LuLaRoe Fun

I was never a person to worry too much about what I wear. Being that I use a wheelchair for mobility, comfort is a must!

One day, my childhood best friend, Melody, invited me to a LuLaRoe party. Frankly, I was just going to support her. That is where I met Tori. I went in thinking that I would not spend any money… Besides, I have a closet full of clothes that I never wear.

Well, my plans changed that day as I left with three items to add to my wardrobe. Like I said, being comfortable is something I value, but I also need to look professional as I continue my career serving the community. Whenever I wear LuLaRoe, I know that I am not only ready for the day, but I am also confident because I know I look professional.

I love watching Tori expand her business on social media. She does it with such excitement and grace. Most people are totally turned off by a salesperson because everyone knows they are just interested in making a profit. When I buy clothes from Tori, I know I am supporting her dream and passion. Not only does she care about the women that purchase from her, she turns it into a ministry

When she does Facebook Live, anyone can see her joy for encouraging women to feel confident. We are all wonderfully and fearfully made by God. I believe God calls us to lift up our sisters and remind others of the promise.  Tori achieves this when she includes an encouraging message in the bag of clothes. I cannot explain how grateful I was when I received my first package. The message was to be confident in your love for the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. That is what I think LuLaRoe is to Tori.

I will continue to support her business and will help her continue to grow her ministry. 

Please let me know if you want to contact her!

Everyday Thankfulness

What does it mean to be thankful?

I know that is a question that we ask children, especially around Thanksgiving.  We spend all month naming things that we are thankful for and then we rush into Christmas.  Now, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE CHRISTMAS and celebrating Jesus’ birth. But I want to go back to thanksgiving, giving thanks without ceasing.

I always try to do the social media challenge to name something every day that I am thankful for.  It is easy at first, but I always seem to stop halfway through!  Silly, huh?  I should have a million things on my list! Boy, I am guilty of not voicing my gratefulness! 

Just recently, I volunteered my time to helping a colleague with a project.  I stayed up really late working on this project.  I e-mailed it and felt great.  Then, I didn’t get a response.  So I texted to make sure it was delivered.  Still nothing.  Hmmm.  Maybe they are just busy.  Some days later, I received a message saying, “I got it.” PERIOD.  END OF MESSAGE. W-H-A-T!!

I rolled away from my computer, mumbling, vowing to never help this person again.  But, then.  God captured my heart.  I was reminded of the times that He has poured His gifts on me.  I am guilty of not taking the time to thank Him.  Where would I be if God said, “You know what Angela, I am done helping you because you didn’t say, ‘Thank you’?” I would not be alive!  I would not be anywhere close to where I am today. 

 It was so easy for me to shake my finger at the other person.  But I began to realize that I had a pride issue.  Ouch!  I didn’t capture how God used my gifts to bless the other person, even when they didn’t say, “Thank you!” After all, I need to ask myself, “Whose glory are you shining?” If it’s mine, we are in really deep trouble!  In truth, I want Jesus’ glory to shine through me!

So, in life’s everyday adventures, I seek what God wants me to learn to be like Him.  In Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Jesus, thanks for using me, in the midst of my temper tantrum, to shine Your grace and love!

Your thankful daughter,

Angela

Beautifully Broken

You know I often write when I am on a mountain top.  When everything is going great and I can see how God is moving!

Well, this time is different.  I have been going through some difficult times and I kind of felt like God left me!  Now, I know He never does and He never will.  But do I really believe that?  Do I wake up every morning expecting God to be waiting for me to talk to Him?  I can’t say that I have been lately.  I am feeling very ashamed.  After all, I just spent the last year of my life testifying how God uses our weaknesses for His glory.  Come on, now, is not the time to have setbacks!  People may think it was an act or a cry for attention.

I had dreams that my public speaking career would take off.  And, well, that has not happened.  So, now is definitely not the time to experience hardships.  Who in their right mind is going to ask a woman who is not only is in a wheelchair, has a speech impairment, and now, is experiencing a dry season.  The world says, “ha, ha!  No one is going to want you.”

But this evening as we were driving home from church, I felt God tugging on my heart.  I heard Jesus ask, “Who do you say that I am?” Immediately, I thought, “Jesus, you’re my redeemer!  My hope.  My Salvation!  You’re mighty to save!”

Folks, we don’t have to have it all together all of the time.  We will experience hardships.  But the beautiful thing is God uses our weaknesses and our doubts to shine!  My cracked vessel allows his love to overflow to the world! Don’t let hard times rule your days.  Surround yourself with love.  Get in the Bible! Sing out from the depths of your soul! Talk to Him!

Beautifully broken,

Angela 

The Power of "Send"

The Power in “SEND”

Something has been on my heart for weeks, and I debated on whether or not I should write about it.  I wanted to wait a few days to ensure it was not written out of anger or retaliation.  I have faith in the fact that everything happens for a reason.  Even if it was meant for evil, I believe God uses it for good.  As hard as it was, I knew I had to open my heart and allow Him to work.

Technology is awesome.  I love Facebook!  With the use of technology, I keep up with people I may not be able to talk to on a regular basis.  I adore watching videos of my friends’ children and celebrate the accomplishments of friends that are hundreds of miles away. I love to pray for people and see God’s work happening before my eyes.

However, I want to ask a question.  Do we really understand the power of the “SEND” key?

When we have a screen before us, I hope we can remember that people on the other side will be affected.  The computer screen can provide a sense of confidence that a person might not show regularly. That sense of confidence could be used in positive or negative ways.

