Everybody Got a Drink

The  more I think about the transformation in my life, the more I realize it was my drinking that was keeping me bound. What was my drink of choice? Lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, pride of life. Don't judge me... I am not longer bound to my drinking anymore. It took some time for me to realize what the drinking was doing to me. The person I am today was not the person I was 10 years ago.

What did it take for me to get delivered from my drink?

1. First acknowledging and confessing that I had a drinking problem.
2. Then deciding to do something about it. Once I made up in my mind that I was not going to be bound anymore, I began making a conscious effort to release it all the the Lord.
3.  I separated myself from the thing or things that were causing me to feel the way I was feeling that caused me to want to take a drink.
4.  I realized how the drinking was destroying me and those around me.
5.  I knew I had to strengthen my relationship with God.
6.  I then stayed in my word and looked to the Holy Spirit for guidance in all.
7.  I made peace with my past.

What's your drink? We all have one.

Remember to Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, Succeed Everyday
Find Peace Within
Be Blessed,
Ms. Lisa

Finding Peace Within - by Lisa Dalton: Move like the Ant

Finding Peace Within - by Lisa Dalton: Move like the Ant: I am 31 days away from the release of my upcoming book, Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, Succeed Everyday - A little bit of honey to make y...

Move like the Ant

I am 31 days away from the release of my upcoming book, Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, Succeed Everyday - A little bit of honey to make your day count and a little sweeter. I thought I would share an insert from the chapter "Mission Accomplished"

Let's consider the life of the ant and see what lesson we can learn from her.

. I learned a lot about ants as I watched her walk back and forth on the bricks.

            This is what I imagined her saying, “I have to get home with this worm.  I have to begin storing up for the winter. Oh no, a cliff! I can’t go this way! I’ll just back up and go the way I started. Woooo! Let’s see if I can go to the right. Yes, this looks like a good way to go. I’ll go down the side of this brick; surely it connects to the ground somewhere. I’ll put my foot out just to see if this brick connects to the ground. Nope, no connection. Let me back up again and go back the way I started.” After several attempts of trying to find a way to the ground the ant stops and regroups. As the ant looks around, she sees another way. “Great, this looks like a clear path, I’ll go this way.” With the worm in one arm and determination in her heart, the ant travels to another set of bricks. “Okay, this looks like it will work, I’ll just go down the side of this brick, and I’m sure it connects with the ground.”

            The ant travels a few feet down the side of the brick and finally makes a connection to the ground. “Thank you, Lord, I’m on my way home.” Little did the ant know there would be many more hurdles to cross, rocks to climb and leaves to go over as she traveled home. “What is this? Another rock, another leaf, another twig, more dirt, and what’s this big orange thing? But wait, I believe this big orange thing can take me across all the bricks, dirt, leaves, and rocks that lay ahead.” The big orange thing was my orange extension cord. “Lord I knew You would make a way for me to make it home safe. Thank You for not letting me drop the worm during my journey. Thank You for making the crooked way straight for me.” Mission accomplished! 

What if we were like the ant... Keep moving... work hard... knowing there is a reward on the other side of the trail.

Remember to Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday

Find Peace Within

Be blessed

Ms. Lisa

Feel Like Giving Up?

What do you do when you feel like giving up?

KEEP MOVING!!!!

Remember, Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday
Find Peace Within
Be blessed
Ms. Lisa

Drain My Life but Not My Spirit - A Light of Hope

It's amazing how sickness can take the life out of you but not drain your spirit.

It is the spirit of a man that keeps him pushing. It keeps him going, moving towards taking one step at a time. The spirit of a man is what makes him want to keep fighting, keep looking, keep asking. It is the spirit of a man that really keeps hope alive, keeps dreams alive, keeps visions alive, keeps prayer alive. It's the spirit of a man that keeps saying "I am getting through this!

That's what I saw in my sister yesterday. Wrapped in pain but yet her spirit was AMAZING! She was still smiling, still cooking, still helping and still making us laugh.

Sickness-- you may drain my body, but- - - You can't drain my SPIRIT!!

