My Gratitude List

What am I grateful for?
Well to start with Dec. 28 I’m grateful I got home safe from driving during the night I saw many accidents on the way.
Dec. 27 I’m grateful my twin sons who are 6’1& 6’2 ,big, strong men, on Boxing Day boxed up a 3 bedroom house and moved everything into storage in 1 hour, so I did not have to pay a late fee. I’m grateful the lady at storage in Talle gave me a break on the largest unit for the price of a smaller one all under $100. with the 2nd month free.
Dec.26 I’m grateful the thieves who broke into the house in Talle, while we were gone to church did not have time to really seal all our stuff, since church was closed and so we returned home earlier that they expected.
December 25 I’m grateful I got to see 50% of my grand children for Christmas Day.
And that I got to share all my cooking with a family in Georgia.
Dec. 24 I’m grateful that Publix had Christmas Trees for $5.00 so I got the biggest, greenest
One they had left.
Dec. 23 I’m grateful we drove all the way from West Palm to Tallahassee on 1 full tank of Gas. I paid $2.99 per gal. Got to Talle Chevron on Monroe St. and still had a little less than ¼ tank left.
Dec. 22 My birthday. I’m grateful for those who took the time to call me and wish me happy Birthday or to write me a note on my wall. I'm also grateful for a daughter who shows her love to me in so many tangible ways, with birthday money to spend on myself.
Dec. 20. More to come……

What do you think?

I got this e-mail today and thought I'd forward it to the necessary folks....

Better yet!

Dear Bill & Melinda Gates,
How about starting a foundation,or grant program for educators, professionals with a Master's Degree or higher? Those earning less that $80.00 a year, over 55 years old, a taxpaying citizen. They should do the following suggestions below, and along with those criterion, or ideas they should also start a non-profit or maybe small business to help humanity.



This was the e-mail I recieved
"Dear Mr. President,

Please find below my suggestion for fixing America 's economy. Instead of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan.
You can call it the "Patriotic Retirement Plan":

There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force. Pay them $1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:

1) They MUST retire. Forty million job openings - Unemployment fixed.

2) They MUST buy a new AMERICAN Car. Forty million cars ordered - Auto Industry fixed.

3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage - Housing Crisis fixed.

It can't get any easier than that!!

P.S. If more money is needed, have all members in Congress pay their taxes...

Mr. President, while you're at it, make Congress retire on Social Security and Medicare. I'll bet both programs would be fixed pronto!

If you think this would work, please forward to everyone you know.

If not, please disregard."

Scripture in the hearts and mind of the very young

Scripture in the hearts of the very young.
Just recently my oldest son and his wife asked me for the list of scripture verses that I made all my children study and memories, while they were growing up. Their request, made me realize I was starting a tradition, and leaving a legacy. Holy spirit without me even knowing the far reaching effect, had me teach Bible verses to them when they were very young. I taught my kindergarten class these verses, so I also taught it to my own kids. This all started when I moved to Florida, homeless and looking for a job. God made me walk down Holly Drive, in Palm Beach Gardens. I gave out my resume to the each school. I had no idea there were so many schools on that road, neither did I know that at the 3rd school the principal would say to me, "can you start right away? our teacher had an emergency, and has to move to another state. We are looking for a Kindergarten teacher." My interview was so God planned, the details would give you goose bumps. God only ask us to trust his voice and obey his leading, and He will do the rest. Now years later because of the things I learned as a Christian teacher. The encouragement and fellowship of the wonderful family of christians at Church in the Gardens. I was able to teach my own family many of the things I learned there. Praise God He knows all things. He sees our future.
Alphabetical order scripture verses using ASL sign Language ( finger Spell) to help the children remember the letters with the verse.

A Isaiah 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Romans 3:23
All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
B Acts 16:31
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shall be saved, and thy house.
C Ephesians 6:1
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
D James 4:8
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
E Proverbs 20:11
Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right
Romans 14:11,
Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess to God.”
F Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
G Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
H Exodus 20:12
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee
I John 14:14
If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
I Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me.
J Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
K Psalm 34:13
Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
L Psalm 150:6
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
M John 10:27
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
N Zechariah 4:6
Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.
O 1 Chronicles 16:34
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endured for ever.
P Psalm 117:1
praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.
Q Thessalonians 5:19
Quench not the Spirit.
R Ecclesiastes 12:1
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shall say, I have no pleasure in them;
S Isaiah 55:6
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near
Study to show they self approved unto God
T Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
U 1 Peter 2:7
Unto you who believe, He is precious;
V John 6:47
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
X 2 Peter 1:4
Xceedingly great and precious promises: are given unto us.
John 3:3
Xcept a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God
Y Matthew 5:14
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Z Psalm 97:8
Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD.

The Royal we discovered

Where is the Royal of the Ghetto?
For me it was allowing and making room in our family for Holy Spirit to be my Husband and Father to my four children. When you are born a Kennedy you are treated by those around as a Kennedy. You have certain privileges and there are certain expectations. When you are born a Royal you are expected to act accordingly. My children and I knew we were royals very early. Holy Spirit did many signs and wonders and miracles with us, around us, and through us. God was definitely real in our home. We understood He was to be obeyed, worshiped, loved, and respected. As a family we were always grateful to Him. We saw and experienced Him as an awesome provider, healer, and protector. There were daily signs of God’s hand on us as a family and individually. We did not doubt we were His children or doubt His love for us. We trusted Him and He was faithful at all times. Testimonies of God‘s love, mercy, grace, and provision was something that we were pleased to share. We did not forget and we were not ungrateful. Our financial conditions and physical surroundings might be in the location of the ghetto. BUT our spirit, soul, and emotions were definitely ROYAL. The KING OF KINGS, Lord of Lords, Lion of the tribe of Judah was on His Throne of our hearts and in our home. That made us so very royal. We knew it, understood it and walked in it.

Ten tips on Resisting the Ghetto

Chapter 1 Resisting the Ghetto
Now here she was in her mid fifty’s the time is 2010. Three sons all married and her only daughter an MD. The summer has just begun. Can you believe it? After all she had to overcome, all the struggles of living in the ghetto, the trials,negative pull of drugs, crime, promiscuous sex, and miss-education. Her family is still together. Her children are still walking in a relationship which their God.
With great determination and faith in God this single mom was able to keep her dreams, aspirations, hopes, goals above her circumstances. Her only regret was that she had to work three jobs just to make ends meet. She was not always able to be with her children at nights. She was never able to give them the all their eyes and hearts desired. But she knows that God had their back. He placed angels around them and always answered their prayers and provided for their needs.
Now as a grand mother she would like to encourage other moms who find themselves single for what ever the unfortunate reasons. Yes, it is possible to plan and hope for success in raising kids free from crime, drugs and hopelessness.
1}Love God with all your heart and soul and mind (Have a faith in someone greater that your self and share that with your children)
2} Live a life of gratitude. Sing praises and create an atmosphere of gratefulness in your home. Play wholesome music, have good christian media in your home.
3} Live a transparent life before God, your children and your friends. Tell the truth, don't pretend.No hypocrisy. Share your testimony with others. Share with those who can pray about what happens to you and your family.
4} Have family meetings and discussions to make decissions. Consult God in prayer. Teach your children to communicate with God for themselves, the family and for others.
5} Apply the laws of the Kingdom. Model planting and reaping. Partner with someone in prayer, apply the law of if two shall agree. Encourage a married couple to mentor your family. My mentors were Maureen & Carl Graham, Desmond & Cecelia Harriott and Ken & Nerissa Jackson. These couples were Uncles and Aunts to my children.
6} Parenting is a life changing assignment,from God. You are not called to be their friend but rather provide them with adult leadership and security.
7}Teach them the importance of obedience to God and rules. Use examples of consequences to disobedience you and others have had.
8}Establish patterns in family activity, such as fun and games, church & Bible Study, home-work,sports etc. This provides consistency and stability.
9} Teach your children as much as you know and give them opportunity to learn even more than you. Model and set academic goals to the highest possible achievement. Talk about their college and careers as early as possible.
10} Model Justice and fairness use God's method in your home, let your children understand God is merciful to us. We are all equal in God's sight. We are all sinners in need of repentance, yet created to be joint heirs of God’s Kingdom

Single moms YOU cannot do it alone....

