"Write About Travel..."

Speaking of travel in its physical sense, mine is very few not to mention that my travels were never leisure or pleasure like a sabbatical. I always traveled with my immediate family visiting other family relatives or with a group of women going to a church retreat. My kind of travel is yet to happen in Jerusalem, or in Greece for a writing retreat and back to the
The Philippines for a high school reunion.

Well, when I and my husband and our 2 small children at the time were traveling from San Jose, California to New Jersey, with all of our household goods in a huge U-haul truck, that was the last travel we would do as a family. It was a trip mixed with melancholy because my parents and two siblings were still living in San Jose, California and on the other spectrum of life was great anticipation to live close
to my husband's family on the east coast. On our first day of travel, my husband drove for 14 hours. We stayed on a hotel the first night and the kids were very excited that we got to do this as a family.
One thing about traveling with your husband and children is that there's is an unexplainable sheer of joy in making a new journey with the whole family unit. That we are complete and that was it. There was a sense of unbreakable bond even for those moments only God knows how long it will last.
We were happy especially my husband wanting to be living near his mom again. On our second day of the trip, my husband just decided to make a stop to Chicago where his Aunt lives. I was okay with that. The kids too, maybe because of my husband's aunt that had a store where food and candies are of good supply and other stuff that we might need for the trip. We ended up staying for 2 nights.
One of the relatives had a birthday party. Our children had enjoyed Puerto Rican foods and played games with the other children there. I felt happy seeing families got together and unafraid to show how they missed each other all these years. On our last day of travel, my husband was driving
endlessly for an hour and there was this crossroad that we were about to take but he didn't know which way to take. The map he was looking at didn't help. So I just told him to take the other way. My gut feeling was telling me the right road to take and it so happened to be the right one. My husband was thanking me after that quick decision I made.

What I come away with that trip is that for everything, there is a season, beautiful in its time and God has set eternity in our hearts and would walk with us in season and out ...even when those seasons of life meant to be temporary but as you look back for a brief moment, those moments were shared without a few regrets...

'Cut The Fluff..."

"Cut the fluff..." is an idiom where you get rid useless adjectives and adverbs to get your writing powerful and clear. We, writers, are guilty of this fallacy in writing. Sometimes, the use of adjectives and adverbs give us better descriptions to nouns and pronouns. That may be so but most of the times, we overuse adjectives and adverbs putting our writing weak and vague. I tend to do that and I'm trying not to commit this fallacy in writing. Brevity and clarity in your writing are better than embellishing words that are just occupying space. Right now I'm guilty of not being punchy with my words. I could cut more fluffy words in my sentences but since this is free writing I will give myself a free ride to it.
Action words which are verbs are the best part of speech to use in the active voice if you want strong descriptions. The words that I often misuse and overuse are"very, so, truly, which, that, of, too, and etc. Well, every day is an opportunity to learn something better and I believe that there's always a room for improvement in whatever we do whether writing or parenting.
Sometimes I think I'm very bias when reading somebody else's work or craft. If your writing doesn't catch my attention on the 4th sentence of your paragraph, I won't read what happens next. I will end up just perusing the pages not having an inkling to go back and give it a chance... I should embrace other styles of writing not just appreciate their writing because it identifies with my style of writing. How's that going to hone my ability to write when I'm limiting and restricting good resources available to my disposal? My mindset should change to allowing myself to grow to make myself available to writing conferences, workshops, and webinars if I want this to work. And I do...especially this year, 2019.

"Write The End..."

It's day 23 of our My 500 Words Challenge. I'm starting to get weary in my bone...It's starting to get me to write like it's an obligation that I'm just doing it now to finish it because I signed for this challenge. Writing every day with a suggested/given topic to delve in is hard work. You begin to lose your fluidity and your words, thoughts become sloppy. But I have to get over this feeling of discontentment and continue to write with a purpose.
I was oftentimes asked why I don't have a book published yet or hadn't written non-fiction articles on magazines. I don't know. It always seems many things get in the way before I even plan to launch something like that. Blogging is the closest one to a greater dream. At this point in my life, this is good until God puts in my heart what I need to do for "He orders my steps."

But if I have to write a book, I would highlight "Home" where all meaningful events happened.
It is "at home" where you first witnessed what love is between two loving couple, your parents.
It is "at home" where unity and responsibility are taught well among us siblings. It is "at home"
where good manners are first established, where valuable lessons are taught...It is
"at home" where the ultimate foundation of core beliefs, our faith in God's very nature of giving unconditional love and His grace are mounted high in our core being. So, I'm here to say that having been brought up in an atmosphere of love, solidarity, and accountability in my generation
is big and that will carry you through thick and thin and weathering storms in your life.

Our childhood lies all the justifications why we believe what we believe and why we behave the
way we behave. The sacrifices that my mom and dad labored just to give us a good education served
me to follow suit. Those images in my reservoir of good memories in childhood built me good spines to be a courageous single parent.
How I would like to end my writing and what I want my readers to walk away with is the truth of the matter about life is that you can't blame anybody for your misfortune. It all comes back to making
good choices between right and wrong, and putting your faith to the One who can give you "and show you a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb."

