As This Year Gets Ready to Flip to the Next

Friends Around the World,

It´s me Carla. It is New Years Eve....not quite the evening yet, but still the afternoon and  I want to take a minute and write y´all a note.

I just want to say that I am grateful for each one of you. I thank you for your support this year :) I thank you for your views, your clicking on the links, your sharing my blog posts on your social media and your comments. They have really been a blessing! Thank you so very much from my heart!

I also want to say this. I have a wish for you in this coming year.

Let me write it here...

My readers and viewers, I pray that you will find an open door this new year in 2024. I pray that you will have the strength and courage to open this new door. I pray that when you open this new door, that you will find the knowledge to succeed with what you find behind that new door. I pray that the new knowledge you have been seeking will open itself to you and no longer remain a mystery. I pray that you will use this knowledge for your own good and others around the world. I pray that you will know patience in the timing of your steps, without waiting too long to step into the unknown. 

 I pray that your success will be noticed and that your prosperity will begin to solidify...if it has thus far been elusive. 

I pray that good people will take the time to pray for you and for your family, and that you will see progress in your life and in your family´s life in 2024. When these things, these movements....begin to occur in this new year of 2024, I pray that you will give God the glory and thank Him. I pray that you will smile and know God´s smile.

And finally, I pray that you will have peace knowing that God is not competitive, but gentle and kind.

in Jesus´s name.

amen.

Carla

Gourd Curry by Grandma and Daughter | Village Life

I don´t know what it is about this channel...these videos of a hardworking grandma and her daughter in a village somewhere.....simply making food.

Perhaps it is the sanctity of the ritual of prepping a meal with a loved one. That sense of safety, of good will and the desire to feed your family and guests well.

Watch the way the grandma sits washing each vegetable thoroughly before calmly slicing and dicing each one to the right size. The garlic is washed and sliced and then mashed into a paste with an old fashioned mortar and pestle. Lovely.

Sometimes, we in north america look too much at recipies, at fancy notions of gourmet meals, when the answer lies in humility.....

The answer sometimes lies in being content to do that which is simple and repetitive until it yields a tasty result.

I am sure this grandma has prepared this kind of meal a hundred or perhaps thousands of times. She never rushes and never endangers herself with the sharp utensils. Both the grandma and the daughter work peacefully and silently together.

The result? A healthy beautiful hand made home cooked meal, bursting with flavour and fresh natural foods.

I just must say ¨Hallelujah¨ for mothers and grandmothers such as these who show us ladies the way...how to provide, prepare and above....to be patient in the process.

Peace,

Carla

He Called me Handsome?

Not sure what this is all about....is it the brown hair? or is it the curls?

For most of my life I have been a curly/wavy haired brunette, unless I dive head first into the red hair dye, which does happen upon occasion.

But, I have noticed that I kinda fall into a certain ¨type¨...

Think  
@TheRachelMaria ....or the Mom from the sitcom Ïn the Middle¨ played by Patricia Heaton, or 

the curly haired attorney who plays Helen Tudor Fisk on the netflix show ¨Fisk¨, named Kitty Flanagan.

We are all cute and sometimes fabulous, but none of us are devastatingly gorgeous.....and for the most part, I´d say.... we are ok with that. ( sorry ladies if you´re not).

But what is the deal when a man says you are  ¨handsome¨...... is that an insult? Is it some kind of compliment? 

Er ...um  ....Is it flattering for a woman to be handsome? Or should I be ticked off???

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_Heaton

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Flanagan 

https://youtu.be/eIzJFbAVZr8?feature=shared   (the Rachel Maria´s youtube channel)

She does a hilarious Nancy Pelosi skit...

 (screen grab below courtesy of https://www.therachelmaria.com/team/rachel-maria/  )

Is it comparable for a guy to be called a pretty boy, as for a woman to be called handsome?

Should a guy be annoyed for being called a pretty boy?

Ok folks, I´m still in a quandary on this one.