Remember to Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday
Find Peace Within
Be Blessed,
Ms. Lisa

Let's Get the Weight Off

As many of my readers know I am a believer of personal fitness. I believe in fitness and maintaining a balance life through working out, eating healthy, and finding peace within. As the year comes closer to an end, I thought I would share some of my most popular fitness tips and or blogs to help you start the year off with some positive changes. I have a little saying, "It's not about the weight but about the heart. Take care of the heart and the weight will follow." That is so important when trying to get rid of anything that's weighing you down. Anything that is too heavy for you to carry will cause health problems such as; back pain, heart pain, lung pain, leg pain, feet pain, shoulder pain, head pain, joint point. Need I continue? I believe you have the picture.

As you prepare to start a new year think about how important your heart is to your body. If the heart stops, you stop. We can function with one lung but we can't function without a heart as we only have one. Here are a few things I suggest you to to prepare to let some of the weight go for 2016.

1. Make a conscious effort to eat right - portion size. That's what we call eating the serving size. If it's good, save some for later. Your taste buds don't need all of it, just a taste will do.
2. Move after you're done. Take time to exercise your heart. 15 minutes a day is better than none.
3. Don't buy it if you're not discipline - If you know ice cream is your strong man, then don't buy the man. If you are not discipline enough, then don't even put it in the house. That's like asking for trouble.
4. Relax - take time to sit and relax, enjoy a heart felt movie. Stop watching shows that makes your heart race and keep you up during the night.
5. Listen to worship music - music soothes the soul...try it.
6. Take time to breath - take deep breathes, clear your lungs and thoughts. If you can't fix it, let it go.
7. DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN.

Remember, you are the most valuable player in your life. Reward yourself everyday with the Most Valuable Player Award. You are worth it.

My reminder - Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, Succeed Everyday
Find Peace Within
Be Blessed,
Ms. Lisa D.

Calling All Body Builders

Do you have what it takes to commit to your success? Do you have what it takes to be consistent in your own life? Do you have what it takes to make your world a little more fulfilling? We all have what it takes to make changes in our lives. We always know what those changes are but we don't always know how to make those changes.

When you've found that you have lost the zeal you once had, it's time to re- build your body. When you've found that you no longer are excited about doing those things that once brought you joy, it's time to re-build your body. When you've found that what once made you smile has now become a burden for you, it's time for you to re- build your body. Now, how do you re-build your body?

1. Make yourself a priority by making time your yourself EVERYDAY.
2. Make time for breath clean air - it clears not only your lungs but your thoughts
3. Tell those whom you love, that you love them but you love you more- if they love you, they will understand.
4. Tell those that say they love you, they must understand, because it's important to YOU.

Baby steps my friend... When I got married the first time, my father told me that Rome wasn't built in a day. He told me this after about 6 months of being married and I wanted to come back home. He wouldn't let me.. not this time that is... :)

Begin one step at a time with making the first change in YOU, and how you value yourself .
Take time to write your story. Take time to write out what it is you need from yourself to become a body builder? If it take going to bed a little earlier so you can get up earlier, then do it. If it means telling your children, pre-teens and teenagers that you need them to do their part and you hold them accountable for what they are and are not doing, then do that. If that means, taking 15 minutes and detouring from your normal schedule just to find time to breath, then do it.

It's time for all body builders to stand up and begin re-building your life. refresh and restart. To re- is to do something over that was once done. So, get started Re-building your Body, your soul and your mind.

There's someone waiting on the other side of that building and that someone is YOU.

Remember to Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday
Find Peace Within
Be Blessed,
Ms. Lisa

No Need To Scream at Me - I see you

As a believer in God, it is always my responsibility to make sure His name is made known where every I go. The thing is I don't have to scream His name out for the world to know I walk with Him everyday.

Yesterday we (LSOC) had the opportunity to minister in a place where not everyone was singing about Jesus. They rapped to their hearts content. Some talked about their struggles, some talked about violence in the streets, some talking about doing what grown folk do. Everyone participating in the event had a message to convey to the world.

We LSOC got up to minister - and I said minister - as that is what we do. We didn't compromise the name of Jesus. No, we didn't have to pump it down their throats and tell them that they were all going to hell because of what they were singing about. We just simply asked them a simple question, "are you glad you're free?" Smiling Big.... the response was over whelming. We ministered, they clapped their hands, stood up, sang the hook, and wanted more. The MC said "you guys brought church to us tonight."

That's what we as believer are suppose to do. Go out into the highway and bi-ways and compel men to Christ. We didn't have to scream, or shot, all we did was minister.

Today's Lesson:
Let your light so shine, so that men can see your good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven.
The world is watching, and they want to see something different than what they see in their own world.

