A Blog, A Magazine. It's JustsumInspiration!

SELF-HELP APRIL IS COMING!

Published on March 31, 2017 by Roshonda BLeave a comment

Do you need help with an area in your life, or have questions about an on-going problem you are facing?
Well, Help is on the way!

For the whole month of April, I will be posting blogs giving advice on some of the questions that I’ve been asked to talk about. They are sort of “Self-Help” tips that will hopefully get you back on track to either living the life you want to live or give you a peace of mind as you continue to travel on your journey of self-discovery. Listed below are the topics that will be discussed during the month:

Rejection sucks, BUT Life Doesn’t Have Too.

Rejection, Unfortunately is a word that no one likes to encounter. Rejection may be a bad word, but it doesn’t have to be a death sentence. I will give you a couple of tips to endure it.

5 Things Women Must Give Up to Get The Man of Their Dreams

We all have issues, men and women alike. But if you are having trouble obtaining or keeping a relationship because of “issues” then I will give you 5 tips that maybe you are doing that’s keeping you from having a healthy relationship.

BEING A FRIEND TO HAVE FRIENDS

In order to gain friends, you must first be friendly. Finding a friend that you can relate too is difficult, but what if your attitude is the determining factor in you not having the friendships you so desire. I’ll share my story and give you a couple of tips that will hopefully allow you to open the door and began to let people in.

How to remain “SANE” in Singleness

Being single can sometimes be a drab, Most singles waste their good energy on trying to find Mr or Mrs. Right – someone in hopes that will complete them, but no matter how hard we try to find that “perfect mate” We must first be in a good place ourselves. I’ll give you a couple of “Do’s and Don’t s” to keep you calm in the process.

So, be on the lookout every Thursday morning in the month of April for a Self-Help Blog Post. Please feel free to share and comment.

Because Self-Help is definitely the BEST HELP!

If you’ve been following me on Facebook, then you’ll know for the month of January and February we were doing a study on the names of God. Well, If you missed any of it – NO WORRIES!, I have a booklet that I created for you. If you would like a copy, please send me your request to justsuminspiration@gmail.com and I’ll send you a copy.

Talk Soon!

Roshonda N. Blackmon – Creator of JustsumInspiration

From the Sea Floor to the Surface: When God brings up Matters we don’t want to Face.

Published on March 22, 2017January 11, 2018 by Roshonda B2 Comments

Has God ever dealt with you about the little kinks in your life. The Kinks that you kick under the rug and chalk up as it just being who you are? Well, you’ve heard the song “Search Me Lord“ – the lyrics go something like this:

Oh, search me, Lord/ Search me, Lord/ Shine the light from heaven on my soul, if you find anything that shouldn’t be/Take it out and strengthen me/Cause I wanna be right/I wanna be saved/And I wanna be whole.

A song like that sounds so good when you hear it and I really do believe at the time that is exactly what we really want God to do. But if I can be honest – when God really does search us and bring it to the surface for us to either repent and/or handle or ask for forgiveness of; it’s not so easy. As a matter of fact it’s quite painful and nerving because that truth is now an open box that you have to deal with face-to-face. Sometimes we chalk things up as “Oh, that’s just who I am – I can’t help it,” we know its a problem, but it’s a small problem that we tend to sweep under the rug to not remember any more.

I just had this experience on several occasions within the past week and because I’m big on being transparent, I wanted to share that with you today. As long as I could remember, I’ve always been known to be a very sweet, outgoing, loving and catering person – notice the last word – Catering. Yes, I tend to cater to peoples needs. However, I had a serious issue that the Lord had to really dig up and bring to the surface. By the time he brought it up out of the water, what started out as something as small as a grain of sand; ended up turning into a ship – Yes! I had kept the problem buried for so long until it had grown bigger over time. The problem I had was being totally honest with people. I’ve always been a caterer and when you cater to people, you tend to cater to their needs and wants, forgetting all about what you really need and want.

