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Picking up Pieces

6/30/2019

Words written and spoken: Donyale
Authorized by iTunes Purchase, Song: "After the Storm" by Mumford & Sons

Mug with a Message
"Picking up Pieces"

Mug with a Message
“Picking up Pieces”
Thank you for your Purchase
Bringing Awareness, Planting Seed,
Supporting the Movement
“Making Gratitude Contagious”
is always the intent

Picking up pieces

When a storm comes into your life and tears up everything that you knew, that you trusted, that you just assumed would be a part of your Journey, tears up everything you owned, rips up every blueprint, disrupted every plan, Plan A and Plan B and now your left to asses the damage, with pieces to pick up.

Disruption to the degree that everything familiar is disrupted, this Storm came to destroy, including arriving without any notice, without any alert.

What do you do?

Where do you start?

Looking in the rear view mirror, It was as if the storm was calculated, it arrived at the most imperfect time, from the most unimaginable place, there was no preparation for a storm of this capacity. This was a Tsunami, with High Winds, Waves of Water, after effect shaking of the ground beneath me. It was a storm that you are keenly aware that many don’t make it out of, and I'm not just not speaking just of physical death, the kind of storm that creates drifters, mentally unstable and for many spiritually shaken even to the point of faith lost completely.

Truth is there is never a right time for a storm, there is never a right time for a valley or for a wilderness season, a challenging time along life’s journey. There are levels, there are layers to a storm and for one that by God’s Grace walked through a Tsunami with very visible damage left to walk through, but so Grateful one who is not destroyed.

I can tell you firsthand, if not for God’s Grace, if not for a relationship with my Creator, that I had prior to this Caliber of a storm, it could have easily been a ripple effect of devastation from the moment that it hit right through the present day, with a foundation of destruction designed to continue rippling and destroying my life, my children and generations to come.

Dark rooms are not for play, it’s a serious place, this is being shared for the heart who is battling thoughts right now, who may be in a dark room that is getting darker or questioning your faith because of the storm that has arrived on your doorstep, or the cruelty, or injustice that you can’t believe has happened to you. This is for the one Who is having a hard time to see or to know there is more.

I employ you to get the help that you need, your life matters, your light, your life matters and it is needed here and if at this moment, you need help. You may not have a local church, or know a trusted therapist, just to speak or to vent can be a start; The suicide hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, # 1-800-273-8255, again the # Help is not determined by status, color, environment, faith, so start with that number, just get the help, become someone needs you to be here.

Picking up Pieces

As a woman of Faith, a woman who has and continues to seek a relationship with my Creator, not just a religion, it is a walk, it is seeking, it is spending time, quiet time, listening, learning, having a Relationship with God for me is so important because it is my Faith that I’m willing to die on. I will choose to die on what I believe, so I’m not interested in a Club, a group with t-shirts, fancy slogans that represent a church or a religion, I’m not interested in a pep rally or someone or anyone celebrating me. I am interested in my Truth, in my Faith that I’m willing to die on, to live a life of Fulfillment being of service to others who may need to know you can walk out of Dark Rooms, you can have something more, you can take whatever it is that has happened in your life, your story and help someone else. It doesn't always require sharing your personal story, maybe just volunteering and in those places knowing what pain, knowing discomfort feels like

I’m interested in who is God for me, what have I known him to be in my life, what have I experienced firsthand beyond just what I read, what I study, that is so vital to me.

Picking up Pieces

My life has been a Book, filled with many beautiful chapters, beyond words to express, mountain top experiences that I know only by God’s favor I was able to experience, it was His Favor, not by qualifications, titles or associations but God’s Immeasurable Favor. My relationship started many years ago, raised in a Faith since childhood yes, but a personal relationship before even being married.

A God I have known as Love, immeasurable Grace, Peace beyond words to even express who resided and walked me through very dark places, uncomfortable places, devastating, cruel places.

My book along this journey contains chapters filled with tears, disappointments, like most I’ve had my share of Valleys but continued in my Faith, stood on Grace, stood on the Truth that I believe no matter my feelings, no matter my circumstances it has been personally proven in many valleys to be my Truth,

Picking up Pieces

Trusted when I didn’t understand, there were storms when I thought surely this must be my wilderness season and yet a Tsunami hit and at that moment you are knocked down, you are in a fog, challenged in your Faith, fighting the battle of thoughts, wrestling with pain and discomfort. You are trying to find your feet, your balance and in the midst of that recognizing you have children who are looking to you, wondering what’s next, what now?

The real question that comes can I trust the Word of God, can I trust God? That is the real question. Devastation hitting so close in areas that you never imagined could be touched but yet was allowed. Can I Trust God? Can I trust His Word?