Remember to Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday
Find Peace Within
Be Blessed,
Ms. Lisa

I Need My Struggles

As the end of 2015 come to an end, I am spending some time reflecting over my life. Today I am reading my journal from 2008 -

Friday April 1, 2008 - Lord I thank you for the sunshine. I thank you for being my rock when I'm stressed. I thank you for taking all my cares away. I thank you for being my friend. You were here for me today holding me and caring for me, showing me that you care. Thank you for FREEDOM!

April 2, 2008 - Thank you Lord for your mercy and your grace. Thank you for giving me the ability to get wealth. Thank you for my family and for helping us find balance between church and home.

April 3, 2008 - Dream of a better tomorrow. I thank you for a better tomorrow.

April 4, 2008 - Find strength in His might - was the word for today, and I did just that. Thank you for your word and your messenger.You are an encourager and I thank you for that.

May 23, 2008 - Worked out today, lifted weights bench press, shoulders, back, legs, abs, cardio, 1 hour. Having a chance to be ready and focus on my target areas. The pain was great. My muscles ache from each movement. I know the sacrifice is worth it.

May 24, 2008 - Another day of work. Dr. Cook came to our meeting, we will start laying off starting July to November, a total of over 200 people. My heart is heavy.

November 17, 2008 - Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up Lord, come and quench this thirsting of my soul. Bread of heaven, feed me til I want no more. Here's my cup, fill it up and make me whole. I am whole, I am delivered, I am at peace. This is my deliverance well.

December, 10, 2008 - Dear Lord, how can I start to heal? Write down what's hurting you. What will it take for me to be healed?

Lessons learned from my struggles -

1. They are necessary for growth
2. They are necessary for my testimony
3. They are necessary for my ministry
4. They prepare me for the next one.

Remember, to Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday
Find Peace Within
Be Blessed,
Ms. Lisa

Eat At The Bus Stop

There are many things I like to do during my lunch hour such as; read, exercise, take a walk around the block, listen to sermons, or read my bible. There are some days I'll do some pretty random stuff, like sit at the bus stop and watch what's going on in the area. Kinda like the seniors do once they retire, you know- they sit on the porch and wave at everyone. They know everything that's going on in the neighborhood. One particular day I decided to eat my lunch at the bus stop. My lunch was only a Green Smoothie, so it wasn't anything big.

As I sat at the bus stop, a young man by the name of Mr. Carter came and sat down beside me. Mr. Carter probably was around 70 years old. He looked like he could have been homeless or had some pretty hard challenges in his life. As Mr. Carter sat down beside me, I spoke and asked him how was he doing. He said he was doing fine and he asked me the same. I of course said I was doing GREAT. Mr. Carter and I carried on several pretty interesting conversation while he waited at the bus stop. We talked about the Billingsley neighborhood. That's where my job is located. He's a Charlottean and knew about the history of that side of town since it was where he grew up. I learned that Billingsley Road was named after a black man who was pretty well off financially during the early years. I also learned about the first black school built by black carpenters, The Billingsville School, which is located in the Grier Heights neighborhood. He talked about his days in the military and how he had dreams of becoming a politician, but life happened. (he never forgot his dream). As we continued to talk, I asked him did he know the Lord, he said yes he knew the Lord. So, I asked him what was his thoughts on same sex marriage. (This was right after the supreme court passed same sex marriage. )

Mr. Carter stated that as a politician he pretty much had to stay neutral on those subjects. So I asked him how would he feel if he didn't have a politician's mindset, how would he feel then. He was straddling the fence on the subject. So, I posed a question for him.... What if everyone married the same sex, then how would he or I be would have gotten here today? He thought, silently. I gave him the example of the power plug and the power outlet. In each there is a negative and a positive, male and female. The negative end of the power plug cannot fit into the negative side of the power outlet and the positive side of the power cord cannot fit in the positive side of the power outlet. Therefore, two of the same thing cannot produce power when put together. They want even fit. Therefore there is no possibility of any power being produced. There must be a positive (male) and a negative (female) to produce power. Mr. Carter smiled, and said "I never thought about it like that. So with that being said, I am for male and female because I like having power, and I'm glad I'm here." We laughed and said AMEN! He thanked me for spending my lunch time with him and wished me a blessed day. I thank him for spending that time with me and sharing his bus stop time with me. I left Mr. Carter feeling pretty good.... :)

Today's Lesson -
1. Don't be afraid to talk to strangers, you might just learn something
2. Don't be afraid to share your thoughts on current events, you just might change the mind of  the person you're talking to.
3. Don't be afraid to share your faith, you just might win someone to Christ
4. And finally, Don't be afraid to eat lunch at the bus stop.....

