Poof: Welcome to Adulthood – Daily Prompt

September 29, 2015September 29, 2015 / EYHCS

Daily Prompt: Your assignment, if you choose to accept it is – write about a defining moment in your life when you were forced to grow up in an instant (or a series of instants).

It began like any other morning. Wake up. Look over at the bed next to me. Is my sister there? No…yes…maybe? I don’t remember. These mornings used to start off livelier. But, all that has changed now. Not sure if it was the first stroke or the second or third heartache scare, but life around here is definitely different now.

Just a year ago, I was so excited about graduating from high school. Everyone was there. People I didn’t expect to make it came. People I had not seen in ten years…came. Yes, life was much livelier a year ago. My biggest concern was figuring out how to tell my parents their baby girl was moving out. Then it all changed. Life postponed. Decision diverted.

Fast Forward. Ring. Ring. Ring. “Who could be calling this early in the morning?” “Hello”, I say into the old corded phone. “Yes, hello, is Mrs. Nicholas there?” the monotone and emotionless voice asks. “No, she isn’t. She on the way to see my father”, I say into the receiver half sleep. You thought there might have been a pause. There wasn’t. “Mr. Nicholas suffered another heartache or stroke this morning…” the voice begins to speak. And, I lose track of what she is saying now. My thoughts go to my unsuspecting mother. There are no cell phones to available to call her. We just started purchasing pagers. What do I say? What do I do? I look at the receiver. The detached voice is still speaking. “I don’t know where she is.”, I say. “She may be at my grandmother”, I force out my dry and crackling throat. The call ends.

My heart is racing. My mind is spinning. I pick up the phone. “Hello Granny? Is mom there?” I manage to speak into the receiver. “Yes, they were just getting ready to head to the hospital”, my granny says. “Can I talk to her for a minute?” I ask. “The hospital just called I began through a teary chest. He died this morning.” I say. I hear the confusion first and then the determination, “What?” my mother says. “Let me go. I’ve got to get to the hospital”, she says.

I stare at the brutal source of my new adulthood. Yes, life used to be livelier I think. I place the phone back on its base. So this is how my childhood dies. I can’t think. I don’t feel like talking. So I write. Your words still ring in my ear dad twenty years later, c’est la vie.

“Poof: Welcome to Adulthood – Daily Prompt” by EYHCS (D. Boyland) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Day 95 – The Real Meaning of Easter

April 5, 2015 / EYHCS

Belief in the Resurrection is one thing. Belief in the Power of the Holy Spirit is another. Believing they both served the same purpose is yet another. Living without seeking to understand the powerful combination they each hold in your life, is failure to understand the real meaning of Easter.

EYHCS

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©EYHCS AND THE LATEST WORD, 2010-2015. UNAUTHORIZED USE AND/OR DUPLICATION OF THIS MATERIAL, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO YOUTUBE VIDEOS, PAPERS, AND OTHER ORIGINAL WORKS OF ART WITHOUT EXPRESS AND WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THIS BLOG’S AUTHOR AND/OR OWNER IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. EXCERPTS, LINKS, IMAGES THAT ARE THE COURTESY OF INDULGY.COM WITHIN POSTS UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED MAY BE USED, PROVIDED THAT FULL AND CLEAR CREDIT IS GIVEN TO EYHCS AND 15 WORDS OR LESS WITH APPROPRIATE AND SPECIFIC DIRECTION TO THE ORIGINAL CONTENT.

Day 95 – A Personal Test of Faith

April 5, 2015April 4, 2015 / EYHCS

Prayer is a powerful vehicle for restoration, for thanksgiving, for healing, for dreams, for visions; but, what happens when all you do is pray, but lack the belief to believe all your prayers have already been answered?

EYHCS

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Day 94 – Do You Believe the Words Flowing from Your Mouth?

April 4, 2015 / EYHCS

If you looked into your heart, could you honestly say, you believe the words flowing from your mouth?

EYHCS

The ”Day 94 – Do You Believe the Words Flowing from Your Mouth?” (text) by EYHCS published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Day 61: Toxicity – A Call to Break Free and Break Out

March 2, 2015March 2, 2015 / EYHCS

Toxicity is a state of mind.

