Thursday, May 27, 2010

Self Speak

Today, I read a devotional and it spoke to speaking truth to self. Wow! I thought about the things that run through my mind and I was really convicted. So many times the messages that play in our head are so very contrary to God's Word. It really is important to know the Word of God and let it become more than head knowledge. It needs to be come heart knowledge too.

We get bombarded by so many messages from so many places. We have well meaning friends giving solicited and unsolicited advice. We have the media shaping our thoughts and then we have our own thoughts, based on our life experiences. All the messages serve a purpose but many of them probably leave us a bit confused. So how do we know which ones are accurate? Well I'm convinced that we have to see if they line up with the Word of God. Did God say that or did it come form somewhere else?

I am a constant thinker and sometimes, that is NOT a good thing. My thoughts run wild at any given moment. Often, I find myself thinking something and wonder where the thought came from. The longer I meditate on it, it becomes real. Therein lies a problem. When I am doubting myself, I really need to be thinking that "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." (ref: Psalm 139:14) When I am worried or in need, I should be "asking, seeking, and knocking." (ref: Matt 7:7-8). The list goes on and on.

So what is the real lesson in this? The directive is clear. Measure your thought life up against the truth of God. Once you do that, you will have no choice but to change the tune. Why, you might ask. II Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (NKJV) God has given His Word to correct and instruct us so that we might be complete. He wants us to be whole and He wants us to be prepared for the purpose that He has for us.


This is a daily challenge for everyone and I am no exception. I know God wants us to rely on His truths. He doesn't want us to give in to the false messages that we are bombarded with. Child of God, listen to Your Daddy. He wants the best for you! Don't let the mess you may have been feeding yourself for years keep you from moving forward. Post notes in your bathroom. Speak truth to yourself and others. Choose positivity over negativity. Take it one day at a time. Whatever you do, keep your thought life lined up with God's word and things will change, not only in your mind but also in your life. It can happen one thought at a time. Till next time, peace and blessings!

Copyright May 27, 2010 by Pamela Cole Thorpe

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Thankful Me

I am sitting here thinking that I am really blessed. I can't tell you how many days I walk around forgetting that fact or acting like there aren't so many more people less fortunate than myself. Honestly, I am a half full kinda girl. I am positive and extremely encouraging. Some folks may think I am perpetrating a fraud. I'm not. My life is not perfect but my outlook makes a ton of difference in me and those around me.

When I worked, I sat in a cubicle with a woman who was extremely negative. She hated that I always looked on the bright side of things. She was draining. She was always trying to make things work in her favor by manipulating circumstances. I sorta went with the flow and tried to do the right thing. I prayed and I moved on. She couldn't stand it. The other two women in the cubicle were rather positive so I am sure we annoyed the hell out of her. She just didn't get it. I tried to tell her that if she was at peace with herself and God, things would work out the way they were supposed to. Favor is not fair but God grants favor to whomever He wishes. Most things work out for me, not necessarily in a predictable way but God has always worked everything out. I know it is God's plan not mine because I'd work out every situation to be less painful and easy to get through. That has been proven in my friendships, finances, and marriage.

As I've matured, I realize that everyone can't handle you or your stuff. You really do need to choose your audience carefully. Some folks don't deserve a front row seat in your life. Some don't even deserve tickets to be a part of the audience. We need to be careful and discerning about who speaks into our lives. Everyone has their own agenda and sometimes their plan for you isn't the plan God designed for you. We need to measure what people say against God's Word and determine if it accurately reflects His character and will.

Ahhh...I have digressed but I guess this was the message meant to be given. I started out talking about being thankful. I am thankful for the life that I live. I am blessed with a husband who does prioritize providing and protecting his family. I am blessed with two beautiful but extremely different children. I am blessed with a loving and encouraging mother. My family has longevity. I am grateful to have grown old enough to appreciate the wisdom and quiet nature of my grandmother. She is strong despite her quiet demeanor. I am very thankful that God saw fit to bless me with a diverse group of friends. The common thread in each of those friendships is a belief in God and a supportive nature.

I am thankful for forgiveness. I have wronged and I have been wronged. Forgiveness is the highest compliment you can give or receive. Just think if God had not been a forgiving and loving God. Where would we be? We'd be lost. I am thankful that I am not who I used to be. I am thankful that I am not all I'm going to be. I am simply thankful for each day that God gives me to wake up and try to be a better example of His love and grace. I am thankful for this season, while not always easy or pleasant, apparently necessary, for something He wants to bring about in me, for His purpose. Be ready because whatever it is, it is gonna be awesome. So my friends, I challenge you to be thankful for the little things. If you aren't thankful for those what are you going to do with the big blessings that come your way. To whom much is given, much is required. Thankfulness is a a small thing with a huge impact. When you can learn to thank God for the trials and pain, then you are really doing something. Praise is easy when life is going well. I wanna see you when you're going through something, that's a testament to who you truly are. I gotta go. I would love to know what you are thankful for right now. Ciao!

