Just Start

Searching for that reason to care
You know you should; you don't
But today, you are searching for one reason
just one...to re-engage
Must break this dangerous pattern of nothingness
Who can help?
You need help...or do you?
Is this avoidance? laziness? lack of compelling purpose? cause for real concern?
Who can you call?
No, no, no, hmmmm...no, spoke to him last time
Don't want to share this with her
No, no, no, hmmm...they will listen...but...
The irony is, you also want anonymity
So we won't call anyone
But this state blows
And caring is very important, so how do you make it happen?
You feel a bit of a chill because this whole thing
reeks of ingratitude, irresponsibility, ignorance...
and you know that you are possibly insulting Him
But you can't fake it with Him
Oh, yeh! Him!

You open His Word
Isaiah
"For your Maker is your bridegroom"
"For even if the mountains walk away
and the hills fall to pieces
My love won't walk away from you"
"But anyone who runs to Me for help
will inherit the land,
will end up owning My holy mountain!"

And you are thankful that you serve a God who understands you
Who knows your imperfections and loves you so much anyway
A God who wants your vulnerability, wants you to confide in Him
A God who can make you whole
A God for whom you do not have to pretend
And a God who, while loving and compassionate, does require action

You look around at the blessings
the success
the messes
the imperfections
And you decide to start from right where you are
It's OK
Just start

"Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I Am.'"


Keri S. Smith

Show Me The Way

Absolutely love it!



Sample lyrics...

Chorus:
Show me the way
Show me the way
Down here Lord,
need your power
Show me the way

Verse:
I said Lord I'm right here standing by myself
Lord I need, I need, I need, I need, I need, Lord I need, Lord I always need your help
Lord you pick me up and you turn me around
Oh, you place my feet on, on to the ground
Show, show me, show me the way


AMEN

MOVE

I started to cry
The tears wouldn't stop
It was so beautiful to see her
Young and proud, dancing her heart out for someone she loved
Doing whatever she could to support finding a cure for him
If a cure was even possible
As I watched her
I thought about my own hopes, my big dreams...my purpose yet unfulfilled
And I cried
I was so proud of her, so inspired
And honestly, I was cut to the core by her example
She shone a bright light on my inaction
So much talk, and yet no consistent momentum
As she danced, spoke boldly for her cause
I was impressed
I looked at her through my tears, and felt grateful
Thank you so much for your example, for the lesson
You reminded me that there is just no excuse
Get up
Move, act, do something...anything
Praise Him with your talents
MOVE
GET OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE
MOVE, MOVE, MOVE
Dance your heart out, make a difference
The world needs you, me, us
MOVE

Keri S. Smith

That is Why

With time you sometimes forget
The rationale, the sound reasons why
You sugarcoat the past
The good
There is always some good
As reminiscing becomes reality
You get comfortable, and ride the wave
And then something happens
It triggers the pain
the dirt and ugly underbelly
You slap yourself
That is why
You remember the decision had a purpose
That is why
And you pray that you never again forget


Keri S. Smith

Making Peace with Dah Process

OMG, it really can drive you bonkers
Bureaucracy
Slaves to the process
Rigidity that gives you nightmares
Paper, paper, paper and more paper
Goodbye thought
Goodbye spontaneity
Goodbye dynamism
Goodbye productivity
You should appreciate the persistence
That stalker-like follow up
It's really, really good
And because you know it is needed
That there is value in it
You keep biting your swollen tongue
And tell your inner big green guy, that today's not that day
You remind yourself that process is necessary
You have to respect it
And you smile secretly
Cause you know no one is gonna tame the rebel
Ain't no one gonna quench that spirit
Sap your power
You can play the game, play it well
Do the parts you don't like
And still enjoy the fire that is you
You whisper to greenie that it is all good
There's a season for everything


Keri S. Smith

Control the Tentacles

And you're up
The tentacles begin their search for what to latch on to
Are we happy today?
What was it that we had to worry about again?
Are we mad? Upset? Indifferent?
You're in a quandary
The tentacles extend, pushing through to help discern
what kind of mood we will be in today
Is today a power day?
Or an 'I don't feel like it' day?
Can we hide out?
Or must we show up?
What are we really about?
Mental renewal is a heck of a thing
It is mandatory
Critical to function
The tentacles need strict guidance
each moment
We need constant reminders of purpose
Bind them around your neck
Write them on your heart
Danger abounds in foolish thinking
Channel the tentacles, give them only one pathway
Guard the heart with much diligence
It is the wellspring of life


