Raise 'Em and Praise Him - Testimony Tuesday! Cindy

Dear Reader - I am the owner of Simply Cindy blog. Today, I didn't have a testimony from another to share so I decided to post one of my own older writings. Nothing will stop me from doing the Lord's work so if no one shares a testimony - I'll step in and share one of mine, never a problem; nothing will derail the mission.
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Somebody Prayed for Me!

Good morning family. It’s with great honor that I’m here today amongst the living. Today is my birthday and I’m happy to say that I’m 51. This time last year, I was crying my eyes out for turning 50. I felt that that number represented “old” and even though I didn’t feel old or feel I looked old, I just couldn’t wrap my mind around that number. This year, 2015, I’m proud to say I’m 51 and I no longer have a problem with the number 5 anything. ;)

I’m writing this morning because I want to give credit where credit is due. What better time to do that than today on my special day! Giving thanks to my parents who raised me, who helped mold me into the lady I am today. I also want to thank the village who stepped in, Aunts, Uncles, Neighbors, and Friends that put their deposit in my bank of Cindy to help guide me and mold me. It takes a village.

I want to address this writing – “Somebody Prayed for Me”.

Feeling extremely blessed to be here today, I know somebody prayed for me. Coming out of depression from having to walk away from a job I’ve known for 19 years due to the company moving; somebody prayed for me.

Making adjustments daily after stepping out on FAITH and deciding not to return to the corporate world; somebody prayed for me. My leap of faith to relaunch my company – Cindy’s Simple Pleasures, LLC and to listen to God’s voice and direction; somebody prayed for me.

You see, working for ExxonMobil was my world. I’d been with them for 19 years, started as a Mobil employee but God had a different plan in store for my life. Somebody prayed for me. Everything that happened from my last day in the office to today has been written; it was in God’s plan for my life. Somebody prayed for me.

I pray all the time and I prayed over my decision to either relocate with the company to Texas or remain in VA. That wasn’t an easy decision to come to but I prayed and God delivered my answer. I know the voice of the Lord. I know when He answers my prayers. I’m where I’m supposed to be. This was in God’s plan for my life.

Since May 2015, when I walked out of corporate headquarters, God has been doing what He does best. He’s been working on me, preparing me to do His will. He’s been delivering and I’ve been receiving. Again, somebody prayed for me. I had to go through what I went through to be where I am. And guess what? I’m still traveling! I see a long road ahead but one that I’m not traveling down alone. God is with me so I’m “all good”. I don’t have to worry about my future, I just live in the moment and take one day at a time. My faith is strong so I have to be quiet and wait on the Lord to deliver, in His time. Working from home affords me the time to be quiet and listen. Time to receive. It affords me times like this – to write when the Spirit touches me too.

Stepping out on faith and leaving corporate to become a full-time entrepreneur had family members concerned. Somebody prayed for me. I knew what God was telling me, remember, I know how to listen. I knew this is where He wanted me so I listened and remained headstrong in making it my mission to do His will. All while somebody prayed for me.

Life isn’t easy and nothing will be handed to us on a silver platter. We’ve got to go out there and make things happen! We’ve got to do twice as much, work twice as hard but that’s okay as long as the end result is in the positive category and not the negative one. As long as we remain faithful in God Almighty and do His will, if He is for us, who can be against us? No weapon formed against me… right? Indeed. ;) Somebody prayed for me.

My morning prayers thanked God for another birthday. I thanked Him for the blessings He’s already shown me that I’ve walked into and the ones unseen but are yet to come.

If you get anything out of this message, I hope you get this… Believe. Have Faith! “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Step out on Faith today as I did and allow God to do what He does best. Receive Him today, allow your soul to be cleansed and start living a new life in Him. You will see that your day to day activities will change. You will see that you not only have a new walk but a new voice. If you want your circumstances to change, have somebody pray for you but you must allow God to step in by receiving Him today as your Lord and Savior! Somebody prayed for me, let me pray for you!

God bless you family!

One love,

Cindy*

Cindy's Featured Artist of the Week - Marita Berry!

MARITA BERRY

A self-published fiction author lives in New York City. She cherishes her family, exploring the meaning of life, chocolate, rainy days, salsa dancing, and meditation. 

Marita is most proud of raising her two sons as a single parent into successful young men while continuing her education where she received a master’s degree in Social Work, and being a grandmother to two wonderful grandsons whom she says keeps her grounded. 

Marita’s debut novel, Red September takes the readers on a roller-coaster ride of emotions that will make them laugh, cry, wonder, and wanting more. Her book can be found on www.maritaberryauthor.com

Divine Wellness

Integrative Nutrition

What’s it all about, this integrative nutrition stuff? A new buzz phrase? A catchy title with no substance? Seems as though which each passing day, we hear about some new study explaining the latest trends. What’s good for us one day, is bad for us within a few months. So let’s explore what integrative nutrition means and you can make a determination as to its significance for your life.