Copyright May 25, 2010 by Pamela Cole Thorpe

Monday, May 24, 2010

The Top 10 Reasons that I love My Husband


My husband and I are quickly approaching our 14th Anniversary. May 25th to be exact. We married after a year of dating but we had been friends for 10 years prior to going on our first date. We have had our share of ups and downs, and I will be the first to tell that marriage takes work. It also takes compromise and candid communication. Quality time and a lot of sex only help the situation. As I grow older, I know that prayer is also a necessity. Personal prayer and the prayers of other believers. Can never have too much of that. So all that said, a good friend of mine challenged several of us to list the top ten reasons that we love our husbands. I told her that I would publish my response as a blog.

I started this blog several weeks ago and while I was gung ho, initially, Satan stepped in and had his way. He caused a little havoc in our marriage and then I wasn't feeling writing about my husband nor was I feeling marriage at all. So I got writer's block and set the whole blog aside.

I'm back! Tomorrow is May 25th! 14 years have gone by since we said our vows before God and about 135 witnesses. The havoc has subsided. SN: Despite the valley experiences that we share, Dmitri is the love of my life and there is no one I'd rather take this life journey with. So here you have it, the top ten reasons that I love Dmitri Jean Anthony Thorpe. This list is no way conclusive and it is definitely changeable. I love him for different reasons at different times. Also, the list is in absolutely no particular order.

1. Dmitri is always gonna have my back and protect me fiercely, even if I am wrong.
2. Dmitri is extremely loyal to me, his children, and his convictions.
3. He makes the best Bar-B-Que dishes and we share a love of good food and wine.
4. He makes me think and he challenges me on a deep level.
5. He always makes me his number one priority.
6. He is a serious competitor no matter what. Family game night is serious in this house, so is miniature golf, and anything else that can remotely resemble a competition.
7. He makes me feel beautiful on my worst day, in my ugliest moments.
8. He is my biggest champion and supporter, no matter what it is I've decided to undertake.
9. Although he hates to shop, he always chooses nice clothes for me and he gives excellent gifts.
10. He accepts me for who I am, the good, the bad, and even the ugly.

I could go on and on. We have two children and he is good to both of them. He wants the best for them and me. He provides well so that we can experience life to the fullest. Remember, I believe exposure is everything. Our love story is not special or rare but it is OUR story and each day we get a chance to add to it and enhance it. No one can tell you how to be married but if you are or were, you know there are many hills and valleys. You have to be committed to each other to get through both. You need support and prayer to make it, too. Mostly you need love and a commitment to that love to deal with the problems that you face. Sometimes you might even need therapy but remember, what God has joined together, let NO MAN put asunder!!! With that said, "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!!!!!"

Copyright May 24, 2010 by Pamela Cole Thorpe

Friday, May 14, 2010

Lena Horne Remembered


Another legendary individual has left the earth. Lena Horne was a beautiful woman who epitomized grace and class. Ms. Horne first achieved fame in the 1940s, became a nightclub and recording star in the 1950s and made a triumphant return to the spotlight with a one-woman Broadway show in 1981. She might have become a major movie star, but she was born 50 years too early: she languished at MGM for years because of her race, although she was so light-skinned that she could've passed for white.

In 1945 the critic and screenwriter Frank S. Nugent wrote in Liberty magazine that Ms. Horne was “the nation’s top Negro entertainer.” In addition to her MGM salary of $1,000 a week, she was earning $1,500 for every radio appearance and $6,500 a week when she played nightclubs. She was also popular with servicemen, white and black, during World War II, appearing more than a dozen times on the Army radio program “Command Performance.”

“The whole thing that made me a star was the war,” Ms. Horne said in a 1990 interview. “Of course the black guys couldn’t put Betty Grable’s picture in their footlockers. But they could put mine.” Touring Army camps for the U.S.O., Ms. Horne was outspoken in her criticism of the way black soldiers were treated. “So the U.S.O. got mad,” she recalled. “And they said, ‘You’re not going to be allowed to go anyplace anymore under our auspices.’ So from then on I was labeled a bad little Red girl.” In the early 1960s Ms. Horne, always outspoken on the subject of civil rights, became increasingly active, participating in numerous marches and protests. Thia led to Lena becoming blacklisted in Hollywood.