Keri S. Smith

Amen to a God of Specifics

You've been through tough times before
You committed that this time would be different
You would follow what He said from beginning to end
It got really tough
You prayed
You read
He promised that He would deliver
He said be anxious for nothing
You saw how others trusted Him through much worse
and were blessed
Daniel, Job, Jesus
It got tougher, uglier
You prayed in aggregate and in detail
You got really specific
Like Nehemiah, you shared a plan
You asked Him to bless it
You read some more
You got comfort from the Word
You remembered Him asleep on the ship in that horrendous storm
His followers in such a panic
He calmly awakes and says to the worriers "O ye of little faith"
He rebukes the wind and the seas, and all is well
Then the situation got even louder
You thought about tactics of old - the debilitating worry, the panicked planning, fault finding, the insecurity
And with His help, you had no use for such behavior
You stood up and took action
You surprised yourself - you were not worried
You 100% banked on His Word, and showed up each and every day...through it all
And with it came confidence, a new level of leadership
Your Friend had your back
He said you could do all things through Him
He expected much, and provided much
Amen. Amen. Amen. You found peace in the midst of chaos
You held on tight to His Word
He made you stronger, ready for the next battle
How awe-inspiring
You are left so grateful, so inspired, so in love
Muchas gracias for the gift


Keri S. Smith

Habits

Sweeping clean
It's in the past
New resolve
Fresh perspective
You've grown up
and all the time everything you say is in comparison to It
How to avoid It
Get rid of It
Move beyond It
Forget It
And somehow you can't quite run away from It
BECAUSE of the sheer mental energy you spend on
analyzing, dissecting, and solving for...It
Man, oh, man
So now you are trying a novel approach
Don't worry about trying to stop It
Just find a new IT to focus on
A more worthy IT, a healthier IT
Hallelujah for the new and improved...IT


Keri S. Smith

Quote of the Day - Laugh

Laughter is gold

- Keri S. Smith

No speaka Spanish - No wanta speaka to you @ all anyway

Telemarketers, I have a few questions for you

? ? ? ?

1) How on earth did I get on your Spanish speakers' distribution list? Yeh, I did Spanish in High school and 2 semesters in college, but I am not fluent. Why I am now getting automated pitches en espanol from y'all?

2) How many times can you give a "last" or "final" offer on opportunities? In a week, you leave me automated messages saying that this is the last chance I have to opt-in to your offer. Dude, there can only be one last. See Dictionary.com for details

3) Why the cell? Fine, you leave messages on my landline. Annoying, but I can live with it. But, my Blackberry? And once you dared to contact me on my iPhone. That's violation. Stop it.

Gotta pay wifey back!

A few days ago, I was riding in a cab late at night. We are approaching my apt complex and I notice that there is an "OUT OF ORDER" sign on the cabbie's credit card machine - well, it's really a piece of paper with the words written in blue, rubber banded on to the machine.

Keri: "We need to go to an ATM because I have no cash"

Cabbie: "It's OK, we'll figure something out"

Keri: "You don't have to drop me off in front of my building, just circle and go to the ATM so that I can pay you. I have no cash"

Cabbie: *Waves his hands in the air* "Don't worry about it, we'll figure it out"

I give him a confused look as he pulls up in front of my building. Cabbie then turns around and reaches his arm back into my section of the vehicle. Huh?!

He grabs on to the credit card machine and removes the "OUT OF ORDER" sign. I look at him. I start to laugh. He looks at me with a sheepish grin and we both start laughing.

Cabbie: "My wife loaned me the money to buy taxi and EVERY NIGHT I go home, she ask for CASH. Money, money, money. She wants me to pay off the loan. People only want to use card, but I need cash. We have expenses too. I need to buy food, gas. I need cash. And I need to pay wife."

We start laughing again. I swipe my card, and make sure to give him a good tip - wifey needs to be paid!

Necessity is the mother of invention!

