My Love For Lavender

Pic taken at Joseph Beth in Rookwood

     If one didn't know. I love everything lavender. My mom introduced the scent to me years ago. She told me it was a calming scent. That is all I needed to know. Doing my first years of teaching my mother gave me lavender oil in a very unique glass bottle. Even now on my desk I keep lavendar oil in a bottle with wooden reeds in it.

     At home, most of our handsoap, dishwashing liquid and detergent is lavender scented. There's the lavender oil that burns and the Glade Plug Ins. In the window sill I am growing lavender that will be planted soon. There's another plant I love too, Russian Sage. It is so beautiful and I love to see it blow it in the wind. I can't wait for my lavender plant to grow some more.

My lavender plant in a bag

     Recently a friend posted about a store that sells lavendar gelato. I'll be there before summer ends. There is something very important to me about being calm and having calm things around me. Our lives our chaotic and we are always on the go. When I sit I just want to inhale the scent that my mom introduced me to and think about all things wonderful, all things calm.

     Whenever you come in my home, calmness and peacefulness is mandatory in our sanctuary and at some point you will encounter the beautiful smell of lavender.

A New Me

About two years ago my son was asked to play football. He tried it for a while but then I noticed the excitement was leaving from him. It even got to the point where when I said time for practice, he would have tummy pains and fall asleep. By the time my cousin got to my home, my son would be knocked out. This went on for many practice days. Heck one day wasn't even a practice day and I told him it was time to get ready for football practice. He grabbed his little tummy and curled up on the couch and went to sleep. My older son and I commenced to watching two movies with popcorn uninterrupted. Yeah. I know we were wrong for that. We still laugh about that til this day.

See, I knew that there wasn't anything wrong with my son. He had just lost interest for some reason. I asked him what had happened. He simply said, "I don't like when the coaches yell at me." Hmm. At that time he was only 5. I didn't want organized sports to be a bad experience for him. We pulled him from the team and guess what? No more tummy aches. No more all of a sudden naps. No more interrupted movies.

This year a co-worker asked if I would be interested in my son attending the Marvin Lewis Camp. My first thought was, this boy about to take a serious nap. I recruited a friend who loves football to take my son the first day. I was concerned about the outcome. When my son comes home he goes straight to his brother's room and starts talking about his experience. My friend Mike comes in the house and excitedly yells out "He loves football now!" Does he?

The camp was for 3 days and for 3 days my son was ready. One morning he's laying across the bed and he has on his camp shirt and he's looking like he's ready to go. Camp was at 6pm, it was 10a.m. I looked at his very long legs and noticed how tall he was getting and I said to him, "I thought you didn't like football." My son, without mising a beat said, "Mom, this is the new me."

Not only did he finish the camp but he also attended the Anthony Munoz camp and had the nerve to inquire about the A.J. Green camp. Hold up now!!!!

Since birth my mom has always stated that my son would play professional football for the Seahawks. She has his number picked out and everything. One day, last year, at Walgreens a stranger said to me, "Do you know that you are standing next to a professional football player?" As I looked around he stated, "He's right there beside you." I looked over and it was my son. The man put money in my hand and walked away.

A new me? Just maybe my son is already walking into the path that has been predestined for him. Whether he plays organized football or attends another camp is not important to me.I am just glad that he overcame his dislike of football. He's even asked about going to the camps next summer.

My older son has played basketball since kindergarten and is now going into his 3rd year of college, he plays at the Division II level. I guess if football becomes a part of this family you'll be seeing a "new me" also.

If I Could Just Stay Right Here

Months ago I wrote "If I Could Just Stay Right Here". I shared it with a friend and this was his response. It amazed me that he was able to so quickly response. When I asked him where did he pick up so much about me. He said, I read your book. #Flattered

I do not want you to languish to long in this one place for you have been there for too long.
If you stay there much longer, you will miss the sun rise and the dawning of a bright future.They violently placed you in a cacoon, and you took it as a net, a blanket of safety;it is not.
They blinded you and raped you of your promise, your promise of love and possibility.
They robbed you, took you and surrounded you with mal intent and darkness; too long have you laid in the darkness.

