This year I will be providing food and small toys for the impoverished in the Dominican Republic. As many of you know, Michael Jackson would spend many of his days off visiting hospitals spending time with sick and often time’s terminally ill children. In his last channeled message, he expressed to all of you the importance of performing acts of kindness and giving of yourselves for others this holiday season. He devoted much time and money to a wide range of charities He was listed in the 2000 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for breaking the world record for the “Most Charities Supported by a Pop Star”. It states that Michael Jackson has supported 39 charity organizations either with monetary donations through sponsorships of their projects or by participating in their silent auction. I ask that you please consider helping my ministry by donating what ever amount you can.

Being a one woman operation, by the way I am an ordained minister, makes it difficult for me to maintain all of the spiritual work that I do free of cost. This includes the blog which contains spiritual and motivational lessons, answering as many questions as possible on the blog, maintaining the website, as well as having time to channel messages from Michael, I provide prayer requests, which are time consuming, but greatly appreciated by those I pray with. All donations will be used to provide for the needy in the Dominican Republic and a minimal portion to maintain this ministry and other services mentioned free of cost to you.

You can place your donation, in what ever amount, at this link: DONATIONS scroll down to the bottom of the page and there is the donation button.

I want you to know how much I appreciate your participation in this blog and all of your wonderful comments and the support that you give to one another. Without you this blog would be nothing. I am grateful to have found such wonderful people who appreciate the work that I do.

Many blessings,
Cherokee Billie

“Hello everyone this is Michael, I just wanted you to know that my children did very well during Thanksgiving. They were not miserable; everything was done to make sure that they had the best time possible. The family did a great job of talking about me during the dinner. They told stories about some of our fun adventures and the jokes we shared together. This kept the children laughing. Also each one spoke about what I meant to them.

There were times their hearts were heavy and they teared up a bit. But they are such brave little troopers that they did not let anything drag them down. I’m so proud of them. I was with them throughout the holiday and I will continue to be with them always because they are the loves of my life.

I wanted to give you an update on my children because I know so many of you pray for them. God bless you for praying for them. I am praying for you.

I also want to thank you for your donations that Cherokee Billie is doing for the needy in the Dominican Republic. I have been there many times, I married Lisa Marie there, and the poverty is incredible.

I love you more than ever,
Michael”

~Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

~Psalm 37:28 For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

~Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

No matter how low we get – no matter how discouraged we feel – the child of God has been promised that God will never leave us or forsake us! In the midst of the most turbulent storms of life, we can feel His presence.

As you sit on the bench in today’s picture and behold His beauty in the colors of Fall, allow Him to minister to your aching heart and heavy spirit. When we learn to encourage ourselves in the Lord, we can rise above any circumstance and look up!

“A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues.”
– Cicero

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”
– Oprah Winfrey

“Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.”
– Author Unknown

“Difficulties are opportunities to better things; they are stepping stones to greater experience. Perhaps someday you will be thankful for some temporary failure in a particular direction. When one door closes, another always opens.”
– Author Unknown

“Every time we remember to say ‘thank you’, we experience nothing less than heaven on earth.”
– Sarah Ban Breathnach

“For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night, hill and vale, and tree and flower, sun and moon, and stars of light; Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.”
– hymn, For the Beauty of the Earth

“God has two dwellings; one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart.”
– Author Unknown

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”
– Epictetus

“If you haven’t all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don’t have that you wouldn’t want.”
– Author Unknown

“It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment.”
– Naomi Williams

“Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it.”
– Ralph Marston

“None is more impoverished than the one who has no gratitude. Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.”
– Fred De Witt Van Amburgh

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! Because His mercy endures forever.”
– Psalm 118:1

“Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.”
– Alphonse Karr

“The grateful mind is constantly fixed upon the best. Therefore it tends to become the best. It takes the form or character of the best, and will receive the best.”
– Wallace D. Wattles

“There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.”
– Author Unknown

“Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out.”
– John Wooden

“We don’t need more to be thankful for: we need to be more thankful.”
– Author Unknown

“You won’t be happy with more until you’re happy with what you’ve got.”
– Viki King

(found here and here)

Once up on a time a man saw a lot of people gathered, full of vigor and waiting to start a race. He immediately went toward them and asked what was going on. Sooner her realized a race which was open to all  and was about to start, which was conducted by the duke and which involves high prize money for it.

