Wednesday, July 29, 2015

#WriterWednesday: Dear Geniveve; A Letter of Promise to my best friend

I feel as though these past few weeks, I've been living inside a glass box in one major aspect of my life. My best friend could no longer walk and she laid on the kitchen floor in need of constant care. And the saddest part was, even though I was helping her every single day for three weeks, the fact that I had to see her in that state actually broke my heart. Yet, I didn't know how to talk about or express myself for those three weeks so that resulted in me lashing out in intense waves of anger, rage, jealousy, and hate but inside I was breaking.

On Monday July 27, 2015, the glass box finally shattered yet the glass shattering cut me deeply, and ever since I woke up on that sad, sad day I feel as though I swallowed some of the slivers of glass and I'm internally bleeding. Every day since, I've woken up with the heaviest heart (almost like I don't know if I can make it heavy) and an absolute knot in the pit of my stomach.

On Monday July 27, 2015, my best friend Geniveve passed away after 15 years of an extraordinary life. I lost a dear,dear friend but heaven gained the most beautiful angel and I know for sure that she is looking out for me wherever I go and if I want to talk to her, all I have to do is talk out loud.

I decided that it was time I make some final promises to my best friend so that she knows I'm serious about not wasting anymore of the life I've been given, and I want to honor her memory and make her proud with the way I choose to live the rest of my life.

Dear Geniveve,

I will miss you so much and will always love you but now that you've gone to be with Jesus, I have some promises I want to make you: 

1. I promise to Cherish each day no matter what happens during it.
2. I promise to let go of the people and things that cause me nothing but pain and misery, wish them well, and pray for them.
3. I promise to rid myself of all negative emotions: hate, bitterness, jealousy, unforgiveness, resentment, anger, and sadness in excess. I see now that these are such a waste of life.
4. I promise to wait for the man you approve of: one who treats me like he knows and values my worth; one who treasures my heart.
5. I promise to use my words for good, and change the world with my writing.
6. I promise to greet everyone I meet with a smile, like you always did.
7. I promise to get out more and actually see the world and meet new people.
8. I promise to support Ryan Sheckler until the day I leave this Earth because I know how much he meant to you.
9. I promise to go to Tampa Pro every year, if I'm able.
10. I promise to get a car and my driver's license back and go on a road trip once a year.
11. I promise to have my cookies and mojitios and always celebrate life.
12. I promise to give the family more love and the benefit of the doubt more, and I promise to spoil Hazel and Katrina much the same way I spoiled you.
13. I promise to always glorify God and thank Him every day.
14. I promise to appreciate the little things
15. I promise to never give up no matter how hard life gets and always be happy because NOW is all we have.

RIP Geniveve Rosalynn DeVries you are Heaven's sweetest most beautiful angel now.
April 22, 2000  - July 27, 2015

Until next time, remember:
 Pain has an element of blank;
 it cannot recollect 
When it  begun, or if there were,
A day when it was not -
-Emily Dickinson

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
-Ephesians 4:31-32

Love Times Infinity,
Chelsea
xoxo
God Bless!
~Just Keep Swimming!~


Tuesday, July 21, 2015

#WriterWednesday: Amazing News To Share; I Got a Job


To read my article, please Click here!

I'm honored that my first ever freelance article was a review of Tori Kelly's debut album. She's one of my faves right now. I love everything she writes about and stands for. She's an inspiration of mine.

All the glory be to God in this moment. I am so thankful I get to do what I love to do for a living now. I'm still working on getting a public relations job or internship in the meantime. Lord, thank you for loving me!

If you need a job, say this out loud right now:
Lord, according to your Word, those who trust you lack no good. A job is good. So I am not going to worry about it, I know that you have the perfect job for me. I believe I receive my perfect job right now in the Name of Jesus. 

Love Times Infinity,
Chelsea
xoxo
God Bless!
~Just Keep Swimming~

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

#WriterWednesday: Why NOW is the time to have hope?



I don't mean to scare you with this statement but I believe the end times are near. There are many signs that Jesus is on his way back to Earth. Yet, this blog isn't about the end times at all...it's all about hope and why you should be living in it every day.

Just watch the news (CNN, anyone? aka the Chicken Noodle News, haha) or listen to today's music on the radio and even watching tv or movies, and it's easy to see why so many people are depressed. This world is filled with negative, critical, ignorant, death talk and not enough hope, love, or faith.

Yet, as someone who has suffered from medical depression, I know even all those outside sources aren' the only things to blame for the state of the world. Continuous trials and trying circumstances can and will get you down if you let them.

The key to living a hopeful life is surrounding yourself with hope and stop talking so much about your problems and the problems of the world.

