Posted on by Kristina Knowles

National Girlfriends Day…

Is today, August 1, 2017!

Where would I be without the amazing friendships I have made throughout my life? I often think about how God brought the right women into my life for a season and others  for longer. The girlfriends who taught me who I did and didn’t want to be based on what I learned from them.

I recently moved to Texas, leaving my girlfriends behind. I was able to say good bye to most of them, which was very important to me. Some girlfriends came to my going away party, some came to my Bon Voyage party and the others met me one on one. Leaving them behind was hard and difficult but grateful we have phones, texts and social media to stay updated.

I must admit I am blessed in the girlfriend space. God has given me the type of girlfriends that have looked out for me. The type of girls that lift me up, make me laugh and support my endeavors. Some of my girlfriends have even been here to see me in Texas already, awesome; right?!

In fact, I am amazed at the new girlfriends that I have met over the last 3 years including the new girlfriends I recently met in Texas. These women have been life changing for me. The older I get, the newer the friend, we all have God in common. I am so grateful, pleased and thankful to God for the great girlfriend flow.

May you take today to reflect on all the wonderful women who gave their friendship to you. May you say a prayer to the ones that you lost for better or worse. And may God continue to bless your life with women who uplift, love, care and make you laugh all the days of your lives.

Posted on by Kristina Knowles

The shopping cart conundrum…

To not put away or to put away, that is the question? Of course you put it away!

Have you ever been to the parking lot of a grocery store, a Wal-Mart or even better a Costco? Have you ever watched in amazement how someone could be so lazy and inconsiderate that they would leave their cart anywhere and everywhere?

Well I have and it has only got worse since I was a child. Now I believe it is a sign of times, a bad sign. Why you ask, it’s only a shopping cart? Let me tell you why, it’s because it’s a simple task. You just spent 20 minutes to an hour pushing it around then all of a sudden you no longer need it, so you decide to leave it where you want, not where it belongs.

See if we are too busy to do the little, easy stuff, then we are too busy to really care about the big stuff. And then we teach our children that we don’t have to follow rules, regulations or laws. Hence why we have the problems we have today. I have never thought I was entitled to anything but respect from my fellow neighbors.

I once stood outside a Costco in Beltsville, Maryland and kindly approached people who didn’t return the cart to the store or the cart return. I spoke in a concerning tone, with a big smile and simply asked,”May I ask you why you didn’t return your car?” Every single person took their cart to the cart return but they really didn’t have a “real” answer for me. Most people laughed, so I laughed with them. I didn’t want to make them mad or angry, so I decided to tread lightly.

We need to look out for one another without feeling threatening. Leaving shopping carts everywhere poses a problem for accessibility to other parking spaces, damage to cars and more work for already hard working employees that have to go fetch shopping carts in Timbuktu.

So it goes without saying or writing, put your shopping carts back where they belong, not under the tree, in another parking space or propped up on a curb. I also have advice for those dating men or women who don’t or refuse to put the cart back, run as fast as you can away from that person. Make it your litmus test on your 3rd or 4th date, you will thank me later.

Posted on by Kristina Knowles

New York & Company…

Is an awesome clothing store for women from sizes to 0 to 18!

 

I recently found a $20 rewards certificate that I had not used but was about to expire. I was running errands and it just so happened a New York & Company was in my sight. I suddenly stumbled upon a major sale that was going on. If you know me, you will know I need nothing but I had a $20 reward certificate that was burning a hole in my pocket.

Then from across the store I saw a beautiful rack of dresses that had a sign with the price of dresses…$16.99. I almost fell over, beautiful dresses and an amazing price?! Ahhh, yes! I found and purchased 1 super cute dress with change to spare. The dress is perfect for the hot weather of Texas, my size, beautiful blue and a very comfortable material.

And this is why I love New York & Company, this company has corned the market on affordable, beautiful clothing for almost every female alive. I could literally find something perfect for every women I know in my life. New York & Company offers an on-line store as well. I have experienced on-line shopping and the in store experience. I happen to like both for different reasons.

I also adore the costume jewelry and accessory line as well. Over the years that I have shopped at New York & Company, I always seem to get a compliment on what I am wearing. So not only do I applaud the cuts, styles, colors and pricing, I also enjoy receiving praises on my clothing choices from New York & Company. One more to remember I notice they offer different discounts for the amazing women making a difference in this world like the military, nurses and school teachers. And even though New York & Company has amazing deals and discounts, I love the special shout out to these professions.

