Blog Posts - Diary of a Grown-Up Church Girl

Today is Launch Day!

4/4/2022

For the past few months, I’ve been working with 13 people to help them tell a part of their life story in our book Living In The Key of Joy, Volume II. It’s been my honor and pleasure to do so, and today is our launch day!

OK, I know you're whispering, but I can hear you very politely in your head asking…

“That’s nice, Gail, but exactly what does that mean and what’s it got to do with me?”
Great questions! LOL! This means that today our book is available for sale on Amazon. We couldn’t be more excited and we’re doing our best to reach the Amazon Best Sellers List. This is where you come in…

On behalf of myself and the other co-authors, I invite you to go to Amazon TODAY and please purchase the ebook for just $1.99. The more sales we get today, the better our chance of reaching our goal.

But, the key is that you have to do this today, and we’re humbly asking that you make your purchase as early in the day today as possible.

I couldn’t be prouder of the men and women who are a part of this project. Some of them took giant leaps outside of their comfort zones to do something they never thought they’d accomplish. Their stories include honest, touching, humorous accounts of a moment in their lives. Each story has a lesson buried inside of it, and they each have a happy ending.

Who’s got next?

Is it time for you to step outside of YOUR comfort zone to try something new? Maybe there’s a story you still need to share… or an item on your bucket list that’s just begging to be fulfilled… or something on your “to do” list that has simply been there for far too long.

I encourage you to not wait until “tomorrow". If I’ve learned anything over the past few months, I’ve learned that today is a gift and that there is no better time to do what we want to do than now.

Maybe you just need to finally make that phone call...

Or schedule that doctor’s appointment… or stop the negative thinking that’s got you feeling “stuck” and a tad bit unfulfilled.

Whatever it is, why not make this your “Launch Day”, too? There’s no better time than now to blast off into something new and beautiful!

The Slap

3/28/2022

Oh my goodness, did you see it?

On last night's Oscar Awards show, Chris Rock made a joke about Jada's shaved head and her husband, Will Smith, got up from his seat, went up to the stage, and punched Chris Rock in the face!

There are always two sides to every story, but we saw what we saw. And this leads me to ask you...

Are you Team Will or Team Chris?
I'm with Will. Chris Rock plays too much. He's been on my bad side since he came to DC and said mean things about the then mayor, Marion Barry, and questioned the sanity of DC voters who would put Barry in office. Whatever his opinion, it just seemed wrong to me that he would come to DC and then talk bad about DC.

Same thing as last night. In many ways, it was Will's night. Why would Chris choose that as the time to personally attack Will's wife... and attack her about her hairstyle, which is due to her hair loss, which is due to a health condition. Really Chris?

I'm not a big Jada fan, but I just don't like to see anyone's feelings hurt. And, as a woman who has struggled with hair loss, I have to think that Jada was hurt.

But I'm also with Chris. I give him major credit for not punching Will back. He kept it as classy as you can, after someone has punched you in the face on television; he didn't resort to bad language or violence. I can't even imagine what could have happened on that stage. I appreciate Chris' self-restraint and his ability to complete the task at hand.

No one wins in this fight.

Both men are looked at a little "less than" today, and that's sad. I hope Hollywood and the general public will forgive them both. We've all said things and reacted to things in ways we wish we hadn't. The only difference is that our missteps weren't broadcast on television.

Let's give Will and Chris some time to sort things out and some grace that allows their careers to continue to soar.

Pray for Peace

2/28/2022

Today's message is simple.

Let's pray for the people of the Ukraine and for everyone who is touched by what's happening in that area of the world. And, quite honestly, no matter where you are, I think everyone is touched by it all.

When we see people giving of their lives for their country's freedom... when we see frightened children clutching the hands of frightened parents... and when we see prayer meetings hosted in subway cars, we can't help but be touched.

Let's pray that the God of perfect peace reigns and brings comfort to us all.

Why Sparkle?