Toxicity is a state of being.

Toxicity is a plague of the heart.

Toxicity is a plague of the mind.

Toxicity eats away at the beauty in our society.

Toxicity eats away at the good in our society.

Toxicity is an environmental condition.

Toxicity is rooted in the core of hatred, pain, disease, famine, war, strife, consternation, and so much more.

Toxicity destroys life.

Toxicity debilitates spirits.

Toxicity ruins homes.

Toxicity separates families.

Toxicity exists, because we fail to recognize the signs of its formation.

Toxicity exists, because we fail to stand up and speak out when it rears up in our hearts.

Toxicity can only thrive, if we allow it to grow.

Toxicity can only spread, if we allow it to breathe.

Toxicity can only exist, where love is not.

Toxicity can only exist, where faith is not.

Toxicity can only exist, where hope is not.

Toxicity can only exist, where peace is not.

Toxicity can only exist, where truth is not.

Toxicity is the cause of shame.

Toxicity is the cause of pain.

Toxicity is the cause of bondage.

Toxicity is the cause of breakage.

There is no toxicity in perfect love.

There is no toxicity in perfect peace.

If you are shame, move away from the cause of your shame.

If you are in pain, move away from the cause of your pain.

If you are in bondage, get away from the things bonding you.

If you are in breakage, get away from the things breaking you.

Simply get out, stay out, and never return to a state or condition of toxicity!

EYHCS

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Day 25 – Is it Really the People?

January 25, 2015 / EYHCS

If people are constantly coming at you with complaints about you, issues with your performance, issues with your work ethic, issues with your level of productivity…it might be time to reevaluate yourself and not the people. In other words, stop whining.

EYHCS

The ”Day 25 – Is it Really the People?” (text) by EYHCS published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. The image in this post is the intellectual property of Dreamstime.

Day 14 – The Liver, The Kidney, The Heart, and The Brain: A Personal Ode to the Innards of My Life Force

January 14, 2015January 17, 2015 / EYHCS

In a earlier post I discussed my new fascination with dirt and innards. In this post, I will focus on the true nature of innards.

Intro

Innards are at the core of all things organs. Organs support the life-cycle of all living creatures. Organs need access to oxygen through the body’s vascular system. The source of the oxygen stems from the nutrients contained within the blood flowing through each vascular nerve.

Tainted blood also taints the life-cycle of all organs the blood comes into contact with as it travels throughout the body. In some cases, a blood transfusion or organ transplant maybe required to replenish, repair, or replace organs damaged by tainted blood. Once an organ has met an attack it receive extra care for a minimal of six months to five years, if not for a lifetime.

The Liver, The Kidney, The Heart, and The Brain: A Personal Ode to the Innards of My Life Force

The most common organs under attack include the liver, the kidney, and the heart. Each of these organs is responsible for cleaning the body of waste in one form or another. The all-powerful heart controls the speed and amount of blood flowing to and fro every organ in a living creature. There are four main chambers to the heart and all work together to keep us alive.

We rarely give thought to how we condition our heart as we grab a Big Mac and large fries, chain smoke those two or three packs of cigarette in a day or so, or create havoc everywhere we go by the swords we throw in the direction of the unexpected receiver of our angst and anger. We rarely give a second thought to the organs pumping life into us each and every millisecond of our lives on Earth as we spend countless dollars on the new trend of the hour. We rarely stop or pause to check the state of our innards even though they call out for us . The sharp pain in our chest is waved off with a finger as we pick up the next greasy sandwich. Or, the stabbing needle in our side as we jump up too quick from bed, forget about praying or thanking someone for another day, we mutter as we headed out the door. All the mundane things can wait for when I have more time. Our innards calls continual go unanswered until we cannot move at all.

Oh, let’s not forget the banging in our heads as we scream at the people we love and curse out the people we profess to love, but not like. Yes, it is me, proclaims the brain. I matter too. Did you think I would forget the one who holds the secrets of the past, present, and future of our very soul? Never, my brain knows me better than I know myself. How much better would we be if we fed our brains knowledge, power, peace, understanding, love, and all the things sweet dreams are made of, instead of the hate and garbage of our tattered society?