Remember to Smile Everyday, Show up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday
Find Peace Within
Be blessed,
Ms. Lisa

Failing is Good!

Keep living is what my grandmother would tell me. I would be like, grandma, what cha talking about. All she would say was, "keep living". I wasn't that attentive in school, so I wasn't on the A-B honor roll, I even failed typing my first year. LOl. Math wasn't one of my strong subjects and I don't remember a thing I learned in Science. I've failed a few classes and succeeded as many as well. As life went on, I failed at some other things, you know, like 2 previous marriages, learning how to work the cash register at Captain D's, then they fired me. I failed at learning how to skate, I even failed at learning how to cook like my mom. But, out of all those failures I have learned some pretty good lessons. In my book I decided to share a few of the positive things you learn when you failure.

Lessons learned: Excerpts from my upcoming book: Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, Succeed Everyday

1.     .     You must accept failure, but keep trying.
2.            Success in failure depends on whether you keep up with it or not.
3.     .      Failure means changing directions and finding another way to get it done.
4.   .    Failure helps you to believe in yourself.
5.     .     Failure teaches you that there is something else to learn.
6.  .   My favorite benefit is, God gets show us what He can make out of our failures.

Just know that even when you try and fail, there is always something good that can come out of it. Either you get up and try again, or you try something else. And you will also know, there are just somethings you're not good at and you know what's THAT'S OKAY...

     

      Remember to Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday

      Find Peace Within

      Be blessed,

      Ms. Lisa 

"Second Time Around" nothing like the Third Time

I'm sure we've all been through somethings in life, some good, some bad. Some we learned lessons from and some we're still trying figure out what the lesson was. Here is another excerpt from my upcoming book where I talk about the experience in my "second time around".

"However, there have been times in my life when smiling did not come as easy. I believe one of the most difficult times in my life was when I was traveling down a very long dark road and felt all alone. Even though I knew I wasn’t, I still felt like I was. I was in a place where I thought I could not share my darkness with anyone or that anyone would even believe that I was in such a dark place. Have you ever been in a place that was so dark that you found yourself doing things that were just out of character for you? I certainly have. My second marriage brought out the worst in me. Talking about a transformation. Thank you, Lord, for deliverance. It is amazing how the very thing that once attracted a person to you somehow becomes the very thing that they come to hate about you. I must plug this little note in here, be sure to marry someone who is comfortable with you being you and can handle your testimony. If not, you will end up losing yourself for the comfort of that person."                                                                                                                                                                                   Thank God, the third time is amazing!... don't ever stop showing up, there just might be something waiting for you when you arrive.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Every day                                                               Find Peace Within                                                                                                                                     Be blessed,                                                                                                                                                 Ms. Lisa                                                                                                                                                      

  

Not Before Me

What is the very first thing you do in the mornings? Is it prayer, meditations, ironing clothes, face book, emails, Instagram? You know the Lord speaks to us about what should be first. I am a firm believe that it is important that we seek God first in all. We should command our mornings, and decree and declare what we need in the atmosphere and allow the Lord to move on our behalf.

I haven't always made God first in my mornings. I didn't always command my mornings. Here is an excerpt from my upcoming book where I share the moment The Holy Spirit whipped my behind for not putting him first in my day.

For years I’ve started my mornings with a 45 minute workout. This was my lifestyle as a former body builder and fitness trainer. It wasn’t until one morning as I was preparing to workout, The Holy Spirit spoke to me and said that I could not start my mornings before spending time with Him. He said it was important that I spent time praying, meditating and hearing the voice of God. This was a wake up call for me and the start of my 4 am prayers. Matthew 6:33 gives us clear direction on how our days should start; But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. My life has never been the same since I started seeking God first.                                                                                                                                                    

                                                                                                                                                        Remember to give God his tenth, even in with your time.                                                                       Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday                                                                 Find Peace Within                                                                                                                                   Be Blessed,                                                                                                                                                 Ms. Lisa                                                                                                                                                      

The Student Speaks

I have been blessed to the opportunity to speak to many college students at both ITT Technical College, and Johnson C. Smith University. I have always had a heart to teach. I remember as a child when my friends and I would get together to play school, I was always the teacher. LOL. Always telling someone what to do. I enjoy teaching and I enjoy seeing the light bulb come on for my students.