Great job New York & Company, great job!!!

 

Posted on by Kristina Knowles

What Wheel are you on?

I ask this question because some of you might feel like you are on a hamster wheel, a ferris wheel, wheel of fortune or maybe you feel like you are on a wheel rolling down a hill totally out of control with no breaks.

The Hamster Wheel makes me think of people who wake up everyday and go about their life in the same exact manner everyday. Unfortunately, these people don’t even realize the one track life they are on. Why!? I will help you, it’s because when they look around they see that most in their inner circle behaving the same way. Tunnel vision living is not for you.

The Ferris Wheel makes me think of another group of people that live in very high, high’s and very low, low’s. Sure you might say to yourself, isn’t that life? Well, it doesn’t have to be, more importantly it’s not healthy. We make so many different decisions everyday to make our lives good or bad. It’s safer to always strive to make good healthy decisions in order for our life to be whole and holy.

The Wheel of Fortune might remind you of a television show but that is not what I am referring to. I am talking about being on the wheel of gaining wealth, aka fortune. What good is it to gain the entire world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36) You can’t only focus on money, wealth and fortune if you truly want happiness. The love of money will lead to greed, emptiness and corruption. You can’t have two Masters of any kind.

The lone Wheel rolling down the hill out of control. The people on this wheel are experiencing anxiety, addiction, despair, fear, loneliness and/or abuse. Unfortunately, these people rarely reach out for help and feel totally, completely out of control.

No matter what wheel you might be on, get off! God ultimately wants you to release yourself from the trappings of your unhealthy decisions. God sent his one and only Son to die for our sins. He didn’t say,”Go child of mine, be dysfunctional, be emotionally unstable, angry, mad or sad.” It’s the exact opposite, God wants you to love Him and His ways, not man’s. God wants the best, His best for you and me.    


                                                                via Daily Prompt: Wheel

Posted on by Kristina Knowles

The night I went to jail…

To minister to an Inmate.

I was so confused to why this person was in jail after receiving a phone call one morning. So, I wanted to make sure what I was allowed to bring(bible) and wear. I contacted the Chaplain of the jail before my visit just to be prepared.

When I arrived to the jail, I was in a line of Attorneys, friends and family members. The welcome/waiting center of the jail was cold and unwelcoming. I checked in with my drivers license and gave the inmates first, middle and last name. Easy enough, right!? Not so fast, I was instantly denied access because I arrived on the wrong visiting evening. But wait, I had just talked to the Chaplain of the Jail who told me to arrive tonight at this time.

Once I told the woman about my dealings with the Chaplain, she acted as if she didn’t care. So I asked to speak to her Supervisor, famous last words. Then this big, tall, burly Officer appears and takes me to the side. I told him that I spoke with the Chaplain, the Chaplain told me to arrive tonight at this time, so this why I am here. He listened and had this real big ego and fake smile to go along with his big persona. The Officer proceeded to tell me that he was sorry that I was misinformed but I wasn’t going to be able to meet with this inmate under no circumstances.

I couldn’t believe it, I had cancelled my own bible study, I got my information from the Chaplain and I waited in line patiently with everyone. I then looked into his eyes and said very kindly, “May I speak to your Supervisor, please?” Then he lost it, he started to say,”Oh you want to talk to MY Supervisor, YOU want to talk to MY Supervisor?” This man turned bright red and no one watching flinched, I sat there in shock that he was acting so unprofessional and inappropriate for a Jail Guard. Then he walked away to make a call to his Supervisor.

As I sat and waited for the next Supervisor, the original Jail Guard came up to my face and stated I would not be getting in tonight. He was so mad and upset with me,  but before he slammed the door as he left I said,”God bless you.” He yelled back to me,”God bless you!” He was still so mad and angry, I couldn’t believe my eyes and what I experiencing?

Then to my surprise, I was greeted by a different, more professional Supervisor and he brought another guard with him; a female. I ,now, was telling my story for the 3rd time. I even played the message from the Chaplain of the jail from my cell phone. The Supervisor listened to me, heard the cell phone message and then looked at his colleague. At this point, I had no idea what was going to happen. Then he looked at me and said,”We are going to let you in tonight.” I instantly thanked him and God.

