Wednesday, July 5, 2017

You Give Me Joy…

“There beauty in my brokenness,
I have true love instead of pain.
There’s freedom though you’ve capture me,
I got joy instead of mourning.”
You give me joy….


(c) 2015 P. Lynne Designs
These are the words I have been listening to lately.  The song “Joy” is by VaShawn Mitchell, who is an African-American gospel singer.  He is one of my favorite singers to date, and I have enjoyed many of his songs.  In case you are not familiar with this type of song, it is referred to as a praise and worship song.  You are praising God for many of his blessings.  In no lately, especially now, this world we live in is changing so rapidly, until it is hard to keep up.  I do not try to anymore.  I have stopped with the “freedom posts”, as I like to call them.  I have not said one bad thing about President Trump, even though I dislike the man for what he is doing right now.  He is no President Obama. 
In my last posts, it says it all, when a person is unhappy with something, do not complain about it, for it might fall on deaf ears.  If you need to complain about it, go to the right person, mainly the person who is in charge of the thing that you have the complaint about.  Who knows, things may change.
Try to find the joy in everything that you do, even a simple, mundane task.  One day, if you are patient things, will change. What do I mean about that?
You have heard of me talking about my businesses on this blog.  What you do not know is how hard it is to market to someone.  I have been doing things for free, mainly for my church and other areas.  Well, I am finally getting paid with my first paying job.  I am helping a friend of mine celebrated her birthday by making her invitations.  It is a small price to pay all this time, but it was well worth it.  I have been paid before by making cards for relatives, and they have paid me something after I insist that I do it for free.  It is the little things that count. 
So, when I hear words like, “There beauty in my brokenness”, it is my testimony to say that there were times when I did not know where to turn.  I have been broken because of something that I have done, said, or something that someone or something has been done to me. When I look back on the broken times, I find joy in it today.  Why?  Because I have survived it.  It did not kill me, even though there were a couple of times when I wanted to end it all. “I found true love instead of pain” is also a testimony because I found out that there is someone who loves me through all of this.
As a teen, I had low esteem.  I did not like myself.  I felt I was too short for most of the things I wanted to do, which was to model and to be an actress.  I wanted to be a Rockette, all tall jobs.  Over the years, I found that it takes special training to be all those jobs.  I also found out there are short actresses out here, short dancers (I met all the requirements of a Rockette except the tall part), and you have to practically starve yourself as a model.  I found jobs that make me happy.  I forgot about modeling and being a Rockette.  I do not think that my ankles will allow me to be one now.
You have to find joy in your life if you are going to make it in life.  I talk about that all the time. 
There’s Freedom though you captured me
Did you know you are free to do anything you want to do?  There are so many opportunities out in the world for employment now more than even 20 years ago.  I do not see the irony of sitting around and doing nothing but causing problems.  Yes, I know about the police, but that is a different story and one that I have covered in the past year.  Yes, I am also angry that the police officers who shot those people get to walk while whole families and communities suffer the loss of their loved one.  You have to understand that these cops will get theirs, if not now, soon.  There is a much bigger plan that neither you nor I can handle.  Entrepreneurship has allowed me to do what I want to do in life, which lead to me being able to do my friend’s invitations.
Takeaway Moment:
Find something that gives you joy, peace of mind, and a sense of self.  If you read books that tell you to find your own happiness, take it to heart.  Sometimes, when a person has low self-esteem, you could be that person who brings them out of it.  If not, there is a much deeper problem that neither you or the person you are trying to help cannot handle.
I know you must think this post is mainly for Christians, but it is not.  This post is for anyone who believes in making peace with themselves, rather you believe in God or who you call God.

(c) 2015 P. Lynne Designs
Please take the time to seek out what you need to find peace with.  Take time to find joy in your life.  Take time to find you. 

Monday, July 3, 2017

Happy July, Happy 4th, and Happy birthday

(c) 2017 Mass Vacation
Welcome to July!  This is the first full month of summer and so much going on.  This is the only vacation month for teachers and students here in the United States.  (Unless, you need Summer School, then I cannot help you there.)  July was named for Julius Cæser, a Roman General.  It was his birthday month. There are a lot of events that took place during this month.  If you are a follower of national holidays, today (July 3rd) it is
·         National Fried Clam Day, so hit up your local fish person, and fry some clams (Yum!)
·         National eat your beans day
·         National chocolate wafer day
For July 4th, it is
·         National Barbecued Spareribs day. It goes perfectly with…
·         National Caesar Salad day.  This also goes well with….
·         Independence Day.  Birthday of the United States.
Yes, for those of you who do not live in the country, we are celebrating a birthday, and it all starts with the food.   I am not sure what I will be eating since the food will be provided by my aunt and uncle. Saturday, I had steak and salad, and yesterday, I had salmon, salad, corn on the cob, and apple pie.  For those who have been following this blog, yes, I am watching what I eat, but I have not had any gout flare-ups in a while (February was the last big one). 
Next, comes the parades and the fireworks.  My nephew shot some for his little one, who was very delighted to see them.  Our big one comes tonight.  It is called Red, White, and Boom, and the event is being acclaimed to be the biggest in this country.  It is never done on the 4th, to give local nearby towns a chance to shoot off their fireworks.
Another birthday celebration
Our nation is not the only one celebrating a birthday this month.  I will be turning a year older.  I am proud to say that I will be 53.  I cannot say that being in my 50s has always been a joy.  It was not, as I struggle to turn 50.  I was upset that I was kicked out of anything that was considered, “Young Adult” because I felt like a young adult.  I still do, but I also found out that this club has been slightly extended to age 55, so, I have a while.  There really is no such thing as being middle aged.  I want to know what is that?  All it means for most people my age you are sandwiched between your adult children and your senior parents, that’s all.  You are as young as you feel, and I do not feel a day over 35. (although I do have reminders from my body a little too often.)
Most people have giveaways on their birthday month, if not the day (21st).  I am not sure what I will do.  Stayed turned.  It might be a surprise.
So, this is a very short post this morning (it’s 3:58 AM, the latest (or the earliest) post I have ever written on this blog.