"Write About Fear..."

Fear of death is probably the greatest fear that comes to mind...But if you have a strong relationship with God, His promises will entreat you, admonish you to be still, and trust Him.

At the beginning of the year, our Grace church is involved in serving our community with our choice of ministry we want to help with. I picked the gathering of old wreaths that were put in every tomb of a serviceman or servicewoman that served in the military. This happened to be the ministry that many people signed on to do. There were about 8,000 thousand graves equalling to that number of wreaths we're supposed to dispose of and if they could be recycled, we keep them in a different container.
I was amazed at the good turn out of people that came to help from other churches and organizations. I thought I would be there till sunset but we were all done within an hour.

As I was uprooting every wreath anchored to the ground, I said to myself, these men and women died as heroes, with valor, dignity and lived out their purpose. What about me? I'm alive and well but there are still times when I feel like my purpose is still waiting for me to claim. That's my greatest fear that I'm traveling in circles not fulfilling what I'm assigned to do in this world. I try to do good in every way I know is right. However, I feel like I'm just scratching the surface in everything I do and touch. I wish God will tell me audibly or send me an angel to tell me my real purpose so I wouldn't keep falling and guessing why am I here for. I'm not afraid to die because I know where I'm going to live forever. I just want to hear God when I stand before Him and tell me," welcome home, my good and faithful servant." 
My other fear is for my children to stay oblivious and disobedient and their hearts hardened towards the heart of God and they missed the Rapture. Not just for them but for everyone that still continues to be walking in the dark. I think of every soul that had ever impacted my journey in this life, where are they now? What about those that visit and read my blog? Are their hearts in a good place?
That I pray that you choose Today to give your heart to the Lord and let Him show you that He 
is the Joy, Peace & Love you've been missing in your life.

"Write A Confession..."

 Our writing challenge suggested topic for today is about sharing something that we wish didn't
happen but it did.

If I have to be brutally honest, I have many outlandish, uncouth, and awkward experiences in
the past. Yet all of these experiences have made me realized my real worth as a woman, a mother, a friend, a writer and most of all as the beloved daughter in the eyes of God.

You see, my worst flaw is and was the fairy tales I concocted in my mind developed by the sultry images I watched on t.v. shows, love stories I read on books and magazines and the radio dramas I heard over a hundred times. So did with the allure of music that portrays never-ending love.

Falling in love is the most beautiful, breathtaking, magical, suspenseful, intimate and inspiring act in life. I could add a very long list of adjectives and all the usage of the eight parts of speech congruently but still don't suffice how depth love is...Nobody can fully describe that profound feelings and emotions you have for someone. I may be a lyricist but still had not arrived to be a master of an unfathomed love. I am not going to be specific about my experience in this field because it is not meant for people to read in a blog. I just want to tell you in a nutshell that loving someone has a set of boundaries, standards, and guideposts you have to follow. Any red flag that you see must be a concern. Don't be blind or coerced or even constricted by loving someone just to be loved. Do not cross the fine line of giving yourself to someone who's already taken or committed to someone. That is so low and it reflects what kind of heart you have, a heartless, selfish kind of heart. All of which will come back to you in greater suffering if you concede to relationships you pursued to be very wrong. But then again, you're in a phase where your heart refuses to see and live the truth. Your truth is what you do; the choices that will make you respect yourself. Sooner or later, the realization of the matter comes pricy for you have wasted your time, energy, and money. The saddest part is you have consciously interrupted the very good plans and the will of God to prosper you because of your disobedience to his many promptings through the Holy Spirit. 

I have been a new creation and a vessel on God's Word. Nothing or nobody can stern me sideways on what I'm standing on now, the Solid Rock, Jesus, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. My past experiences serve as a precursor to my knowledge and living out the truth of His promises laid out to those who believe...And God has forgiven me for thwarting or coveting good to bad. 

But aren't we thankful and beyond Blessed that we have the God that accepts us and the only one that can love us" to the moon, to the infinity, to Heaven? He's knocking at every door of opportunity He sees open, and yet we veer to the side, against the course of the wind...

We only have Today...We may not live Tomorrow. There's no telling when our last earthly breath be... Choose Life Eternal!

"Justice Be Told..."

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted (Yes), every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain (Yes), and the crooked places will be made straight (Yes), and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed [cheering], and all flesh shall see it together. (Yes Lord)

This is our hope. (Yes, Yes) This is the faith that I go back to the South with. (Yes) With this faith (My Lord) we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. (Yes, All right) With this faith (Yes) we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation (Yes) into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. (Talk about it) With this faith (Yes, My Lord) we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together (Yes), to stand up for freedom together (Yeah), knowing that we will be free one day. [sustained applause]

This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God’s children (Yes, Yeah) will be able to sing with new meaning: “My country, ‘tis of thee (Yeah, Yes), sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. (Oh yes) Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride (Yeah), from every mountainside, let freedom ring!” (Yeah)

And if America is to be a great nation (Yes), this must become true. So let freedom ring (Yes, Amen) from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. (Uh-huh) Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. (Yes, all right) Let freedom ring (Yes) from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. (Well) Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. (Yes) But not only that: (No) Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. [cheering] (Yeah, Oh yes, Lord) Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. (Yes) Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. (Yes) From every mountainside (Yeah) [sustained applause], let freedom ring.

