with any wind in the world that comes along. We make up our own direction. If we are not strong, we are like a leaf in the wind and the world's winds will take us where they wish, not where we wish. 

     Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, born as Mahesh Prasad Varma on January 12, 1918, was a prominent Hindu spiritual leader who made significant contributions to the practice of Transcendental Meditation ™. His influence extended globally, and he is known for both his spiritual teachings and his association with renowned rock bands such as The Beatles and The Beach Boys.

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  
TODAYS WORDS - LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED

     He whom God hath gifted with a love of retirement possesses, as it were, an extra sense. A fresh mind keeps the body fresh. Take in the ideas of the day, drain off those of yesterday. It is a wonderful advantage to a man, in every pursuit or avocation, to secure an adviser in a sensible woman. In a woman, there is at once a subtle delicacy of tact, and a plain soundness of judgement, which are rarely combined to an equal degree in man.
      A woman, if she be really your friend, will have a sensitive regard for your character, honor, repute. She will seldom counsel you to do a shabby thing: for a woman friend always desires to be proud of you. A woman is seldom merciful to the man who is timid. To find what you seek in the road of life, the best proverb of all is that which says: Leave no stone unturned. Women love energy and grand results. People praise us behind our backs, but we hear them not; few before our faces, and who is not suspicious of the truth of such praise?

 
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton

Following This Nightly Bedtime Ritual Might Help You Lose Weight, Says New Study
Meaghan Cameron, MSMeaghan Cameron, MS

     You’ve probably heard your whole life how important a good night’s sleep is, and the science backs that up. Catching seven to nine hours of shut eye every night sets your body up for a slew of positive benefits. In fact, research suggests that sleeping just an extra hour each day could reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, boost your immunity, and stave off depression. But along with how much time you spend in bed, other sleep habits like your bedtime and when you wake up can have significant effects on your health and even your weight. A study published in January 2024 issue of the Journal of Activity, Sedentary, and Sleep Behaviors looked at how bedtime and wake-up time variability, along with total sleep time, affect health markers and body weight. It also assessed whether exercise and an active lifestyle could help improve the negative health metrics associated with poor sleep.
     The study included 3,698 people, all of whom were 46 years old and wore activity monitors that tracked their wake and sleep habits for two weeks. They were then assessed for average blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), level of abdominal fat, glucose and insulin levels, and cholesterol to see how sleep affected these metrics. What researchers discovered was that, overall, irregular sleep habits resulted in several poor health metrics, especially for people who didn’t move much throughout the day. However, they did have some good news for troubled sleepers: If someone missed a few hours of sleep here and there, boosting exercise could help mitigate some of the health effects. When they factored in activity levels, those who moved more saw an improvement in blood sugar and blood pressure numbers suggesting that exercise could help mitigate some of the damage done by poor sleep.
     However, if one of your priorities is weight loss or weight maintenance, it seems like you cannot out-exercise poor sleep habits, especially as you age. People who varied their bedtime significantly had higher waist circumferences and BMIs even with additional exercise or daily movement factored in. “Higher bedtime variability was associated with higher waist circumference regardless of time in bed, chronotype, and sedentary time or total physical activity,” wrote researchers. If you want to maintain a healthy weight as you age, be sure to prioritize sleep. There are many techniques you can try to improve sleep. Some people find that limiting screen time before bed, cultivating a calming pre-sleep routine, cooling down their room, or trying relaxation or meditation practices can help. See a healthcare provider if you find yourself tossing and turning to ensure your poor sleep isn’t part of a larger health problem.

This is for information purpose only and should not be considered as a substitute for medical expertise. These are opinions from an external panel of individual doctors. Please seek professional help regarding any health conditions or concerns.
     

Kenneth Davis

        T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAYS WORDS - PRESS ON

     Dreams don't have deadlines. Believe in yourself. Stay focused, go after your dreams and keep moving toward your goals. You can do anything you put your heart, mind and soul into. Far more than you can imagine. Be fearless. Do it. I think when you move past your fear and you go after your dreams wholeheartedly, you become free. Stand up and face your fears, or they will defeat you. You can't let your past hold your future hostage. Nobody is perfect, but life is about choices.
     God blesses us all with different views and perspectives and levels of influence and power. Once the referee throws the ball in the air, it's either your ball or their ball and you have to just take your shot. I don't look back. I don't live my life in the rear-view mirror because, if you do, you're bound to end up wrapped around a pole somewhere. I just look at the high and bright side of things.
     When adversity strikes, that's when you have to be the most calm. Take a step back, stay strong, stay grounded and press on. You have to always continue to strive no matter how hard things get, no matter how troubled you feel. No matter how tough things get, no matter how many times you lose, you keep trying to win.

 
LL Cool J
  
IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER
     

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS
TO
PATRICIA WHITE WATSON
 

     The measure of life is not its duration, but its donation. When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure. Teach us, O Lord, the disciplines of patience, for to wait is often harder than to work. 
~Peter Marshall~

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAYS WORD - EVALUATE YOUR LIFE

     You teach people how to treat you by what you allow, what you stop, and what you reinforce. I started understanding that my strength is my gentleness. A leader isn't a dictator, a leader is a servant. Negative people need drama like oxygen. Stay positive, it'll take their breath away. Love is a learned behavior. If you don't learn how to love yourself someone will teach you how to hate yourself. I just trust God. I don't worry about what tomorrow may bring because I know who's bringing it. Live your own truth and it won't matter how many lies they tell about you. The truth will prove itself. God makes originals not carbon copies. It's okay to be inspired by someone but be bold enough to be yourself.
     There's about to be a shift in your life. Get ready for your blessings. You've been through enough and a breakthrough is on the way. Don't doubt it, just claim it! Not everyone who started with you will finish with you. Be willing to go without them if you have to. Even at your best, someone will have something negative to say. Pursue Greatness anyways! Evaluate the people in your life; then promote, demote, or terminate. You're the CEO of your life! Separation before elevation. You have to let some people and things go so you can go to the next level. When you truly love yourself, you don't have enemies. They may hate you but you're too big to hate them back.

