Good morning!
Well if you are reading this, you made it through the week and are celebrating yet another Friday! I've had a few moments in the last few weeks where I felt discouraged, where I felt like giving up and just letting things go. I am pretty sure that I'm not alone and I know that there have been so many times when you didn't think you would make it through this situation because it was either too embarrassing or seemed way to impossible to be turned around. Looking back, have you ever had a situation that you did not live through or come out on the side a better person for having gone through it? Maybe you did not receive the outcome that you hoped for but yet, you still came through on the other side. Think about that as you go through your day, week and month of what may seem like a dark time.
Peace, Detroit Luv & Soooooul!
Daniella
Morning Challenge: In the elevator this morning, remember to say good morning and ask what floor you can get for someone entering the elevator. Every act of courtesy helps!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Be Happy Where You Are
Good morning!
Some of you may know that I where Detroit on my sleeve. I love my city; it is a place like no other. It will never be like New York City, Chicago, L.A. or Miami and I am absolutely okay with that. In fact I do not want it to be like any other place on earth. Recently I moved outside of the city to be closer to my work. It was a tough decision to make, but with gas prices reaching over the $4 mark and adding up the costs of wear and tear on my vehicles I finally broke down and moved. The day I changed my address and was issued a new voter's registration card directing me to my new voting poll was when I realized that I was no longer a "citizen" of Detroit and that I needed to become an active member of the community I lived in.
I wish I could tell you that the transition was easy and I immediately made new friends and dove right into the culture here. But that would not be the truth. My church has not changed luckily because we have multiple locations I have been able to attend weekly services closer to me when I am not able to attend a service in Detroit. I am a Chicago Steppin' instructor and I try to make to class as much as I can and go out when there are large events happening. My family and close friends are mostly in the city or at least in the metro area. Let's not even talk about the lack of dating opportunities where I am, I'm just saying I don't have any expectations for finding a mate here. Yeah, I'm comfortable with that.
I have enjoyed being closer to work which means waking up later, getting home sooner which means taking a longer nap (one of my favorite perks) and running home at lunch if I need to. I also do not want to give the impression that I am in the middle of nowhere, I am living in a vibrant thriving city with tons of things to do, entertainment, shopping and convenient city services. After being out with colleagues over the weekend, I decided that I would make it my business to be happy where I am. I am here for a reason and I knew that from the start. I may never know for what reason or when I have served that purpose but I will enjoy my life while I am here. I always believed that the young people of Detroit needed to see me as a young professional working and taking care of my home or going to church or participating in the community but it never occurred to me that another young person an hour away may need to benefit from the same example.
I cannot continue to keep asking that God uses me for His will and then continue to be unhappy about where He has placed me. I am here and ready to fully participate!
Peace, Detroit Luv & Soooooul!
Daniella
Morning dare: Greet someone with a smile and bid them a good morning.
Some of you may know that I where Detroit on my sleeve. I love my city; it is a place like no other. It will never be like New York City, Chicago, L.A. or Miami and I am absolutely okay with that. In fact I do not want it to be like any other place on earth. Recently I moved outside of the city to be closer to my work. It was a tough decision to make, but with gas prices reaching over the $4 mark and adding up the costs of wear and tear on my vehicles I finally broke down and moved. The day I changed my address and was issued a new voter's registration card directing me to my new voting poll was when I realized that I was no longer a "citizen" of Detroit and that I needed to become an active member of the community I lived in.
I wish I could tell you that the transition was easy and I immediately made new friends and dove right into the culture here. But that would not be the truth. My church has not changed luckily because we have multiple locations I have been able to attend weekly services closer to me when I am not able to attend a service in Detroit. I am a Chicago Steppin' instructor and I try to make to class as much as I can and go out when there are large events happening. My family and close friends are mostly in the city or at least in the metro area. Let's not even talk about the lack of dating opportunities where I am, I'm just saying I don't have any expectations for finding a mate here. Yeah, I'm comfortable with that.