2/21/2022

I am sometimes asked why I concentrate so heavily on the concept of being a bright light and sparkling. I’ll share the long version a little later, but let me tell you the short version now…

I grew up happy, bright, and full of life. Then I got married, and slowly but surely, the light I was born with began to get dim… and dimmer… and dimmer, until it went completely out. It was a gradual descent, I didn’t even know it was happening. In fact, I didn’t realize that I’d allowed my light to go out until it began to come on again. Does that make sense?

So now I bet you're wondering, "Gail, did your ex blow your light out?"
The answer is no. I really can't blame him. The truth of the matter is that I blew my own light out by not saying things that should have been said and by ignoring things I shouldn’t have ignored – all for the sake for trying to keep the peace.

Oh, but once I left his house, once I exhaled, once I loosened my own chains, I could feel something happening on the inside. It was strangely familiar and soon I realized that it was my light coming back on. I was back to being me again! Michelle Obama might say “I was becoming!” But for me, I was becoming again. And as Peaches and Herb might say, I was reuniting with myself and it “felt so good!”

Can you relate?
Is there a part of your life that's dimmer than it should be? Something you should be doing or saying that you're just not handling right now? I encourage you to face that thing and don't let too much time pass before you do. It's often said that your best moments will happen right outside of your comfort zone; I think that's where our SPARKLE shines brightest.

It's not always easy and I often fall short, but I do try my best to let SPARKLE shine. I'm sure you do, too. And if it hurts anybody’s eyes, they are free to borrow our sparkle shades or to just keep it moving. (See the picture below.)

We were each born with our own unique SPARKLE and your shine is unlike anyone else's. Someone needs your SPARKLE, my sister. They need you to do that thing or say that thing that can only come from you.

So today I encourage you to peel back the layers, shake off the fear, embrace your SPARKLE, and let the world see you shine!

Windows Remind Me Of Love

2/14/2022

One morning, during my daily stroll, memories of my father flooded my mind. I’m not sure why, but I was remembering all of the good times we shared and all of the lessons he taught me. I basked in the beauty of how he made me feel. Safe. Loved. Important. Special. Protected. And then a particular incident came to mind...

I must have been about five years old, and I was playing in the backyard of a neighborhood friend. There were several kids there and then, for some reason, they began teasing me. They told me that my eyes were as big as windows. I was horrified! It was almost as if they were cursing me out. What 5-year-old wants to think that her eyes resemble windows?!

I remember running home in tears. I told my father what happened, and I remember him consoling me. He then went with me to confront these bullies. And that's where the memory ends.

I have no idea what my father said to them or how they reacted or even how I reacted at the time. I just remember that he came to my rescue and made things better. And that felt like love.

It reminds me of the saying often attributed to Maya Angelou:

"People will forget what you said, but they'll never forget how you made them feel."
Today, as we celebrate Valentine’s Day, let’s make someone feel safe, loved, important, special. and protected. We just never know the difference we could be making in their lives.

And, listen, don’t forget to extend this same loving kindness to yourself. You’re certainly worth it, too!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

I'm not sparkling today

1/31/2022

Can we talk honestly, just between me and you?

Today I'm not sparkling too brightly. And I'm sharing this with you because I know I'm not the only one who sometimes finds it difficult to shine.

Three close friends of mine died during the month of January. I lost them between January 19th and January 27th. In 8 days I lost 3 friends. These were not casual acquaintances, these women were close and very important to me.

One I met in college when we were both 18 years old and our sisterhood grew tighter with each passing year. Another was a woman I met at church and had grown to love over the 30+ years of our relationship. And the third was a relatively new friend of about 10 years, an especially kind woman, club member, and one of the most loyal supporters of the work I do.

Two of these women had been very ill, yet I was trusting God for a miracle. The other's passing was a total and complete surprise.

But what I want to sort through, with your help, is how you feel when you've prayed about something and God simply says "no." "No, I will not heal your friend. No, she will not be the recipient of one of my miracles. No, her time here is up. Just no."

I heard a sermon once that God will never give you a "no" without also giving you an "instead." Interesting. I mean, I guess it can be comforting to know that God's answers are complete. He doesn't leave us hanging. He gives us an "instead" as an alternative. OK. Whatever. I kinda get it, I kinda don't.