And when this happens [applause] (Let it ring, Let it ring), and when we allow freedom ring (Let it ring), when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city (Yes Lord), we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children (Yeah), black men (Yeah) and white men (Yeah), Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics (Yes), will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: “Free at last! (Yes) Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” [enthusiastic applause]

Source: 

MLKEC-INP, Martin Luther King, Jr. Estate Collection, In Private Hands

© Copyright Information

Related 

Published in

A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Clayborne Carson, ed.

Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King's life. We remember his most famous speech,
"I have a dream."His dream should be everyone's dream, too. He was very bold, unafraid,
and exponentially an outstanding speaker, orator. Let's continue to rally and support
his dream to become a reality. That day is coming soon. Our nation is not divided; it is our political leaders that are clouded with pride undermining the hopes of the people of this great country.
They never learned anything from the life of Reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King. But that's
just them. There are more of us in the Christian community that prays to God to heal our 
nation if we repent from our wicked ways. He is on the throne. Not worried if Pelosi and Schumer
remain in discord with President Trump. We pray for all our leaders whom we give our trust when we elected them. 
I think about those 30 times they put Dr. Martin Luther King in jail. What could have he'd 
been thinking, his heart aching for justice and equality? There was no backing down. No fear
in his vein. Just love for his brothers and sisters, that's us now. We are the heirs of his 
legacy to those who continue to support his dream. Another great figure for defending what she believes to be true was Rosa Parks. When I read about how she refused to give up her seat 
toward the front of a bus to a white male when segregation was written into law made me
admire her conviction so much. Had it not been for that righteous disobedience, "Supreme Court
could have not found bus segregation to be unconstitutional." Just like Dr. Martin Luther King,
Rosa Parks received so many threats and harassment stemming from what they stirred in people's
heart. People were actively listening and moving forward. What justice amongst us do you want
to fight for? In silence or roar like a lion? Or both! We should encourage ourselves to write to our congressmen, to our senators and let them know that we're watching what they say, do in public.
That we're not okay with what they're doing making the American people look like we're
naive & ignorant of their hidden agendas. This is what Reverend, Dr.Martin Luther King
wanted to happen one day; "that we will be able to transform the jangling discord of our nation
into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood." Thank You, Reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King 
for your life. I salute you!

"Write In Someone Else's Voice..."

My most recent reading influences meaning in Today's version, are Dr. Henry Cloud's
Necessary Endings & The Power of the Other; Mark Buchanan's Spiritual Rhythm and
Jeff Goin's Real Artists Don't Starve. However, my real source of personal/intimate writing
style comes from the Holy Book where revelations of the truth of the "I am" is the real creator of the masterpiece of immoveable words, lyrical writing, and the greatest storyteller we will ever know.

The Holy Bible is the only book that is breathed with the help of the Holy Spirit that is accounted
for by the apostles of Christ. That is why it has to be read with spiritual wisdom that is
beyond our mental capacity. The only one that can help us achieve that is the Holy Spirit.

With Jeff Goins, Dr. Henry Cloud & Mark Buchanan's style of writing is off the charts.
Their voice evokes their personal relationship with the Lord and you see that in their writing.
Mark Buchanan's Spiritual Rhythm is the book that I read every changing season because "it teaches us to respond 
to the weather of the heart, whether we are flourishing and fruitful, stark and dismal, or cool and windy. In comparing spiritual changes to the seasons of the year, Mark Buchanan shows us what to expect from each season and how embracing those rhythms allows our spiritual lives to prosper.''
Thus, I connect emotionally with Mark Buchanan's voice in writing. 
With Dr, Henry Cloud, his expertise in fostering personal and professional growth had given
me good insights moving forward. His "Necessary Endings" book has taught me " to know 
when to have realistic hope and when to execute a necessary ending with a person or
group of people. And how to stop wasting resources needed for the things that really matter."
In short, when to say goodbye and move on!
Jeff Goins' first published book, "Wrecked," on August 1, 2012, was the very first book
I read when I started Blogging. I've read all his books. I had attended his free video conferences on line. Not all of them but I did. His choice of words is heartfelt, honest and engaging.
Reading his work is like I'm in a conversation with him up close and personal. His writing is so dynamic and relatable, easy to understand, as it flutters to the heart. I can't wait to read his next book which is in the making.
Each of us has that creative gift as a storyteller. How we tap it and hone it is real work
that has good benefits, fulfillment to the core of your being.Hope you guys consider reading
my favorite authors' gifts to your soul.