I’m speaking to You, I’m speaking to the one who is barely hanging on, eyes filled with tears, questions of Why? You did not arrive here to read this, or to hear this by chance and I encourage you to Run to God to ask for rest while you heal, to run to Him for Peace, not run away. Don’t allow Fear to trap you or pull you into a Dark Room of lies, thoughts of despair, filled with Pain and building sorrow. Go to the Source who created you, who knows your end from the beginning.Who knows your journey, who knows your history, who knows your thoughts, who knows your pain.

Picking up Pieces

I will share that Yes, I’ve experienced being kicked down so hard in a moment that you are foggy, disoriented, assessing how or what is this. But God’s Grace wrapped His Peace beyond me that I had never experienced in all the years that I’ve walked with Him and I have walked many years with Him. I will not say I understand the Why, I can not say I have the answers, but I will say I Trust Him, I Trust His Word and as one who is picking up pieces, traveling a very unfamiliar path that no one in my sphere has experienced firsthand or who I can sit and talk with based on a similar experience of the moment and or present day, I will say I Trust God, I know there is No Darkness in Him (1 John 1:5). His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven and He has a Plan, a Purpose for each and everyone one of us when we Trust Him.

As I continue to walk this unfamiliar path, my Hope, my Trust remains in God, my comfort is that His thoughts are not my thoughts, His ways are not my ways and I find Peace in that. God can see over the Mountain and my Hope lies beyond a Grave and for that, I am so very Grateful.

In this season of service, of taking what was meant to destroy but instead shook me awake, Pain will Pay Dividends not by what can I do but by what I’m in service and available to do and my sons will know that Flowers can grow out of Ashes. You will know and anyone who is hurting while healing will know Love Always Wins, always.

Picking up Pieces

This is my road, this is being shared in Love, this is the road, the faith that I will die on, we all decide our own road, but the doors of Helping Build Bridges Across is open in love and it is set with a buffet table to take what can be an asset to your journey and simply leave the rest behind.

There are Eagles who reside in this community and you are welcome to ride our wings until your wings are healed and can fly on your own to then be an available ride to someone else.

Picking up Pieces. Picking up Pieces.

Thank you for being here,. Thank you for sharing, reposting, reaching out. There are not enough words to say Thank you.

Thank you for sharing your story. Thank you for wearing it, sharing it, surrounding your life with it. Thank you for doing your part, being a part of the Eagle Call, the Movement of Making Gratitude Contagious which in turn allows each Chapter in our Book to close without pages of Regrets and that my dear friend, is a Peace of mind that you, that I can’t measure.

Eagle Hugs,
Donyale

PS: The adventure continues and I reflect where it began online 2014 “found under About” and I stated who knows where the road will lead and I continue to say the same who knows where this road we travel together will lead, the treasures that we might find together, inspiring and encouraging and Empowering each other.

Picking up pieces

Making Gratitude Contagious is always the intent

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A Moment with Todd's Sons, my sons:

6/16/2019

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This post is being published on the US day of celebration for Fathers. June 16th. 2019 but allow me to say Internationally “Happy Father’s Day” to all who celebrate a day dedicated to Fathers.

I thought this would be a great day to share my Son’s voices:

A moment with Todd’s Sons:
One of those things that I enjoy is listening to the perspective of others, it’s how I grow and learn more about the perspective of others. With any conversation, you can decide what can be an asset to your journey. For some, what is shared may not resonate in the present season that your journey is in, but it is fulfilling to just listen without judgment, without correction or persuasion on the view of someone else. For me, it is sharing my perspective always with the words "Consider" and listening to the many voices of others on how they see it, experience it, etc

In fact, one of the things that brings my life Peace is that we each have our Journey to walk and I use daily what my faith has taught me and that is to Treat Others the Way I want to be Treated. To operate with Love and Respect.

Love to me symbolizes, not delivering pain or weight to someone else those you know and those you don’t. To be alert to the words that you speak, the actions that you choose to take. In my Faith, God is Love and there is no Darkness in Him. The scripture that relates exactly to that point in my faith is 1 John 1:5-6 (NLT). In fact, if you don’t share the same faith or are searching for what you believe, Love should be Universal, always in operation, not attacking someone else because they don’t believe what you believe or not sure what faith is yet for them. Not beating someone else up because they don’t share the same language of expressing God.

In my heart, God is the creator of all Creation and He speaks the language of every heart and if anyone knows the language that You need to find your peace, surely God would know Best on How to speak it.

