Murraytalk

I hope everyone had a fabulous Sunday! I was aiming for one but got thrown in the middle of some drama. I don't do drama so it was extremely exhausting for me. I  focus my energy on other things...I don't like the he said, she said stuff, and I grew up with chaos so it doesn't work for me. Also, I'm not a take sides person. I believe in right and wrong. I can't be swayed just because that's where the majority stands. I have my own mind and my own opinion. Plus, I'm way to old for nonsense - there's bigger issues in the world. I always resort to what I know best in times like this, and that is pray. I can't fix or change anything that isn't me no matter how much I would like to. I don't have that power. Furthermore, I have found peace and I can't leave it. I love loving my life and those that are in it. I want the best for people. You don't have to be part of my family for me to want the best that life can give you. I genuin

Happy Sunday! I woke up this morning thinking about Fantasia Barrino. I'm not sure why she's on my mind, but I love her as a performer, and I admire her story. She never gave up on her dreams - that in itself is powerful to me. I love how she tells the story of standing in front of the mirror singing when she was younger using a hairspray can as a microphone. She was already believing her dream, but her journey wasn't an easy one. Fantasia had to deal with being sexually assaulted when she was in high school. That attack forced her to drop out because she felt embarrassed and was harassed. She was also physically, verbally, and emotionally abused by ex-boyfriend who is also the father of her daughter. Those experiences can break you. I want to share one of my favorite quotes by Fantasia along with my favorite song of hers... Enjoy!                                    "I like to go to the ocean and see the miracles that God has created. It reminds me of His powe

Have you had a friend that you've shared your dreams and goals with to find out that they've been slowly working on stealing it? Furthermore, they're using your last name? How can you feel good about representing yourself under my name?  In my eyes it's fraud. I can't go into great detail, but I came across something that was created using my name without my permission. Sadly it was done by someone that I thought I knew well - someone that I trusted, a friend. I guess it shows a persons character when their business is based on a lie. Obviously they have something in their past if they need to steal someones name ... eventually mine would be tarnished as well. Initially I left my happy place for a brief moment. I wanted to call this person out publicly on every social site that I could think of,  but I chose not to because at the end of the day God knows what this person has done, and He knows what I do. I chose not to stumble. Someday the truth will come out -

Never feel that you're not good enough or that you have to live up to an image that's created by others. We can't allow ourselves to buy into the lies that are placed upon us through society, family, and friends.Yes, friends and family are on the list. Sometimes the people that we love damage our self-esteem and break our spirit. Remember our mind cannot differentiate what is truth and what is a lie - the lies will become your truth. The truth is you're a custom design created by God...You are beautiful! I wanted to share this awesome song by Candice Glover because I love the message. Music has always been a huge part of my life. In fact, for many years it was my salvation.  I'm a believer that music frees the soul - I hope this song lifts you up today!

Everyday we're surrounded by people that need encouragement. Not one of us is immune to hurt or suffering. Most of us live a life that is so busy we feel that there's barely time for us much less time for someone else. We need to remind ourselves that there's hurting people all around us - even our young ones have struggles. At times we forget about the person in the same house, our neighbor, co-worker, or friend that may need encouragement. We have to take the time and initiative to listen, observe and uplift others. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 English Standard Version (ESV) 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. Our words are free and powerful so let's use them to encourage others. We have the ability to break fears and lift someone up that's down. I can't imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn't had people that encouraged me during my darkest times. I'm so thankful and grateful for those peopl

Yesterday evening my family attended an art show at ASU for the Washington School District. The art that was displayed was from grades K-8th. https://lib.asu.edu/librarychannel/washington-elementary-school-district-art-exhibit My 13 year old grandson was one of the students whose art was selected to be displayed. He was surprised to find out that he would be participating in this event. He wasn't aware that as he turned in his art assignments his teacher was submitting them for the show. It was a nice surprise for each of us. Congratulations Brad! My Grandson's Art My Grandson's Art My Grandson! Grandson again Add caption I really enjoyed walking around admiring 2 floors of ar Every March Washington School District celebrates Youth Art Month with a student art show. I think it's great that our young artist are being recognized for their talent.  Congratulations to my grandson for his awesome art! "Art enables u

I was raised at a time when the words Honesty is the best policy was drilled in you, but does that mean you should be honest with people that are asking questions that are none of their business?  I started thinking about how honest should we be after watching Sundays episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. (don't judge) Twice a few of the women decided to do what I call group truth sessions. The first one was nothing but a huge mess. Screaming, blaming, and a fist fight between some of the men.You would think everyone would opt out on a second one, but no, they did it again while vacationing in Mexico. My thought is, of course we should be honest, but do we need to ask our friends personal questions and expect complete honesty from them on subjects that are none of our business? I don't think we need to intrude on people like that. It's rude! If someone feels the need to ask me a personal question I will answer honestly if I feel the question is necess

What a weekend! Saturday my husband hiked and washed one of the dogs while I met friends for coffee, hit vintage stores, and picked up groceries. We came home feeling like we had been up partying all night. I think we both enjoyed approximately an hour of relaxation when we were up and at it again on our way to Costco.         We had a few minutes of down time since we decided to eat dinner before we went to my daughter's house to help her pack. Which was my reminder of why I've lived in the same house for 14 years. I'm lazy! Along with packing I had to put on my counseling hat to put out a couple of fires. Which brings me to relationships. If you spew negativity from morning to night chances are people will tire of it and move on. Furthermore, sometimes you just compromise in a relationship - one person doesn't have to be right.You need to decide if your pride, ego, and selfishness are more important than the relationship. Also, if you don't fundamentally tr

Happy Sunday! I thought I'd share the following story as a reminder that even the smallest things that we do for people can make a huge difference in someones life. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2008 IT IS THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE There was a man taking a morning walk at or the beach. He saw that along with the morning tide came hundreds of starfish and when the tide receded, they were left behind and with the morning sun rays, they would die. The tide was fresh and the starfish were alive. The man took a few steps, picked one and threw it into the water. He did that repeatedly. Right behind him there was another person who couldn't understand what this man was doing. He caught up with him and asked, "What are you doing? There are hundreds of starfish. How many can you help? What difference does it make?" This man did not reply, took two more steps, picked up another one, threw it into the water, and said, "It makes a difference to this one.&qu

I'm excited for my workshop on the 29th. It's so nice to sit and share without fear of judgement from others. It's the fear of what other might think of our life that keep many of us stuck. I felt as if we formed a sisterhood at our last workshop. There were tears shed, laughter shared, and support for each other. Like the song says, "We all need someone to lean on." We begin with an oath stating that everything said is confidential.  Second, we place some boundaries. We all have our own imaginary hula hoop which no one is allowed to climb into. It's our personal space. This keeps everyone respectful of each other. The upcoming workshop will be on loving ourselves. I'm not talking about loving yourself in an egotistical way. I'm talking about learning your identity and loving yourself for who you are. It sounds easy enough, but this is a huge struggle for most people. My workshops are open to teens, men and women. I am giving a free Murrayta

We all need someone to stand by us in life. Let's work on trying to lighten the burden for someone else. Happy Friday!

I found a lifetime show as I was flipping channels called Preachers Daughters. I have to say I was quite surprised. I guess I had a false perception of what this show would be about. I assumed because they're preachers kids that this show would highlight them as young women working towards being the pillar of society. Not so! These girls are doing things like getting tattoos, smoking pot and partying hard. I don't really understand why they have a show. There's so many young girls that are doing great things in the world - where's their show? http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/preachers-daughters I get that they're typical teenagers experimenting and acting out like some (most) teens do, but do we need a show about it? If a God loving family and a father as a preacher has lost authority over their kids, is there much hope for the rest of us? That was my thought as I sat watching. I have 5 children and 9 grandchildren so I'm well aware that children are all in

I've always listened to my gut. It has never steered me wrong, but this time I chose to ignore it. I guess I was hoping my instincts were wrong. I wasn't up to another storm in my life, but here I go again. I don't know the right words to say because I don't understand the battle. I've had a lot of shit come my way in life, but it never pushed me to becoming an addict. It's difficult for me to understand the time and energy put into fixing oneself  to not fight hard enough to stay there. Not every day will be a good day - that's life, but you can't allow the bad days to take you back to that dark place you fought so hard to get out of. As selfish as it sounds I'm not sure I want to fight this war again. It's really not my fight anyway, but I have been enlisted because of the people that will be effected from the choices that were made. I now have to make a choice if I suit up or walk away. I hope it's short lived, but either w

