Gratitude

Fathers Deserve MORE Than Just a Day

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This is dedicated to every father,
with special honor given to Black fathers who are committed to holding their families with strong, protective arms and hearts full of love.
Additionally, those who may not be biological fathers but choose to serve as positive role models in their families and communities are worthy of recognition.

What a time this has been. I begin with an attitude of gratitude after weeks of reflection and introspection. Current events covered by the media only magnify the significance of racial tension that brews, bubbles, and seethes in this “melting pot” of a country. 

I am grateful for my father. I am grateful for my husband. I am grateful for my son who is just on the cusp of manhood and 12 months away from possibly (probably, but I’m OBVIOUSLY still dealing with just a smidge of denial) not residing under my roof, facing the world with what his father and I taught him and surrounded by prayer. I am grateful for the MANY good men and fathers who have graced my life with wisdom, knowledge, insight, instruction, guidance, and discipline through the years. I am TREMENDOUSLY grateful for my faithful and consistent Heavenly Father!

For the pressures, expectations, letdowns, and rejoicings cut too short by reality – over and over again – from my perspective, it looks like being a man these days is a pretty tough job.

Nevertheless, the men I’m fortunate to have in my life are more than built to conquer the tasks presented. Can’t open that stubborn jar? Give it here – I’ve got you! Broken bones or middle of the night child projectiles? No problem – there’s health insurance and a shop-vac for that! Debt that stresses you beyond imagination? Never fear, dear maiden – there’s a plan to address, cover, and conquer that! Scared of the dark, monsters under your bed (or in your closet…or in your past), or the unknowns of the future? Let us pray – I’m here with you, and I know Someone Who will make it all alright for you…especially when I can’t.

For all your perfectly imperfect parts – many or few;
We absolutely couldn’t (and don’t want to) do it without you!

From the girl who doesn’t restrict celebration to a single or specific day, I say TODAY with much respect: Happy Father’s Day! And thank you for your innumerable ongoing sacrifices. And love. And example. And mistakes. And for getting up and getting back in the game even when you’re tired of what seems to be the same ol’ cycle. Be encouraged – because you’re making a difference…every day.

With great appreciation,
Kayren

“1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words:
keep my commandments, and live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding:
forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.”
(Proverbs 4:1-5) 

© Copyright 2020 by Kayren J. Cathcart

The Sistahood

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It’s not that Oprah, Michelle Obama, or Beyonce are any more fabulous than anyone already in your personal circles…it’s just that, as celebrities, they’re more widely known. This entire week, my eyes have been opened and my soul awakened to the sheer magnitude of greatness in the women around me. Like these gorgeous new roses blooming in my yard, we find ourselves at different stages of life and levels of growth and development, but our individual beauty enhances the collective landscape.

MY network is invaluable and priceless. I was bursting with pride after Tanya gave her dynamic Toastmasters Icebreaker speech today – I’ve gotta get that well-traveled chick’s autograph NOW! I felt like a million bucks after having an afternoon catch-up chat with Tiphanie; after tag-team encouraging each other for 5 minutes, we finally agreed to have a mutual admiration society for respect of the current and future potential we see in one another, determined and committed with accountability to not let it go dormant. I connected her with Michele who just started her own consulting firm because they’re both young, vibrant, unstoppable, brilliant, and share a similar interest. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for LaKeisha who has actively served as a nurse on the COVID-19 front lines and still takes care of her husband and family with godly devotion like a champ; she’s younger than me, but I consider her a role model in so many ways. Yvette is a creative spiritual powerhouse who – days after attending to her own health issues – was calling to check on me…seriously compassionate. My college friends who group text with me regularly have provided the familiar solace that comes from people knowing you (up, down, sideways, inside and out) for over two decades.

These women (and the scores of others I can’t possibly list here) have been an invaluable part of my support network. The impact of their influence on me has been magnified during these past several months as they provided reinforcement in places I didn’t even know I had needs.

I say it’s time to harness the power of those dynamic people God has already placed in our paths. The next Oprah may already be within your sphere of influence – help her come forth, and she’ll do the same for you. We can nurture and build our environment with genuine friendship, kinship, and relationship. With love, perseverance, and dedication, we CAN change the world as we know it for the better – one step at a time, one day at a time, one intentional action at a time. I’m counting on it…for my daughter’s sake, and her generation. Count your blessings, assess your network, and mount up, sistahs…the time is NOW! OUR time is now!

Thank YOU for being part of my network – I am truly grateful!

p.s. It goes without saying that as we strengthen our sisterhood network, we put ourselves in better position to support our brothers…

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
(Psalm 133:1)

© Copyright 2020 by Kayren J. Cathcart

 

The Mom Chronicles 2020

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chronicle (noun) –
record, history, account, diary, register, journal, story, narrative

chronicle (verb) –
report, record, re-count, relate, narrate, register, keep track of, make note of, write down

In my opinion, EVERY day is Mother’s Day.😉 Whether you are a mother, you have a mother, or you know a mother, stories to chronicle abound! No matter what stage of life you’re in, celebrate this weekend by taking a moment to reflect on the impact of mothers in your life – and share your gratitude!