Sure we complain about the state of our economy, the state of our marriages, the state of our personal net worth, the state of our financial net worth, the state of all things we have the ability to change, if we change the way we treat the innards of our life force. Successful people rarely complain about their circumstances, because they devise strategic action plans to change or work around the obstacles in their path to victory. Powerful people are often the silent ones moving behind the scene quietly moving bishops and pawns into action as the king reaps the benefits. Successful and powerful people watch their life cycle and life force through a steady diet of truth, honest, and nutritious living. They feed their livers water for the soul. They feed their kidneys proteins and fiber to promote the cleansing cycle of their earthly vessels. They feed their hearts love and exercise to strengthen the engine of their life force. They feed their brains with positive affirmations to bolster their minds for the challenges ahead. They feed their innards and so their innards feed them the best life has to offer. When their innards call it is to say thank you instead of a call for help.

If you are still battling imaginary enemies, if you are still battling a systematic wall of never enough, if you are still battling sickness of the mind, the heart, or the soul, ask yourself one serious, honest, and non-judgmental question. What are you feeding the innards of the only life force you have?

EYHCS

The ”Day 14 – The Liver, The Kidney, The Heart, and The Brain: A Personal Ode to the Innards of My Life Force” (text) by EYHCS published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. The image in this post is the intellectual property of Dreamstime.

Day 276 – Abandon Car

October 4, 2014October 10, 2014 / EYHCS

Life is challenging. Life was never designed for the weak. Life was never designed for those unwilling to hunt and live off the land. God’s creation for life on Earth focuses on the strong at heart, the strong at will, and the strong of mind. Failure is refusing to acknowledge we are from a great power source and the same power seeps through every fiber of our being. Weakness is a lie. Weakness is a form of voodoo made up of old wise tales. Weakness is a blackout of the power source within. Weakness forsakes your royalty claim to the one who designed you for more than government handouts, pauper wages, abusive relationships, or anything hindering you from claiming your royal status in the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. Life can exist or life can linger on like a driverless car.

Have you abandoned your car?

Has your vehicle rear-ended or side-swiped someone else’s car?

Is your insurance premium paid up?

We walk aimless in our abandon cars rarely looking up from the passenger seat only to realize we ran out of gas and never stopped to refill. Today, might be the day to revisit the gas station you passed several miles on your journey to nowhere, but hoping to get somewhere.

The ”Day 276 – Abandon Car” (text) by EYHCS published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

©EYHCS AND THE LATEST WORD, 2010-2014. UNAUTHORIZED USE AND/OR DUPLICATION OF THIS MATERIAL, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO YOUTUBE VIDEOS, PAPERS, AND OTHER ORIGINAL WORKS OF ART WITHOUT EXPRESS AND WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THIS BLOG’S AUTHOR AND/OR OWNER IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. EXCERPTS, LINKS, IMAGES THAT ARE THE COURTESY OF INDULGY.COM WITHIN POSTS UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED MAY BE USED, PROVIDED THAT FULL AND CLEAR CREDIT IS GIVEN TO EYHCS AND 15 WORDS OR LESS WITH APPROPRIATE AND SPECIFIC DIRECTION TO THE ORIGINAL CONTENT.

Day 275 – Boiling Point

October 3, 2014October 3, 2015 / EYHCS

Everyone has a boiling point. There is some obscure inane object, person, or situation capable of transitioning even the most nurturing person to simply boil over. There is a place in each of us capable of volcanic activity. There is a place in each of us few people will ever know or fully understand. There is a place in each of us hidden from the world. There is a place in each of us, once ignited is difficult to squelch. There is a place in us wrought with internal flames waiting for just the right igniting. It is a place, I pray you never find. It is a place where both life and destruction occur. It is a place dreams form and break. It is a place hope is lost and found. It is a place like no other. Your boiling point is a place of solace and solitude. It is in this place reality meets faith. It is in this place your walk becomes who you profess outwardly and inwardly. It is a place we avoid, but on occasion should visit at least once, to understand this one truth. Your boiling point is not your breaking point. Your boiling point is your restore point. Your boiling point is an indicator telling you it is time to reevaluate your defenses and fortify your household.

Are you in the boiling point or fortification stage?

What are your plans going forward?

Are you willing to risk it all for what lies ahead?

