The Sounds of the Wind

The Sounds of the Wind.

The Sounds of the Wind

It’s so windy outside. The sound of the wind woke me up. The weather alert says, “Tornado Watch”, which makes me a little scared.

And even though I’m not feeling as brave as I’d like to think that I am; my mind is centered around 3 main classic thoughts.

I can’t seem to remove this song from my internal thoughts as I lay here in a state of uneasiness.

A tornado flew around my room before you came; Excuse the mess it made, it usually doesn’t rain in Southern California, much like Arizona. My eyes don’t shed tears, but, boy, they bawl When I’m thinkin’ ’bout you (Ooh, no, no, no)…LOL

I think I will always cherish this song by Frank Ocean much like Miguel’s Adorn; Timothy Bloom’s ‘Till the End of Time; and countless others. #classicsongs

My tall, lean, and handsome son, Xavier, loved to run…FAST! Just before he left this world he had made the track team for the Junior High that he would have been attending the following school year. I wasn’t surprised because I’ve lost count of how many times he said to me during his elementary years, “mom watch me! See I’m faster than the wind!” as he zoomed pass me -or-the countless times during his middle school years that he had me time him as he ran a certain distance which he had measured off either down the street or on an indoor/outdoor track field. Yelling at me from afar, “Ma! What’s my time?!” just before running back to me to drape one of his long arms around my shoulder, kissing me on the cheek, smiling, and saying, “See mom, I’m still faster than the wind.” That still makes me LOL! Strong winds and full moons (story for later) often make me think of Xavier. #classicmemories

Lastly, as I lay here I pray (communicate with God) with a bit of joyful expectation as I fancy the thought of how precious my future that lies ahead. While I hold great anticipation for many things, the one that calms me in this moment is the thought of knowing that one divine night in the near future when the wind blows across the inland with such strength that it replicates the sounds of the wind as it moves the waters of the ocean on an island so much so that it wakes me from my sleep; that God has it in His plans for when I stretch out my arms to reach for “him” (my significant) there will be a set of human arms which God has created just for me that will affectionately reach back and embrace my body and my soul. #classiclove

#classicrandomness brought on by THE SOUNDS OF THE WIND!

A Noble Wife 12 Step Program

Four days out from ending another not built for me (i.e. bad) dating relationship I decided that I would try something new during my morning devotion. Typically I would pick a book in the Bible in which to read, take notes, and apply to my life, as applicable.  But today I thought Pastors always say that your prayer life should be specific. If you want something out of life; you should pray about it and use your concordance to find verses about the very thing that you seek. Well, after 7 long years I’m growing a tidbit weary of pointless dating, so I decided I would look up the word “husband” in my concordance and this would be my prayer and scripture focus for the week.

Today’s verses directed me to Proverbs 12:4 and Proverbs 31:10-31. And being the insert adjective woman that I am I read them and went HMPH! My initial thought was that those verses were so not helpful. Afterall these passages are all about becoming a noble wife, and has nothing to do with being found by a husband. I really don’t know what I was expecting the Bible to say, but I certainly wasn’t expecting it to gut check me. Plus, I know some wives and believe you me they aren’t doing half of what this woman in Proverbs 31 is doing; yet they have husbands.

But then I thought well I came to the Word of God seeking advice and I want to be open-minded and above all I trust the plan of God, so I decided I would read the passages again. This time I took my time and dissected each verse and when I was done I was like WOW! I want to be this noble Proverbs 31 wife. Now, this isn’t my first time reading Proverbs 31 and thinking that this woman is phenomenal, but this time I thought wife or no wife I want to live my life as such. And if a man would be so lucky as to find me, Little Miss Noble, he will truly be able to say and relate to Proverbs 18:22, “He who finds a wife finds what is good…”

So on my journey to becoming a Noble Wife/Woman I developed what I now endearing call “A Noble Wife 12 Step Program”.

Step 1. Provide Clothing for your family (vs 13). This makes perfect sense. Most of us ladies love to buy clothes, shoes, and accessories. So the first thing on our to-do-list is to go shopping!! And get our hands on some fabric (wool and flax). Men can no longer complain about us taking the credit cards and going to the malls and outlet centers. Shopping is a apart of becoming a noble wife, but be cafeful ladies and don’t break the bank.

Step 2. Provide Food for your family (v14-15). So after you leave the mall go by the grocery store and purchase food for your family. I suppose stopping by a local restaurant would suffice. However, just my personal recommendation that each woman should know how to prepare at least breakfast, lunch, plus, 5 meals for dinner. Two of the dinner meals should be quick fixes, two should be future family favorites, and one should be a romantic dinner that you will prepare for you and your lucky noble husband.