Do spill.... tell me what you think on this one....unless you try to call me handsome....please don´t :)

from your fave brown curly haired middle aged blogger,

Carla.

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Why Do Meditation Gurus Tell Us to Empty our Minds?

Oh Lord, I do feel a rant coming on. 

Why do those who teach meditation try to get their followers to empty their minds.....and then call it mindfulness?

If my observations of the folks of my modern world are any indication .....we need more FULL minds.....not empty ones.

I suppose the argument then is about WHAT to fill one´s mind with. Yes, I can understand how one would desire to empty out the annoying and unimportant stuff floating about one´s mind....But hey....our human minds are not garbage cans....we can´t just take them to the curb and empty out that brain can.

If I have any accurate understanding of the human brain ....it would be this: If you don´t like what´s floating in your brain....you need to input more of the good solid stuff....stuff that is filled with truth and light and love.

And if you are saying ¨Öh my,,,,, now she is going to evangelize¨......then you might be partially correct.

It is no secret that I am fan of the old King James Version of the Bible. I like it in the audio  version and play it often. I have discovered that the chaos of modern society bows down to the gentle and concrete wisdom of this ancient book. But hey, truth be told, the bible is more than just an old book. It is alive.

It is the book that you never really finish reading. That used to be make me mad....because I would try over and over and over to ¨finish¨ reading the bible.....and discovered much to my dismay that every time I read the book, I found more depth....more territory to explore and more beauty and kindness and wisdom than I had ever thought possible. 

The bible is literally an unending book, written by the Spirit of the Unending Father....who keeps us and entrusts us with this miracle book. It is a book of fire....that fire consumes that which gets in it´s way.

No need to empty one´s mind first before reading the bible aloud or listening to it in audio form or listening to someone else read it to you. This book is most gentle and yet most powerful....a mysterious contradiction. 

Friends, before I chat on too long, I just want to say this....please be careful of those who try to get you to empty your mind. Your mind was not intended to be empty, but to be full of the words of your heavenly Father. The good will push out the wasted thoughts and useless obsessions. You are a created being. Commune with your Father, the Creator. 

Peace,

Carla

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Your Gifts will Carve out a Place for You

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A word of encouragement today. My thoughts today are propelled by a verse from Proverbs 18:

16 A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.

Sometimes, friends we need to trust the process....know that the good things we do naturally because they are gifts given to us by God, will prepare a place for us in this world.

Yes, I am talking about this world,  and not some ethereal mystical place.

This is another reason why I like the book of Proverbs, because it is really grounded and practical. It is fabulously encouraging to sense this truth spiritually that verse 16 talks about.

Let´s say for example, you love to sing and sing whenever you get the chance. When you sing it´s like Heaven opens and the atmosphere in the room becomes electric. That is a sign that you are practicing one of your personal spiritual gifts. God gave you that gift and the gift itself will propel you forward. You can trust the process and keep singing regularly and know that God will open doors for you in this area of life.

May God bless you and the exercising of the gifts He has personally given to you. May it be easy to recognize your gifts. May you see the signs of His prospering what you have put your hands or voice to do.

Peace,

Carla

Come Walk This Way

Did you ever have an experience like little Bobby?

¨Bobby said they don´t like him on that sports field, where he just waddled up to join a team on a whim. Why do you think they don´t like you Bobby? Because they told me to get lost....Bobby stuttered as a tear trickled down his little cheek.....¨

Anyone who has gone through any kind of rejection, whether they were young or over 50, it can carry a sting unlike any other. It feels like a slap in the face, an utterance that stuns and shocks the beauty and joy out of a day....a crushing blow especially to the young who seem to be born naturally optimistic.

The thought I wanted to talk about today is that one of the most beautiful attributes that I have learned and experienced of Ǵod is that HE absolutely does not play favourites. He doesn´t pick and choose which humans to love.  

