Kim Sims

I was having a conversation with my sister about my desire to be more disciplined with my diet. I explained to her that certain foods cause me to feel horrible and bloated. Salty chips have been a major weakness and I have felt entitled to some fried chicken or fish on occasion. I was beginning to feel foolish for consuming these items because I regretted doing so every time. As I began to think and pray, I thought about other areas in my life that needed more discipline as well. I asked myself, what are the things I should be doing consistently to propel me to where I want to be in life? For example, my workout routine is consistent, but I don't see the results I desire because my diet has been horrible. I've made excuses for it. Good ones! I eat decent meals, but unhealthy snacks have ruined my progress. To be honest, I was settling because I didn't want to discipline myself. So my focus for the second half of the year is to practice discipline. This involves taki

I attended a prayer meeting at church, and the theme for the night was "Reset." It was a very uplifting service and spoke to some of the changes I had been experiencing in life. The series of speakers that night kept saying that God was doing a new thing and to let go of the past. Referencing Isaiah 43:19. Although I heard and received the word that night, I kept feeling the urge to listen to the message again. A couple of weeks passed, and one Sunday morning, I stopped procrastinating and decided to give it another listen and take notes. The key points I took away were: 1) A reset may happen because policies and rules need to change (maybe a way of doing things). 2) Don't dwell on what has left. 3)During a reset, you must trust God because He is trying to give you something new. He is trying to take you into a new place so that he can bless you. 5)God is taking you back to your first love.  A face-to-face encounter with Him. 6) The reset is the difference between grow

Fear not. I once heard a pastor say when you hear "fear not",  there is something or a situation that you actually could fear. Meaning that the logical reason to fear is there. I've also heard the Bible scripture that talks about what Job feared the most came upon him. I often wondered about that because I'm sure he was praying against the things that he feared would happen.  I was in a situation where I was not certain what the outcome would be. I wanted a positive outcome, but deep down I wasn't allowing myself to enjoy the opportunity because I felt that at any moment it could end. I prayed, joined a support group on the matter, and believed that I was working hard on myself to change. I felt because I was doing all of these activities, I would prevent the negative outcome from occurring and not repeat mistakes I had made in the past. I thought my actions were positive, and they were, but I was still unknowingly doing them in fear and giving energy

I have had a tri-color Chihuahua named Chloe for thirteen years. There are days that I don't get to spend much time with her and I feel guilty about that. I find myself giving her leeway and removing boundaries because of my guilt, but I always regret that I do. I stopped Chloe from sleeping in the bed with me a few years ago, but then she got arthritis. I felt sorry for her and the amount of pain she was in and I let her back in my bed. I guess I thought the Tempurpedic mattress would help her.  She did get better. One day I noticed that when I removed boundaries for Chloe, such as allowing her to sleep with me or not locking her up when I would leave the house, her behavior didn't reflect appreciation. She still did things that were normal for her by nature and very annoying to me. She would poop on the carpet or get into the trash. Chloe also has a tendency to beg for my food even when she has a bowl full of dog food. She even has the nerve to growl at me if I try to t

Debt. The four letter word that we sometimes just think is a natural part of life. A means to an end, a way to acquire things that if we had to pay out right cash we would not be able to afford. Growing up my father did not believe in credit cards and he believed in living well below his means. He paid cash for everything and we lived in a small two bedroom apartment, 7 of us plus my niece when she was born. Our rent was well below the market rate. He usually purchased used cars. He went to work everyday, then would work on cars after that. Always working, always saving, and always living well below his means. I had a happy childhood and didn't feel like I missed out on much. I had food, clothes, and most importantly love. I was a little embarrassed one time when a girl from the neighborhood asked me where was my bedroom. I think I told her it's back there pointing to the rear of our apartment. What I was really thinking is, girl you are sitting on it. My two older sister

The holiday season is in full swing. It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year.  A time filled with joy and time with family and friends; however, for many people, including myself, the holiday season has not always been that great. Over the years I have had to really put forth the effort to find the joy in it.  At first, I felt alone in this experience, but as Thanksgiving began to approach I started seeing more people post online about the not so cheerful side of the holiday season. Garfield Park Conservatory  For me, the holiday season or really the last quarter of the year (October - December) was a time that I have associated with loss, rejection, and loneliness. It was during the last quarter of the year 2012 that my mother passed away. It was also during the last quarter of the year in 2008 that my marriage ended. As time went on, I thought I was healed as much as one possibly could from such significant life changes. I was enjoying life, but a couple