This year I received several testimonies from students who shared with their professor how much my message touched them. Here is another excerpt from book, this time from the words of a student:

I have had the opportunity to speak to adult college students and have shared my mantra with many of them. As a result, I have gotten numerous messages from students sharing their testimony on how much my message really blessed them. Here is one testimony from a student from ITT Technical College; “Ms. Dalton gave an EXCELLENT speech. She did better than some preachers I have seen. LOL. It was very inspiring, and I needed to hear some of the things that she said, I just did not know it. I really enjoyed it. Thanks, Greg.” This message was sent to his professor who forward the message on to me.There are many life lessons that I have learned over the years, but this I know for sure, you never know who is waiting for you, which is why you must always be ready.                                                                                                                                                                               Remember to  Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday                                         Find Peace Within                                                                                                                                     Be Blessed,                                                                                                                                               Ms. Lisa                                                                                                                                                       

Granny Was Right

My grandmother raised me from the age of one. She and I spent most of our days on the road traveling to church. She raised me in the church from the age of five. She instilled some really good life long lessons and values in me that I will never forget. Among the many lessons was this one.

You'll find this in my book:

"There is one thing I will always remember that my granny told me, “God will supply a need when He sees a need.” We have to open ourselves and be vulnerable to our Lord. He has to see that we want Him in our lives and that we want Him to order our steps everyday. As I went through one of the most difficult times in my life, the Holy Spirit said to me, “Lisa, in order for you to make it through THIS journey you have to Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday.” I began speaking these words into my spirit daily. Even when I felt like I was not going to make it. I told myself, I was going to smile everyday, I was going to show up everyday and I was going to succeed everyday."

I watched my grandmother trust God in every way of her life. A Godly woman whom I've never seen live a life outside of what she believed. And that was her faith in God. When ever we were in need of anything, she always knew God was going to supply the need.

Today I live by what my granny taught me. I know God is going to supply my needs when I make my request known to Him.

Today's lesson: As grandma would say, "Keep on living". I thank God for allowing me to keep on living to see the reality of Granny Being Right....

Remember what your granny told you, she probably was right.

Remember to Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday
Find Peace Within
Be blessed,
Ms. Lisa

Be Silent and Smile!

I met with a very dear friend this weekend to do some trouble shooting with my book. The closer I get to the release date, I thought it would be important to get the view point of not only the business professional strategist but also the professor of education. As she read my manuscript, she said something very profound to me about my smile. She said, she has not only learned that my smile speaks of joy and happiness, but it also speaks of silence in the storms. You see, she's seen me as a preacher's wife and first lady as well as an educator. She has seen me in situations where all I could do was smile, because if I wasn't smiling, something might have popped off. Yelp, that's right popped off. LOL. Thank God for deliverance. Now I'm all about peace.. Praise The Lord. :) Of course, being the person that I am, I thought about what she said.

She is right, that is how I handle situations that I know I can't change.

You have to know when to be silent. When you're dealing with a situation that you know you cannot win and or your voice want be heard, Be silent and Smile! The other person will not know what you're thinking. Your smile will display that you are not moved or bothered by what they are doing or saying.

You only respond negatively to situations when it's not going your way. Does it really matter who wins in the end? After all, we're not here to fight each other, we're her to love and build each other up. Support and cheer each other on. Make positive contributions to the world, and die empty.  If there is a problem to be solved, or an issue to be resolved, there should be a common ground where it's okay to agree to disagree.

The message today is: If talking is not the answer -  Be Silent and Smile!

Remember to Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday
Find Peace Within
Be blessed
Ms. Lisa D.

"The Honey Bee" The Call

I spent most of my day yesterday working on my book, "Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, Succeed Everyday - A little book of honey to help you make everyday count and a little bit sweeter"- I believe the book will touch the hearts of not only the Christian community but the secular and professional community as well. As I get closer to finishing the book, I'll be sharing with you some small snippets of what to expect from the book. Here is an excerpt from "The Honey Bee - The Call"

"The more I studied the behavior of the honey bees the more revelation the Holy Spirit gave me of my dream. John 7:38 says “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. Living water, means life and flowing. Let me break down the behavior of honey bees to help you understand what The Holy Spirit revealed to me.

