Content & Blessed...

Throughout the past week i ve realized just how blessed I truly am! Its funny how God throws little things in there sometimes for you to look back and realize how far you have come and how lucky you are to have all the things that God has blessed you with. My family is my biggest asset and they are always there no matter how many have walked in and out of my life.. I miss them tremendously but God has made it very obvious to me just how blessed I am to have such a comforting and loving family that loves me dearly and vise versa. I am finally grasping the concept of learning how to be happy and content with life.. how not to get overwhelmed with the stress that hardships bring, and how to be Okay with just being me, Melissa... The person God made me to be! Why? because there is no reason to fret and push your own plans bc we have to eventually realize God will always have his way no matter what our plans are... the more you let go, live, and accept and glorify our wonderful God you will realize that his plans are what we want for ourselves to a "T"!
After a long hard week last week i got to enjoy a relaxing weekend that consisted of many activities!!! The girls and I celebrated about 5 girls birthdays friday and later went to celebrate with them at Hyper Crush ( alot like pretty lights, etc) which all proceeds went to St.Jude ... something i ve found myself being very passionate about over the past couple of years! They were tons of fun and we had a blast celebrating with all the girls!!

Saturday we all woke up early to have Inspiration with our sweet Little Sis's and i went to Bottle Tree Bakery where we got to watch people pass by running the Marathon that was hosted in Oxford this weekend along with everyones sweet little ones and their pets... Thats one of my all time favorite things to do in the Spring on the Square... Eat ice cream on warm days and watch everyone bring their dogs out, and strollers with sweet lil ones in it also!!! Saturday Night I attended KA initiation banquet with one of my best friends Logan and many others! We had a blast .... They had a great jazz band ... and tons of great food!

Sunday Morning we had to wake up early for our own Initation for all of our new and precious little DeeGees! Ellen came in town for pin Mary Claire! This was her 2nd time to come to the Alpha Psi chapter to pin ... me last year and now MC!! i know she was so happy to be able to share the special bond with Mary Claire... I love them both so much!!! It was a very special day for both of us!!!! Ellen was so excited on Bid day and being able to put her bid day jersey on.. i know she was just excited to be able to put on her pin and make her an official Deeeeg!!!

So as you can see this weekend was very eventful and fun-filled! After last week and the long, tiring, and some what emotional days that I had i am finally just learning to let back, and let go, let God have his way and just enjoy the ride of life itself... its way to short to worry or have and regrets, and waste anytime on anyone that isnt worth your time... God has brought people into and out of my life just within the past 2  weeks that I know he has huge plans and purposes of doing so! He has taught me and held me through every single bit of the "learning processes" through out all of it also! I encourage yall to sit back and do the same just let God have his way... the more we try to put together our "Happy Ending" or "perfect picture life" the more God will take it away from us... just let go.. let God lead you.. and live YOUR life.. No one elses!!!
Love you all,
Mel