A-Rod's Press Conference - Alex Rodriguez on Steroid Abuse

Thank God A-Rod did not get acting tips from Madonna. That would have made yesterday's press conference even more amusing. Alex Rodriguez decided it was time to respond to the Sports Illustrated article which stated that he tested positive for steroids in 2003. This was only after his attempts to discredit SI writer Selena Roberts, by claiming that she was a stalker and a liar, backfired.

I enjoyed watching A-Rod at work. He was coached well by his PR team. If I took a shot for every time he said "young", "stupid", "24 or 25", or "sorry", I'd need to go to that special place where Amy Winehouse desperately needs to be - Rehab not St. Lucia.

A-Rod provided us with some great quotables, and instances where you really had to wonder if he thought you were that gullible. Here are a few examples:

"I knew we weren't taking Tic Tacs"

"I'm here to take my medicine" (Bad time for that analogy!)

"I didn’t think they were steroids. That’s again the part of being young and stupid. It was over the counter, it was pretty basic. And you know, it was really amateur hour." (Over the what? Really Alex?!! LOL. )

"You know, I’m not sure what the benefit was. I will say this: when you take any substance, or anything, especially in baseball, it’s half mental, and half physical. If you take this glass of water and you say I’m gonna be a better baseball if you believe it, you probably will be. So I certainly felt more energy, but it’s hard to say. It’s hard to say." (C'mon Alex. You knew what the benefits were )

"We went outside team doctors, team trainers. It was two guys doing a very amateur and very immature thing. We probably didn’t even take it right; like I said in my statement, we used to do it about two times a month. I don’t even know if that’s proper. (You let your cousin inject you with a foreign substance you knew nothing about? Give us some credit, Alex! You're handsome, but not that handsome! We are actually listening to what you are saying, not just being mesmerized by your looks!)

The best part of the conference for me was that 1 minute pause, where Alex got so choked up thanking his team for their support. We had several seconds of silence as Alex bit his lip, looked away, and tried not to cry. As you admired his tan, you also wanted to comfort him. It was that believable! A-Rod could teach Madonna a thing or two about an Oscar winning performance.

Overall, A-Rod played a good game. Even as he stretched the truth, he did it in such a way that we did not feel like complete morons, although we would have to be to accept some of what he was spinning. His team took a week to rehearse, and A-Rod recited his lines well, and was able to appear credible most of the time. Nice work.

Rihanna and Chris - The Latest

Chris Brown allegedly hit and bit his girlfriend Rihanna. She suffered visible injuries and had to go to the hospital for treatment.

Chris recently released the following statement:

"Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired," the 19-year-old said in a statement released by his spokesman. "I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God's help, to emerging a better person. Much of what has been speculated or reported on blogs and/or reported in the media is wrong. While I would like to be able to talk about this more, until the legal issues are resolved, this is all I can say except that I have not written any messages or made any posts to Facebook, on blogs or any place else. Those posts or writings under my name are frauds."

Rihanna has yet to come out with a statement, however, her family and friends have surfaced various comments to the media. Her father has been the most outspoken. He acknowledged that Rihanna had some bruising, but said that she would be all right. He went on to share that he hoped that Rihanna would move on from dating Chris Brown, and that "at some point, she will speak out. I hope she will stand up for women all over the world." Rihanna insiders have said that the singer was appalled by Brown's statement, especially since he did not admit any guilt.

The singer continues to reside in Barbados, recovering from her injuries with those closest to her.

--------------------------------

Additional Highlights:

*History of Violence: Brown grew up in an abusive household, where he witnessed his stepfather beating his mother. "He used to hit my mom ... He made me terrified all the time, terrified like I had to pee on myself," Brown said during a 2007 interview with Giant magazine.

*Adverse Impact on Career: Wrigley suspended Brown's Doublemint gum ad; the Milk Moustache campaign said they were taking the allegations "very seriously"; and Sesame Street pulled a 2007 episode where Brown guest-starred from all future airings. Meanwhile, Rihanna has postponed her concert schedule

*Damage Control: Brown has hired top crisis management expert, Alan Nierob, to help save his career. Nierob, a veteran Hollywood publicist, is most known for reviving Mel Gibson's career after Mel's infamous anti-semitic tirade

Rihanna and Chris Brown - Assault

Rihanna and Chris Brown were scheduled to perform at the Grammy's tonight. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the couple were involved in a car accident and that Al Green will perform in their place. Rihanna's rep did not provide any details, just saying that "Rihanna is well. Thank you for the care and support. "

Let's hope that there are no major injuries.