Every culture has its own “mom-isms.” I grew up in the South, raised by traditional disciplinarians. Do any of these sound familiar?

  • “Because I SAID so – that’s why!”
  • “I’m not “such & such’s” mother – I’m YOUR Mama!”
  • My fave from my grandma: “I’m not mean; I just MEAN what I say!”
  • BONUS: “This is gonna hurt ME more than it hurts you!” (before being disciplined in love LOL)

If you can relate to (or recall with a shudder!) any of these examples, chances are you had at least one authority figure in your life who cared about you making it from childhood to adulthood successfully; hence, you have a reason to be thankful for their influence.😁 And if you’ve used any of these “mom-isms” within the past 24 hours, you are definitely a mom!🤣

We all have memories when reflecting on the mothers in our lives – biological, adopted, neighborhood, mentors, friends, those we’ve admired from afar, etc. Whether you had the June Cleaver, Claire Huxtable, Martha Stewart, Florida Evans, or Peg Bundy type of mom – or somewhere in between – moms are a special breed.

I’ve learned (from experience) that sometimes their volume button gets stuck on HIGH.❣ Their eyes leak at the most inopportune moments.😥 Most of them really DO have eyes in the back of their head.🧐😳👀 Sometimes they say one thing, but mean something totally different.😬🙄😖 But whatever model you were assigned from the factory😇 – treasure your mom as a one-of-a-kind design who helped make you who you are today…UNIQUELY YOU!

I’m praying you have a blessed and Happy Mother’s Day – thank YOU for being a precious gift!🎁💖

“29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: 
but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.”
(Proverbs 31:29-31)

© Copyright 2020 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Nestled

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nestle – snuggle, cuddle up, curl up, huddle, nuzzle, settle, lie close, burrow

Look closely. Now look closer. See how safely hidden this nest is – tucked amidst the protective thorns? That’s how our God covers and surrounds us. What comfort and confidence we can experience when resting in Him!

“1 How lovely are Your dwelling places, O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul (my life, my inner self) longs for and greatly desires the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 The bird has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—
Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts,
My King and my God.
4 Blessed and greatly favored are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence;
They will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah.”
(Psalm 84:1-4 AMP)

© Copyright 2020 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Got Thyme?

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Just a little “garden outside my window” humor – I couldn’t resist! 🙂 But seriously…

What are you doing with the gift of time God has given you during this “stay at home” season? Feel free to share in the comments section if you’d like.

Personally, I’ve taken several webinars for personal and professional development, tried out some new recipes (and new ingredients) on my family, and I have a couple of creative projects brewing (that I hope to share with you soon)…

Let us be diligent, put this time to good use, and produce abundant fruit for the Kingdom of God!

“3 The one who guards his mouth [thinking before he speaks] protects his life;
The one who opens his lips wide [and chatters without thinking] comes to ruin.
4 The soul (appetite) of the lazy person craves and gets nothing [for lethargy overcomes ambition],
But the soul (appetite) of the diligent [who works willingly] is rich and abundantly supplied.”
(Proverbs 13:3-4 AMP)
“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance and advantage,
But everyone who acts in haste comes surely to poverty.”
(Proverbs 21:5 AMP)

© Copyright 2020 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Ladybug: La Vie en Rose

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I was delighted to capture the adorable moment when this ladybug posed for me among the roses before wings fluttered and flight ensued in the blink of an eye.

Even after five years of high school French (eons ago – ha ha! ok, maybe just decades ago), I had to look up the meaning behind this saying, though I knew it was a fitting caption for this photo. Consider some of the following translations and ponder where you might discover joy in unexpected (though possibly familiar) places during this “stay at home” time:

  • Life in happy hues 
  • Life through rose-colored glasses
  • Life seen through happy lenses
  • Life in rosy hues
  • Life in pink

“1 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
2 It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.”
(Isaiah 35:1-2)

© Copyright 2020 by Kayren J. Cathcart

In Full Bloom

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Transformation abounds…wait for it…

This same rose that just began to bud less than a week ago is now in full bloom. It was almost like it happened in the blink of an eye. Wow, God – truly You do ALL things well!

In the midst of what’s going on right now, our expansive, extensive, magnanimously massive and infinite God is STILL sovereign and reigning on the Throne! As I reflected tonight on where I was physically at this time last year (grappling with ongoing GI issues),  I was soooo grateful to just be able to have a meal in this season without fear of being unable to keep it down. I nearly had a praise party while washing my hands because I’d felt like the woman enduring the issue of blood last year as I searched for a cure to my ailments. Nevertheless, Jehovah Rophe healed me with HIS powerful touch, and I’m soooo thankful!