Gods Plans are so much bigger than my own

Have you ever wondered why God brought some people into your life? Its a question I ve been  asking myself for a while now... and the minute you think you finally have it figured out God reveals something totally different to you... I am firm a believer that God puts people in our lives for many different reasons that sometimes we will never know. I ve caught myself asking God many times why he has brought or taken away someone  in/out of my life! You can never ask God why... his plans are so much bigger than our own you just have to trust he knows what he is doing up there... what God has told me though is that you have to love them unconditionally the whole time they are in your life.... Let them know you by your heart! I am someone that does everything with my heart.... i dont meet a stranger and i want to help and give to anyone possible! They are my very strong qualities but weaknesses at times also... I ve often wondered why i am the way I am i believe God allowed me in inherit traits and qualities of both of my grandmothers... My Nanny has one of the softest hearts of anyone i ve have ever known ... she loves nothing more than to sit down and talk to you about your feelings, wants, likes, dislikes....She is just a big ball of TLC!! and you see my MawMaw was one heck of a lady too ... although she is no longer with me i look back on her life and realize how strong she was in her faith... and how strong she was with life in general. I see so much of them in me more and more everyday!
Something we have to realize is that the minute we meet someone new ... they have just entered your life.. their status in your life is what is the difference.. whether they stay as an aquitance, friend, best friend, girl/boy friend, soon to be husband or wife.. or eventually your spouse one day. regardless we have all had many of these... even ones that we thought we could spend the rest of our lives with but that just wasnt Gods plan... and you see at first the pain is unbearable almost until God steps in a little bit more everyday to tell you " I have someone much better"! We have to realize that God knows what we want... he knows what we are looking for and as long as we follow him and glorify him  and most importanly LISTEN to him.. he will bless us with giving us that special someone that is all we have ever wanted and more..... as one of my good guy friends just got married not to long ago i asked him " Hows the newly wed life?".. he said "Melissa, better than i ever thought it would be... I ve been praying for my future wife for a really long time and when he brought me her he brought everything i ever wanted and more... so much more" I just giggled... I know that God has that plan for me and everyone else out there too! Heartaches hurt but you have to remember thats Gods time to really do some work in your life and maybe you will see that he is showing you what you really need... Bless the people that walk out of your life because they are only making room for the people that are coming into your life" .... If there is anything i have learned its that you dont want to waste your time on someone that God is telling you to let go of... because its only causing you more heartache...God knows he has all of our puzzle pieces and we only get one at a time.. just trust him! Your relationships should also glorify God .. dont let anyone bring you further away from him... look at it like this intergers--> (+) (-) positive person and negative person..... if  you have a Positive person + and negative person = negative relationship or negative + negative = positve relationship  OR positve+positve = positive relationship..... you choose.. but never allow anyone to alter who you are or bring you further away from God... you want someone that will bring you closer to him.. someone that will not stand in front of or behind you but BESIDE YOU.. someone that you get to know but more importantly WANT TO KNOW... be with someone that will know you for your love, and vise versa... be with someone that you want to show your heart to and they show you theirs also!!! Embrace the fact that God has someone out there for YOU.. and he knows what he is doing..and more than anything that God loves you... he knows who is suppose to come and go.. who is suppose to teach you things whether it be your wants or dislikes... who is suppose to make you stronger by your hurts or trials faced with them... He is only preparing you for "The One" and when he brings you that person... let them know you by your love!

YMel

Back in Oxford

So after two and half weeks of being back in Oxford i am just now getting the chance to Blog again... it feels good to finally have some free time to do what i want with this new time that has become available to me.. Normally i just nap and i am trying to break that habbit so i believe in place of napping ill start blogging so, therefore maybe this thing will be updated a little more than usual! ;) Oxford has been very cold! Walking to class is normally miserable! but classes themselves really havent been all that bad! I absolutely love my MWF classes one fifty min class and i am done! Tues and Thurs are normally pretty long for me but i enjoy the classes so it gets me through the day! The weekends have been fun here although i feel like all my days in between are starting to run together!! I am at that point that i am wondering why in the world i was so eager to get back in school and have a routine! I have been busier than ever this semester so far! BUT through out that time me and the girls have discovered a new game just dance which is a ton of fun... i keep promising myself i am going to invest in one!! We had the best time together with that! Me and Maidee really got wild with it one night!

I have also found  a new church since i have been back up here! I love it its very different than anything i have expirenced! Its called the Orchird and its currently taking the place of what use to be a funeral home! They have been taking this approach of the what the Old Testament says the church is... which the point of the story is that a church could be anywhere.. for People in Africa it could be under a shade tree... or many other various different places than a building with a steeple! Church isnt something you go to on Sunday Mornings for an hour and walk away with very little knowledge that if we are lucky holds over in our brains through lunch right after... which sadly is what it has become.. so they have taken the approach of very little rituals and just preaching the word of God is a circle of all college students.. I ve really enjoyed it!

Me and the Girls have been having our typical fun talks and nights sitting around with one another! We have gone out to eat or to the square for several peoples birthdays... there are so many people with Febuary Birthdays!!!