Being a very fast runner, he positioned himself for the sprint knowing deep down him that he could win the race with no or little effort. Just as soon as they heard the whistle, the contenders started to leap ahead like rockets, but this man was so far ahead from others that he finished the race ten seconds before the second man who came after.

But soon after when he thought that they were going to announce his name as the winner, he heard, to his surprise, the announcer mentioning the name of the man who came second as the winner. Not able to believe this he asked the announcer “Why”.

“Why!” the announcer said, “you were not “on the track” and that means “you were not racing with others”. You were on the WRONG TRACK  so yours DON’T COUNT”

This small story has an important message with it. The message is,

“To succeed and to emerge as a winner it is of utmost importance to do the things that matter and to avoid things that DON’T COUNT”

Doing the big tasks that are very important and that which would take you forward toward your goal and ensure you are on the “RIGHT TRACK”,  is a crucial step in managing your time wisely and efficiently.

Imagine yourself as a brave warrior fighting a battle in which you were facing many Goliaths and other soldiers of normal size.

Wouldn’t you be better off if you could kill the Goliaths first so that you have overcome the major things first and now could concentrate on the smaller ones?

Had you focused killing the smaller ones first, would you think you would have been left with much energy to fight the Goliaths?

Not much!

Successful people always concentrate on the important tasks and jobs that would take them toward their goal and that which would ensure their success. They always attack the Goliaths first!! Because Goliaths do count!!!

Okay how to attack the Goliaths? That’s next!

Wish you all the riches to come with God’s blessings

Peter Anand

Brian Tracy, the leading authority on time management and human potential, has said in his book “Eat that frog!”,

“If you have a list of ten items to do, two of those items will turn out to be worth five or ten times or more than the other eight items put together.”

The following three basic principles would give you a massive start:

Identify the goliaths:

You must attack the Goliaths to use your time effectively and to insure your great future. For that to happen, you should identify the Goliaths first. Very simple to do: Just make a list of  all the important tasks in your life that think would take you toward your goals. Then prioritize them according to the importance, the value they bring you to your life. This one could be for the things that you want to achieve in the distant future and also the things that you do on a daily basis.

Always think on paper:

When you have written your plan on a piece of paper, you actually have recorded it in a way that it will stay stronger in your mind which is not possible with out writing it. So, not only for setting priorities in your life, but for any thing that needs decision or some serious revamping always follow this elite habit of thinking on paper!

Principle-centered life:

Successful people do things with their principles as guidance and not their emotions. Even if they were tempted by their emotions to do things that are of small value or things that “DON’T COUNT” they always come on top by doing things that are the “Goliaths” or which do count.  Say if this is Bill Gates who has these principles strongly cemented to his mind. He might say to himself,

“Hey Billy, it is very tempting to go play golf in the sunny morning but does it take you toward your goal?”

Here Bill Gates may be tempted by his emotions which are natural for him as a human being but he had another powerful nucleus inside him which is nothing but his set of principles that guide him throughout his life- the GOLIATHS that he had to attack or the PRIORITIES!

In fact, setting priority would save you a lot of time and you could do more and achieve more when you start attacking the GOLIATHS.

Take the armor that you already have and start attacking the “Goliaths”

Wish you all the riches to come with God’s blessings

Peter Anand

I could have typed:  A Tribute to Martha but that would not have been correct.  That title would give the impression that my words were simply a way to honor this friend of  51 years.   My intention is different.

Martha is a tribute to us, her fellow humans.  Her life of courage brings honor to our species.

For years, we have teased about writing her life story.  Admittedly, Martha’s emails rarely  require more that 8 to 10 words.  Her talents are science and math.   So the plan (my plan) was to use my keyboard and her memories to record her story.   So far, she is still laughing at my persistence.

Obviously, it would be a breach of trust for me to write the story without her participation.  I won’t do that.

But I can write, Martha, A Tribute so you, Gentle Reader, will know the name of a woman of amazing strength, courage and an abiding trust in her God.

Loving Myself  (Daily Affirmations)

Today,  Saturday Nov.  28 /09

I accept love,   because I know that I deserve it!

Be Safe,  & Be Well Everybody!

© Serenity – Dawn

Catholics bound by the moral law can agreeably participate in the secular political system where civil law may contradict the moral. But in no sense should the civil law intrude upon the conscience of the Catholic and require his compliance… nor frankly can the Catholic inflict the Church’s morals on the state beyond what is understood as the democratic process.

It is important to accept this as Murray’s wise guide-and nothing more. It certainly didn’t mean that Murray recommended that Catholics surrender their consciences and bow to unjust civil law. Far from it. But this is what John F. Kennedy implied when he addressed the Houston ministerial association in a speech written by one John Cogley, who ultimately left the Church. In his speech Kennedy assuaged the Protestant ministers by saying that he would not inflict his Church’s views on the country, that he would serve as president who happened to be Catholic-not as a Catholic president. This sounded dangerously scandalous to one of Catholic formation-except that Kennedy added this which I paraphrase: if an issue ever arises where civil action contradicts my religious conscience, I shall resign. That was enough to close the credibility gap.

Not that the John Kennedy we have come to understand would allow his Catholicism to interfere with his duties. In fact it is commonly known now that he did in fact allow sexual immorality to coincide with his duties and in fact it is still an open question as to whether his immorality… his promiscuous attentions to a young woman also the mistress of a Mafia chieftain… did him in! I shall not digress further! [Laughter].

… “There are two powers by which this world is chiefly ruled: the sacred authority of the Popes and the royal power. Of these the priestly power is much more important because it has to render account for the Kings of men themselves at the Divine Tribunal. For you know that although you have the highest place in dignity over the human race, yet you must submit yourself faithfully to those who have charge of divine things and look to them for the means of your salvation… For if in matters pertaining to the administration of public discipline, the bishops of the Church, knowing that the Empire has been conferred on you by divine instrumentality, are themselves obedient to your laws, lest in purely material affairs contrary opinions may seem to be voiced, with what willingness I ask you, should you obey those to whom is assigned the administration of divine mysteries?”

Read the article

Esther 8:14 (NIV) ~ the couriers, riding the royal horses, raced out, spurred on by the king’s command. 

Oh, how this verse captures my imagination. It stirs me up with a fire within my bones to make haste with the message of the gospel. These horses were no ordinary horses, but royal ones bred as champions, the finest, and the best you would ever find. These riders were trusted with a message of deliverance, a promise from the King, which brought great rejoicing for whom it was intended. The Darby Translation of the Bible brings this verse alive with these words: “The couriers mounted on coursers and horses of blood went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment.”

Horses of a royal bloodline bred for the King’s purposes. Those who rode on them were chosen for their integrity, chosen for their loyalty to the King. They were those who, at a moment’s notice would, with great haste, obey the King’s command.  Here we have those chosen by the King to be couriers of his message, fired on by the King’s command to bring the good news. 

Time is pressing within our land, people need the good news. Quick! Let us mount the King’s horses and be couriers of His message to His people who are longing to have hope and longing to be given good news so they may rejoice, for their King is mighty to save! 

Listen, can you hear? Look! Can you see how with haste come the King’s trusted couriers into every hamlet, every village, every town and every city to declare the good news from the King? Full of zeal and with a smile, so delighted to share with one and all this message, “Today is the day of Salvation, trust in the words of the King and be saved! Believe in His promise and live!” When the people received the good news and believed in the promise from the King, they celebrated with great joy. 

My friend, God speed our calling as we, with great haste, climb upon the King’s horses and ride with a purpose, driven with love, fired up by the King’s commands to bring His message of good news to the people. Let us therefore ride the lengthen and breadth of our land with the urgent message from our King to one and all, declaring in His authority, “Today is the day of Salvation, trust in the words of the King and be saved! Believe in His promise and live!” When you received the good news from the King and believe in his promise, you will celebrate with great joy, for your King is strong to deliver and mighty to save. 

God bless you my friend, Matthew.

I have learned to kind of follow hunches, even though you can't necessarily
justify them or know where they are going to go. 
- Evan Williams

Evan Williams the co-founder of Pyra Labs, Blogger, Odeo, Twitter talks about how twitter listens to its users and how he follows hunches.

Its interesting to know that Blogger and Twitter were hunches and that very fact itself reveals how far hunches can go.

An echo’ed note-to-self and an iterated note to others who are interested:
“Follow the hunch but don’t assume where it will go”.