I have enjoyed being closer to work which means waking up later, getting home sooner which means taking a longer nap (one of my favorite perks) and running home at lunch if I need to. I also do not want to give the impression that I am in the middle of nowhere, I am living in a vibrant thriving city with tons of things to do, entertainment, shopping and convenient city services. After being out with colleagues over the weekend, I decided that I would make it my business to be happy where I am. I am here for a reason and I knew that from the start. I may never know for what reason or when I have served that purpose but I will enjoy my life while I am here. I always believed that the young people of Detroit needed to see me as a young professional working and taking care of my home or going to church or participating in the community but it never occurred to me that another young person an hour away may need to benefit from the same example.
I cannot continue to keep asking that God uses me for His will and then continue to be unhappy about where He has placed me. I am here and ready to fully participate!
Peace, Detroit Luv & Soooooul!
Daniella
Morning dare: Greet someone with a smile and bid them a good morning.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
I Hear You Lord
Good morning!
It has been a very long time and I apologize if you have been wondering why I haven't written. To be honest I was being a bit defiant in not writing at all. See I received a message almost over two years ago that I need to continue writing. This came from a woman facilitating a session at a women's conference. I did not know her, the session was not about writing and I was actually caught off guard because I approached her in order to clear up a possible misunderstanding from comments made earlier during her presentation...for those not following she was telling me that the Holy Spirit was speaking to her about me. I must be honest, she really threw me for a loop, but I accepted what she shared and told her that I had been writing since I was 8. What she did was confirm for me that I must continue writing. What she said was not a surprise in the sense that I knew it was something I was already doing but was not sure at the time if it made sense how I was doing it. Okay, so now you would think that I ran home and started writing about everything under the sun but I didn't. I was consumed with other things going on in my life. Worried about why I was still single, worried about being respected on my job because I was lacking the education of my peers, worried about how I was going to get the desires of my heart. Imagine that, I was trying to figure out how to make it happen instead of believing that God will take care of me just as he always has.
Since then, I have written a little here and there occasionally scribbling my thoughts down in my personal journal or sent a rare Good morning email. What I came to realize is that there is power in the words that I've written over the years. All the personal things I've shared putting pen to paper. Not all things I've written have been bad, in fact I can truly say that I was a blessed child. I have all my journals and over the years they have taken many forms; from my first "Diary" complete with lock and key to the spiral notebooks which were more of a disguise to the beautifully decorative covers of my journals in recent years. But what has remained constant is my communication with Him even when I did not realize He was listening.
So here is where my defiance comes in...I suddenly stopped writing. Not purposely, but I just did not have the desire to write as much. I have over the years not written anything for a few months but to not writing for a full year is the longest stretch I've ever gone without as much as a peep. What was going on with me? Did I suddenly loose interest after it was confirmed for me that this is what I need to continue doing? What I have found interesting is that I've pursued and entertained the idea of doing almost everything except how to use my writing to reach others. Does that make sense to you? Not to me either.
I'm sure in your life your purpose has been revealed to you or the Holy Spirit has come to you and given you specific instructions yet you went the other way. We have to remember to trust Him, that he has the plan and will not let you fall even when everything you have tried seems to fail. So today, I'm renewing my promise to trust Him and to be an obedient child seeking Him everyday and asking Him to speak to my heart.
Peace, Detroit Luv & Soooooul!
Daniella
It has been a very long time and I apologize if you have been wondering why I haven't written. To be honest I was being a bit defiant in not writing at all. See I received a message almost over two years ago that I need to continue writing. This came from a woman facilitating a session at a women's conference. I did not know her, the session was not about writing and I was actually caught off guard because I approached her in order to clear up a possible misunderstanding from comments made earlier during her presentation...for those not following she was telling me that the Holy Spirit was speaking to her about me. I must be honest, she really threw me for a loop, but I accepted what she shared and told her that I had been writing since I was 8. What she did was confirm for me that I must continue writing. What she said was not a surprise in the sense that I knew it was something I was already doing but was not sure at the time if it made sense how I was doing it. Okay, so now you would think that I ran home and started writing about everything under the sun but I didn't. I was consumed with other things going on in my life. Worried about why I was still single, worried about being respected on my job because I was lacking the education of my peers, worried about how I was going to get the desires of my heart. Imagine that, I was trying to figure out how to make it happen instead of believing that God will take care of me just as he always has.