For those who know; my work is that my sons can know that Flowers can grow out of ashes. Their father was killed on Sept 7th, 2016, the story is found under Living in my Truth I will share, It was our Faith, it was God’s Grace that allowed us to walk through those ashes, to rise above to higher ground above that Tsunami of a storm that hit our home. It was storm designed to destroy our lives and including generations because of the unexpected devastation that it delivered.

In fact, it had a ripple effect on the lives of many, on all of our family which reached so much further than just our own home.

But God, but God’s Grace walked us through and God continues to be with us every single day. Thank you Jesus.

The audio, the podcast above is me asking my sons;
What has an Eagle meant to you; I told them often when they were younger they were Eaglets becoming Eagles, signifying Rising above Storms when, not if, but when storms come in life. To learn early that it’s not what happens to us, it’s learning to soar to higher ground above it, looking back, I believe these lessons was the Wisdom of God that taught me to share that with them as younger boys and can confirm that we continue to Soar to Higher Ground.

The podcast is my work, it’s my fulfillment and I want to invite other guests to share their work, to share their heart,so allow me to say if you have a Story, an experience that can be uplifting, encouraging reach out to me, the door is open for those who feel led to share. Go to the website and submit that request on Share Your Story. That can be a story, a work, that you want to bring awareness to.

As I build on this road of other voices, I have to learn the operation of something new and I thought my son’s voices would be a treat to start in the lesson of connecting other voices on the Podcast.

This podcast, I'm asking Todd’s sons, my sons; Why an eagle? What does an eagle represent to you in your life, regarding your Dad or just your life, whatever is comfortable in this moment to share.

I will share they are Teenagers, they are boys and this is totally Mom’s project, but I told them both "Thank you" for being considerate enough to simply share a few words of whatever “THEY WANTED TO SAY” not a production or a lesson, a simple share of what words they had to give.

A great help to me, as I learned how to incorporate guests on the Podcast so a special moment of it being my first and a win-win in the process of this unfamiliar path that I’m traveling on.

Thank you for listening thank you for being here, Thank you for traveling this unfamiliar path with me

Eagle Hugs,
Donyale

#MakingGratitudeContagious is always the intent

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Receive Peace

6/9/2019

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Mug with a Message
"Receive Peace"

Mug with a Message
Theme
"Receive Peace"
We all have a Story behind a Smile and when Tragedy kicked down my door, altered my life, I chose to Make Pain Pay Dividends, to intensify making a difference in the life of someone else.

Thank you for your Purchase
Thank you for Joining in Bringing Awareness, Planting Seed,
Supporting the Movement
“Making Gratitude Contagious”
is always the intent

Receive Peace (Audio message above - "not" a read along)

My share today is to "Receive Peace"

The more miles I travel along life's journey, the more I come to realize that Life can be challenging, that there are so many things beyond our control. I've had experiences that if I could put it into the words. . . It would be like a Wild Horse who has been tied to a stable, the Horse wants to run free but is being hindered.

As I've traveled a little further, I recognize that there are times where You May be Tied but You are Free and this aids the theme today.

We all have challenges, worries, concerns, continuous thoughts that parade around our mind, most of that whispers a negative outcome, or produces fear. While we all experience fear, concerns of What if, my perspective is...

What if "is not" What is

I'm exercising my Thoughts each day, every moment, meaning No matter the challenge, concern or fear. . . .IT IS EXTERNAL

EXTERNAL for me means that I LOOK AT IT
I LOOK AT IT
I LOOK AT IT

I will not, do not allow it to RESIDE INSIDE "No Entry Allowed" not anymore along my journey. I know challenges, concerns and worries visit but I decided and want to share with you. To Look At it

What can You, What can I do with it. . . then I Try that, I do that whatever the outcome.

WE CANNOT CONTROL WHAT HAPPENS "External Things" but WE CAN CONTROL
How We
React
Respond
Feel
Perspective
Our Words
Our Actions

We Do What We Can and continue forward

If we can't do anything about it in the moment, then we, set aside, as a woman of Faith, I surrender it, release it and look for Wisdom on it and Then I Continue Forward.

No matter what you draw on, the Word Today is to "Receive Peace"
Whatever "IT" is
Look at it
Do not allow it to Reside Inside or to take Root by meditating on "IT" all day

Do not allow it to Reside inside
Look at it

Thank you for being here
Thank you for sharing
Thank you for connecting and being a part of my Eagle Call
Thank you for traveling this unfamiliar path with me

Making Gratitude Contagious is always the Intent

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Picking up Pieces

Mug with a Message"Picking up Pieces"

A Moment with Todd's Sons, my sons:

Receive Peace

Mug with a Message"Receive Peace"

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Mug with a Message
"Picking up Pieces"

Mug with a Message
"Receive Peace"