Today’s parable is on the Law of Attraction – we receive what we believe, and our reality is a manifestation of our beliefs. The short story is written by Sri Ramakrishna. 

~~~~~

A farmer’s daughter duty was to carry fresh milk to customers in various villages. One of the customers was a priest. To reach his house, the milkmaid had to cross a good-sized stream. People crossed it by a sort of ferry raft, for a small fee.

One day the priest, who performed worship daily with the offering to God of fresh milk, finding it arrived very late, scolded the poor woman.

 ”What can I do?” she said, “I start out early from my house, but I have to wait a long time for the boatman to come.”

Then the priest said (pretending to be serious), “What? People have even walked across the ocean by repeating the name of God, and you can’t cross this little river?”

This milkmaid took him very seriously. From then on she brought the priest’s milk punctually every morning. He became curious about it and asked her how it was that she was never late anymore.

“I cross the river repeating the name of the Lord,” she replied, “just as you told me to do, without waiting for the ferry.”

The priest didn’t believe her, and asked, “Can you show me this, how you cross the river on foot?” So they went together to the water and the milkmaid began to walk over it. Looking back, the woman saw that the priest had started to follow her and was floundering in the water.

“Sir!” she cried, “You are uttering the name of God, yet all the while you are holding up your clothes from getting wet. That is not trusting in God!”

~~~~~

Believe it – or not?

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Accidentally i read the title “Love Believes All Things”, interested with it and continue read more, so i want to share this with all of you, and hope it can open our eyes about what is Love.

It was 40years ago or more that I observed a friend of mine showing great affection for someone I considered unworthy of love. I thought my friend was being taken in, and i was afraid he would be disillusioned and saddened in the end.

When i expressed my concern, he replied ” When I stand before my Lord, I hope He’ll say of me that I’ve loved too many, rather than too few.” I’ve never forgotten this word.

Paul insist that “[LOVE] believes all things” (1 Cor 13:7). Loves believes in people. It can see the potential in them. It believes that God can take the most unattractive and unworthy individual and turn that person into a masterpice of beauty and grace. If love errs, it must err in the way of trustfulness and hopefulness.

Certainly we must be aware of danger when we see it coming, and become “as wise as serphents” ( Matt. 10:16). Tough love may be the best response to irresponsible and foolish people, but we can be too guarded, too wary and distrustful.

It doesn’t do us any real harm to be hoodwinked and defrauded (Matt.5:34-48). It’s better to believe in someone and have your heart broken than to have no heart at all. British poet Alfred Tennyson wrote : “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” I agree. —- David Roper

Love looks beyond what people are to what they can become

Movie – Any Given Sunday (Al Pacino, Jamie Fox) "tat" Half-Time speech @ ta Football Playoffz …

Friends Link : DIY home addictionsnetwork.wordpress.com yourselfimprovement.wordpress.com motivational-tutorials.blogspot.com/

“beauty for ashes!” can he, can he give
when life’s best years have gone – have passed away?
when cherished hopes, long held, no longer live.
and seems now drear monotony?

“beauty for ashes!” ashes! yes indeed!
ambitions, dreams and hope all shattered now:
dearest ones gone. and none to care or heed.
beauty for ashes? can it be? and how?

“beauty for ashes!” can we thus exchange
these now cold embers of life’s
burned-out past for beauty?
beauty heavenly, wonderous, strange?
a beauty which throughout
life’s way can last?

yes, for our ashes,
he would have us take
beauty – his own -
each passing day to wear.
till, in his likeness, satisfied, we wake,
and find new beauties,
everlasting, there!

Danson Smith

Angus Hyland at Pentagram has designed a new book about the making of the Fantastic Mr. Fox film.  The book investigates the process of bringing this film to life – including sketches, technical drawings, script notes, fabric samples, and behind the scenes images of the sets and puppets. 

Looks like a must have for all you design junkies out there.

Available here and here – and on sale!  It’s officially Christmas season people – get shopping. 

On The Other Side Of Your Greatest Fears lives Your Greatest Life!

This is a sad story, and a true story. If you are the type of person that does not like to read sad stories, then I’d strongly advise you to not continue reading, thank you.