Mom came in town last weekend and we had a great time doing our typical lunch and shopping around town! She also came again this weekend and brought my Aunt, two cousins, and little brother. Travis and Wendy have never been to Oxford so we had a great time showing them around campus, Oxford, and the DG House! We also went to the baseball alumi game!

I am coming home this upcoming weekend all of my family will be in either Miami or Deer camp ( two extremes) this would also be the weekend i am coming home!! But Ill be able to see Daniel which i know i ll enjoy so much and ill be able to watch some Choctaw baseball!!!

Love YOURSELF the way you are......

So as i have sat here and thought about the reason i started this blog i cant help but truly believe that its done excatly what i had hoped it would do...Inspire me to be ME! I named the link "inspiretobe" because i was just that .... inspired, by  many very special people that God blessed me with having in my life! I wanted to start something that would help remember and reflect on times through out my life... bad and good, happy or sad! I wanted something that would always remind me of what i went through and why i am now the person i am because of those things. As many of you know i am a strong believer in the fact that your past and your hardships make you who you are, as i ve stated in several of my post BUT i  also believe that even those good memories make you who you are too... those memories that you can replay in your head over and over and they never get old... those breathtaking moments that only keep you wanting  coming back for more! Life is such a beautiful and amazing wonder ... and i hope that we can all keep sight in the fact that just being alive is a SIGNIFICANT blessing! I am someone that thinks with my heart in everything that i do! some admire that some say that its a road to many heartaches... maybe it is! but its ME! I am also someone that relates to everyone in some kinda of way... as i was on the phone with my best friend ellen tonight she reminded me that I relate to everyone in some type of emotion or another... and she is right but thats the side of me that i know God has called on me to do for the rest of my life ... Counsel. I am also someone that doesnt confuse words much... i tell you what i think, my mother has always told me i am brutually honest.. i figure well mine as well cut out all the sugar coating and tell people what they want to hear which is the truth believe it or not ..one day they will appreciate the honesty. I dont go for anything less than i deserve and i hate to see anyone settle. no one deserves that in any aspect of their life.... kids and people in need are my passion... I never want to "fix" or "change" anyone in need of anything in their life I just want to HELP them and with God next me i know that i can do just that for anyone he brings to me to do so with. I consider myself a fence rider.. i see both sides to everything.. bc what you have to realize is that there is always both sides to peoples feelings but the things i feel strongly about on EACH side of the fence I NEVER back down from... I am a girl who knows excatly what she wants in life.... I am also a girl that has a problem with not always knowing my next move or puzzle piece to life .. but just recently God has been showing me thats ok and that i better be ok with it bc thats his way regardless! I ve learned that if you want to hear God laugh just write down all your plans in life.. and give him the eraser bc he will or has already erased some of your plans you had for yourself... I prayed for patience and trust in God and i believe he has stuck me in just a situation that has brought me just the opprotunity to do BOTH.... you see i believe whole heartly thats what he does.. he doesnt just give you what you ask for he gives you the chance to obtain those things.... like for instance patience and trust!

I could go on and on about all the things I am and why and how ... and what I ve been through in life to make me become that way bc today and even this weekend i ve thought about this a lot.... but the ONE thing I know i am for sure is a daughter to a WONDERFUL God thats Grace is overflowing and his love never runs out for me! He will always love me for ME! He will always provide and his word is the truth and will always prevail! I have to constantly remind myself that he knows what he is doing up there.. and you just have to TRUST. And when your given opprotunities ... Take them.. throw yourself out there and be YOU ... your uniqness is what makes you different from everyone else... as the Dr Suess saying goes... "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”..... so I encourage everyone to be you... Fall in love with life and know that everyday holds the possibility of a miracle... stop waiting and start doing with your life.. bc after all it is your life...its your time to shine.. for everyone that walks out of your life...bless them bc they are only making room for those that walk into your life...realize that your happiness will always play hide and seek with you if you look for it in all the wrong places...dont be scared to be different.. authenicity is something i ve always thought  as a trait to be admired....Consider the fact that your trials maybe your treasure....never live in your past....people only cling to the past out of fear that nothing else better will come along, and thats so far from the truth....choose to forgive those that have hurt you... you take away their power .... and when the past calls press ignore it has nothing new to say ...  never take no for an answer when your going after something you love ....... and  make no apologies for what you ARE and for what your NOT.