Tony Gaskins

WELCOME TO 
SMOOTH
 CONTEMPORARY JAZZ 
FRIDAYS

     Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) is a music festival held every April in Canada and the United States, in honor of jazz as an early American art form. JAM was created in 2001 by John Edward Hasse, curator of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. It became a national extension of the original Jazz Awareness Month created by the Louisiana Jazz Federation in New Orleans in 1980.
     Jazz Appreciation Month was created to be an annual event that would pay tribute to jazz as both a living and as a historic music. Schools, organizations, and governments celebrate JAM with free concerts and educational programs. Its first year was 2001, with funding provided by the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, which continues to support JAM every year. JAM culminates with the international celebration of International Jazz Day on April 30.

Patricia White (Watson)

Thanks everyone for all of the birthday wishes. At this point, I don't require a lot to have a fantastic day. Yesterday was filled with much joy and laughter and that was plenty for me. 

Kenneth Davis

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAYS WORDS - MAKE ADJUSTMENTS

     The mind and heart is the field upon which war is waged within us. If we can stop that internal fear-based battle, then those outside of us will be affected as well. We are all being called to be more present than ever, while dealing with a more challenging array of personal and professional challenges, opportunities and all-around growth. There is a polarizing and dualistic experience occurring politically and economically in the world, and I believe we are near the peak of a cyclical and truly chaotic time.
     "Balance" as a verb doesn't mean "stillness," but the constant act of making minor corrections from one side to another to bring one towards a center of stability. I make the necessary "corrections" if I find myself leaning too far in one direction. Balance for me now means seeing myself as a tree, being strong enough in my roots and trunk to not be a pushover but being flexible enough in every circumstance not to break. I am continuing to expand, but not any faster than my roots can support me.
     I truly have come to believe that there are only two states of being that generate our thoughts: LOVE or FEAR. The only unifying thought is one of LOVE. In life, when you start to fall, you don't have to go crazy, scolding yourself and further throwing yourself off balance. Instead, simply make adjustments. After all, if we are co-creators of our reality, as so many philosophies have espoused, then we have a say in how it is, how it goes and our participation in it, right?

Brenda Strong

Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

     April 7, 2024: Consider what I have given to you, says the Lord, the knowledge and wisdom of My word and the power of My presence. Guard closely the purity of My Spirit within you and do not cast your pearls before swine. Exercise your discernment to know when to speak and when to shut up. Let Me lead you in all things. Matthew 7:6 Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, let they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAYS WORDS - KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM

     Discernment is not a matter of telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right. My friends, it is one thing to go to church or chapel; it is quite another thing to go to God. My hope lives not because I am not a sinner, but because I am a sinner for whom Christ died; my trust is not that I am holy, but that being unholy, HE is my righteousness. My faith rests not upon what I am or shall be or feel or know, but in what Christ is, in what He has done, and in what He is now doing for me. Hallelujah!
     God does not need your strength: he has more than enough of power of his own. He asks for your weakness: he has none of that himself, and he is longing, therefore, to take your weakness, and use it as the instrument in his own mighty hand. Will you not yield your weakness to him, and receive his strength? God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart. When you are so weak that you cannot do much more than cry, you coin diamonds with both your eyes. The sweetest prayers God ever hears are the groans and sighs of those who have no hope in anything but his love.
     Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. It's a good thing God chose me before I was born, because he surely would not have afterwards. God is our portion, Christ our companion, the Spirit our Comforter, Earth our lodge, and Heaven is our home.

Charles Spurgeon

Kenneth Davis

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAYS WORDS - RESTORED AND RENEWED

     Since the world has existed, there has been injustice. But it is one world, the more so as it becomes smaller, more accessible. There is just no question that there is more obligation that those who have should give to those who have nothing. Living is like tearing through a museum. Not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering - because you can't take it in all at once. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others. Nothing is more important than empathy for another human being's suffering. Nothing. Not a career, not wealth, not intelligence, certainly not status. We have to feel for one another if we're going to survive with dignity.
     Giving is living. If you stop wanting to give, there's nothing more to live for. I hope for better things, and I thank God the world is also full of people who want to be genuine and kind. Anyone who does not believe in miracles is not a realist. Good things aren't supposed to just fall into your lap. God is very generous, but He expects you to do your part first. ...walk with the knowledge that you are never alone. You have to look at yourself objectively. Analyze yourself like an instrument. You have to be absolutely frank with yourself. Face your handicaps, don't try to hide them. Instead, develop something else. It's that wonderful old-fashioned idea that others come first, and you come second. This was the whole ethic by which I was brought up. Others matter more than you do, so 'don't fuss, dear; get on with it.' People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. The most important thing is growing old gracefully. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.

 
Audrey Hepburn

IT'S TIME FOR 
JUST JOKING MONDAYS