In 1943, Lena was lent to 20th Century Fox for “Stormy Weather,” one of those show business musicals with almost no plot but lots of singing and dancing, Ms. Horne did both triumphantly, ending with the sultry, aching sadness of the title number, which would become one of her signature songs. In 1978 she played Glinda the Good Witch in “The Wiz,” the film version of the all-black Broadway musical based on “The Wizard of Oz.” That is one of my all time favorite movies. She never stopped singing.

Returning to her roots as a nightclub performer, Horne took part in the March on Washington in August 1963, and continued to work as a performer, both in nightclubs as well as on television, all while releasing well received record albums. Horne announced her retirement in March 1980, but the next year starred in a one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, which ran for more than three hundred performances on Broadway, and earned her numerous awards and accolades, and she would continue recording and performing sporadically into the 1990s until disappearing from the public eye in 2000.

Born on June 30, 1917 in New York, Lena will be remembered as a trailblazer for years to come. She was a beautiful woman who was not afraid to speak her mind. Her lagacy opened doors for African American women. There are rumors that a bipoic is planned with Alicia Keyes in the starring role. Originally a biopic was going to be produced with Janet Jackson as the star but it was nixed due to the wardrobe malfunction during the SuperBowl in 2004. Lena Horne died on May 9th after months of failing health. From her legacy, we can learn much. Be true to who you are, but whatever you do, do it with style, class, and of course grace.

Copyright May 14, 2010 by Pamela Cole Thorpe

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Happy Mother's Day



Tomorrow we celebrate Mothers as we do every second Sunday in May. It is fitting that I honor the woman who made me who I am. Ernestine B. Cole, this post is for you. I just want to let you know that I love you and cherish our relationship. Who'd a thunk that we'd become such great friends who respect and admire each other so much? At 15 and 16, I couldn't see that this would be our existence. I know I gave you the hardest time and I wasn't even a wild child. You did your best and I think Gerald and I turned out to be great individuals.

You instilled in us the greatest values and character traits. I am grateful for the time you invested playing Scrabble, which is both Gerald and my favorite game to this day, baking cookies(I still love those darn Nestle's Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies), and doing the regular things that good mommies do. I appreciate the fact that though divorced from my dad(RIP), you never bashed him but let us determine our own feelings for him ourselves.

We are not the same, but each day, I realize how much more like you that I am becoming. Funny as a kid, we think we never want to be like our parents but alas, one day we look up and it is exactly who we've become. I only pray that I took the bests parts of what you taught me to instill in Chanté and DJ. I just wish they had the opportunity to grow up closer to you. I really enjoyed living next door to Nanno and Grandpa(RIP). The experience was priceless. I took it for granted but now I see how important and how much of an impact it was to have as much as your village around you as possible. They filled a void and stood in the gap when you needed a helping hand.

Mom, there is a lot that I could say but you know how I feel. You gave me the gift of life and for that alone I love you. You taught me to be be independent as well as how to be a survivor. You taught me the importance of being a good communicator and the gift of encouraging other people. You made the necessary sacrifices to invest quality time in our relationship. Though there were ups and there were downs, we came through it all. As an adult, I am glad to call you a friend. You are still a woman that I admire and respect. You don't meet a person you will not remember and your gift of gab always shines through. You come from strong stock and I know that has been given to me.

Though time and distance, as well as life responsibilities keep us apart, I know that I can always call on you and that you will always be here for me. Whether I need an ear to listen or little advice to get by, I know that I can count on you. We've weathered some storms and there is no other person with whom I can let my hair down and just be me. I like that you don't pry into my marriage or criticize my parenting skills. You uplift and encourage every step of the way. Continue to be the sweet spirit that you are. I know you've sacrificed much and sometimes received little in return. God will honor and bless you! With all my love and from my heart to yours, Mommy, I salute you! I hope you have the bet day ever. You deserve it. I know the best gift of all is if we were all there to celebrate it with you.

I can't do a Mother's Day post without giving a shout out to my Grandmother, Nanno. Without her, none of us would be who we are. She is a proud woman with a quiet reserve. She is humble and giving and she is full of wisdom. She has borne hurts and stresses without becoming downtrodden or mean spirited. I love her as much as I love my mother. She values her dysfunctional family and she wants us to be aware of our family history. She definitely embraces ambition and independence Happy Mother's Day, Nanno. I love you too!

To the Mothers to be, start praying now for wisdom and throw all your preconceived notions out of the window. A new baby will teach you more about yourself than you will teach them in the beginning. To all the Mothers, Grandmothers, Godmothers, aunts, sisters, step moms, mother in laws, sisters, cousins, foster moms, teachers, and moms by default may you continue to nurture and encourage the children entrusted to you. This generation needs every single one of you and then some. God bless you all and have a relaxing Mother's Day!

Copyright May 8, 2010 by Pamela Cole Thorpe