So Inspire to be you... just you, whoever that maybe never let a soul in the world tell you that you cant be excatly who you are! Take chances and BE YOU when you do... and trust God .... he is always there.

" A joyful heart makes a cheerful face"-Proverbs 15:13
Smile and be you and have Joy in your heart that he Loves you for YOU!

YMel

Warm,comfy,and Cozy....

I feel like i ve been dealing with hypotherma all day! This has been the first real day that its been cold in Mississippi which is great for me bc i love having warm days in December, unlike most of the people i know... but then again thats why i love Mississippi... anyways so now i am in my Warm covers,Comfy pjs, and I am Cozy with my coffee mug in hand- full of hot chocolate...so when i got in bed... i got to thinking about the meaning of Warm,comfy,and cozy... and everyone that knows me knows that i am a deep thinker maybe sometimes too much... but what does it really mean to be warm,comfy,and cozy?! For some its sitting next to a fireplace, sleeping under a heated blanket, or sitting next to a bonfire. For me it means a lot of things for instance.. what i am doing now in warm blankets, comfy pjs, and cozy in my bed, other times i get that feeling as i jump into a warm car thats been heated after being outside, sometimes its stepping into my house after i ve been running in the cold, and other times its putting on that big favorite sweatshirt of mine with my favorite scarf and UGG boots!

Regardless we all have things that make us feel warm,comfy,and cozy inside! Webster says the defintion of comfy is :

comfy-providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief

So the real question is what makes us comfy, who do we like to get comfy with, and most importantly who or what do we turn to to make us comfy?... I am sure most of you are thinking "Melissa where are you getting at with this?" but think on it and ponder it!

Do you know that there is one person who would love for you to turn to him and say "Ok make me comfy,warm,and cozy!" and that person is our God... God is the one person who we are suppose to rely on to make us warm,comfy,and cozy..and in his arms we can never feel cold or frigid. I think about this and it really kinda makes me sad... why? because i feel like lately i ve lost the feeling of that comfy warmth that God brings. I feel like sometimes i am going outside without that big comfy sweatshirt,scarf,and UGG boots and i am just running around outside never coming inside for relief or better yet i am running circles around that car thats heated while its below freezing! as I stated in my last post my family has been going through a rough time! With the loss of many things including a very significant family member... i had mentioned to a friend the other day how i feel like i ve been praying and i just feel like i am not feeling Gods warmth like usual! and it finally dawned on me that i am  not running to that warm car or warm house anymore (God) -- i am running to unsignificant things like other people or things to give me comfort!

I feel like many of us do that a lot! A great example is my childhood pet that I had for 16 years, Abby! She was the cuttest lil dachsund you had ever seen...  that dog was my baby... i loved her beyond words and still do! But when momma use to bring the clothes out of the dryer to fold them she would run straight to that pile of warm clothes because she liked the warmth of it! As christians thats what we should do! When God holds out those big comfy arms of his we should run right to them and let him comfort us and take all of our fears,griefs, and sad moments away! The difference between warm clothes and God is that eventually those warm clothes start to become not so warm and Mom only washes and drys clothes every so often where God is always there and always willing to take your fears away and wants to COMFORT YOU!!!

Let him! I am learning more and more everyday that you have to let God in! You have to lean on him and expect him to keep you warm,comfy, and cozy! The minute you start relying on anyone else or anything else he will take that away from you and you will be left in the cold! He died for US! He loves us uncondionally! I use to play with my mom and dad when i was little by saying " I know someone who loves me more than you do?" ofcourse its followed by "who?" .. and i would say "GOD"... and thats so true.. think about the one person you love the most and  it could never amount up to how much God loves you and that person!