In the Hebrew, the number ten means – perfection of divine order. In the Hebrew wax means – to grow or increase.  In the Hebrew honey means – pleasantness. Now, let’s put it all together – The honey bees divine order is developed in the abdomen (rivers of living water). When honey bees turns 10 days old she develops the glands needed to produce wax in her abdomen. In her abdomen enzymes are produced (the anointing) which releases sugar (nectar) into pleasantness (sweet honey) which then produces (wax) growth or increase. Divine order produces the anointing, which produces pleasantness, which produces growth or increase, which pushes you into your purpose."

There is divine order in everything we do in life, even in the life of the honey bee. There is a process. You cannot go ahead of timing. What if the honey bee went out before its 10th day of life? How many of us have done something before we were ready and made a mess of it? I know I have. Today, I have enough wisdom to know, there is a time and place for everything. 

Let's bee like the honey bee and follow the perfected divine order. Let's allow The Holy Spirit to develop what needs to be developed in our belly so we can step out into the world with His anointing and touch the hearts of the people with a sweet pleasantness that will produce growth and increase.

Remember to Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday
Find Peace Within
Be blessed,
Ms. Lisa D. 

Shampoo in the Shower

I woke up anxious this morning. I wasn't sure why as I didn't have a dream or went to bed with anything heavy on my heart. I put on my morning coffee and decided to shampoo my hair. Instead of shampooing my hair in the sink I decided to do it in the shower. As I began to shampoo my hair, I felt the warmth of the water rolling down my scalp, down my face  and onto my neck, off my shoulders and down my back. I noticed how my body began to respond to the warmth of the water. After about 2 minutes, my body was totally relaxed and the anxious feeling I had was gone. I then completed my shower and finished shampooing my hair.

I went in the shower to shampoo my hair, but the shower ended up shampooing me instead. :). I learned to yield to the quieting process.

Today I learned to let the warmth of the water from a relaxing shower  wash away any anxiety that's in my body. I learned to yield to the moment and how to go with the flow when the waters turn.

The Lord says, we should be anxious for nothing... today, I learned to let the water shampoo me in the shower.

Remember to Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday
Find Peace Within
Be blessed,
Ms. Lisa

The Love of a Son

I wasn't blessed to have a daughters, and I'm okay with that, because I don't know how to plat hair, but I am blessed to have 2 wonderful sons. They always seem to make me smile and do things that bring tears to my eyes.

My oldest son, never says no.. he takes as many pictures of me as I like. My baby son whom I call my bonus child, is learning the benefits of not saying no to mamma.. He has me wrapped around his finger... my pinkie that is...I love them both very dearly. Yesterday they both showered me with love notes and poems.

This is written from the love of a son.

Happy Birthday Ms. Lisa

Happy Birthday to a mother I dearly love,
Not other mothers could a wife stand above.

Your ability to stay joyful is unique,
you always keep the energy level at its peak.

How do you do the things you do?,
on that subject, I have no clue.

Your willingness to stay fit is great,
this is one of your many respectable traits.

I can rely on you for who you are,
with the spirit of God to get us far.

No matter what the situation,
you make a plan to reach that stations.

You always seem to be on your feet,
and with a talent like yours you can't be beat.

Your talent is to show the way,
even when the path seems gray.

You light the way with your attitude and smile,
with your smile being contagious there is no denial.

I am glad God put you into my life,
and I'm sure dad is happy you're his wife.

The amount of words I want to express are not enough to say,
but on that note, I would like to conclude with saying happy birthday!!!!

Love, Maximillian.

My heart is over flowing with love and gratitude. God makes no mistakes, if He's blessed you to have children, love them, show them the way, show them who you are, be consistent, share your thoughts and they will share theirs.

Remember to Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, Succeed Everyday
Find Peace Within
Be blessed,
Ms. Lisa

The Shopping Cart

As I was in meditation this morning, I was reminded by the Holy Spirit that we should carry the Joy of the Lord every where we go. Not, that we have to be in the spirit all the time, but when people see us, they should know that there is something different about us. Then I thought about the afternoon I was at Aldi grocery store and this young lady came up to me while putting up my shopping cart.