I enjoy using technology to share my life experiences.  Many people who don’t know me or my story think I have a boring life or feel sorry for me because of my disability. I often will direct people to my Facebook page or blog.  I love to share all that I am doing as Ms. Wheelchair Virginia.  Every post and every picture capture lives being changed, including my life.  It is my hope that people will be ignited to become invested in the community as I am. I may not be able to have the opportunity to talk to everyone, so I hope my writings will touch more people. 

The other side is technology can be used in a negative way.  When we were growing up, we were told that words can never hurt us!  WRONG!  Words run deep, touch the heart, and affect a person’s entire life. 

Recently, I received a message from a colleague accusing me of lying about my accomplishments. In a split moment, I felt a stab to the heart.  Being accused of lying about something so special to me stung.  My knee-jerk reaction was to reply with an attitude saying that she was wrong and how much she hurt me. 

After waking up the next morning, I realized that I didn’t show grace.  I had done exactly what she did to me.  I didn’t take a moment to think about how my words could have affected her.  That morning, I sent her a message again explaining the situation and apologize for my reaction!  We forgave each other and promised to keep lifting one another up. 

Friends, I hope you see the influence of your words and see the “SEND” key as a powerful tool. Before hitting send, let’s think about how the message will affect the lives of others.  We should be using our words to encourage and love one another. 

Sending my love,

Angela 

Never Say Never pt 1

I have always had a love for teaching!  It feels natural to me!  Honestly, my heart skips a beat when I enter a classroom!  I love seeing students encounter new concepts and apply them to their lives.  It is a place where I feel free and come alive to help students create dreams.

I never really pursued a teaching career. I just thought it would be a lot to make sure the students understand the curriculum. So I kind of tucked that dream in the back of my heart.
But, last week, it came out!  I was invited to speak to a middle school out in Southwest Virginia.  The students have been anticipating my visit for a month.  The last day we had scheduled, the schools were closed due to flooding…

My hands are not cooperating tonight…  So I need to finish tomorrow!

Dreaming

I am going to try something new.  Writing Wednesdays!  The entries may be short and sweet or they may be longer.  We will see!

I am a dreamer.  I always have been and I probably always will be.  And sometimes I feel guilty for dreaming.  I feel as though by dreaming, I am not content in the place that God has me.

For those who know me know that my life is pretty awesome right now!  I am celebrating five years with the most amazing man, David.  I absolutely love my job at VCU.  And being Ms. Wheelchair Virginia is giving me so many life changing moments.

But I am dreaming for more…  And I thought that was a bad sign.

I happened to hear a sermon online today and he talked about dreaming.  He spoke about Joseph as the example to show God’s faithfulness.  Joseph had a dream and his family thought he was insane, even to the point where they sold him into slavery.  But those circumstances actually lifted him up and helped him achieve his dream!

So, what was meant for evil, God used for good.

I have been looking for more opportunities to work because I dream about moving into a better place to have more room for a fur baby and possibly a child.  But lately, I received rejection after rejection. However, in the sermon, the pastor explained how rejection is a part of God’s protection.  The pain will be used for good. He also spoke about how we are not created to fit in with the world. I was created to be a leader, to show how good God is!

Thankfully, I am not in control.  He is!

Dreaming with Jesus!

Rolling in a Homerun

I know I have not written to you in a long time. So many things have been happening to me over the last few months and life has changed dramatically!! For the good!! I met with my long-term mentor, Papa John, and he got on me about writing! Gee, he never stops. That’s a great thing to have.
So, now I am sitting here writing my first blog in a long time. A lot has happened to me over the last few months and I can’t even begin to tell you how life has been so exciting.

In March, I was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Virginia. For those of you who know me, remember that this has been my dream for about five years. I first learned about the program when I was in undergraduate school when a title holder came to my class and spoke. She told me I had to do it. At the time, I was not really excited about the whole idea of pageants. That word was scary to me. But after several years of growing up, I decided to participate. The first two years, I did not receive the title and that was really hard for me because I thought “I had it in the bag”. But God had a different plan. At the time, I did not know what that was and I became very angry.

After taking a year off, and praying, God told me to try again. This time, I had a whole new perspective on the weekend of the gala. I viewed it as a mission to love on the other contestants and the staff. The weekend was amazing and I gave it my all. I believe that it is one of the reasons why God gave me this title. At the right time, He knew that I could give it my all and really pour into girls’ lives. So, that is what I am doing.

I realize this blog is a little late and I can’t really go into all the events that I have done because you would be reading for days. Plus, I don’t think I could cover all the joy that I have felt over the last few months.

One story that stands out to me happened about a week ago. I was a special guest with the Challengers’ baseball team. We were able to go to a Tides game and actually go onto the field while they were singing the National Anthem. When David and I first got to the stadium, the PR person told us we would be going to the outfield to enter the stadium because that was the only wheelchair accessible way onto the field. When he opened the gate, I had a “wow” experience. The field looked so different at that angle. I think I sat there for a few moments star struck. After getting over the initial moment, the kids and I danced while we were waiting for the ceremony to start. They were so fun!

When it was time for me to watch the game, I had to return to the accessible seating area. I was a little sad because I would not be with the whole team. Little did I know, God had an appointment for me. I got to sit with a little girl, Savannah. She was entirely too adorable and had a little spunky attitude. She kept thinking that she was going to catch a ball. And every time the ball was hit, we would get ready. I laughed so much with her and she kept calling me “Ms. Wheelchair”. At the end of the night, I knew that she is the reason why I love this title so much. I have the opportunity to see the sparkle in little girls’ eyes and tell them that they can do anything when they believe. HOMERUN!!

I am excited about so many more opportunities to meet amazing people and share their remarkable stories.

Serving with a crown!