I was amazed how good God was to me that night, I held steadfast to my convictions. Satan didn’t want me to come into the jail and minister to that inmate but God did and that was beautiful. Whatever is right, holy or just is that of God and that is how we should live, everyday.

God is everywhere, Satan is not but unfortunately Satan leaves this stain on some of our lives if we let him. I see the stain on so many people’s lives, it’s disheartening. However, God sent His only Son to remove the sins or stains of our past. A stain is this lingering mark that doesn’t seem to disappear not matter how hard you try to remove it but that only comes from your lack of faith in God. God is the ultimate stain remover, just have faith.

Posted on by Kristina Knowles

A man from Chicago…

and I had a conversation about food.

He was in town for a wedding and we were talking about all the delicious desserts he is tempted to eat. He then proceeded to tell me that he weighed an extra 180 more pounds a year ago before he had gastric bypass surgery. My mouth dropped because he seemed naturally thin vs. previously obese. I told him how proud I was of him for all his hard word work and gave him a high five.

I then leveled with him about how hard it is to eat healthy every day with all the choices we have these days. We can have bad choices delivered to our front door, we can drive thru fast food restaurants and buy super unhealthy food choices at the grocery store. And television doesn’t help either, every other commercial is about unhealthy food as well. How do we compete with those odds? I will tell you.

We make our bodies a temple in which God created us to protect and nourish. We make an effort everyday to make good healthy choices to make our bodies strong, healthy and pure. We teach others and our children to make good wholesome choices as well. God doesn’t intend for us to live in pain, or be in a body that we are not going to take care of.

The gentleman told me that he could polish off a Chicago style pizza with all the toppings all by himself, every weekend. I asked him if he felt like he was in a constant food coma most of his life until now, he agreed. I have seen this behavior in many people’s lives, we develop habits that our life style condones. We surround ourselves with people that eat, live and sleep like us for the most part. So if you want to change your lifestyle with how you eat, live or sleep make an effort to make changes that encourage a healthy life. Lack of sleep and poor eating habits rob us from energy, overall health and happiness.

Daniel knew King Nebuchadnezzar’s food and wine was not healthy to eat. God gave Daniel the knowledge to discern healthy decisions vs. unhealthy choices. Just so you know, God gave us discernment too, we just have to decide to use it and not ignore it.

Posted on by Kristina Knowles

My Four Fathers…

And how I love them so.

I was born to a Mother and Father, then after 11 years of marriage they decided to part ways and divorce. And you would think that is where the story ended but no that is where the blessings began.

I have Four remarkable Fathers who have made an impact on my life. I know, I know, some people can’t even say they have 1 father and I have been blessed with four men who I get to call Dad. I took the sour lemons of life and made delicious green tea lemonade and stayed blessed.

One day while I was thinking about my 4 Fathers I started to write their names down in order in which they came into my life.

A is for Andrew, my Dad who gave me life. My Dad is a tough guy but a kind heart. He taught me to be strong, fierce, kind and graceful. My Dad told me to never let anyone tell me I couldn’t do something good, to never back down and to never give up. We were active with bike riding, cooking and sports galore. My Dad didn’t drink or do drugs and he advocated the same principles for me; I obliged. I love roses because my Dad made sure I had roses for birthdays and Valentine’s day. My Dad wanted us to have manners and respect so he would take us to fine dining restaurants, so we could practice what he taught us. And to this day, my Dad may disagree with my politics but he loves me and appreciates me for who I am and I love him.

R is for Robert, my Dad who came in after the divorce. The very tall, kind, quiet and caring Dad; a gentle giant if you will. He like my Dad, taught me grace which every little girl should be taught. Robert is a very patient man, he had no children of his own before our brother Jacob came along. With Robert, I learned about a beautiful Jewish family and religion first hand. He included us in all his family activities and traditions without batting an eye. Robert gave me a different perspective on family values. He encouraged me, helped me start baby-sitting and would even drive me and my friends to the mall when other parents couldn’t. And to this day, Robert is still my Dad and I love him so much.