I had a good friend to ask me to be in a wedding this year, she wanted me to be the Maid of Honor, talk about excited – I was ecstatic about it, especially with helping her to plan her special day to trying on the dress and the whole nine. But, things took a major turn when I realized I didn’t have the funds to be in the wedding. On another note, I had a friend to give me some materials to write out for her; she wanted to turn a couple of videos into blog post and had asked, if I didn’t mind – could I do it. Of course I said Yes, very quickly. While I did do the first set of videos, Life happened and I wasn’t able to do the other set. Another Instance, lately I’ve been looking at moving and was looking into different places; I seen one I liked and contacted the property owner to setup a time to go and look at it, but on the day that I went to look – it was raining very badly and I ended up not going.

So, you may be wondering – Okay, so what’s the problem? Well, the thing is when life happened for me or if I couldn’t do something that I promised; I always came up with a lie as to why I couldn’t do it or just didn’t respond to the issue at hand – I always found it easier to just not respond to things of that nature, I literally would go M.I.A and when I was confronted – I would make something up that sounded really good and move on. Well God dealt with me about that and the instances I told you above went like this:

I was honest with my good friend and told her that as much as I would like to be in the wedding, I really couldn’t afford to do it. Money is tight and I had other pressing issues that needed to be handled. (In the past, I would have pressed on with being in the wedding and would have forsook all other responsibilities) And while they were off on wedded bliss, I would have been home crying my eyes out about how I was going to pay my next light bill. I ended up telling my friend that I apologize about the videos and not getting them to her in the time-frame that she wanted me too, I told her that life for me had gotten busy and that I would not be able to do anymore at this time but would finish the one’s she gave to me. (In times past, I would have just made something up about my reasoning’s). And last but not least the apartment showing – I ended up calling the lady and told her that I wouldn’t be able to make it to the showing and that I wanted to call her ahead of time and let her know. (In times past, I would have let the time come and go and she would not have saw me, I would have let her go out to the showing without calling or giving a reason as to why I couldn’t make it).

The bible says, “The small foxes, destroy the vine” Song of Solomon 2:15 – It’s not the big things in the end that will get us, it’s the small things that we don’t really think of or take notice too that will ultimately be our demise – even with getting into heaven. While I didn’t want God to reveal those things to me about myself – I appreciated the fact that he did and that he loved me enough to bring that big ship out of the ocean for me to confront. We’re all a work in progress, It’s better to be at peace with yourself than to displease God just to please people. If we are truly adamant about being like Christ and/or going back to be with him, then we have to allow him to bring all of our oceans bottom, to the TOP!

What about you

Has God been tugging at you to bring something from your sea floor to the surface?

Can Someone Please Pull Me Out of this Funk?

Published on February 20, 2017February 21, 2017 by Roshonda B2 Comments

Soooo, lately I’ve been feeling pretty – let’s say “unaccomplished.” It seems like no matter what I do, I seem to be moving backwards instead of forwards. My writing if I can be honest has even been way off, everything that I try to say just seems to come out as “BLAH, BLAH, BLAH” sort of like the adults voice in a Charlie Brown episode almost gibberish so to speak. My mojo, aspirations, emotions and sync ALL ZAPPED!

When I pick up a pen to write…..it’s almost like it leaves my hand and goes elsewhere. I have to admit, this emotion didn’t happen overnight, It all started on a rainy day in November, the end of November to be exact, when my best friend; confidante; girl and a bag of pearls left me forever. She was my mom. I loved her sooo much, as a matter of fact – some of my writings have been based on her such as “The Ugly Duckling Experience”, “Give Like you Rich” & “Lord, I need your Help! I Think.”

She was my greatest inspiration and cheerleader; everything I did or accomplished; was because of her. I lived to make her proud but on November 29^th I felt like all of my dreams and aspirations went out the window just as her last breath did. I remember getting the news at work and when I heard the words “Mama Passed this morning” from my sister, I went into a state of shock and disbelief. As I drove what seemed like forever to get to the hospital, my mind went into flashback mode of how she took care of me as a child and fast forwarded to the many things that she rooted and cheered me on about – even the things that weren’t so good.

I could talk to her about any and everything. She always told me “I don’t only want to be your mother, but I want to be your best friend” and that she was until God called her home. I really didn’t want to believe what the doctors were telling us about mama, they weren’t saying anything that they hadn’t said before and like all those other times – I felt like mama was going to pull through this, as she had always done previously. But this time was different…..

The doctors told us in the beginning that they give her 6 months; I ran with that – as Daddy was looking into second opinions and options and we as a family tried to put our heads together on what the next steps would be as far as her care was concerned. 6 months soon turned into 3 months; those months turned into two weeks. They told us that they give her Thanksgiving and that they really didn’t look for her to make it too or past that day but man’s extremity is just an opportunity for God to work. She not only lived to Thanksgiving, but she lived five days after it…I mean, what do Doctors really know – right?

When I got to the hospital; I remember walking into the room and just walked over and laid my body across hers; I cried and cried and cried – almost inconsolable. Why did she leave me? Why did God take her now? Why didn’t he heal her?…..so many questions flooded my mind as I laid across her lifeless body. My mom was a giver, she always gave her best and her last to everyone; she loved to see people smile. All the giving that my mom did in her life and right at the end of hers, I couldn’t give her what she needed to stay alive.

While for the last couple of months, I’ve been trying to cope with her being gone – it’s been quite an adjustment. I find myself looking back on her past text messages that she sent to me and read them over and over again. Yes, I think about her a lot. Sometimes I can’t believe that she’s really gone and think that maybe I’ll soon pick up my work phone or cell and hear her voice on the other end, telling me; she played a huge joke on me – as she would always state. “I’m a good actress” but I know in my heart that will not happen as the actress took her last bow.

So, I’ve been in what some would call a funk – it’s like I know what I’m supposed to be doing but can’t seem to really do it, if that makes sense. I talk to people and laugh and smile with them but on the inside, I feel so broken and incomplete. Yes, I’ve learned to put on a serious poker face. While mama is in a better place and deep on the inside of me, I’m really happy about that. I have to get out of this funk, I crawled myself into and fast. She always wanted the best for me and my state of mind is one thing I’m sure she would want me to get under control – “You gotta live too” she would say and she couldn’t be more right. I have to LIVE TOO!

Carolyn Annette Blackmon-Greene

10/22/1961 – 11/29/2016

Rest in Peace Mama a.k.a “Baby Mook”

Until we Chat Again, I Love You

You’re Always in my Heart!

Roshonda a.k.a “Mookie”

Have you ever gotten yourself into a Funk? A rough time in your life where you feel stuck, depressed or just discouraged? What did you do to get through your rough patch.

This blog post is a Q&A so please feel free to leave your comments below. We never know what the smiling faces of people that have broken hearts behind them may be dealing with. Let’s help each other and others whom may befacing a serious Funk!

It’s a Bird. It’s a Plane…No, It’s a Distraction!

Published on January 26, 2017January 26, 2017 by Roshonda B3 Comments

According to google’s dictionary the word DISTRACTION means, a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else and/or extreme agitation of the mind or emotions. If you’re anything like me, then I imagine you’ve had your share of LIFE’S DISTRACTIONS! A distraction can come in the form of a job, a spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, children, co-workers, family and etc.

Distractions are meant to push us off the road to our purpose and destiny, in which instead of moving us forward the smallest distraction can leave us stagnated (at a stand-still) or it can push us 10-50 feet backwards, it can be really hard to push ourselves UP again unless we really avoid distractions altogether. We live in a world where distractions are very common; as a matter of fact it’s so profound until we have actually grown immune to it. “It’s just a part of life,” we tell ourselves; not really giving attention to how disturbing a distraction can really be. A distraction is a silent killer that pops up unexpectedly in hopes to keep you from achieving the things you want and plan to do in your own life.

What’s your destiny? What’s your dream? What’s keeping you from following your heart? While most distractions are things, don’t forget that a distraction can also come in the form of WORDS! Has someone said anything to you lately that completely threw you off course? We have to be careful whom we share our dreams, hopes, ideas, goals and plans with. While people do mean well, they can also be the cause of a person not achieving their dreams, all because they didn’t get an opportunity to achieve theirs.

Distractions come in all forms, such as noise. You can never focus when you have too much noise around; you must get to a quiet place and make some time for yourself. If you don’t – then you’ll never be able to focus long enough to hear from God. Yes…God – he created you so therefore he knows the plans he has for you and the road in which he wants you to travel to get there, but you have to create a quiet place in order to hear directly from him. The phone is a major distraction. I never seen so many people on phones in church services; this could not have happened in my church back in the day. I also have never seen so many cases of phones causing accidents all because of distractions. Social media (while good), sometimes we can spend too much time on it. The 3 hours spent on social media liking friends pages and posting selfies could actually be time in which you could be finishing the next best book or movie that will take this nation by storm (Do you feel me?) Lastly, that brings me to time which is known to be the worlds greatest distraction because we misuse it the most.

I don’t know what your distractions may be today but figure out a way to find peace in the middle of it. Pray if you must and ask God to reveal what it is that is keeping you from focusing like you should or what’s keeping you from moving forward. Some of us should be miles ahead of ourselves by this point but distractions have made a home in our life and kept us from moving into our destiny. If you’re not where you want to be in life, look around you because it just might be a distraction that’s holding you back.

FOCUS! Because your DESTINY is so much better than a distraction…

Getting to Know All about You…

Published on January 4, 2017January 4, 2017 by Roshonda B7 Comments

CAN WE HAVE A CUP OF TEA AND CHAT A MOMENT?…

You know when I was younger, I didn’t have any friends as a matter of fact; because I kept to myself people deemed me as the weird kid and stayed away from me. But when people did stop and talk to me; I noticed I had a voice – and a good ear for listening. My voice provided comfort, support, encouragement, upliftment and my ears provided safety for their secrets and most precious thoughts. It was then that I discovered that while I may not had the outer beauty a physicality that I wanted so desperately to gain attention. I had something so much more beautiful on the inside of me. Something more precious than just being the cute girl next door….I had an encouraging voice.

Now I know that doesn’t sound like much, but we all have at least one thing about ourselves, one unique thing that makes us stand out in the crowd.

Encouragement was my gift. Do you know what your gift is?

In 2015 JustsumInspiration was born, I had finally accepted the call on my life to do what God had already equipped me to do and that is and always has been to encourage others. So, everything that’s placed on the justsuminspiration page was geared to do just that. But now that we are in 2017, almost 2yrs since the page was created; I now want to change things up and instead of writing all the time, now I want to hear from you. What are you facing in your life right now that you need help with, do you need a listening ear or do you have a question that you’ve been pondering and don’t know who to talk to? Well, JustsumInspiration is changing to be more than just a page that features pics, graphics and words……It’s now a place where you can talk to me and I talk to you, just think of it as having an extra friend to communicate with.

So you may message me through Facebook, or email me at justsuminspiration@gmail.com and I will answer your questions about God, Love, Marriage, Divorce, Being Single or even How to act on a job when your boss is acting crazy or just random things that you would like to talk about in general. These responses will be in video format (your name excluded, if you want) that will be posted on the justsuminspiration page. All that I don’t have answers for will be prayed about and researched. I want this page to be more than a place where you come and see words, but a place where you can come and feel comfortable with speaking what’s on your heart.

P.S. I am also thinking about sending out a monthly 7-day devotional, so if you would like a copy, please make sure you sign up on the popup link on the justsuminspiration page with your email address to receive yours or other notifications regarding the site itself.