Can you let go of it all for what rests on the other side?

The ”Day 275 – Boiling Point” (text) by EYHCS published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Day 274 – Meditation Series: Writer’s Heart

October 1, 2014September 19, 2014 / EYHCS

I wrote this meditation on April 12, 1997 at 1:00 am. Three years out of high school. Two years into life outside of my parents home. I was more confused about who I was or what I would become. I knew I held a purpose. God began to place specific people in my life who confirmed a greater destiny than the little black girl for the south side of Dallas. I held on to it all. I researched various religions. I dabbled in things I had no business dabbling in, I thought. They all created the child of God I am today. They all helped me during one of the most difficulty battles of my life. The things spoken into my life bore a great truth, which is still unraveling, today. I have so many of these writings. Surprisingly, it has only recently occurred to me, God’s Holy Spirit speaks to me in my writings. And, so even when exhausted, frustrated, or otherwise not myself, I will continue to write.

Life’s greatest challenges when completed become life’s greatest triumphs. My heart weighs heavy this eve.

My mission statement for the day:

We are all on a trip, following different road maps, but to the same destination. I will be ready to lend a helping hand to a troubled traveler today. It will breathe new life into my personal walk home.

The ”Day 274 – Meditation Series: Writer’s Heart” (text) by EYHCS published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Day 272 – Meditation Series: Traveled Road

September 29, 2014September 19, 2014 / EYHCS

The road less traveled is most often the road designed and preordained by God for your deliverance. Leaving the road most traveled is the greatest test of faith. It requires an unwavering faith in God to excavate the shrubs, trees, rocks and stones, cut through the valleys, or spread out the mountains; but to know he will lift you above it all if you see your wings instead of your path.

We are his angelic agents within the Earth, if we lack the belief in his power; how can we bring others into the fold?

The ”Day 272 – Meditation Series: Traveled Road” (text) by EYHCS published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Day 271 – Meditation Series: Compromise

September 28, 2014September 19, 2014 / EYHCS

We walk through life striving to compromise for the sake of peace. Somehow in the process we lose a piece of ourselves. Someone recently asked, what is the difference between a compromise and self-devaluation. My response spiritually inspired: Compromise is altering one’s preference to accommodate another. Self-devaluation is allowing another to violate your fence to keep up the neighborhood connection.

Have you allowed someone to infringe upon your property rights? If so, make a plan to recover what should not have been given or taken?

The ”Day 271 – Meditation Series: Compromise” (text) by EYHCS published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Day 256 – Gratitude

September 13, 2014September 13, 2014 / EYHCS

I once asked, if you have ever had an experience with God before I fully comprehended what an experience with God entailed. Nowhere in my wildest dreams did I foresee it being anything like the experience I have been blessed to live out. Here is the final thought I wrote as I left my missionary adventure in Beijing, China. Enjoy!

2011/08/08

Today marks the final day of the 33 days adventure in Beijing, China. It has been over a day since I slept, but exhaustion cannot find me in this moment. The people I met have made deposits and withdrawals. Yet, time will lay out the final balance. In this moment, I simply wholeheartedly pour out my love and admiration on you Lord. Thank you for the experience and thanks for keeping me.

The ”Day 256 – Gratitude ” (text) by EYHCS is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at Indulgy.com (image only).

©EYHCS AND THE LATEST WORD, 2010-2014. UNAUTHORIZED USE AND/OR DUPLICATION OF THIS MATERIAL, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO YOUTUBE VIDEOS, PAPERS, AND OTHER ORIGINAL WORKS OF ART WITHOUT EXPRESS AND WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THIS BLOG’S AUTHOR AND/OR OWNER IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. EXCERPTS, LINKS, IMAGES THAT ARE THE COURTESY OF INDULGY.COM WITHIN POSTS UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED MAY BE USED, PROVIDED THAT FULL AND CLEAR CREDIT IS GIVEN TO EYHCS AND 15 WORDS OR LESS WITH APPROPRIATE AND SPECIFIC DIRECTION TO THE ORIGINAL CONTENT.