Happy 4th to those of us living in the United States, happy first part of summer for the whole month of July (or Happy winter for those in the Southern Hemisphere). 

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Sadness Turned into Mayhem, turned into Chaos, Turned into More Sadness

(c) The Real Deal
Title by P.Lynne Designs
I have been intrigued lately by the many ways people decide for themselves to end a life.  I am filled with sadness because of recent events in this country.  As I think about these events, I am always left with the question of why did this particular event happen.  I want to break down the event that happened yesterday.
I do not live in or near New York City.  I have, however, visited it many times as a child because my mother’s sister lived in the borough of The Bronx.  In case you are not familiar with that area, the areas of Manhattan, Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn, and The Bronx are called boroughs, not suburbs, like the ones where I now live in Columbus, Ohio.  It is confusing, to say the least, but not as confusing as some states are called Commonwealths, not states.  Another lesson for another day
I am not sure where this hospital in The Bronx is located at, but the news story mentioned that a former employee, a doctor, went into the hospital, took the elevator to the 16th floor and started shooting.  He killed one doctor and injured several others.  I also heard that he was let go in 2014 or 15 for sexual harassment. After going to the shooting rampage, on both the 16th and 17th floors, he took a bullet to his head and killed himself.
As I watched this event on Youtube, my mind went to several other recent events, where the shooter killed someone, then took their own life.  It seems to be a common as of late.  The home my parents bought when we first moved to Columbus had a tragic ending.  The previous owners were killed that way.  This was the couple’s second marriage, and they both worked for the State of Ohio highway patrol.  They were police officers.  They were on their way to work when the wife ex-husband opened fire on them.  They were both killed, and soon afterward, he killed himself.  This was back in the 1980’s.
Back to yesterday’s event….
I wonder what goes through a person’s head as they prepare to kill someone.  Do they think about the events that lead them to an act of killing?  It had to have been humiliating to find out that one day you have a job that you love doing, and the next minute, you are filling out an application for employment or unemployment.  In this doctor’s case, was he able to find a job after he was let go from the hospital in that time?  Sexual harassment is a serious crime that in the court’s eyes needs to be proven, such as the case of Bill Cosby, and I do have a say on that case back when he was first convicted of the crime in 2015.  I wonder if this doctor was not able to find employment because of this accusation? 
After The doctor was not able to find employment (I assume), I wonder if he blames the hospital for that situation.  Upon this discovery, I wonder if that was when he started plotting his killing spree.  There are so many unanswered questions that this doctor will not be able to tell the NYPD (New York Police Department) because he is dead.  They will have to piece together the events through the many witnesses that were there when it happened.
  Now my attention turns sadly to the doctor who was killed.  He did not expect to die that day.  He probably got up, kissed his family, and went to work to help people.  He may have stopped in the cafeteria, or at a food cart, a habit that many New Yorkers enjoy doing daily.  As a child, whenever I visited my aunt, I used to get the Italian Ice from the cart, not far from my aunt’s apartment with my cousins.  When we visited her and my uncle in 2003, which by that time, she moved to Brooklyn, I bought a pretzel from a food cart. 
Before this doctor arrived at work, he might have taken a taxi, Uber, or the subway.  Subways are a more common to travel in New York, than the bus.  I also remember this as a child.  It would take 3 trains to get from my aunt’s apartment to their church.  Another 3 to get back home.  If we had to go downtown for anything, it was another 2 trains coming, and two trains back.  In fact, my aunt was stuck on a train during the 9/11 event.  They finally had to manually open the doors to let people out.  She was 5 blocks from her apartment in Brooklyn and did not get home until 11 PM when she normally gets home at 6 pm.
Yes, things are not the same when someone goes on a killing spree.  Things get turned up expectedly, and you pray that you get to be one of the survivors.  I thank God that I have never been part of this madness, both as the shooter or as the victim. I am also lucky that none of my family members or friends have thought about doing this, or have been a victim to these types of crimes to my knowledge. 
You think that life is going to be the same, and one attitude, one side remark, or one act can set things off.  They say that all of us in the world can crack any moment.  This world is that volatile.  Even saying hello may set someone off.  It is a shame that people are not more helpful.
My takeaway: 
There is no takeaway, but there is a lesson to learn here.  Be mindful of another people’s feeling.  I am not saying that the hospital should not have fired the shooter.  When you fire someone, there are tactful ways of doing it, and I am afraid that no matter what you say to the person who is being fired.  You never know when they might snap.  I think that is one of the reasons you are pulled into a room to be fired.  This is the one fear I have when I start hiring people. 
As for the doctor who was killed, his family will have hard times ahead.  I am sure that every birthday, holiday, or annual event will come with great sadness. When each of my grandparents died, I would become sad when an event would come up, but I am happy that I will get to see them someday.  I would remember the good times I had with them, and wish I have gotten to know Paw-Paw Will, my father’s father.  I am sure he would have loved me.
Do me a favor and hug your family.  You never know when it is the last time you will see them.