I originally wrote this story January 2009 when it was nearing the anniversary of my mother’s death. I was very stressed and depressed so I let my emotions flow into this story in an attempt to feel better, and it worked a small bit. After I had written it, I had almost completely forgotten about it. Summer 09 I was part of a small class, which my dad had signed me up for when he sent me to camp, for campers who had lost a loved one. While there, I was reminded of the story, so I printed it out and shared it with them. Everybody in the class said that the story had touched them in many ways and I started showing it to more of the campers and they all said the same. Because of that, I decided to try and share the story with more people in an attempt to help them the same way I helped some of the campers. I showed a friend of mine the story and it touched him so much that he tried to get it published in a Houston paper. He couldn’t, because he was told the story had too much “personality”, but I’m still grateful that he tried.

I eventually posted the story on my MySpace page so I could have an easier time showing some of my friends the story, and to show some old friends that no longer lived around me the story as well. When I posted it, a friend of mine suggested that I try to have it published in a Chicken Soup for the Soul book. I thought this was a great idea, so I read up on the book’s website. As if it was a sign, one of the titles they were accepting stories for was “Chicken Soup for the Grieving and Recovering Soul”. It was meant to hold stories to help those who have lost loved ones whether it was recently or in the past. I thought that the book was perfect because that’s exactly what I as trying to do with my story, so almost without hesitation, I submitted my story to the book. The website said that I will not receive word if the story is not considered, and that if it is I’ll not hear word for quite a few years. For now, I am hoping for the best, but I am trying to avoid hoping too hard on it, as there are many stories that deserve publication in the book. Even if my story isn’t published, it won’t stop me from sharing it, and I would very much appreciate having help with sharing it, so if you happen to read this, please don’t hesitate to show others, I will be forever grateful to all that help me.

Here is the story:

I’ll start from the beginning, it was 2007, I was at school, and my dad was out of town for work, which meant only my mother and brother were home. Now, I wasn’t here for this part so I’m not sure how it truly happened. From what my brother tells me, he and my mom were coming home from Wal-Mart when she suddenly felt an extreme pain in her back. He told me that he could actually feel her back moving from whatever was causing the pain. He took her to the emergency room immediately. There they gave her medicine to ease the pain and had her stay in the hospital for a few days just in case it happened again.

They did a few examinations on her to see what the cause of the pain was and discovered something disturbing. The doctors had set up an appointment for my mom at a larger hospital in Dallas in order to get a more accurate checkup. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but for some reason, the appointment kept being delayed. It continued to be delayed for almost six months! Finally, we decided that it wasn’t going to happen any time soon and went to a different hospital in the area. At first she was put on the waiting list, but when the doctor heard what had happened she was almost instantly pushed up the list. After a few more examinations and such it was confirmed that it was cancer of the liver. The cancer had spread and was pushing against her back, causing the extreme pain she had experienced months before.

They put her on chemo therapy immediately.

This part is irrelevant to the story but I just have to say it, my mom is one of the few women I’ve ever seen look beautiful even with no hair.

Now then, at first, the chemo was doing great, the cancer seemed to be under control. She had to stay at the hospital for her chemo but around Christmas time they let her come home. This was quite possibly the biggest mistake other than the hospital in Dallas. While she was home, she seemed to have gotten weaker but nobody knew what was wrong. She continued to get weaker until we decided to take her back to the hospital. When we took her back, we found out that she had gotten a blood infection from the spot that they fed the chemo through. They had to stop giving her chemo to try and treat the blood infection otherwise it could have killed her. They managed to control the blood infection but to our horror, the cancer had started to spread again because they couldn’t give her chemo while she had the infection.

It was nearing the New Year and the hospital still couldn’t restart the chemo because of the blood infection. During this time was the most horrifying day of my life. I was at school and the school had received a phone call from my dad. I was in athletics class at the time so one of the office aids came out to tell me that a friend was taking me to see my mom. After even hearing it was related to my mom caused me to burst into tears. The aid said that it was nothing bad but I could tell she really had no idea and that what I was thinking was possibly true. One of my brother’s friends picked me up to take me to the hospital. On the way there she wouldn’t tell me what it was so I continued to assume the worst.

When we got to the hospital, we went to my mom’s room and I could hear her screaming in extreme pain. My body instantly froze when I heard it. I had never heard a scream in such pain before. It seemed like an eternity before made it to the door and even longer before I could bring myself to open it. When I did, deep down inside I wished that I had somehow died before I could see inside. There she was, screaming in absolute pain, I immediately started sobbing because I thought she was going to die right there. I could hear her screaming for God to let her leave this pain, she wanted to die. I ran to her side and grabbed her hand, begging her to not die. I begged and begged while sobbing on her hand. Suddenly, she slowly stopped screaming and started to yell “No, I can’t leave yet!” over and over. Finally, after what seemed like my entire life, it was over. She looked at me, tears in her eye, and smiled. I had never seen a smile so beautiful before.

At the time, I had considered this a miracle, but now, I wish she had died right there. I wish I had let her leave this world, I wish I hadn’t been selfish and pulled her back. After this had happened, she continued to become weaker and weaker, the chemo had failed, and the doctors said she had a week at most. A few days had passed, and she went into a coma. The doctors put her in the best care the hospital had until she passed away. At first, the doctors expected her to pass only a few days after that, but somehow, she had held on, even in the coma. I was praying for some sort of miracle that she might wake up and somehow recover, but after another week, I knew it wasn’t going to happen. It had been almost two weeks since the doctors predicted she was going to die, and I knew it was going to happen soon. She had held on for so long that her body was just keeping her torso alive. Her hands, feet, and even ears started to turn black, as if they were rotting away. During this time, I skipped almost every day of school to be with her but my dad made me go home and go to school because he knew she wouldn’t want me to skip, I knew it as well.

It was January 31st, I had gotten home from school and went with my brother to get dinner then go see my mom. We stayed at the hospital for a couple hours then went home for the night. About an hour after we got home, my brother got a call from my dad. While he was talking, I knew that she had died, I could see it in his eyes. We went back to the hospital, I don’t think either of us said anything to each other on the way there, and if we did, I wasn’t listening.

When we went to the room, I saw something unbelievable, almost magical. When I walked over to my mom’s side, I saw that smile. The smile that she gave me the day I thought she was going to die. The smile made her seem so peaceful, even after all she had gone through. Of course, I was crying a river, but my body just seemed to make me smile back at her, even in my sorrow. I walked to her side, gave her a hug, and a kiss, and told her one last thing. The last thing I said to her, the last thing I would ever get to say to her, was “Mahal Kita Inay” which means “I love you mom” in her native language.

This is a picture my dad had put in the newspaper on the first anniversary of my mom's death

I learnt about coco+kelley a few weeks ago and I’m absolutely hooked. I love it because it’s real, authentic and her style & approach is unique and elegant. Cassandra Lavalle, founder and creator of coco+kelley combined her talent for interiors with an eye for fashion and design, into the lifestyle company coco+kelley in October 2008.  Her desire to guide clients in discovering their personal style as a part of the design process became the essence of the coco+kelley philosophy: Life is in the details. Style accordingly.

With a background in public relations and event design, Cassandra’s first styling experience came with a serendipitous stint as a Market Editor for a local home and garden magazine. Reinspired to follow her passions, Cassandra launched the style blog, coco+kelley, in 2007.

Image from coco+kelley

Exploring trends in fashion, decor and color, the blog quickly grew and began receiving praise from national magazine editors and loyal readers who described the content as chic, charming, and original. After several readers approached her to design their own homes and weddings, Cassandra seized the opportunity and officially opened coco+kelley for business.

Image from coco+kelley

Bringing a fresh and sophisticated eye to homes across the country, coco+kelley’s interior design process encourages clients to discover their personal style by defining their everyday inspirations and translating them into spaces they love.

Whether mixing vintage pieces full of character with clean modern lines, contrasting organic textures with glamourous accents, or pairing up unexpected color combinations, the outcome is always an original and cultivated space that reflects the client’s inherent style.

What a better way to express your personal style than through your home, ensuring that you are true to who you are in every aspect of your life. I get great pleasure from reading Cassandra’s blog and draw inspiration from her talent, passion and authenticity.

Cherish your loved one in this holiday season because you don’t know how long you will have them with you!

Happy Holidays!

1 John 3:11:

11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

I know it’s been a while since i blogged. Been busy running around, recently travelled back to the motherland after being away for 4 years. Sigh, it wa was beautiful. Good to receive my mother’s and father’s embrace and the love of my nephew. Yes, sadly, all the children have left the nest, but my folks have their grandchild to contend with.

Other than that i have been trying to adjust to life in the US. I recently just got my permission to work, that felt great, some sign of progress. Needless to say i have been a bit down thinking about my next move and where to from here. The job secene right now is not favourable and im trying to keep my hopes up. That includes not watching the news, honestly it is depressing as they keep announcing how big the unemployment percentages are…..kills my soul, whereas i would love to enrich it. I thus havce been busy, looking for work, working on my CV, thinking of my next plan, looking at places for me to vlunteer my time, especially during this time of christmas.  I dont want to to be slefish and simply think of me, me, me.

What else? Oh just visited TED GLOBAL website: http://www.ted.com/ If you have never visited the site, i implore you to do so. It is sooo inspiring what people are doing out there with their gifts and talents. I just cant do any credit to the website if i write about it, you simply have to visit it and the amazing people on there and learn a thing or two.

Im baaaack. More from me in the days to come.

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Source :Tafseer Ibn Kathir – Suratul Baqarah

( Did you (O Muhammad ) not think of those who went forth from their homes in the thousands, fearing death Allah said to them, “Die”. And then He restored them to life. Truly, Allah is full of bounty to mankind, but most men thank not.) [Surah Baqarah Verse243]

Ibn Abu Hatim related that Ibn `Abbas said that these people mentioned herein, were the residents of a village called Dawardan. `Ali bin `Asim said that they were from Dawardan, a village several miles away from Wasit (in Iraq).

In his Tafsir, Waki` bin Jarrah said that Ibn `Abbas commented,

(Did you (O Muhammad ) not think of those who went forth from their homes in thousands, fearing death) that they were four thousand persons who escaped the plague (that broke out in their land). They said, “We should go to a land

that is free of death!” When they reached a certain area, Allah said to them:

(“Die.”) and they all died. Afterwards, one of the Prophets passed by them and supplicated to Allah to resurrect them and Allah brought them back to life. So, Allah stated:

(Did you (O Muhammad ) not think of those who went forth from their homes in the thousands, fearing death)

Furthermore, several scholars among the Salaf said that these people were the residents of a city during the time of the Children of Israel. The weather in their land did not suit them and an epidemic broke out. They fled their land fearing death and took refuge in the wilderness. They later arrived at a fertile valley and they filled what is between its two sides. Then Allah sent two angels to them, one from the lower side and the other from the upper side of the valley. The angels screamed once and all the people died instantly, just as the death of one man. They were later moved to a different place, where walls and graves were built around them. They all perished, and their bodies rotted and disintegrated. Long afterwards, one of the Prophets of the Children of Israel, whose name was Hizqil (Ezekiel), passed by them and asked Allah to bring them back to life by his hand. Allah accepted his supplication and commanded him to say, “O rotted bones, Allah commands you to come together.” The bones of every body were brought together. Allah then commanded him to say, “O bones, Allah commands you to be covered with flesh, nerves and skin.” That also happened while Hizqil was watching. Allah then commanded him to say, “O souls, Allah commands you to return, each to the body that it used to inhabit.” They all came back to life, looked around and proclaimed, “All praise is due to You (O Allah!) and there is no deity worthy of worship except You.” Allah brought them back to life after they had perished long ago.

We should state that bringing these people back to life is a clear proof that physical resurrection shall occur on the Day of Resurrection.
This is why Allah said:
(Truly, Allah is full of bounty to mankind,) meaning, in that He shows them His great signs, sound proofs and clear evidences.

Yet, (but most men thank not.) as they do not thank Allah for what He has given them with in their worldly life and religious affairs.

The story of the dead people (2:244 above) also indicates that no caution can ever avert destiny and that there is no refuge from Allah, but to Allah Himself. These people departed from their land fleeing the epidemic and seeking to enjoy a long life. What they earned was the opposite of what they sought, as death came quickly and instantaneously and seized them all.

There is an authentic Hadith that Imam Ahmad reported that `Abdullah bin `Abbas said that `Umar bin Al-Khattab once went to Ash-Sham (Syria). When he reached the area of Sargh, he was met by the commanders of the army: Abu `Ubaydah bin Jarrah and his companions. They told him that the plague had broken out in Ash-Sham. The Hadith then mentioned that `Abdur-Rahman bin `Awf, who was away attending to some of his affairs, came and said, “I have knowledge regarding this matter. I heard Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) say:

(If it (the plague) breaks out in a land that you are in, do not leave that land to escape from it. If you hear about it in a land, do not enter it.)

`Umar then thanked Allah and went back. This Hadith is also reported in the Sahihayn.