The End to a New Beginning

Greetings everyone,

As we approach the end of the month we get to reflect back over the year to see how far we have come from. I can see the many blessings that God has done for me in spite of all the struggles, trials test, and tribulations that have come my way. I still came through the storms and saw the rainbow. It wasn't easy but I have made it once again to the end. I was challenged with facing cancer and I am still here after going through removing the cancer.

I was on the verge of losing my mind this year because I did not have the income to maintain my bills and things were very overwhelming but God showed up and showed out once again for me and my little girls. I still have my home, bills are taken care of and I still have my job. I have finally written my survivor's story on how I survived after being shot, blindfolded and left for dead. I have gotten the courage to write this book for everyone to read in depth of how amazing God led me out of a moving car trunk into oncoming traffic with being partially paralyzed on the left side of my body.

 I am here because of a mission God has for me in my life. I am ALIVE and I know that today that I LIVE to Give Hope to someone else who do not think that they have a purpose or plan. So if this inspires anyone it first started with me. I have seen my blog site increase with viewers from my facebook site and my other sites that I have created in Sound The Alarm Outreach name. I love sharing my life story and experiences. Will everyone be able to relate? No. However you will be touched one way or another. I am going places and I am doing great things now in my life because I realized that I LIVED to GIVE. That is what I am here for what are you here for??? Tell me.....

My black is beautiful and so is yours!!!!

WOW, now here is some food for thought..................................

A friend sent this to me and I wanted to share. I am sending this out to you not because I know you personally or that we are the closest or best of friends but simply because you and I share a similarity. We are women of color. However, the things that bond us are so much deeper than that, however it all starts there. When I first heard of the movie "For Colored Girls, I got so excited. I had the idea of getting as many women together that I could think of to go see this movie. I had visions of group discussions and moments shared with one another that would lead to healing and growth; I guess I kind of imagined a Womens Empowerment Conference type of setting. Well after I shared my idea with a few women, reality set in and I realized that so many of us wouldn't be willing to participate for various reasons: You don't like me, you don't care for somebody I might invite, you only hang out with certain people, you don't understand the big deal about Tyler Perry making yet another movie about black people and our issues for all the world to see, you don't like crowds, so n so is too ghetto, such and such is too uppity etc... It has ALWAYS amazed me that we as black women are each others biggest critics. We are the quickest to bring each other down, find each others faults and nitpick at a sister until she has nothing left, nothing left to give and then we step over her and call her worthless. We take the prettiest women and tear them down for thinking "they are cute" but turn around and dog the average sista because "she know she should take better care of herself than that - can't believe she got a man!" We call strong women female dogs and accuse weaker women of riding somebody else's coat tails. We tell a big sista to put down her burger and turn around and criticize a skinny woman for not picking one up. We ride the loud mouth woman for "talking to darn much" and likewise torment the quiet woman for "Being too quiet and needing to take up for herself" Sad part is we don't discriminate, we talk about everybody!!! I've watched women dog out everybody from Oprah for catering to white people and Halle Berry for not being able to keep a man to young Willow Smith for acting to darn grown in her recent video. All of these females are successful and there is something about each one of them to be proud of but a lot of us can't seem to see that. I have to wonder since we all share a common thread (whether we want to admit it or not) is there something about ourselves that we don't like, what has happened to us that we cannot seem to get along. Why is that we fight amongst ourselves, backstab & steal each others men (only to find out we should have left him where we found him). We cannot seem to be unified to support and stick up for one another. Everybody seems to be out for themselves while other groups unite against us but nobody else has to bring us down because we trample on the spirits of each other daily. Even if you live in a mini mansion, drive a luxury car, have good credit, rich handsome husband etc, this does not mean that should look down your nose at the woman with 4 kids, no husband, living in income based housing struggling to keep her lights on. We ALWAYS think the grass is greener on the other side, I had a woman who's child father is MIA tell me that I should never complain because I receive a decent amount of child support and I laughed and let her know that I would gladly give every dime back if he would come relieve some of this overwhelming pressure of feeling inadequate as a parent. If I could get just one full night of sleep or not always be on the verge of losing my job because Im the one that has to call off or leave work for one reason or another to accommodate my child - yeah he could DEFINITELY have his money if I could have some peace! Money alone doesn't make you happy (not true happiness), good credit doesn't keep you satisfied, beauty doesn't make you any less insecure, fame doesn't make you less vulnerable or cause you to be a good judge of character and being stuck up and mean doesn't keep you warm at night or prevent you from being lonely. You don't know how the sista sitting right next to could have carefully put on her make up this morning to hide the beating from last night. The teacher you handed your child over to this morning could have sent her children off to school from a dark house with empty bellies. The teller you just got rude with at the bank could know that today is her last day on her job and have no idea how she is going to survive past next weekend. The sista at the office that appears so busy could be typing her goodbyes to all the people that she loves because she plans to blow her brains out tonight after she tucks her babies into bed. The woman you pass in the hallway could be on her way to have an abortion because she fears what others might think or how the woman that sent you this e-mail may drink an over abundance of alcohol every night to mask the nightmares of an abusive childhood. Ladies we HAVE TO DO BETTER!!! I'm not suggesting that we all like each other and be phony, but I am asking that we all try to respect each other. You HAVE NO IDEA what the next woman is going through, you don't know what past or current hurt and pains have shaped her into who she is today. We spend so much time trying to be as strong and hard as we are expected to be that we end up cracking from the inside out piece by piece. If we would spend 1/3 of the time we spend tearing each other down to build someone up, encourage someone, show someone some love, we could truly make a difference and save someone's life. PLEASE don't be the straw that breaks another woman's back. Believe me when I tell you that there is a woman out there that needs your smile, your hug, your support, your prayer. I hope that you read this and get something out of it other than a laugh and that you pass this on to as many women as you can to let someone know that you believe they are somebody special and that if need be you are available to listen.  May favor be extended to every one of your lives, keep your head up and know that someone somewhere cares!!!

Atara Estes founder Sound the Alarm Outreach

soundthealarmoutreach@gmail.com

Forgive and Forget

Greetings everyone,

"I can forgive, but I cannot forget," is only another way of saying. "I will not forgive." Forgiveness ought to be like a canceled note—torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one.

I have a story to share with you.

A man once had too much to drink at a party. First, he made a foolish spectacle of himself—even to the point of wearing the lamp shade as a hat—and then he passed out. Friends helped his wife take him home and put him to bed. The next morning he was very remorseful and asked his wife to forgive him. She agreed to "forgive and forget" the incident.

As the months went by, however, the wife referred to the incident from time to time always with a little note of ridicule and shame in her voice. Finally, the man grew weary of being reminded of his bad behavior and said, "I thought you were going to forgive and forget."

"I have forgiven and forgotten," the wife argued, "but I just don't want you to forget that I have forgiven and forgotten."

Once we have confronted an offender, we must remember nothing is gained from harboring unforgiveness in our hearts. Forgiveness requires a healing process inside us—to the point where we no longer feel any pain at the memory of what the other person did or said to injure us.

We "forget" when we no longer hurt!
When you make a commitment to forgive another person, ask the Lord to heal you of the impact of that person's behavior on your life. Forgive, forget, and start living again.

Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

We need to start with us first when we forgive and release that energy in order to forgive others. I know a lot about this topic. Forgiveness is for you not the other person.

Be good to yourself and to one another. You may give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.

Share your thoughts with me. I would like to know how do you handle forgiveness. Can you forgive and forget? Explain.....

Atara Estes, founder (Sound the Alarm Outreach)
www.soundthealarmoutreach.blogspot.com
soundthealarmoutreach@gmail.com