Saturday, July 1, 2017

How Rude! A Follow-up to Why Complain

(c) 2014 Pixar 

It is not too often that I do a companion piece to a previous post.  I have done series and very few follow-ups.  I can recall doing a piece on Abby Lee Miller, the dance instructor on Dance Moms-now turned jail occupant, then months later doing a follow-up piece on how she was fairing since I berated her on her quest of being Queen of Sheba dance teacher.  I am also currently doing an on-going series of lessons I am learning this year.  I have not written a lesson since Eastertime, so, it is time I write a new one (Coming soon).  So, doing a follow-up so soon (practically hours) after writing the original piece is something new and different.
If you have not read the post, Why Complain, a Social Media Epitope, I urge you to read it, especially if you are the type who finds something wrong with the way that social media (especially Facebook) is run.  If you have, may I put another “Monkey Wrench” in that piece?
My second biggest pet-peeve are Trolls.
In case you are not familiar with the term “internet troll”, it is a social media term, which means, “is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into an emotional response.” (Wikipedia)
You could kind of say that this is my biggest pet-peeve from the above reason alone.  The reason I am following up on the last post involving “social media taboos”, as I like to call them, is I was reading on Facebook, and one of my Facebook friends was posting about a dinner that she thinks that her hubby and 12-year-old child would like.  I did not comment, but everyone but one said that they thought the family would love Tilapia.  The one, however, said, “Did you know that Tilapia contains Carbon Monoxide?” could you say that the person was a troll or stating their opinion?  By that definition quoted by Wikipedia, no, but it was rude of the person to mention that in the comments.  I have read worse comments, especially from people commenting on YouTube.
Now, before I can go on, I can say without a doubt that I have had my share of posting rude comments and having some posted to me.  That is what makes it so bad about it when you realized that your comment is going to start arguments, insight people, and so forth.  Here is my list of things I find upsetting:
1.      Words towards a group or race
First, what do you have to do with a culture, lifestyle, or race of people who you know nothing about?  If your only reason for reading a post is to upset that community, you are sadly mistaken.  They are not going to stop doing that act.  The proper phrase is, “Stay in your lane” if you do not have anything nice to say about a group of people.
2.      Using scripture to get your point across
This point is mainly aimed towards those Christians who like to provoke the hand of God on a group of people (The LGTBQ community) would suddenly make them stop.  In fact, it should be anyone’s business on how a person acts, unless it is harming another person, then, by all means, stop them.  Nope, it has not happened yet.  I am a Christian who likes to show people how to be a Christian than to “preach” to a person about their ways.  The way I show them is to not judge.  God is the only judge, and I am not worthy enough to do his job.  It is not my calling. So please, stop quoting Deuteronomy, or any other scripture for trolling purposes.  God does not like ugly.
3.       Calling an individual, a b**ch, and any other word you can think of. 
 Yes, I went there, and it is not nice when I posted it too. I do not curse on my posts, EVER, so this is the first and last time you will hear it from me. This is the worst kind of troll.  I have seen this a lot on YouTube. A person has worked hard on their video, making sure that they meet the basic requirements of YouTube. My requirement from you the viewer is Thumbs up or Thumbs down.  No comment is required.  Hate the video, fine, but no need to show the Youtuber and their followers that hate.  By the way, did you know that the Youtuber now has the control to approve your comment or not?  I should know because I have approved or disapproved some myself.  So, you may be commenting on deaf ears.
I could go on, but it is late. 
Takeaway Moment:  You may think that being a troll is cute or you are exercising your right to be heard.  We hear you loud and clear, trolls, and we read your comments too.  I have answered some troll’s comments too, like the one in Why Complain.  For the rest of us, there is a cute little button called a delete button on your laptop, desktop, or a virtual button on your tablet or phone.  Use it at will when you feel the urge to start an argument. No one likes a rude person in the real or virtual world.  Keep it real and stay in your lane whenever possible.  This is the only way you will get along in life.  For Christians, God has a rude awakening for those who disobey his commandments, don’t be that rude awaken yourself.  Try to make everyone online experience as smooth as possible, as well as your own.

(c) 2016 Dreamworks, Inc.
Personally, I rather see this: