Tag Archives: prayer

Embracing Change, Embracing Family, Embracing Life, Embracing Parenting

{Naomi’s Story} No, I WANT to Call Him Daddy!

28 Comments

During the month of October, The Real Wife Movement™ will be featuring stories from wives who have blended families. They will share what they did to ensure their families thrived beyond 10 years.

Be inspired by Naomi’s Story.

“I love you, Mr. Sammy.”
Naomi, Sammy and Corlise
Naomi, Sammy and Corlise
Anytime I stop and think about the relationship between my husband and daughter, I always think back to her little 4-year-old voice uttering those words. My husband and I were married in 2005 and my daughter simply adored him!
We had a conversation with my daughter Corlise prior to our wedding, and we explained to her that we were getting married. I mainly focused on telling her that she didn’t have to call him “daddy.” My husband and I were both fine with her referring to him as Mr. Sammy. I remember my daughter saying so clearly and with a big smile on her face, “No, I WANT to call him daddy.” I didn’t know it then, but that was a great lesson for me. 

Her little self knew that if mom and Mr. Sammy were getting married, WE were all going to be one family unit. She never knew

Sammy and Corlise
Sammy and Corlise

about step-parenting until she got older and met other children with step-parents. She came home one day and told me that she and some other children were in conversation about step parents. They wanted to know why my daughter didn’t refer to her dad as a step-dad. She told them, “Because, he’s not.” Her response to those other children made me smile. It caused me to reflect on how my husband has always treated our soon-to-be 17-year-old like a queen and like his own.

He’s loved her, disciplined her, and raised her to love God. My husband has been a great example of God’s unconditional love and acceptance. As believers, we have all been adopted into the Body of Christ and God NEVER treats us like “step” anything! My hope for other blended families is that they keep the concepts of oneness, love, and acceptance at the forefront of their minds.
Our family has been through many ups and downs over the years, but we continue to stand as a family unit, learning how to overcome any obstacles…together.
Naomi Davis is a proud stay-home-mom who loves business and entrepreneurship. Prior to embarking on her
entrepreneurial endeavors, Naomi served in the United States Marine Corps for 10 years. Naomi currently operates a successful home-based child care facility and a home-based travel agency.

 

Visit Naomi at www.starttrippin.com  or at https://www.facebook.com/starttrippintravel.
Embracing Family, Embracing Life, Embracing Parenting

I Am Great Mom! 

28 Comments
Me and Gabi, 1994
Me and Gabi, 1994

For years, I questioned my parenting skills and I wondered if I would ever be a great mom. After all, I was pregnant with my 1st child, Gabi, at 19-years-old. As a single mom, I went into the military to be able to take care of the both of us.img_2899

Seven years later, I was a married and on bed-rest. From there, I was a stay-at-home mom for several years. My kids went from homeschooling to public school and back to private school. I was my kids’ Girl Scout troop leader, cheer coach, soccer/football team mom and the list goes on. I truly believed that if I did all of this, my kids would be awesome and not get into stuff like I did.

Well, when our oldest daughter was a teenager, I found out she was cutting (Google it—this is still very painful for me to talk about.) A year later, she was arrested and sent to jail for theft at her mall job; she was a few months out of high school and a few from shipping out in the Navy.

Gabi's Coast Guard boot-camp graduation Oct. 2015
Gabi’s Coast Guard boot-camp graduation Oct. 2015

After this, she decided to live with several boyfriends and their mamas (I promise she was raised in church) as well as with the neighbor across the street (She paid them rent, cooked and cleaned the house, y’all!!!) Then I found out via Facebook that she was married. Talk about a blow to your mothering self-esteem.

Eight years later, I found myself dealing with bad grades, a bad attitude, more cutting and yes, even a fight video (I almost had a nervous break-down from that – BUT GOD!!!) I actually stayed away from social media any time report cards were issued because I felt like an utter and complete failure. I blamed myself for my both of my daughters’ poor choices.

Doni
Doni’s 1st high school dance

Saturday, my 16-year-old daughter had an opportunity to hang with friends. I knew she was looking forward to hanging out with her friends since this was the first time she has all As and 2 Bs since 5th grade. Instead of going to the movies with them, she searched the mall for a gift for me….

img_2884

It took everything within me not to have an emotional breakdown when she gave it to me.  She hugged me! She thanked me for being a great mom to her. So, I encourage you to trust that God is faithful! I am finally seeing the results of what I put into my kids.

I now know that, “Yes, I am a Great Mom!”

Want ways to improve your marriage? Pick up a copy of my book, Being a Wife Just Got Real by clicking book.
Want ways to improve your marriage? Pick up a copy of my book, Being a Wife Just Got Real by clicking book.
Embracing Change, Embracing Entrepreneurship, Embracing Life

4 “RIGHT NOW” STEPS for a Successful 2016

31 Comments
Make-up/Custom Jewelry: Keshua Hunt * Photo Credit: E.Y.E. Imagery Photography
As I look back over my life, I realize that for most of it, I was living according to what I could do and sheer willpower. 2016 flew by like a whirlwind and I quickly realized I had to do things differently.
I took 4 simple steps that were critical to my growth and maturity as a woman, wife, mother, and as an entrepreneur. Even though these steps were simple, they were not always easy. I had to make a mental shift to be consistent and persistent as I kept my goals in mind.
  1. PRAY – It’s that simple. I had to pray. I had so many things happen to me. I could only get through them with prayer. They weren’t bad things, but definitely different from my norm. Once I began to pray first, the stress level decreased tremendously and I was able to see clearly the tasks before me.
  2. FOCUS – Because of prayer, I was then able to focus on the tasks at hand. My nonprofit, Forever Free Books, grew and my new business, The Real Wife Movement™, was born. I had to get focused and not side tracked by what others thought or what other people were doing. I had to focus on the steps I had to take to complete the things I had before me. Focusing on a holistic me, helped me to say “NO” to things that were distractions and to say “YES” to things that would turn my life in the right direction to begin my journey to walking in my purpose.
  3. GRIND – What do I mean by grind? I mean putting in the hard work and time needed to grow. Plain and simple! I began attending educational events that helped me gain the information I needed to grow as an entrepreneur. I also began spending money on classes to help me become a better me. Not only that, I connected with like-minded, purpose driven people and asked someone to mentor me. That was the best decision I ever made. She pushes me beyond my mental capacity which causes me to grind. In my grind I now have results!
  4. REPEAT – I know you are probably thinking, “Well, that’s dumb.” On the contrary, repeating these steps is crucial for continual growth. If I stop at grind, I can go no further than that place. Repeating these steps causes us to go to the next level, the next business deal, the next phase in our life. Growth is a continual process.
If we get stuck in only one phase of this process, there will be no change. Imagine being stuck in either the prayer phase, the focus phase or the grind phase. This creates an imbalance in the flow of progress and growth.
So, as we face the last 2 months of 2016, what steps are you taking  towards staying successful?
Want ways to improve your marriage? Pick up a copy of my book, Being a Wife Just Got Real by clicking book.
Want ways to improve your marriage? Pick up a copy of my book, Being a Wife Just Got Real by clicking book.
Black Love, Embracing Love

Congressional Black Caucus Relationship Panel

21 Comments

3 months after my book launch and 2 months after a total rebranding, I sat on a panel at the Congressional Black Caucus. The panel consisted of  experts in the field of relationships and marriage.

Say what now? The chick who was pregnant at 19 and looking at the military as her only option? The girl who’s baby daddy had another girl pregnant at the same time? Yeah, that girl.

I had the awesome opportunity to work alongside my husband last week. It was definitely a dream come true for the both of us! Granted it was only for 54 minutes, but they are 54 minutes that I will never forget.

I was invited to participate in the Congressional Black Caucus Relationship Panel. I was in shock when I was initially asked to do it. My hubby, on the other hand, was extremely proud of me. He said the hard work I put into my new book, Being a Wife Just Got Real, Things I Wish I knew Before I Said, “I Do” was paying off. He was adamant that it was the direct result of God’s grace on the book. My hubby assured me that God’s desire to see marriages be healthy and whole who be helped with this book.

We met he other couples on the panel and chatted it up. It felt like we knew each other for years. They were especially friendly and we talked with them for several minutes at the end of our segment.

After the panel was over, I had the opportunity to sell my book in the Author Pavilion. I met several other authors who had intriguing books that I will be adding to my home collection of books to read.

I am eternally thankful for this blessed opportunity and the fact that it opened doors for more speaking engagements.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Want ways to improve your marriage? Pick up a copy of my book, Being a Wife Just Got Real by clicking book.
Want ways to improve your marriage? Pick up a copy of my book, Being a Wife Just Got Real by clicking book.
Embracing Change, Embracing Life

5 Tips to Keep Running!

2 Comments

While on a 5 mile run, I was thinking of and praying for my friends who are training for upcoming marathons and I realized faith is like marathon training. In case you didn’t know, a marathon is 26.2 miles and takes about 5-6 months to train for.

Just like marathon training, faith takes dedication, motivation and a desire to see the end result. For a marathon, it’s the finish line and your cheering family you want to see, for faith it is to see your prayers answered. Below are a few tips to keep running in your faith.

  1. You need information. A training plan, nutrition, and proper running gear are all needed prior to training. I needed to tape my shins, buy the right sports bra, wear compression shorts/socks and carry a water-bag for my race. To run a marathon, you have to do what is necessary to finish the race. A Bible, a church that teaches you the Word of God in a way you can understand and apply and a prayer life are all necessary to grow your faith, so you can keep running.
  2. There will be times when you don’t want to run 4 days a week and days when you don’t feel like running those 10, 15, 20, 23 miles…there will be days you don’t feel like going to church, reading your Bible, praying. You can’t be successful in either if you don’t put in the time and the energy. It takes effort to train; it takes effort to trust and believe God, and to keep running.
My 1st marathon , Marine Corp Marathon, in 2012
My 1st marathon , Marine Corp Marathon, in 2012
  1. You have to kindly ignore those who don’t have your vision. As I trained for the Marine Corp Marathon, non-runners would say things like, “I could never do that” or “you are crazy”. It’s the same with faith. People who haven’t trusted God for anything or seen their prayers answered will say you are crazy or tell you their defeated truth. Speak your truth in love, love them from a distance and keep running.
  2. Skipping training runs and poor nutrition will produce injuries and slow down your progress. With faith, there are no shortcuts either. There is no skipping prayer. You can’t miss your time reading God’s Word. This will only slow down progress to what you are believing God for, so keep running.
  3. Quitting before you see results, will produce no results at all. I had a setback during the marathon at mile 22. I fainted after using the port-a-potty and was actually carried to the medic tent by two Marines(imagine what you see in the movies – yup, that was me). I was 4.2 miles away from the finish line.

I had a choice when I saw them opening up IV bags: receive the IV for immediate fluids but not finish the race or drink large quantities of Gatorade slowly and hobble/walk/crawl to the finish line. I chose the latter and finished 6 minutes before the race finished. I wanted that medal and I GOT MY MEDAL!!! We can’t quit on our faith, no matter what your situation looks like. a sick child, a husband who is tripping, or even low funds, you got this. You may be just at the point of your breakthrough and just need to keep running.

(*Sidenote – After coming out of the medic tent, I walked up on a guy who asked to use our phone. He called his wife to come pick him up; we were at the 24th mile. At first I thought he was joking until he walked away and into a Starbucks to wait for her. He quit with only 2 miles left.*)

2 Tim 4:7 says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

So today, don’t give up! Keep running for what you believe! It will happen if you don’t quit!