I, myself have got to learn to start relying on God to fix everything and realizing God will provide!! He will provide that comfort and bring us that warmth.. and in return we will feel cozy! I am beyond blessed with the people God has put in my life.. so i know regardless i am never alone and that I have people i can turn to and that I will turn to when troubles come my way or my family's way! But i know he will not leave us out in the cold.. he wont lock the doors to that warm house or warm car.... as long as we call on him he will always be there to give you that warmth!

So next time your outside and your cold and you finally get to step into that warm place... remember to always step into Gods arms too and there you will find that warmth and comfort... dont live your life not trusting God! so let me leave you with this bible verse...which says we do not have to worry go to God about everything and you will have that warm, comfy, and cozy place within Gods arms! He will provide and will take care of you!

 "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all that He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

 

So the next time a challenge is coming your way or you feel yourself in the cold remember to bundle up in Gods armour and know that in his arms you will stay warm!

I love you all!

YMelissa

A Christmas Cure for Cynicism and Skepticism

Friday I arrived home for christmas break... after a long and hard semester! Once finals rolled around i was almost to the point of not caring anymore! How i made it through is by the "Grace of God"... ever heard someone say that nonchalanty? I have more, and i am guilty of doing it also... i have said it more times than i can count.. but it wasnt until this morning that I can really tell you i learned just what the "Grace of God" really was. You know those times that you dont deserve something but you get it? thats Gods grace or those times that you feel like you are going to drown in an ocean full of all the mistakes you have made but some how you make it to shore safe and dry? ... well thats Gods Grace too.
My family and I are going through a rough time and have been for the past couple of of weeks and even months. So when I got in my car today to head to church I asked God "Lord tell me something you want me to know".... because as Sinners we get to caught up in asking God for the things we want in life and not enough of what he wants out of us. Well God sure did answer that prayer this morning! I met my bestfriend Ellen at church this morning.. we went about our regular routine of meet and greet and then on to the front row we go! ... church started off with the Childrens Message.... the children gathered around and sat to listen to the young man explain the difference about Gods grace ( the full bottle of water) and the opposite of Gods grace ( the half empty one) he demonstrated to the kids that Gods grace is always full in abundance where as anything else is not! ... i thought wow! how true!... but it wasnt until Mr. Steve came up to preach that it really clicked to me how great and amazing Gods grace is. he started off the sermon with asking two questions.. what is grace and what is the truth!

1.Grace- is something that we dont derserve
2.Truth- what is truth and can we find it within people!
- are we truthful no matter what?-- and do we keep our word no matter how much it hurts us?

What is the Problem with Grace and truth?
* we all become so cynical and so skepitcal that we lose touch of theses and make substitutes?
what could those subsitutes be? --> local bars,intimate relationships
everyone wants an intimate relationship but we cant give up on what we believe or derserve due to the fact that we just want physical touch or love to make us feel loved. Rely on God to give you that intimate relationship .. have an intimate relationship with Christ Jesus!
But Grace is having enough love to overlook the flaws of someone you love but being able to say Stop! I love you etc. if you see something going on that shouldnt! Dont become apart of a church that will love you straight to hell and that also stands true for the people you surround yourself by! ( surround yourself with other Godly people)

Truth- we need security... we want the truth! (Naturally as humans)
what do we use as substitutes or this? --- information we live in a world full of information BUT it is not the truth of age and the information we are looking at on the internet or any other source will  not help us to make valued judgements.

We are emersed in a world where God and Truth can not be found!!! so whats the soultion:

this is : "and the world became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the father, full of grace and truth"- John 1: 14

Grace and Truth has found us through the holy spirt who is perfectly made.

God is Grace --- he is full of it!
Grace and Love is real----look at the Cross!! what does that say?
God is full of truth-- he says " I am full of truth"

We all just need alot more Jesus with that we will be full of grace and truth in balance of one another.

Do not surrender to cynicism or skeptimism surrender to God: look for love and acceptance in God and not in any other of those wrong places! and dont look for truth in all the "information places" look for it in God!

                   HE IS FOREVER FAITHFUL IN HIS PROMISES
This sermon was something I know i really needed to hear from God and I am praying continually that his grace and truth will be upon my family in this trialing time that we are going through!!!! Thanks to all that have keep my family and I in your prayers... I know eventually God will provide!