See, I think this makes perfect sense when you've been praying for a particular job and you don't get it, but the next month you get a better job. Or when you've been praying for a man and you think you've found the perfect one, but the feelings aren't mutual. So you sulk and feel badly, and then God blesses you with a much more appropriate (and handsome and rich and funny... excuse me, I'm getting off track) Prince Charming. In these instances, I completely understand the idea of "instead." But when you lose three important people in your life, that message doesn't quite cut it.

Tell me, what do YOU do when God says no?
For me, I'm learning to lean into Him more closely. While the reality of the matter is that I'm upset and disappointed by what God has allowed to happen, I realize that His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are not my thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9). In some ways I feel like a child who is upset with a parent, but knows that they depend upon that parent for everything. They can't allow themselves to be too upset, because their life depends upon them. So, while I cannot pretend to understand why God took my friends from me, I can only trust Him. Even in the midst of my confusion and despair. Even while it hurts.

Through this experience the value of time has been amplified for me. We think we have plenty of it, but do we? Now is the time to take a hard look of our to-do lists and start checking some things off.

What's that thing you want to do but keep putting off?
Is there a friend you need to call? A place you want to visit? A hair style you want to try? A book you need to write? Trust me, January has taught me that the time to do these things is now.

While my sparkle may be a little dim today, I'm thankful that it is not completely out. With God's help, I'll use my time wisely, reignite the sparkle, and continued with my assignment. I wish the same for you.

5 Tips for a Brighter Sparkle in 2022

1/3/2022

As we embark upon this first week of this new year, I’d like to share you five simple tips I'm taking to heart as I set out to make 2022 one of my happiest, most successful, and most sparkly years yet:

1. Forgive yourself for things you did or didn’t do last year.  No use crying over that spilt milk, apple juice, Sprite, wine, or whatever your drink of choice. What's done is done and we know that God can make all things new!

2. Evaluate your relationships. Improve those that can be strengthened. Release yourself from those that can't.

3.  Challenge yourself to do something new this year. Do that thing that makes you nervous. Then applaud your effort.

4.  Laugh more. Recognize that the ability to laugh (sometimes at ourselves) is key to our sanity.

5.  Don't think so much.  I'm not trying to be stupid, but I am trying to stop overthinking and rethinking and overthinking again. It's exhausting and is a great way to get on the nerves of people you care about.

While we're all optimistic about this new year, let's be realistic; 2022 is going to offer us all some challenges.

Whether personal or professional, whether global or something occurring just within our own private worlds, this year is not going to be all a bed of roses. But isn't it great to know who made the roses and to have the blessed assurance that we're going to be ok? In spite of whatever this year sends our way, we are going to be ok.

This year is going to full of great and wonderful things, too!

New opportunities, new relationships, new jewelry (OK, maybe that's just me), you get the point. I encourage you, as I encourage myself, to be ready to walk through the doors that will be opened to us this year. Doors to healing, doors to increase, doors to whatever it is you're hoping for. I'm excited to see what's behind those doors, aren't you?

Let me remind you, as I remind myself, that the same God who gave us the strength to sparkle in 2021, no matter how dimly or brightly, is a constant companion and is with us this year. That's Good News, so keep moving, keep praying, keep dreaming and, by all means, keep sparkling!

Change is good

8/1/2021

I deserve it!

8/1/2021

I've finally learned that God won't give me what I deserve until I start acting like I deserve it.

Your time is up!

2/7/2021

Check out this poinsietta!

It's February and this thing is in full bloom. I want to tell it, or at least suggest to it, that it's time is up. But then I had better think again...

You see, I am working on a book anthology project with women who are my age. Some are a few years younger, others are a few years older, but the majority of us are at a stage in life when some would say our time is up.

Time is up for us to be embarking upon a new adventure like this. Time is up for us to be embracing something new.

But we are saying one loud and resounding "I don't think so!"

We still have the energy to reach new heights and to turn new corners. In fact, in many ways, we are still flowering, perhaps not even yet in full bloom. In other words, we're just getting started!

So carry on poinsietta! You do you. And we'll do us. We'll keep growing until the Son tells us not to.