Update:

Apparently there was no car accident. Rihanna pulled out of performing at the Grammy's after police reported that they were investigating an assault claim against Chris Brown by an unidentified woman. LA police state that Chris Brown argued with said woman on Saturday night and the fight heated up when both left the car that Chris was driving. The woman had visible injuries and identified Chris Brown as her attacker. Chris left the scene before the police had arrived.

Michael Phelps Bonged it Up

He lost the Kellogg's endorsement deal.

Subway was next, allegedly, but the sandwich giant decided to keep him.

Poor Michael Phelps. The bong is indeed powerful.

Ever since his awe-inspiring Olympic victory in Beijing, all the 23-year old Phelps has done -if you rely on press stories - is party it up and hang out with a series of beautiful, pneumatic women. Who could blame him? After training non-stop for years, having no life but swimming, it was time to relax, grow a beer belly and enjoy the female attention.

But Phelps got careless. He forgot how special he was, how much of a celebrity, and unfortunately how to hide before that incriminating photo gets taken. Phelps probably trusted the people he was with, or more likely they were all too high to care - and now Phelps suffers the consequences.

After pics of Phelps and the bong emerged, I wondered to a friend what the repercussions would be. I suggested that if Phelps worked with his PR team to give a good public apology and if he were then pictured swimming vs.partying, sponsors would stay with him. I felt people would forgive bong-gate, if the offender acted sorry enough.

Then Kellogg's dropped Phelps, and I ate some humble pie. He was suspended from competition and financial support for 3 months by USA Swimming, the sports national governing body. Subway was rumoured to be the next sponsor to leave, and although I was sorry for Phelps, I was pleasantly surprised by a world that still taught that good judgement is best and even a simple lapse can have significant consequences. It can be a scary lesson, but shows us the importance of pondering our pathway and that sometimes "sorry" just isn't enough.

You'll be alright, Phelps. Party is over. Back to swimming and the discipline that provides.

Unleashing the Cat

Let's do it
You and me
A private room
I am ready for you
I have my cat o'nine tails
and my shiny purple boots
with spiked heels


::lash #1::
For all the times you spoke to me in your deep, condescending voice
As if I were a little biddy thing, who had absolutely no clue about life
As if I were just too helpless to manage myself in such a big man's world

::lash #2::
For all the times you didn't allow me to finish a sentence
You not only raised your voice
You interrupted me, feeling that what you had to say was more important
You oozed machismo, and added no value

::lash #3::
For all the times you got away with bloody murder
You stayed protected by working the buddy & drinks network
And someone else had to do what you were supposed to
Or clean up after you

::lash #4::
For all the times you could not admit that you were wrong
You became so creative trying to justify your way
You ignored the looks of pity, disgust and shock
And dug even deeper

::lash #5::
For all the times you were so nice
And made us like you, love you
Then you changed again and embraced the ugly
Trampling our trust

::lash #6::
For all the times you denied the true you
That beauty we know is there
Just to massage your ego
And pander to current philosophies

You discipline those you care about, right?
Well, let me be honest
My primary focus right now is me
I need to maintain peace and love when I interact with you
Forgiveness
Of course I too am flawed
And I do not ever want to get to that place where anger is dominant
Where I feel the need to actually pull out the whip
That good ole cat 'o nine
For a person who can't control their spirit
is the most damned of all


Keri S. Smith

You're What I See

I am not even sure why I kinda like you
When I analyzed the data points
Compared it to past trends
I narrowed it down to a couple of things
You respect and love Him
You make me laugh
You are witty, smart
You are multi-faceted
You are sexy
You're there
So what's the hold up?
I did some more analytics and found that
You remind me sometimes of Hugh Hef and Casanova
You talk but don't always act
You often don't get what a woman wants
I am not comfortable being vulnerable with you
I am not sure if you can handle me
But you are there
You make me smile
You are cute
You entertain me
Fill a gap
I can dig you
We have a connection
There's a lot still to explore
But I know that there is a good reason why I never left the "kinda like" phase, and probably never will
Experience has taught me not to invest much here
I ain't mad - the world's my oyster
Patience pays back in spades
Dinner's almost ready
Yum