Integrative nutrition consists of all the various components of life that nourish your mind, body, and spirit. This includes such areas as career, relationships, physical activity, spirituality and finally, food. So let’s dig deeper into these areas.

Do you have a job that you love? How many of us can unequivocally say that our 9 to 5’s truly encompass all that we need to be happy? Think of how many hours a day, week, even a year that we spend at our jobs, away from loved ones, just to bring home the bacon. For many of us, our careers are a reflection of who we are. As we grow into our professional careers, each supervisor and group of coworkers contribute to the totality of our experience as an employee. We take in the good throw out the bad and keep advancing to the next level. Our jobs eventually develop into careers. Our satisfaction with our careers, or lack thereof, propels us to make appropriate moves, as we set out to accomplish what we were put here to do. Our careers feed and challenge us to use our personal gifts. If we’re not happy with our careers, it causes imbalances in other areas of our lives.

Our relationships with friends, family, colleagues, supervisors, etc., play a significant role in our well-being. Take a moment to think about how many people you know and what your relation is to them. They could be close family members, a college friend or a former boss. Now, how many of those folks do you communicate with on a regular basis? Finally, can you honestly say that the majority of your relationships feed you in a positive way?

Sadly, we all have energy drainers in our lives. You know who they are! Folks who totally exhaust you mentally within a few minutes of conversation. Keep them at arm’s length. Love them from afar and don’t let them steal your joy! Relationships should feed us emotionally, physically and mentally. As you form your circle of influence with those who motivate and inspire you, remember to keep the energy drainers at bay.

According to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, adults need to exercise five or more days per week for 30 minutes per day. Yeah, ok! Who has time for that? With most two-parent families working full-time and kids coming home from school to an empty house, with tv, snacks, video games, etc., how do we make a case for exercise? Speaking as a parent, kids will emulate the behaviors their parent's display. So if we’re inactive, guess what? The apple won’t fall far from the tree. Think of this… How many times have you started an exercise regimen and eventually stopped? What happened? Most people start exercising with a goal in mind, which is great! But they get caught up in the “New Year’s Resolution” frenzy!

Did you ever sign up for a gym membership in January, only to find yourself falling off the wagon by March? Who needs that? What we do need is a routine of movement to physically feed us, and dare I say, we need it daily. So do something you love! And once you do and stick to a schedule, you’ll be good to go!

How strong is your faith? Do you have a consistent spiritual practice? Daily prayer or meditation, attending church, family rituals, customs and traditions that are spiritually based, guide us to be more in tune with a powerful force that can lead us to the very core of who we are, why we’re here and what we were put here to do. For all of us, spirituality means something different. These activities feed our souls and help us in our own personal growth and development. Explore various methods of nurturing your core being and choose a practice that suits you.

The main components of integrative nutrition – career, relationships, physical activity, and spirituality, are all interconnected. In relation to food, if any one of these four components is not balanced, it affects how, what, when and why we eat.

Current healthcare practices only treat disease symptoms. In order to reach a state of total well-being, the four components of integrative nutrition must be balanced with a daily intake of healthy foods, all with the goal of nourishing the mind, body, and spirit. Every human being on this earth is different and requires a separate personal plan of action for their own well-being to manifest. Integrative nutrition is a concept that can get us there.

Traci A. Fonville is a board certified holistic health coach, a graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and a registered yoga teacher. She is the owner of I Affirm Wellness, which specializes in health coaching and beginner yoga classes. Follow Traci on Instagram and Facebook @iaffirmwellness.

Divine Wellness by Traci A. Fonville, HC, AADP, RYT

Contributing Writer

Originally published in New Living (Sports, Natural Health & Fitness Newspaper), - 2011

Introducing Jerl Ferguson - Simply Cindy's Newest Team Member

It's my pleasure and honor to introduce Jerl Ferguson, who joined my team as a Recruiter.

Jerl attended Roosevelt Jr. and Sr, high school, in Roosevelt, NY. He attended Consortium College in upstate New York. He's currently training in substance abuse under Rev. Anthony Bryant from Great Escape, in New York.  Jerl also works for Cota, Counsel on Thought and Action, and District Attorney Initiative, dealing with outreach, gang prevention, and domestic violence. 

He has seven brothers and five sisters. Jerl likes all sports including basketball, baseball, boxing, and stickball. He also likes the 60s, and the 70s Rock Pop and R&B music.

Please help me welcome Jerl to the Simply Cindy Blog team and to our blogging community!

Sticky Notes!

‘Sticky Notes…Sticky Situations

Daily Dose of ?!?!’

Happy New School Year!

Well, it’s officially a new school year and students, administration, bus drivers, custodians, and even parents are back in session for another interesting, zany, crazy year!

New school parents are dropping off their little precious babies for the first time in PreK to the rising Seniors who are about to exit with tassels ready to be turned.The year can be full of surprises, good or challenging. There are so many ways to make your school year productive, energetic, and fluid if you are willing to follow these few tips.