Here's what happened:

As I was walking back to my car after putting up my shopping cart and getting my $0.25, LOL, this young lady was walking towards the entrance. I didn't know her, she didn't know me, and I had never seen her at the Aldi grocery store. She stopped and said, with a big smile "YOU LOOK AMAZING!" and I smiled back at her and said, "Why thank you, and have a blessed day!" She smiled back and said, "You do the same." I went on to my car and began to think. What was it she saw on me or in me that made me look amazing? It was a Friday, which on my  job was a dress-down day. I had on a jean skirt, white blouse...nothing that was expensive or fancy. I didn't even have on make-up. So I asked the Holy Spirit, what was it she saw on me. He said, "It was the Joy of the Lord." I just smiled, said thank you Holy Spirit and went on home.

The Joy of the Lord comes through the Holy Spirit. John 15:11 says, Jesus says, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."  Hebrews 1:9 says that God anointed the Lord Jesus with the oil of gladness above his fellows. Gladness in the bible, means to leap or to jump.

I believe the Joy of the Lord leaped out of my spirit, as the young lady was walking towards me. I wasn't doing anything different, just carrying a smile.

So how did I find the Joy of the Lord?

• Spend time with Him daily
• Spend time in His word daily
• Pray in the Holy Spirit daily
• Love on people daily
• Cast ALL my cares on Him daily

I believe God hears and answers my prayers. I pray to Him before I express my concerns to anyone.

Make time for Him, His Joy is there.

You will never know who you'll meet while putting up your shopping cart.

Remember to Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday

Find Peace Within

Be blessed,

Ms. Lisa 

Positive Polly

My job has many rewards, some you probably wouldn't think would be considered rewarding. I get the opportunity to speak with irate patients who are upset about their bills. Some want to curse me out and some want to cry and tell me all about their problems. Some want to blame me for everything that went wrong with their procedure and make excuses why they were mistreated by the office staff and or doctor. Some days I get to laugh and crack jokes with patients who are really having a bad day. Some days I get to say God bless you, I'll pray for you and have a blessed day. One thing is consistent, each patient is calling for me to handle an issue for them.

I spoke with one patient today for close to 30 minutes, she was very upset about how her claim was coded, etc. I believe she just wanted to be right, but there was no way for her to be right. She told me what she wanted me to do and I told her what I was going to do. She wanted me to agree with her and make the bill go away. THAT I COULDN'T DO. So, she finally agreed to do it my way. After that call I received one from a co-worker from one of the offices.

She called me as she saw I had called her earlier about another unhappy patient. She proceeded to talk about her day and how what we do have its days and can be very stressful. I agreed with her then, help her changed the way she looked at what we do. I let her know that I come to work to help those difficult patients, I look forward to making them smile after cursing me out about something I didn't do. I let her know that we were the voice for the company and it's important that we make the company look good by speaking well of it and our services.

I let her know we worked for a great company with great benefits. Paid holidays, paid inclement weather days, full healthcare benefits paid for by the company, flexibility with our time, no pressures from the boss, bonuses every holiday and great co-workers. She said, well aren't you the Positive Polly. I said yes, I guess I am. She said, well now I know who to call when I need a daily dose of positivity. She even said she was going to tell our CEO that my new name was Positive Polly. I'm cool with that as long as it's not the name on my paycheck.  :)

Today I learned that its important to turn situations around when they appear to be negative. I live everyday by my mantra Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday. I showed up today as "Positive Polly." Who will you show up as? You never know who needs uplifting....


Remember to Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday
Find Peace Within
Be blessed,
Ms. Lisa

The Footprint of a Smile

As I am in the final editing stage of my first book, Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, Succeed Everyday,  I thought I would share a few excerpts from what I believe will be a book that will put help you understand the importance of showing up for yourself everyday.

Preface -  "Whenever I’ve felt down or felt like I couldn't make it, I would put a smile on my face. I would make a conscious effort to smile, even when I thought there was no reason to smile. One morning as I entered the office, the staff said they knew it was me because they could hear my smile. I was amazed because I had yet to show my face or say good morning. That comment was an indication that my smile was not only for me but for those I came across."

         Smiling everyday helped me to realize that things would not always be the way they were and that God was with me. I looked at my smile as the footprint of Jesus Christ carrying me through my walk in life."

Whose footprint does your smile carry?



Remember to Smile Everyday, Show Up Everyday, and Succeed Everyday
Find Peace Within
Be blessed,
Ms. Lisa