Go for what you deserve

ok girls.... so this post is for you my friends!!!....Most girls walk around in life thinking that at the age of 21 or 22 they will have that special someone that they want to spend the rest of their lives with (and if not we are in trouble).... and that he will be tall, dark, and handsome yall will have a nice sweet and welcoming home with 2 or 3 adorable children.. but wait i may be getting ahead of myself here... first comes the wedding.. A wedding is something that every girl dreams of and has been planning for years now.. and still plans up in till the day she walks down the aisle and says I DO! .... but i wonder if maybe us girls fantasize about it a little too much ... i know i am guilty of it also... i think that sometimes we are all so in a hurry  to  find that MR. RIGHT, plan that big bagging wedding ,and opps there we go married!!! NO longer SINGLE... a lot of girls search for that "together status" so much that I think that we forget what we deserve!


I encourage you to sit and think about what you derserve... just within this semester  i know that i have had atleast 2 handfuls of conversations on "guys", "mr perfects", and "is he the one?"... with my sorority sisters alone. Girls ... Go for what you deserve.. do not persue a guy that only gives you half of what you deserve!
Now this is coming from someone who was never single throughout highschool and came to college with a boyfriend.... i ve always been the kinda girl to jump into one relationship and  into another. all i can say is i lived and learned... i wish i could take some of those moments back.. but then again as i said i ve learned from them. Since i ve been single i pick up and realize on how I at once was just living in a fantasy land... thinking oh.. me and him--> we are going to get married.. sure there are tons of things i despise about him and sure he doesnt always treat me right.. but ill change him!! lesson number 1... if you with a guy and want to change him... run!!!! your never going to change a guy... you are suppose to  love and accept him for who he is .. and if he has ways about him you cant live with.. its time to say adios!!! Never settle for a guy that you feel like doesnt respect you, adore you, or give you all the things that money cant by .. like a friendship.. a sholder to cry on when you have had a bad day, someone to take care of you when you have a little to much fun, and someone that goes out and has a little too much fun with you,  and all the love in the world that means more than anything you have ever imagined!  Make sure your guy is someone that you can have a blast with!


I am someone that can speak from expirence with this one! i am someone who tries to see the best in EVERYONE.. i accept everyones flaws.. even when i shouldnt and i try to help everyone!!! I have been talked to ugly, mistreated, and even cheated on...by the last of the 2 guys I ve been with!!! NO MORE!!!
Me and God have talked a lot on this topic! I deserve the best! I deserve someone that is going to love, adore me, want me fore me, and loves everything about me good and bad traits and accepts me for me! And VISE VERSA!!!


I ve realized that i have a whole lot to offer to whom ever God brings in my life!!! He may be someone i know or not... but God says a ton in the bible about a marriage and what it should be in the eyes of our God and i trust that.  You see girls you need someone that can be all those things i ve listed above and more... you need someone that Loves our God just as much as you do.. you need someone you can pray with .. and someone you can hold accountable and someone that can hold you accountable!


PRAY PRAY PRAY... girls prayer is the only communication we have with our God!! Pray that God will bring you the perfect someone you want.. that someone that can be all you ever wanted and more!!! We need to as a whole quit focusing on that deep southern traditon that says" Go to college meet your husband get married, and lived happily ever after"...great if it happens to you or someone you know but dont live your day to day life thinking.. i ve got to go out and find that someone!!! Live your life, be you, be content, figure out who you are, and figure out what you want! quit telling God what you want and start asking him what does he want from you... and who does he want you to meet and fall in love with!!!


you have to respect yourself in order for others to respect you.. and the moment you settle you will be unhappy!!! So girls... before you run and hurl yourself into a relationship just bc you want that status of "togetherness" make sure he is someone you get to know.. more importantly someone you want to know, and someone you will be proud to say "he is mine.. he loves and adores me" and something that he can say the same about you!!! ;) girls just live you life and remember to be yourself and be content!! let God do the work!!!


Love you all!