Step 3. Rise Early (vs15). Now this doesn’t mean that you can never sleep in, but that should be the exception and not the rule. By rising early we have time to spend joyously with God, to freshen up so when your family rise they see us looking refreshed and our early morning best, and it allows us to get the first meal of the day started. Am I losing you ladies? I hope not. This early morning 30 minutes to an hour moment of silence can be just as beneficial to us. We will no longer have to hit the ground running, but we can wake up to a moment of peace and serenity. The early morning silence can be our best friend, as well as, the peaceful foundation that we will grow to desire for the start of each day.

Step 4. Work and Earn a Living (vs 16). Ladies, now we know that work can be done in and outside of the home. Whatever our career path may be; do it with the mindset of a business woman and with absolute excellence. If you are the CEO of your company then obtain knowledge and execute strategies to help your company grow. If you are a janitor at a hotel clean each room as if the person you love the most will be spending the night. If you are a stay-home-mom manage the affairs of your home and create a safe haven with daily love and diligence. For a noble woman work is mandatory and beneficial to her and her family.

Step 5. Don’t become idle at nightfall; complete each daily task (vs 18). Each day should have a set goals; these goals should be realistic and achievable, yet demanding enough to give us a sense of accomplishment at the end of each day. Try your best to not put more on your plate than you can chew in one day. Be honest with yourself and know your capabilities. Do not live your life on the go-go-go, but find balance between sedentary and overload. This is important to helping us complete our daily task without rolling them over to the next day – thus overloading tomorrow! And by all means do not procrastinate. Adopt a getter done attitude and get-it-done!

Step 6. Be charitable; take care of the poor and needy (vs 20). A noble woman’s responsibilities does not stop at her doorstep, but she carries a heart of love and compassion for all. She humbly helps those who are in need and with her actions and sincerity she teaches her children to do the same. She doesn’t go about doing her labor of compassion aimlessly, but she prays and seeks to hear the small voice of God to order her steps in the way that she should go.

Step 7. Be prepared (vs 21). I once knew a lady who always purchased fairly inexpensive small gifts and cards, which she stored in a closet. Whenever a visitor would stop by her home they would always leave with a little token of appreciation for their good company and visit. You can only imagine the joy of her guest, who received a token of love simply because they stopped by to say “hello”. Now this doesn’t have to be our noble woman plan, but we should always be forward thinking. Don’t wait until winter to buy coats, hats, and gloves for our family, but rather have them stored in a closet like little tokens of love.

Step 8. Take care of the appearance of your home (vs 22). Your home is a blessing whether big or small; located on the inlands or on an island it is your home, your safe haven, your place of rest. Therefore, keep it clean above all else. When possible purchase items to add to its relaxing and charming appeal. Your home should not only be pleasing to the eye for your guest, but also for your family and you. There is nothing like residing, sleeping, and relaxing in a well-kept home.

Step 9. Take care of the appearance of self (vs 22). This does not mean that you have to come out dressed in labels, heels, and a full face of make-up, but we should always be dressed for the occasion. Take a few minutes to slip out of your house shoes and rollers before running to the grocery store to grab a loaf of bread. Trust me the small things do count. We always say when we dress our best we see no one, but when we are dressed our worst we see everyone. We should not dress only with the thought of being seen by others in mind, but more importantly we should dress to impress self. To give ourselves that boost of confidence that will carry us a long way. Being dressed for the occassion will help us to negotiate, walk with our heads held high, and speak with authority. Not to mention we will enjoy all the little compliments we receive throughout the day – ego boost bonus!

Step 10. Do not fear tomorrow (vs 25). God gives us our bread daily just like He did the children of Israel when He gave them manna from heaven for each day. Each day comes with its own agenda and our focus should be on living each day independent of yesterday and tomorrow to the fullest degree, so that no second is left to waste and no regret is there to have. The mystery of tomorrow can be scary, but regardless of what is to come we can rest in knowing that God is eternal therefore just like today He will meet us there also. So live each day with joy, strength, and hope.

Step 11. Seek and Give wise instruction (vs 26). In order to gain wisdom we have to seek wisdom. It is important to know the reliability of our sources so that we can be well equipped for the day and task at hand. Also, do not give advise just to hear yourself talk. If you don’t have an answer don’t give an answer. It is better to give an honest “I don’t know” or a “let me ask someone or pray about it” than to shoot advise from the hip. We never want to be guilty of leading someone down the wrong path. The instructions that we provide to our children, husband, friends, family, etc should be rooted in wisdom and not emotion.

Step 12. Honor the Lord (vs 30).  Talk about saving the best part of being a noble woman for last! A noble woman honors the Lord in all her endeavors. Whether she is getting up in the morning – she is honoring the Lord. If she is completing her daily assignments – she is honoring the Lord. If she is engaged in conversation – she is honoring the Lord. If she is busy being a woman, a wife, and/or a mother – she does it all honoring the Lord. If she is preparing to close her day with rest – she is honoring the Lord! Honor the Lord in all that we do and in return we will be praised for our noble deeds!