Have you noticed that positive thinking people tend to be happier and are always trying something new? They have the self-confidence within themselves to try new things. No negativity holding them back. They're the go getters of our society and nothing seems to get them down. How many times do you see negative thinking people going that extra mile? In my experience if you push them they'll go that mile, but they're going to complain through the entire process and probably after as well. In fact, complaining and blaming is usually their thing. I have to say my father didn't fit the norm of the negative thinker. He was a successful entrepreneur so he obviously went the extra mile without someone pushing him, but he complained from the time he got out of bed and it didn't stop until he was sleeping. He made sure that everyone around him was as miserable as he was. I honestly don't think people are negative all the time. I think there must be some positive

As most of you know I'm a Bravo Housewives Fan. I watch them all - it's just cheap harmless entertainment for me. Anyway, I keep thinking about the Real Housewives of Atlanta after watching it on Sunday. I've been watching it since it started in 2008 and I can't help but wonder why everyone is always in each others business. Even the men have to stick their nose in things, and to top it off, if you don't like what they're saying about you and your life they're going to work really hard to convince you that they're right. I don't have and don't want friends like that. Here's the way I see it. If you really want advice from a friend you'll ask for it, and when they give it to you it doesn't mean it's gospel - it's just their personal opinion, but since you asked for it you take what you feel is useful and throw out the rest. No one really knows your life but you. You know what brings you joy and what causes sorrow. You know w

When I saw this it reminded me of the burning ceremony that is done at the end of the year at my church.  We all have regrets, fears, and things from our past that we hold onto for one reason or another. Writing them down on paper and seeing them go up in smoke is so powerful. Once these issues have been burned you need to believe that they are gone. That means that you don't dig them up again in the future. This is your chance to truly free yourself from the things that are keeping you stuck and holding you back. I decided we're going to do this at my next Soul Writing Workshop. “You must make a decision that you are going to move on. It wont happen automatically. You will have to rise up and say, ‘I don’t care how hard this is, I don’t care how disappointed I am, I’m not going to let this get the best of me. I’m moving on with my life.”  ― Joel Osteen, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential

Yesterday evening my daughter was meeting someone at a Circle K to purchase a phone for one of her employees. As she was waiting she was approached by a gentleman asking if she had any spare change. She gave him change and went a step further asking him what put him on the streets. Here's what she posted on facebook after their conversation. After reading this last night I couldn't quit thinking about Chris and how he has accepted being an alcoholic. I don't know his story so maybe he had some fight in him before he decided to make the streets his home. I just can't imagine not fighting for my life. My daughter asked him if he wanted to be sober and his response was, "Nah, I'm good - not every battle ends in victory."  Maybe that's true, but I would rather say I fought hard but at this moment I feel like I'm losing the battle - I just don't think I have any fight left in me. That I can understand because we all hit a low and s

I had a great time at my Soul Writing Workshop today! Thank you to everyone that came. I love getting together and hearing each others stories - we all have a story so don't try to deny it. When we share with others we're not only working on healing ourselves, but we might be the one piece of hope that someone needed. Although we're all so different we're also so similar. As I listened to people sharing their life struggles it was like hearing my own story. I had a similar story that I could relate to, just different people. I know I've said it over and over again, but shit happens to all of us - what's important is how you deal with it. It can define you or it can make you stronger. It doesn't matter if we just met, been life long friends, or are family; we need to be supportive of each other. There's always going to be times in life where you feel alone and think that you're the only one going through a particular battle, but remember the

Have you ever felt like life is taking you down a road that you shouldn't be on? I think we all have been there sometime in our life. I have a few people in my life that are going through some stuff right now. As a friend I'm praying, being supportive and encouraging, but I really hate seeing them going through a rough time because of someone else and their choices. I've been there and it's tough. Maybe we have to take some responsibility for allowing others to disrupt our life... maybe we need to make better choices ourselves - either way it's not a fun ride. There's no easy road in life and we will always have unexpected ones. Sometimes life sucks. It won't last forever and we can get through it. I don't think we're ever prepared for it. It sneaks up on us and makes our life chaotic and uneasy, but remember to  Never stay there long. Like everything else in life, this to shall pass.   Life is not always a matter of holding g

This Saturday is my Soul Writing Workshop! For those of you that know me well and have read my poetry you know that it's raw and real. I believe the only way to heal your soul is to be honest with yourself. If you mask your true emotions you're just putting a temporary band -aid on your pain. When a memory is triggered that pain is going to resurface and it's going to knock you right back on your ass again. I'm not saying you'll never have a flashback of pain in your life, but you'll be able to handle that emotion in a healthier way. There's times when I read my past writings and shake my head at how bitter and angry I was; but it was my truth - how I felt at that moment. I needed to express it in order to set myself free and heal.                           Don't ever be embarrassed or ashamed of your truth. John 8:32 New International Version (NIV) 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” There are two m

My friend Mary Lou posted this video on Facebook. It reminded me of how I feel right now longing for solid food. It was too cute not to share...Enjoy! Thanks MaryLou! Happy Sunday...Peace, love & hugs!