Unless you are going to say something from God's word regarding the situation, the best thing you can do is Be still and know that he is God. (Psalm 46:10).

Suggested ways to live in continual hope

Pray One Bold Prayer a Day
The only way to see anything positive happen in your life is to exercise your faith. And the best way to exercise your faith is to pray. If you have hope, you're never afraid to believe big. You have not because you ask not. (James 4:2). And quit believing that God doesn't want to be good to you.

 God loves you more than you will ever understand, and he has a good plan for your life. You are never alone because he is with you all the time. God's forgiveness is greater than any sin you have committed. His mercy is new every day. As a believer, God has given you power, and you do not have to live a defeated life. Have a need? A dream you want to see fulfilled? Talk to God about it in prayer, much the same way you would a close friend, a family member, or your therapist. There is no formula. God just wants to hear from you. Start with Hi God, I need you, and the rest will follow.

Do Something Fun Each Day

You don't have to go to Disney every day to be hopeful and full of joy. It could be something as simple as coffee with a friend, watching a comedy with your family, or a walk in the park---anything that brings a smile to your face.

For example, yesterday my mom and I played the board game Trouble for the first time in many years and we had a blast! Today, I worked out and sang the entire time. For me, that was fun.
The key here is to enjoy life NOW! Don't wait until tomorrow, retirement, or that vacation to enjoy your life. Find a way to enjoy every single day!

Bless at least one person each day

Give someone a compliment
Tell someone how much they mean to you
Pray with someone who's having a rough day
Buy someone's lunch or a coffee

Write Down at least one way each day that God blessed you

Every night, I write in my blessings journal, and thank God for the blessings from that day. A grateful attitude produces great things to happen, plus it creates a joyful atmosphere. The more you are aware of what God's done in your life, the more your faith will increase for what you are hoping for.

I hope this blog encouraged you and if you want to know more or need some more HOPE, please check out Get Your Hopes Up! by Joyce Meyer. It's a short book filled to the brim with words of encouragement and ways to become more hopeful. It reads like a heartfelt letter from a long-lost friend.

Until next time, remember:

God is the only one who can make the valley of trouble a door of hope. -Catherine Marshall



Love Times Infinity,
Chelsea
xoxo
God Bless!
~Just Keep Swimming!~


Wednesday, July 8, 2015

#WriterWednesday: How To Overcome Writer's Block

Behind every successful author is the book proposal they wrote to get their book considered for publication. Since it's been almost nine years since I first published my two YA novels and because I did not go the traditional route, I wasn't aware that you must write a book proposal for your book whether it be nonfiction or fiction.

So last week, I set out to begin writing my proposal but found I was looking Writer's Block right in the eyes. In case you are unfamiliar, writer's block is a hindrance a writer faces that is fear based.

How I Overcame my Writer's Block:

1. I worked on something else. My most productive day last week was when I wrote an additional chapter for my memoir and not my actual proposal.

2. I continued doing research and found a mock proposal to use as a guide for mine. A book proposal is a 30 to 50 page document telling an agent or publisher what your book is/will be about and also compiles marketing data for the market your book would fit in. ( You would have thought my marketing degree would have helped in this area except it hindered my creativity because I didn't know how to present the marketing data).

3.  I found that the source of my writer's block came from the rejection I faced in my beginnings of the search for a post-graduate job in my field. I overcame that rejection by writing My Poem: Perpetual Sadness, and studied my Bible and found the truth behind this current employment situation. I was listening to a Joyce Meyer teaching the other day and I found out that sometimes God wants us to use our faith to change ourselves instead of the situation, allowing God to help you become better. 

4. I received my monthly letter from Joel Osteen and in it he said:
            "In order to keep adversities, unfortunate experiences and tragedies from holding you back, choose to stir up what God placed on the inside of you. Meditate on the fact that: 

  • You are a child of God.
  • You've come too far to stop now.
  • You will not allow your past to dictate your future.
  • When God is on your side, anything is possible. 
5. Lastly, the other day I was reading Get Your Hopes Up by Joyce Meyer and she showed a scripture that was perfect for my situation.


So yes, I faced rejection and have in many different areas my whole life but I have faith that my breakthrough is coming and so I'm going to give my all to applying for work and toward writing my proposal because it is part of my God-given destiny.

In other news, I no longer have to go to a thyroid specialist because my thyroid levels have stabilized and I'm healthy enough to just go to one doctor again for all medical needs. On Monday I had my first well visit in three years and it went really well. Praise God!


Until next time, remember: May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—  yes, establish the work of our hands. -Psalm 90:17

Love Times Infinity,
Chelsea
xoxo
God Bless!
~Just Keep Swimming~

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