Now that my kids have grown up, my three sons are married and my daughter is an MD. I can truly say to Holy Spirit you did a good job fathering and mothering my family.
I would like to encourage other single moms whether "black or white"they too can do the same. I would not have been able to do this alone. So let me share with you some of the people groups who were very much a part of this process.
I have to thank God for Covenant Community in Jamaica. There for three years in the 80’s I was helped on the path of raising godly children. Pastor Peter Morgan and his congregation at Mona campus along with his friend Miles Monroe, gave such great teachings, that helped to built up a community of believers that showed love, caring and true friendship to all who came across their doors. Their small (cell) groups nurtured me and my children in Jamaica. This continued even after we I returned to the US. My children and I went for years to a small fellowship group that was an extension of the Jamaican community. This group gave my family accountability, stability and love. My other support came from the Vineyard Ministries of Pompano, Florida. There I learned to hear the voice of Holy Spirit, there I learned to hear God for myself and walk according to Holy Spirit’s leading. The combination of these two ministers had a lasting effect on my growth and development as a woman, prayer warrior and mother
So when I prayed (Psalm 146 & 68 ) I made it personal. I believed every word was for me. I came into agreement with others. My strongest prayer partner was Nerissa. She had strength, and her encouragement held me to another level of faith. Her confidence in declaring God’s word made me have the same boldness to say…
1 Praise the Lord! Let all that I am praise the Lord.
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.
3 Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
there is no help for you there.
4 When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
and all their plans die with them.
5 But joyful are those who have the God of Israel[a] as their helper,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.
7 He gives justice to the oppressed
and food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
The Lord loves the godly.
9 The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows,
but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.
10 The Lord will reign forever.
He will be your God, O Jerusalem,[b] throughout the generations.
Praise the Lord! Psalm 68Vs. 4-7His name is the Lord—
rejoice in his presence!
5 Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—
this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
6 God places the lonely in families;
he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.
But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
From this support our daily walk as a family was a journey of love, tough love, prayer, miracles , sacrifice, hard choices, more love and discipline. Guess what my boys remember the most ??? The DISCIPLINE but it's OK now because they are alive to tell their version of the story. They are not incarcerated, on drugs or homeless. So I say praise God for discipline, if that is all they remember it must have worked.
There is more to come

Ghetto Royalty “The word "ghetto" is often glorified in popular culture and sometimes used as an adjective to describe a certain way of dressing, speaking, and behaving. Like the pejorative terms redneck, white trash, "cheapie" and "tightwad", there's a new meaning for "ghetto" It may describe one's frugal buying habits unlike that of the middle and upper-classes. In common lingo, it may also be used as an alternative to explain a place that is "poorly maintained".[citation needed]
Ghetto is an area where people from a specific racial or ethnic background are united in a given culture or religion live as a group, voluntarily or involuntarily, in milder or stricter seclusion. The word historically referred specifically to the Venetian Ghetto in Venice, Italy, where Jews were required to live. It was later applied to neighborhoods in other cities where Jews were required to live. The corresponding German term was Judengasse; in Moroccan Arabic ghettos were called mellah. The term came into popular, world-wide use during World War II, in reference to Nazi ghettos”
The term now commonly labels any poverty-stricken urban area. In the U.S. the news media created terms like rural ghetto to describe mobile home parks, farm labor housing tracts and Indian reservations to indicate that the poorest areas in the U.S. aren't within major cities. In the United States, urban neighborhoods where Hispanic immigrants settled in the late 20th century (called barrios) are said to be comparable to ghettos, because most immigrants form a culturally isolated enclave and may choose to remain there or associate with their own group.


Ghetto Royalty!!!
I would like to dedicate this to all people groups who have at sometime landed on the shores of these the United States of America. (USA) and discovered the American Ghetto.
Like so many other words in the English Language you can use a word which denotes or conjurors up many meanings or understanding of that word. In this case the word Ghetto for me can be described the socioeconomic status of any people group. This is a word; persons of various backgrounds understand what you are referring to. This title “Ghetto Royalty” which I created is intended to describe a state of mind, a kind of self awareness, rather than a socioeconomic state. My family might even object to the word ghetto as it is often associated with a negative behavior and status. I looked up the word ghetto from an online dictionary to further explain the actual meanings of the word as it might be interpreted in the USA.
I lived in what is considered the US Ghetto but deep in my heart I considered myself better off then those around me. I knew my father was a King and that I belong to royalty and therefore open to many possibilities, opportunities , favours and miracles. So I was able to see myself and my offspring as "Ghetto Royalty."
SO HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN THE ghetto??
Well!!You know you are in the Ghetto when you can hear the neighbor’s son OR daughter'S boon box.
When you can smell the marijuana that the kids on the corner are smoking.
When one of the families on your street is always fighting and cusing each other.
You know you in the ghetto when no one walks the dog, but there are dogs everywhere. You know your in the ghetto when your student's mom shows up in your classroom with well maniqured nails, bedroom slippers, and a scarf wrapped around her very expensive weave. That mom might also be wearing hot shorts with the words Bootyliscious on the back.
I will go on but first your opinions and comments are highly desired.