Remember When

Remember when Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-moe"Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, "do over!""Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest.Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "monopoly"It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends.

Remember when Being old, referred to anyone over 20.
The chance to skate as a couple at the local roller rink was like winning the lottery....
The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was the lurgi.

Remember when Nobody was prettier than Mom
Nobody was cooler than Dad
Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better
It was a big deal to finally be tall enough to ride the "big people" rides at the fair...
When playing nintendo was the hardest thing ever.
When ninja turtles ruled the world.
- Rebecca Jackson

I've Learned

I've learned-
That you cannot make someone love you, all you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.
I've learned-
That it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it. That it's not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.
I've learned -
That you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you better know something. That you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do. That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
I've learned-
That it's taking me a long time to become the person that I want to be. That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
I've learned-
That you can keep going long after you can't. That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I've learned-
That either you control your attitude or it controls you. That regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is a first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.
I've learned-
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences. That money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I've learned-
That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time. That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you are down will be the ones to help you get back up.
I've learned-
That sometimes when I get angry I have the right to be angry, but it doesn't give me the right to be cruel. That true friendship continues to grow over the longest distance, and the same goes for true love.
I've learned-
That just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have. That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I've learned-
That you should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what tragedy it would be if they believed it. That no matter how good your friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while, and you must forgive them for that.
I've learned-
That it isn't always good enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you must learn to forgive yourself. That no matter how bad a heart is broken; the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I've learned-
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for whom we become. That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean that they don't love each other, and just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.
I've learned-
That we don't have to change friends, if we understand that friends change. That two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
I've learned-
That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you. That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.
I've learned-
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
that the people you care about the most in life are taken from you too soon
I've learned-
That its hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting someone's feelings or standing up for what you believe. That no matter what happens to me on earth or how much my faith falters, God's faith in me never dwindles or fails.
I've learned-
That life's lessons never end and wisdom can always be passed on.
- Susane Pieffer

Things that make you smile

1. Love.
2. Knowing you're missed.
3. Doing the right thing and being appreciated for it.
4. Making a joke that everyone laughs at.
5. Eating amazing food.
6. Taking a really long, hot shower/bath.
7. Watching a movie that makes your jaw drop to the floor.
8. Reading a book that makes you speechless.
9. No lines at an amusement park, a store, or anywhere, really.
10. Having an amazing dream.
11. Missing out on flu season.
12. Getting hit on by an attractive stranger who doesn't seem like a creep.
13. Finding money on the ground, or in the couches or the laundry. 
14. DVR.
15. When a season premier or finale is just awesome.
16. When your friends ask you what's wrong when you look down.
17. Being able to surf the web all day without your parents nagging you.
18. The sky, no matter rain or shine, it's always beautiful.
19.Getting praised on your assignment by the teacher in front of the entire class.
20. Getting compliments.
22. Pets.
23. Buying new gadgets or clothes.
24. When technology advances.
25. When you have a really good day.
26. When it's midnight and you're riding in a car, the cool night breeze in your hair.
27. Getting presents. 
28. Giving presents.
29. Affection.
30. God&Jesus and all the Great things They do.

-InsanityisLogical

April's edition of The Diva Journals is here!

Meet April's Diva of the month, Ms. Clolita Castleberry

Try and Love. Try and Understand. Just Try.

I spent a lot of time away from home this past weekend traveling with my better half.  We got a chance to visit and spend time with a lot of friends.  Had a fantastic time.  For a moment The Diva Journals and the reason I started it were temporarily buried in the recesses of my very busy mind.  But then, I observed on several occasions, on several different days, the behavior in which women display towards each other.  Some behaviors were deep  acts of kindness and love shown towards each other.  The kind of love that lets a woman know "hey, I got your back in this  random, chaotic motion which can sometimes be your life".  That love will sustain you through some pretty hard times in life.  Then there was that other emotion I saw displayed, jealousy. 

Yes! I called it an emotion, because according to my good friend Merriam-Webster, jealousy  is an emotion and it typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something that the person values, particularly in reference to a human connection.  Wow.  The green-eyed monster is eating us alive women.  If ever we are going to have any kind of unity on any kind of level, we have got to start recognizing and understanding the damaging traits and devastating results of jealousy. 

Sistas please understand, and hear me well.  Insecurity, fear, or anxiety are NOT friends of ours, and neither are the people whose existence in our lives are the center of which these horrific aforementioned nouns adjectives, and verbs breathe life and take form from.  Get rid of them.  And if this means letting go of that someone who always seems to bring anything except peace into your life, then get rid of that DRAMA.  

We need to, as a matter of fact we have to save each other from our attitudes, not enslave each other with them.  We have the ability to lift each other up, instead of knocking the hell out of each other. 

When we look at ourselves in the mirror, we have an opportunity to see several things; what we look like, what we use to look like, and what we want to look like.  And we don't have to look deep inside ourselves to see the difference in all three, we already know the difference.  We are very smart creatures. We know when we want to change, when we need to change, when we should change, and if we can change.  Nobody has to beat us over the head to let us know that we are sometimes screwed up; and a lot of times we are screwed up because of another person's behavior close to us in our lives. Either way, it's time out for the excuses we use to mistreat each other.

It's time to take out the garbage in our lives ladies before we get trash bugs, because like some people in our lives, they too are predators. We can be better to each other.  You recognize the hurt some one else has caused you, start recognizing the behavior you exhibit towards others, and how you can potentially hurt people.  This is not hard to do.  Treat each other like you want to be treated, and kick that something or some one in your life to the curb when it becomes a stumbling block to your success.  

Reach for something higher than someone else's dreams, reach for your own, and if you don't have any, get some!  Be yourSELF! and if you don't know who or what that is, guess what?  it's o.k.  Just strive to be better, and know that EVERY WOMAN was created with a purpose and a plan. No exceptions.  If you are still alive, that means there is still a purpose and a plan just for YOU.  Start creating a welcoming atmosphere for what could be the master plan for your life.  Kick damaging behavior patterns in your life.  Before you turn the corner let people see the light of your countenance approaching before they see you.  Treat each other well.  Love each other well, or at least try and understand the reason why it may be difficult for you not to.     

Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess

Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from becoming too talkative, and especially from the unfortunate habit of thinking that I must say something on every subject and at every opportunity.

Release me from the idea that I must straighten out other peoples' affairs. With my immense treasure of experience and wisdom, it seems a pity not to let everybody partake of it. But thou knowest, Lord, that in the end I will need a few friends.

Keep me from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point.

Grant me the patience to listen to the complaints of others; help me to endure them with charity. But seal my lips on my own aches and pains -- they increase with the increasing years and my inclination to recount them is also increasing.

I will not ask thee for improved memory, only for a little more humility and less self-assurance when my own memory doesn't agree with that of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be wrong.

Keep me reasonably gentle. I do not have the ambition to become a saint -- it is so hard to live with some of them -- but a harsh old person is one of the devil's masterpieces.

Make me sympathetic without being sentimental, helpful but not bossy. Let me discover merits where I had not expected them, and talents in people whom I had not thought to possess any. And, Lord, give me the grace to tell them so.

Amen”
― Margot Benary-Isbert

For Divas everywhere

Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.
Coco Chanel