"Pearls- Not A Necklace"
{excerpt from my book- release date to be announced}
Do you have bunions, corns & calluses? Not the unsightly protrusions that grow on your feet, but the mind-born ones, heart-born, relationship-born, career-born, past-born, anger-born, envy-born etc...
-Lucky shoes that I wore until I outgrew them-
I auditioned for the girls track team in junior high wearing an old pair of good-looking sneakers from 5th grade. {I won countless prizes from theme parks while wearing them.} Coach Sistrunk was so altogether impressed with my track & field, that he asked me to train with the boys. I was honored, but after a few weeks nature {puberty} took its course, and I discovered that my "new chest" hindered me, since it was no longer a "chest" anymore.
Thus, I bowed out with all confidence knowing that I was great whether I ran for a medal or leisure. More importantly I learned that it wasn't the shoes, which by the way I had long-since outgrown, but "it" was in me all along. Some call "it" TALENT, some say "it's" a GIFT, but others credit GOD. . .
Me and those shoes had an ongoing love affair, but so did my favorite "Miss. Piggy" hooded sweatshirt and I. I wore them both until I could not fit them even the slightest. If my awesome Mother had not thrown them out when she did, I'd have bunions, corns & calluses today. THAT WAS A CLOSE CALL, BUT A GOOD CALL!
Take inventory of your life. What are you clinging to that you need to turn lose? Who are you holding onto that you need to let go of? Are you fooling yourself with a pride-based illusion of happiness? Do you need to win at everything, when not all things are competition?
Slow down. Sit still and take off those shoes that you knew were too exact when you bought them. They never did really fit in the first place. Though it seemed right, looked well and felt good at the time, you knew you needed more room to begin with: SPACE TO GROW.
Life can throw a hell of a wicked curve ball at you like a zenith Roger Clemens pitch. Don't swing at everything that looks hittable or even reasonable. Poor judgment comes from bad logic, plain and simple.
If you have a Mother or someone in your life who is usually RIGHT with super-SHARP discernment, think it over again before your personal happiness is NEVER. Something she may have warned you of over 10 years ago could still remain true in this moment.
Pray and cut your losses while you're ahead.
Life is short, your tomorrow could very well begin today!
Don't be a victim of your own shoes.
~CHANGE CAN BE UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT ADAPTING DOES NOT HAVE TO BE~
author, Mary*Michelle*Richard
Proverbs 6:20-27 (New International Version)
20 My son, keep your father's commands
and do not forsake your mother's teaching.
21 Bind them upon your heart forever;
fasten them around your neck (METAPHORIC PEARL NECKLACE).
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For these commands are a lamp,
this teaching is a light,
and the corrections of discipline
are the way to life,
24 keeping you from the immoral woman,
from the smooth tongue of the wayward wife.
25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes,
26 for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread,
and the adulteress preys upon your very life.
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?
"The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."- Hebrews 4:12
Matthew 5:13-16 (New Life Version)
"You are the salt of the earth. If salt loses its taste, how can it be made to taste like salt again? It is no good. It is thrown away and people walk on it. 14 You are the light of the world. You cannot hide a city that is on a mountain. 15 Men do not light a lamp and put it under a basket. They put it on a table so it gives light to all in the house. 16 Let your light shine in front of men. Then they will see the good things you do and will honor your Father Who is in heaven."
Luke 1:37 (New Life Version)
"God can do all things."
Philippians 4:13
"I can do all things because Christ gives me the strength."
TAKE COURAGE, DON'T LOSE HEART, KEEP THE FAITH & NEVER ALLOW ANYTHING OR ANYONE TO ROB YOU OF YOUR ABILITY TO SHINE!
Hello & Happy New Year!
This is Paula Mills, Mary's MySpace Moderator. Please be advised that Mary is an author.
While remarks are flattering, this is one of the quotes from her book of quotes: "WHAT GOOD IS YOUR HEAD IF GOD CAN'T TURN IT?"
Freedom of speech is wonderful, but plagiarism (copyright infringement) is a federal offense.
Maybe I don't have a good sense of humor, but better safe than sorry.
Please forgive me if I have offended you.
Any and all messages of a threatening nature are immediately forwarded to Ms. Richard's attorneys, and to the necessary entities/authorities on this site.
With Kind Regards,
Paula Mills {in the best interest of Mary Richard}
*By the way, if this warning does not apply to you, disregard it. The screening process is merely protocol.*