Keri S Smith

The Raw & The Beautiful

You see her and are transfixed
She is so happy, loudly confident, and alive
Pulsating beauty
She loves life, and is fiercely protective of her special ones
She flouts convention and is often bawdy
People love being around her
She makes you smile, and sometimes wish to be her

But you know that she often goes too far
She likes to shock, cross the line
She spits on the rules
And while you love her freedom of expression - find her so refreshing
You admit that not all of her movements are wise
She seems to buy into empty philosophies about what it is to be a powerful woman
Much of moral law is antiquated, restrictive, sexist
She is definitely courageous; but sometimes she pushes too much, and debases herself
No one dares to guide her, to correct her - to consider that there could be 'an extreme' that is wrong
She is too darn entertaining, too much of a bright spark in this world
They love her way too much to risk killing such amazing energy
And although you know better
That much of what she does is anti-Him
You can honestly find in her a kindred spirit
That candor, the truthfulness of her being her
You also want to embrace the rawness of your humanity
To live you
The truth, no sugar
To say it, how you really want to say it
Guttural, raw, full of fire
Refusing a lukewarm existence
Living without doubt, with light in your life
And that's what you really see in her
so Raw...so Beautiful


Keri S. Smith

Blogworthy moments missed; but the KSS is back!

Happy New Year, everyone!

*Snicker* Well, it's still technically January, Jan 31 to be exact, so it's not totally laughable to be giving the New Year greeting at this stage! Right? *Snicker*

Man, what a time for me to go off the blogging wagon! I mean...

• Obama won the election. My O! face is permanently in place (?!)

• The entire planet descended on Washington, D.C. for O's inauguration; rumor has it that one person actually saw O up close and personal, the rest viewed via Jumbo Trons
  
  


• Aretha's hat makes history



• Hillary Clinton was named Secretary of State



• Dick Cheney claims he did not overstep the boundaries of the Vice Presidency. Not even he can keep a straight face when he reads those words from the cue cards
  
  
  
• Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, in a bid to make money off of the Obama phenomenon -tries to sell O's senate seat. This act allows the beleaguered Eliot Spitzer to seem almost saint like by comparison
  
  
• Bernie Madoff stole billions, prompted suicides, bankrupted charities, and yet still had the gall to whine about being held under house arrest in his Manhattan penthouse
  
  
  
  
• Heather Mills boasts about being more of a guy-magnet than her gorgeous model friends, conveniently forgetting that the guys started chasing only after her networth skyrocketed thanks to Paul McCartney's refusal to sign a prenup



• Brad and Angie continue to replenish planet earth; gorgeous twins added to the human race
  



• Geese force a plane to land in the NY Hudson River
  
• Layoffs, layoffs and more layoffs
  
• John Travolta's son dies at 16
• Paris Hilton tries to remain relevant - launches British version of her BFF show, and bores the heck out of anyone who still cares to watch her
  
• The Hills multiplies, and brings forth The City. Success for Whitney! She's not as stilted as she appears, and her show is renewed for a second season
  
• Britney is back! Daddy Spears finally embraces fatherhood and turns around his daughter's life


• Heath Ledger wows in The Dark Knight
  
• Hugh's bunny loft undergoes repairs. Girls leave, trash Sugargrandaddy, apologize, and continue to show off their younger stud loves. Hef consoles himself with more of the same - young, busty, blonde, and trampy (too harsh?)
  
• Mariah Carey and Nick are still together (yes!)
  
• Wall Street begs taxpayers for handout, while awarding themselves $20Billion in bonuses - executives get blistering tongue lashing from President O

• People watch in awe, get goosebumps, as they see a relevant U.S. president - laughter is heard whenever anyone ponders "what would Bushie do?" if he were still in office
  
  
• Republicans amuse all with their antics. Hillary lost, they pick Palin. Obama wins, they pick Michael Steele



• The blackberry now comes in a flip phone!
  

And so, so many more blogworthy moments.

Well the K.S.S. is back! Happy 2009 y'all. Keep reading!

XOXOX