Confession Moment #8: A Post Like No Other – My Heart is Heavy

September 12, 2014September 13, 2014 / EYHCS

My heart is heavy, today. I initially wanted to write my typical reflective thought post generated by a beautiful photo I plucked from Indulgy. I wanted to deliver solace for my own troubled soul. I wanted to write a post for the brokenness I see in the world spewed across the news channels everyday. I wanted to write a post for the deceitful intentions of others, I have experienced in my very short life on this Earth. I wanted to write a post for the pain of all those who suffer in silence daily, as I have in the past and to let them know it really does get better.

I wanted to write a post for everyone dealing with the realization we live in a society where children go hungry daily while society blames their parents for living below the poverty line; where we can send several groups of soldiers to war, but cannot raise the minimum wage to a living wage; where politician grow richer and the poor grow poorer; where families are being destroyed for foolish reasons or stupid decisions; where color-focused police officers pull single black mothers out of their car in the dark hours of the night with their terrified children in tow, because, after all, we all look alike, even when we do not; where Latinos are being excluded from the all-inclusive America, because they were born on the wrong side of the border; where every few decades we find ourselves fighting another civil rights battle (Japanese, Chinese, Irish, Polish, Indians, African Americans (Blacks), Hispanics, gays, lesbians, bi-sexual, transgender); where the uneducated are marginalized even more than their ancestors were, creating a circular system of poverty (slaves, migrant workers, working class); where the educated are becoming the new poverty class (student loan debt) and unable to find those jobs promised to them as they continually signed their life away each semester; where the total breakdown of our society seems to go unnoticed by far too many people; where another black dead face on the news at the hands of an official or frighten civilian is no longer news, but a sad expectation for other black faces; where we speak of Jesus and then act as Barnabas; where we spend more time on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, or Twitter than contemplating our civic duties as Americans of these Great United States; where our minds are so convoluted the truth is difficult to ascertain even when faced with the hard reality we got it all wrong; where I am so disgusted with the placating mindset of our society, I could not write one of those truly colorful, thought provoking, rosy, or uber-spiritual post, even if my God would allow it.

I really wanted to write that post today. I wanted to write that post, because at my core, my God created me to speak, enlighten, encourage, provide solace, and live out his life on Earth as he prescribed long before land separated from water. God knows I wanted to write such a post today. God knows if I were not so utterly disgusted with a Godly people acting so ungodly, I could have written such a post. It hurts my heart to write so brutally today. For those who know me, have known me, who will know me, who have experienced my friendship, my warm smile, or my laughter will understand more than anyone else how much this post pains me. It pains me, because it requires I step out of my overly optimistic worldview and into the world I see, today.

While this particular post is darker in nature than anything I have ever written for the public eye, it is the Truth I see. I am simply tired of seeing the same stories, conversations, and total lack of concern for our fellow man, woman, and child. My writing is therapeutic and the writer in me would not remain silent. It helps me prepare to run the race another day. After so much needed time with God after work this morning, he reminded me of the journey God has taken me on, specifically over the last four or five years. I am grateful for the new eyesight. I am grateful for the silent prayers you sent my way. I am grateful for the helping hand you offered even when I was too raw to receive it. I am eternally grateful, because on my balcony this morning, God showed me, “he really does know the plan he has prepared for me and his plan is perfect, his plan is not meant to harm me, his plan is meant to rise up a nation of people brave enough to write such a post their former self would have never written, out of fear of exposure”.

For those of you in the battle of your life, remember, rather you believe in God or not, someone or something kept you from the fate your choices or actions should have brought death upon you, instead of life.

Be kind to each other, we never know when the person we throw stones at might be the same person God sent to help you out of a situation you had no business being in, in the first place. Be kind to each other, because we do live in a country rich in history of people fighting for one another across all lines. Be kind to each other, because someone was kind to you when you least deserved it. Be kind to each other, because no matter how much money and power you have today, it could all be gone tomorrow, and what would you have, but each other. Simply be kind to each other.

I close this confession moment with a poem I wrote during my stint in Beijing, China on 2011/07/30.

A Moment of Reflection

A period of redirection

Living in a world of change

Living on an unknown range

I felt a close hand on my shoulder

I felt my spirit grow older

Wishing for a human caress

Wishing for God to give me rest

A journey revived

A path of hope against the divide

I knew the story would end