Now look to the shadows, the clouded hero, the one who you knew would come because you knew you deserved rescue.
Your hero charged in not wearing the typical garb of one foretold. His hat isn't white and his bullets aint silver.
His character is flawed and his soul is tortured.  He is a grisly grimy hero, yet your hero never the less.
His equine influenced mask is not to hide his identity, it is to hide his scars, he is beaten, bruised, and pale.
The epic demonic battles that he has fought were not of satanic influences they were battles used to forge and temper his soul, his God given soul.
With each battle he was being shaped and molded, tempered and tested so that one day he could stand before you.
His hands are unclean marred with dirt and blood yet he offers them to you and says trust me, follow me, I got this, I will lead the way.
Take his hands,part them and place your heart, fears, and pretty girl face into them.
Get off the couch and follow this violent hero into your destiny, why just stay there when tomorrow has a greater promise.

Don't imagine, just do.

She Blames Me ~ We Can't All Be Princesses

Sit Here In This Silence

Early in the morning

Late in the night

I'm just sitting here, laying here 

The silence is what I need to think

To hear 

From Him

Only tonight, He's not speaking

Rather listening to me

Decisions I need to make

Decisions I shouldn't have made

Thinking back on voices heard

Telling me

Trying to break me

Convincing me 

Deciding not to be bitter

Trying to be better

My crown slipped

Had to go back to Him

He sent me to her

Esther & I sat several times

Just talking about being a princess

Becoming a queen 

She adjusted my crown

Told me not to feel down

Assured me that what others try to do to you

It's already done to them. 

No need to wish for what already is.  

©2013 LindarInsights

Jesus Will

Jahbarri singing Take me to the King

Sushi, My Son & Me at Sakura Asian Fusion in Kissimmee, FL

          Sakura Asian Fusion

For a couple of years I have been attempting to get my son to try Sushi. The answer has always been 'No". I kept telling him that he was going to meet someone who would make him try something new. Sure enough two weeks ago he tells me that he is going out with a friend, who was home from college. "Where are y'all going? Sushi? Sushi? Really?"

See, I told him. He didn't listen to me. Well, I didn't listen to my mom about a lot of things either. (Hmmmm. The payback begins.) Ok. Back to Sushi. I had to go online and tell him all of the things he would not like. I told him to remember this word "tempura", which means the food is battered and then fried. He's not a real seafood person so I knew salmon would be a sure bet for him to try for the first time. Later that evening when he comes home he tells me that Sushi is not bad. Again I say, "Really?"

Now we are on vacation and what do my son and I desire to eat? Yes, Sushi. We can't find any place open in the Kissimmee area and eventually we give up. Days later we are sitting at the pool and a friend tells us about a place right outside of the resort that rolls Sushi to order. Right outside of the resort?  Before you get to the traffic light?  That is a whole nother blog about what you need being within your reach, yet you all over the place looking for it.

The day we hear about Sakura is the day we visit. With my sons in tow we walk into this incredible restaurant. The owners were so nice to us and so pleasant. We order the Tempura Salmon Roll and Krab Rangoon. The preparer allows us to watch him prepare our meal and begins to tell us about how Sushi places are becoming popular and that people needed to understand that Sushi is also an art form. As I watched him I was in agreement. From the method of cutting the food to creating the roll, it was like watching art come to life.

He even told us that we needed to eat it immediately or the crunchiness would disappear with the steam. With their permission I took pictures. Sakura is so welcoming, so inviting, so pretty. When we arrived back to our room, we were more than satisfied. My son and I were filled with the best tasting Sushi I've ever had.

So on Wednesday as we prepared for our last meal in Florida there was no doubt for me. I called and placed my order. When my son came in with my Tempura Salmon he said, "Mom, he remembered me." Well, I'll never forget them. We will see them again next summer.



Milani Cosmetics ~ Naturally Chic Nude Nails & Lips

Naturally Chic

Milani Cosmetics ~ New Bronzer XL

Bronzer XL

Fix My Life ~ Pastor Jamal H Bryant