I was going through old videos today . Thought I would share this one with my daughter and good friend Michael. Good times!

I've been a liquid diet for approximately two weeks now due to some dental work. Naturally since I can't eat certain foods I want them. But I know that I need to be obedient or I might do some damage which could prolong the treatment. It made me think of our obedience with God. We know the things that aren't pleasing to Him, yet at times we don't see the big deal in swaying just a bit. There will always be temptation in our life. If I saw a taco right now I would probably be tempted to mash it up so I could have a taste, but that's just my temptation being tested. I've always been a what's the worst case scenario person, so I know I wouldn't eat the taco, but let's be real - it's hard to resist temptation at times. We need to learn to listen to our heart and do what we know is right during these times. We're always going to be tested - typically with temptation we think it's going to make us happier, but once we acquire it , that'

I was working on my poem  I Am  when the word happy kept entering my mind. I'm not really sure why. Maybe its because the kids at preschool were happy to make pizza today, or that I'm suppose to incorporate happy into my poem. I am happy. I'm not going to say that I'm happy all the time, but let's just say that I'm happy the majority of the time.  For me happiness is based on my outlook on life. If I spent each day picking out everything that annoys me I would be pretty miserable - so I choose to embrace the good. It's a lot healthier to focus on the positive and be thankful for it. Once you develop positive thinking happiness follows.  Change your thinking and you'll change your life! Happy Thursday! Peace, love & hugs!

This afternoon while I was trying not to focus on the dentist extracting four teeth I decided it was a good time to get lost in  prayer. It led me to thinking about my family and how much change has transpired since last year. We hit a lot of speed bumps last year, but so far so good. Although things are going smoothly today I know that I need to stay prayed up. I never get comfortable with life where I knock prayer off my to do list. There's always something or someone that wants to create havoc in your life. You need to put on your Armour of God, stay faithful, and pray diligently. There will always be temptations, struggles, and distractions that cross our paths - be ready for battle at all times. Life has made everyone fall at some point, but the key is getting back up. Stay strong! Peace, love & hugs!

Thought I would post this song When You Believe (Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston) since there's a  few people that I know personally that are struggling with some personal issues. Music has always been my friend in good times and bad. This particular song is a song of power and hope. Believe in yourself and believe in miracles...just believe. Peace, love & hugs!

I thought 7 Lovely Logics is a great way to start off the week. If you apply these 7 simple logics to your life daily you will be amazed at the growth and change in yourself. 1.We all know that the past is the past and we need to learn from it and let it go. We can't have it haunt us and keep us hostage - break the chains of your past and start living and loving life. 2. It really isn't our business what others think of us. Everyone will have an opinion and not everyone is going to like us. That's a fact of life. Live a life of purpose, be kind, loving, giving, and the best you that you can possibly be. If it feels good in your soul and it's pleasing to God... that's all that really matters. 3. Everything in life takes time, but with letting go of the past and loving yourself healing follows. Healing is a process - it's not a quick and easy fix. Time, patience, diligence, and faith lead to healing. 4. This is true...We are responsible for our happi

The rain didn't stop us from having a great night at The Duce. The food was amazing, the DJ was fun, and I saw a lot of Arizona talent doing karaoke. One of the reasons I chose The Duce is because I love the ambiance. They have it set up with all the things that I grew up with...it's like a big playground for adults. The Duce is filled with ping pong tables, hula hoops, bean bag toss, punching bags, pull up bars, boxing ring, stationary bikes, foosball, karaoke, and a dance floor! There's also a little soda shop area if you want to grab a milk shake, and retail if you want something inspirational or vintage. Imagine a warehouse full of people of all ages having  old school fun.  Although we didn't get to enjoy the patio or order directly off the food truck due to the rain, it was a great night. After last night we decided it would be fun to do a family event there - the grandchildren would have a blast! Thanks again to everyone that came out in the rain, and to