God does not carry a grudge against certain people. God does not carry a spirit of rejection towards any human being. Rejection is not a part of God´s character. God is the Healer. He heals people physically and He also heals their hearts. Emotional and social wounds from years ago can be healed by God´s Spirit, if we give Him the chance. He, the Spirit of God, is truly patient and kind.

Sometimes, we may not even remember an experience of rejection that we may have suffered from many years ago. But God´s love is thorough and patient. His love penetrates the crevices of our hearts, where no one may go. His Spirit has such a delicate love that wipes away fear and trauma. He allows juicy golden tears to wash away the sorrows we have kept locked down for too long.

God loves us all, every single one of us. No matter where you were born, and who your parents were or are, and what your appearance is or isn´t......God´s love is stable. His love is supreme.

Yes, there is hatred in the world, but we can choose not to walk in it. We can face hateful situations without becoming hateful ourselves. It is something we all will face at some point in life. But we must come know that God is Love. He is love personified.

Come walk this way.....walk with the carpenter that taught us all the value of sacrificial love.

Peace,

Carla

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Celebrities and their Low Net Worths....Huh?

I don´t know if this is just me....but I always assumed as soon as someone achieved a certain celebrity status on t.v., that their net worth would increase accordingly and promptly.

But the more I read about the net worth of several reality tv show stars, I see that that is often NOT the case. Many many reality stars who have spent years churning out popular episodes are reported as having net worths of less than one million dollars.

Now, let´s just put net worth into the perspective of a  ¨Toronto¨ homeowner. The average house as per Zolo ( as of Dec 1, 2023)  in Toronto is worth $1,077,531. in canadian funds. That means if you own an average home in Toronto and have  no mortgage on it....you are technically a millionaire. You have a net worth of at least 1 million dollars.

But if we look at, let´s say just for an example, ¨Sue Aiken¨ from the popular northern survival show 

¨Life Below Zero¨ reality series,....Sue is reported by (https://briefly.co.za/97983-sue-aikens-net-worth-salary-husband-divorce-children-career.html) as having a net worth of only $500,000. Now, that is probably in US dollars, so that would be higher if translated into Canadian funds. But still, it would still put her net worth under a million dollars.

But if you look at how many views her episodes have garnered over the years and how recognizeable Sue Aikens is.....you  begin to see a disconnect. The shocking truth is that celebrity and fame does not equal instant wealth. You can be popular and well known and still have a  net worth of less than a million dollars.

Now, you may be correct by saying, that websites that pretend to estimate a celebrity´s net worth are just guessing....and have little factual support. Yes, you may be correct.

But try a little exercise today....what is your favourite reality series? Is it  ¨Selling Sunset¨? Is it 

¨Life Below Zero¨ or ¨Extreme Cheapskates¨? Try typing your favourite actor on one of these shows into your favourite search engine and add the words ¨Net worth¨ and you will be sure to be surprised. Some of the most glamourous tv personalities with very fancy tv wardrobes may have a lower net worth than you do!

So, my blab fest is done. My point is made. TV fame does not equal wealth. Perhaps the net works do not offer good compensation to many celebrities for their participation. Or is it perhaps that many actors or actresses do not know how to negotiate better deals for themselves when it comes to reality tv episodes?

Good business people learn how to leverage their celebrity into several income streams, with licensing deals and merch. They develop the ability to monetize their images into cash machines.

It does bear repeating that fame does not necessarily guarantee a good sense for business. 

So, in summary, if you have had the good fortune of garnering some fame, take the time to learn how to monetize that stardom. Write a book..... produce a line of goods that takes advantage of your perceived area of expertise. Go on podcasts and promote your merch. Become a promoter of a brand you can partner with. Be sure to get good agents and lawyers who will help you maximize the earning power of your fame and help you negotiate the best dollar deals for your next TV appearance. Be a good brand ambassador!

The networks make billions of dollars from the backs of eager reality tv stars. Think they all have the right to prosper? Sure they do.

Peace out,

Carla.

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