If you take a moment to meditate, what overwhelms YOU with gratitude for a fruitful area of your life (expected or unexpected) bursting forth even in the midst of the “stay at home” directive? When we resist fixation on a particular desire or outcome, our eyes may be opened to the miracles already at work right under our noses! Feel free to share your own praise report in the comments…

“4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.”
(Isaiah 64:4, 8)

“10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.”
(Isaiah 61:10-11)

© Copyright 2020 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Disconnected for Techno-Sabbatical

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I snapped these lovely photos on Friday after walking 3 steps from my front door (thanks, Awesome Gardener Hubby!), gently reminded that God makes every thing beautiful in his time. It’s kinda neat to see how everything is beginning to bloom in this season (even me) as “stay at home” measures limit our outside movement, but not our personal growth…

Granted, I’m writing my thoughts using an electronic device. However, I found such peace today just by giving myself permission to disconnect from technology and screens for a brief time away from the information influx that threatened to become a mental tsunami. Though I limit myself to checking 1 social media account 1-2 times a week and I keep my phone on vibrate to cut down on audio clutter, I didn’t realize the energy I was putting out to manage 2 personal e-mail inboxes, text messages, incoming phone calls, and voicemails. Not to speak of the constant barrage of marketing messages blasting from endless sources.

I’m not even that popular anymore (LOL – it’s all relative – ha ha), but the volume of incoming information to process, decision, prioritize, or choose to ignore clearly illuminated the ratio of ONE of ME to MANY information sources. I realized the need to clear my mind and savor some sumptuous silence…immediately!

So it began: I activated my work e-mail out-of-office message for the week I’d taken for vacation (now a staycation – but that’s cool with me!). I turned my cell phone ringer off and asked my parents to text me if they wanted to reach me – and they were happy to pray for my time of techno-rest while assuring me they’re doing fine. Finally, I sent a text message to a couple of folks who are used to hearing from me regularly, letting them know I’d be available after this week to reconnect.

It was really liberating – like I’d given myself a “free pass” to unplug from my routine in order to be rejuvenated in God’s presence and reconnect with my family while undistracted by external commitments. And I settled in for a blessed week, knowing I’m nestled safely under the Shadow of the Almighty as I sit still long enough for Him to continue working on and in me – His daughter. I am excited about experiencing the power of His Resurrection in a new way at this specific time in my life. Even so, come Lord Jesus!

“He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:11)

“20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
(Revelation 22:20-21)

© Copyright 2020 by Kayren J. Cathcart

 

 

An Ounce of Prevention: Adventures in “Stay at Home” Snacking

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“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
– Benjamin Franklin

Decisions, decisions! Hypothetically speaking, say your spouse goes to the local warehouse store for something other than toilet paper or hand sanitizer. After this brief trip to forage for sustaining family nourishment, let’s say a 16-ounce bag of BBQ flavored beef jerky finds its way to your home office desk and you mindlessly nosh on it during your millionth conference call. If, by chance, you open the bag only to pick out the tenderest bits that congregate in the bottom, try not to regret that you didn’t pull out a reasonable, small portion in a measurable container and put the sealed package back in the pantry before you started snacking.

Friendly reminder: 16 ounces = 1 pound. Don’t do it. Even if it tastes super yummy. Trust me – you won’t win…you can’t beat a pound (or even half a pound) of jerky in one sitting. Well…at least you shouldn’t. Even though it’s a good protein source, and you certainly need protein to help you make it through one more day of the “stay at home” directive with everyone else in your space. Just take my word for it. And don’t get any bright ideas about impulsively ordering a substitute junk food stash when you see the Amazon Prime truck make a delivery to your neighbor’s house, either! 🙂

p.s. Because I love you, I’m reminding you again: 16 ounces = 1 pound. This is especially applicable to homemade pound cakes. Don’t ask me how I know and have gathered valid proof…twice…without remorse…in the past few weeks. Is that lovely photo incriminating – or did the crumbs around my mouth give me away? Maybe pre-slicing made it too easy for me to nibble when passing through the kitchen? I’ll never know, since the aforementioned cakes are nothing more than a distant memory…

Hmmm, was that a pound of cure or a pound of cake? LOL

I’m estimating that every delightfully delectable buttery crumb (oh so worth it!) equals about 200 steps. Let’s call it a coping mechanism that should be used judiciously and sparingly as the apocalypse approaches…friends, I hope this made you smile as you count your blessings (and not pounds!) this week…

I’m sending love your way & praying we all stay healthy as we stay at home,
Kayren

“Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.”
(Philippians 4:5)

© Copyright 2020 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Fresh Perspective

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Enjoying the beauty of what my neighbor planted…

Today, I took my first walk in umpteen weeks; 8,000 steps while my mom talked to me by phone for over an hour.👍🏼 LOL #Multitasking #NotCouchPotatoing

It was beautiful to hear a cardinal singing atop my neighbor’s roof. Equally stunning were the tulips blooming in another neighbor’s yard.

What are some beautiful things surrounding you that have been under-appreciated until this “stay at home” time? Feel free to share in the comments…and plant something today for someone else to enjoy when they need it most!

“He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:11)

© Copyright 2020 by Kayren J. Cathcart