Since then, I have written a little here and there occasionally scribbling my thoughts down in my personal journal or sent a rare Good morning email. What I came to realize is that there is power in the words that I've written over the years. All the personal things I've shared putting pen to paper. Not all things I've written have been bad, in fact I can truly say that I was a blessed child. I have all my journals and over the years they have taken many forms; from my first "Diary" complete with lock and key to the spiral notebooks which were more of a disguise to the beautifully decorative covers of my journals in recent years. But what has remained constant is my communication with Him even when I did not realize He was listening.
So here is where my defiance comes in...I suddenly stopped writing. Not purposely, but I just did not have the desire to write as much. I have over the years not written anything for a few months but to not writing for a full year is the longest stretch I've ever gone without as much as a peep. What was going on with me? Did I suddenly loose interest after it was confirmed for me that this is what I need to continue doing? What I have found interesting is that I've pursued and entertained the idea of doing almost everything except how to use my writing to reach others. Does that make sense to you? Not to me either.
I'm sure in your life your purpose has been revealed to you or the Holy Spirit has come to you and given you specific instructions yet you went the other way. We have to remember to trust Him, that he has the plan and will not let you fall even when everything you have tried seems to fail. So today, I'm renewing my promise to trust Him and to be an obedient child seeking Him everyday and asking Him to speak to my heart.
Peace, Detroit Luv & Soooooul!
Daniella
My Debut at The Ark!
Good morning! (Originally written August 19, 2010)
I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the wonderful weather we’ve been having here in Michigan. There are some new peeps added to the email list for today because I wanted to share a little something with you…
Many of you know that I’ve been Chicago Steppin’ and teaching over the last 3 ½ years and I’ve been singing well…most of my life where ever and whenever But most recently you’ve been able to find me at Open Mic Nights at home in Detroit. But now that I’ve been in Ann Arbor for most of the summer, I haven’t been singing very much…that includes singing at church. Well I am definitely one who believes that everything happens for a reason. Over the summer, I met a pianist who is classically trained and loves jazz. We have been working on two jazz standards…In a Sentimental Mood and Funny Valentine. It has been a great experience! I didn’t even know Sentimental Mood had words! Yes, I know it’s a shame but it’s the truth. Well, he didn’t know who Chaka Khan was…so now we’re even!
Anyway, I am excited to report that last night (Wednesday) my friend Ian and I performed at The Ark (Ann Arbor) for Open Stage which is their open mic series that happens once a month. I am catching a lot of heat for not inviting everyone to come and check us out, so to hopefully make up for that I have uploaded video on YouTube of our performance. It was a lot of fun and I hope that you all enjoy it! I’m sure we will work on more music (meaning I will learn the words) and perform again. Hope you all are doing well!
Peace, Detroit Luv & Soooooul!
Daniella
I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the wonderful weather we’ve been having here in Michigan. There are some new peeps added to the email list for today because I wanted to share a little something with you…
Many of you know that I’ve been Chicago Steppin’ and teaching over the last 3 ½ years and I’ve been singing well…most of my life where ever and whenever But most recently you’ve been able to find me at Open Mic Nights at home in Detroit. But now that I’ve been in Ann Arbor for most of the summer, I haven’t been singing very much…that includes singing at church. Well I am definitely one who believes that everything happens for a reason. Over the summer, I met a pianist who is classically trained and loves jazz. We have been working on two jazz standards…In a Sentimental Mood and Funny Valentine. It has been a great experience! I didn’t even know Sentimental Mood had words! Yes, I know it’s a shame but it’s the truth. Well, he didn’t know who Chaka Khan was…so now we’re even!
Anyway, I am excited to report that last night (Wednesday) my friend Ian and I performed at The Ark (Ann Arbor) for Open Stage which is their open mic series that happens once a month. I am catching a lot of heat for not inviting everyone to come and check us out, so to hopefully make up for that I have uploaded video on YouTube of our performance. It was a lot of fun and I hope that you all enjoy it! I’m sure we will work on more music (meaning I will learn the words) and perform again. Hope you all are doing well!
Peace, Detroit Luv & Soooooul!
Daniella
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