1.      Meet your child’s teacher! No matter if they are in 2nd grade or 12th grade. Take the time to introduce yourself with your contact information and let your local educator know that you are concerned with your child's education. It speaks volumes!

2.     Let your child know that you are on one accord with her/his teacher and you will stay in constant contact even via social media if need be! Communication is very vital!

3.     Get to know the school. It may seem like a lot, but your child will be spending the majority of their educational career in that building. Get to know the Librarian, Administration Team, Custodians, Crossing Guards, Bus Drivers, any one that is part of the education team, you need to know the face, name, and position. Please understand, this is not to ‘make trouble’ but this is to build a positive and healthy relationship within the community.

4.     Support your child’s school. You may not be able to sell the candy bars or attend every PTA meeting due to work or prior engagements, but the school year begins in August and ends in June….throughout the year, your child and teacher should know that you support it one way or another. Don’t be afraid to show your beautiful face :)

5.     Plan! Plan! Plan! Get the school calendar and find out dates of upcoming events. This will help with the financial cost (those $5.00 dances can add up fast) and provide adequate time to participate without the frustration of scrounging up that $5.00 at the last moment. Trust me, it will be a great investment for the year.

Stay connected for more tips on having a great year and more!

Until next time, remember to get a daily dose of laughter & love.

Sticky Notes by Trinette Collier Greene

Contributing Writer

Raise 'Em and Praise Him - Testimony Tuesday! Cindy

Dear Reader - I am the owner of Simply Cindy blog. Today, I didn't have a testimony from another to share so I decided to post one of my own past writings. Nothing will stop me from doing the Lord's work so if no one shares a testimony - I'll step in and share one of mine, never a problem; nothing will derail the mission.

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The White Room

I had a dream that I’d like to share with you. I need you to use your imagination to visualize what I’m about the share.

Envision something like a child’s jungle gym. Visualize a leaning ladder to climb up on. In the center of this apparatus is a hanging cage that swings back and forth. On the side of that is a ledge/platform that you must jump to, from the cage, to walk through the door at the end of the ledge/platform.

Here’s my dream…..

The room is completely white. I couldn’t see anything but the apparatus and the door I was to get to on the other side of the room. The dream starts out with me on the ladder. Always afraid of heights, I was scared to climb up. Suddenly, two young men speed up the ladder past me with ease. They both made it seem really easy to do all the challenges to get to the other side and exit. As I’m watching them, I’m thinking to myself, I can do this! I “will” do this!

I climbed the ladder, jumped onto the swinging cage but fear over took me once again when I realized I had to jump from there to the ledge. I couldn’t see anything below me, everything was completely “white”. I was afraid I’d fall off and I didn’t know what the outcome would be. While sitting on this cage, I dozed off. I awoke as my body jerked, as I was losing my grip on the cage.

Still afraid to jump to the ledge, I hear the voice of the Lord speak to me. The Lord told me to put my feet down and stand. Afraid, I did what the Lord told me to do. I didn’t know what my feet would touch, if anything, but I knew I trusted the Lord so I did as I was told. Once I put my feet down, I stood on solid ground. I couldn’t see it but it was there all along.

The Lord showed me that things aren’t always what they seem to be and that if I trust Him, He won’t allow me to get hurt. Have Faith and Stand was my message! Stand and wait on Him! He will see me through. He’ll come right on time, He will deliver me. All I have to do is STAND and have faith because, with Faith, I can do all things through Him.

In my dream, it was reinforced to me that I must “Wait on the Lord”. “Stand”. I must always trust that God has me covered at all times and the He won’t allow the enemy to deceive me by making me believe one thing when it’s actually another. I must always see the supernatural through God’s eyes and remain faithful and He will continue to bless me to see things and people for what they really are.

Peace,
Cindy*

Introducing Simply Cindy's Newest Team Member - Theo Abbott

It's my pleasure and honor to introduce Theo Abbott, who joined my team as a Contributing Sports Writer.

Theo is the Program/Operations Manager at Kuoni Destination Management. He has over 15 years of extensive event planning & management, marketing, and brand experience. 

Theo grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina with Trinidadian roots. He has lived in Washington DC for the last 18 years with a love and enthusiasm for all that the area offers. Theo has also had the opportunity to travel around the world which gives him a global perspective. He has a true passion for many sports and regularly attends sporting events in the DC area and beyond. Theo is a huge Washington Redskins football fan who goes to games all the time. He enjoys watching football, basketball, tennis, soccer, boxing, swimming, gymnastics, volleyball, and track and field among other sports.

Theo is a graduate of Wake Forest University. He has a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Marketing with a minor in Sociology. Theo looks forward to sharing his unique sports perspective via writings in Theo’s Sports Corner.

Please help me welcome Theo to the Simply Cindy Blog team and to our blogging community!