M is for Michael, my other Dad who came in after the divorce from Robert. Unfortunately, I didn’t bond with Michael but that doesn’t mean I didn’t learn something from him while he was in the position of Dad. Michael was a Southern Baptist from Alabama who was extremely set in his ways with no prior children of his own. And I will leave it right there…

S is for Steve, my current Dad after a huge gap of time after Michael. Steve is quiet, generous, patient and kind. Oh yeah, super smart and will beat you at trivia. Steve is a singer, loves a good pipe, a stiff drink and his dogs. I have been a single Mom for the last 11 years, without the help, kindness and care from Steve and my Mom I don’t know how my life would be. I am grateful that Steve loves my Mom so much, again with no children of his own he has shown so much care and kindness. And I love Steve, too.

So as you can see, God blessed me with 4 unbelievable Fathers. The A.R.M.S. of each Father surrounded me with kindness, care, concern and love in their own special way, even Michael. God knew I needed each Father for a different reason that would help mold me into the women I am today. My life could be so different but God made it so wonderful.

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s who showed up to be a great force in their children’s lives. I appreciate the Dad’s who won’t give up during the tough times of life. And lastly, God bless the Dad’s who stepped in when someone else stepped out. Thank you!

(*I am not an Advocate of Divorce, I don’t recommend multiple marriages. However, I know without a doubt through all the trials and tribulations of my life Jesus was right there beside me, showing up, loving me and protecting me. Just like He is today for you and me.)

 

 

Posted on by Kristina Knowles

I hate the hate against my Race…

the Human Race.

I recently put this title on my Facebook page. I got a few likes but no one questioned what I meant which was fascinating to me for so many reasons. First, because I am Bi-Racial, so which race was I referring to and secondly because in today’s climate people will speak out and ask but this time everyone kept quiet, did the comment go over everyone’s head or maybe because no one cared. All suitable reasons to me but I remained curious.

So let’s get back to that title, I don’t like hate. I really don’t like even typing the word hate, either. However, I have lived over 40 years on this great big beautiful planet called Earth to know better. I know that no matter who you are, how big or small, how tall or short, how beautiful or not so beautiful society says you are, how the color on your skin shows up; everyone has dealt with hate. Yes, it’s true, I have seen it with my own eyes day in and day out.

Some of you would like to think that one religion, creed, sex, color, ethnic group has it worse over the other but you are wrong. You are too blind to believe the truth because it’s easier for you to hide behind the negative agenda instead of embracing the truth, we all have felt hate in some form or another. I would think that this type of revelation would open the doors of happiness and love, instead of more hate, more violence. But again, that would be too easy and we must do things the hard way and continue to divide us all into groups. Instead of agreeing that we all have been hurt or hated against and it had nothing to do with race. Yes, I wrote it, nothing to do with RACE!!!

There is no denying that by living primarily with my beautiful Caucasian, Irish Mother, you might think I would hear some negative comments about me or my brother, no. Instead I heard the opposite, all compliments and praise. Maybe you might think I must have heard some racially motivated comments while spending weekends with my handsome African American, Native American Father, right!? No, wrong again, I felt safe, never afraid of who I was or what I looked like.

Don’t get me wrong, I saw something awful. I saw hate, in forms that had nothing to do with religion, creed, sex, color, ethnic group or racism but pure ignorance. I have straight friends and gay friends, I have friends who would be considered obese and friends who get teased that they have anorexia, I have friends who are too tall for being a woman and friends who are too short for being a man. I have friends that have been told they talk “black” and friends that “talk white”. I have friends that have hair that’s too curly or too straight, too long or too short. I have friends that feel too smart and friends who don’t feel smart enough, I have friends who have been called Nerdy, Jock, Princess, Goody-Goody, the list goes on and on and on. Does this resonate with any of you? We have been labeling people for decades without any of these labels having to do with race, just hate.

I am just asking you the next time you want to classify something as racism you might want to call it what it really is…hate. I have heard conversations of groups of women put other women down…hate. I have heard family members tease and make fun of other family members, that is not kind or loving but…hate. I have sat at a dinner table to listen to men put another colleague down, again hate. I have witnessed children bully other children, again not because of the color of their skin but pure…hate.

Don’t you get it, the world wants us to be at odds with each other, to create this divide against one another to promote hate and not love. Why? Because Satan would like nothing more than to have you let him move into your home and kick God out. God is love, God doesn’t ask us to hate but to love. And we are raising a society of people who don’t or can’t love themselves, self-hate is rampant. We need to lift each other up, stop the hate and start to love ourselves. I will close with racism does exist but more often than not, it’s truly just hate.

Don’t hate someone because they are different, love them because they are.