Five Minute Friday-Here

August 7, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Hola Divas! Happy Friday.   One of the most requested things from our blog has been the Five Minute Friday posts. Sooooo, they are back! Each week, Kate Motaung posts a one-word prompt on her blog and women from all over the world write from their hearts for five minutes then share their words.

If you have never read our Five-Minute Friday posts in the past, you really need to check them out! Today’s word is HERE.

Sometimes, getting to your destination is a reason to celebrate.  As you get settled, you take a breath and happily announce..”I’m HERE!!!”.

At other times, HERE is an emotion.  Someone asks you how you are and you simply respond…”I’m HERE“.

HERE can be a destination, an emotion, a way of specifying your location, or a simple answer to let your teacher know you are in class.

Most of all….HERE is the only place we can be right now.

Although I know this, I spend a lot of time rehashing feelings and happenings from old destinations and worrying about those I have not yet experienced.

All my thinking can get pretty noisy.

Perhaps that is why I like the music in our classes so loud.

It makes it kinda hard to do anything but shake, smile and sweat with a great beat and beautiful faces surrounding you.

80’s Class July 9, 2015

But what seems so simple…a dance fitness class, is actually part  of our preparation for our next assignment.

As we take care of ourselves, we are better equipped to take care of others.

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” Isaiah 6:8

 

Zumba girls

80’s Party July 9, 2015

 

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Five Minute Friday on Saturday-FREE

July 18, 2015 by 3 Comments

Hola Divas and happy weekend!  One of the most requested things from our blog has been the Five Minute Friday posts.  Sooooo, it’s back…a day late but back nonetheless!  Each week, Kate Motaung posts a one-word prompt on  her blog and women from all over the world write from their hearts for five minutes then share their words.

If you have never read our Five-Minute Friday posts in the past, you really need to check them out! Today’s word is FREE.

Earlier this month, we had an 80’s party during class.  To say it was a blast is a complete understatement.  The Divas went all in with costumes, make-up and a boat load of sassy-ness.

IMG_0869

 

Look at the smiles…these ladies were FREE……for one silly moment.

With every thing going on in our country, FREEdom has seemed hard…polarizing even.

But there is something liberating about shaking your hips, sweating, hooping and hollering with a room full of other women…and it all starts with a prayer.  Yep, that’s the way the Divas get down.

God’s word is true….”For where two or three are gathered together……there am I in the midst of them”. (Matthew 18:20)

I caught a glimpse of what being FREE really means standing on stage, watching beautiful women of all sizes, shapes, colors and life circumstances dance to a rendition of Gloria Estefan’s 80’s hit “Conga”.

FREE was that exact moment.

Divas Dancing

FREE was not thinking about anything else but being fully immersed in what was happening and being so thankful for it.

Dance Fit Divas Free-80s

 

 

 

 

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Five Minute Friday-Together

October 25, 2013 by 1 Comment

Every Friday, Lisa Jo Baker hosts a blog link up called Five Minute Fridays. She provides a word prompt and then participants are to set their timers for five minutes and write until the timer goes off. The word for today is Together. Happy Friday Divas and here goes:

Some things just go better…together:  milk and cookies, salt and pepper, macaroni and cheese, chips and dip.

When life happens we sometimes decide to hide within ourselves. We put our big girl panties on and face things alone.

Sounds noble…except alone can sometimes mean catching the train straight to Crazytown where our thoughts are all over the place and totally irrational.

Whether we would like to admit it or not, we need other people.  We need “Sistas” who will give us a hug after a hard day, meet a need, tell us when we are out of line AND remind us to go to our true source of power and resolution…GOD.

Life is simply done better...together.

Glow Party after

What I decided would be an eight week session three years ago, God transformed into a community of women of all different shapes, sizes, colors, ages and stages journeying through life together.

A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12 NLT

Who are the sistas is your life? Call one of them up today.

There is light and love in the sisterhood of community.

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Five Minute Friday-In Between

June 28, 2013 by 4 Comments

imageIt’s Friday y’all! Whoo hoo! Every Friday, Lisa Jo Baker hosts a blog link up called Five Minute Fridays (FMF). She provides a word prompt and then participants are to set their timers for five minutes and write until the timer goes off. If you have NEVER read our FMF posts, I urge you to read past posts. Today’s word is actually two words:  in between.

Most of the time, I feel like I am in a whirlwind of “to-dos”…..somewhere in between working, mommying, dancing with you divas, laundry, and dust bunnies who haunt me.  I trick myself into doing just “one more thing” in search of the illusion of getting everything done and riding the happy train of peace, unicorns and rainbows.

I can’t say the happy train (minus the unicorns),  has never come to my station but when it does come, it doesn’t stay long.  I seem to live in between train stops. 

Last week, I started using the Crossfade feature on my Ipod that allows for music to be played without breaks in between the music during class.  Crossfade sort of creates a DJ like feeling because the end of one song is mixed into the beginning of another song.  After about three songs, you begin to long for the good ol’ days of a short pause before each song. In between suddenly takes on a new meaning:)

Do you ever feel in between?

The fact of the matter is….we are all in between.   At some point in our lives we are:  in between singleness, marriage, children, jobs, fitness goals, being caregivers, housework, illnesses, good times, sad times. 

I read a quote by Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter that really described my in between feelings:  “Everything can look like a failure in the middle”.

The good news is looking like a failure and really being one are two totally different things. 

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6

 

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Five Minute Friday-Home

March 8, 2013 by 10 Comments

Class 10/31/12

Happy Friday Divas! We are linking up with Lisa Jo Baker, (The Gypsy Mama), for her weekly writing link up–Five Minute Friday (FMF). For most FMFs, Lisa Jo provides a one word prompt and challenges writers to write about the prompt for five minutes ONLY. Today’s word is Home.

We had quite a few Divas join us for class last night who had not attended class for a long time. As I excitedly hugged Mrs. “AB” and welcomed her back, I noticed that she has lost a lot of weight. She looks amazing! I took great pride in telling her how “hawt” she looked.

The beautiful curly red-headed Ms. “JD” returned to class after a long hiatus last night also. When I greeted her, she smiled at me and then showed me her scar from her thyroid removal surgery. Ms. “JD” has been recovering from thyroid cancer. I batted back tears as she told me about the surgery, her pain, her fatigue and being happy to be able to dance again.

Just when class was about to start, Mrs. “DB” bounced into class with a hot pink t-shirt on and a big smile. Mrs. “DB” used to NEVER miss a class but she had foot surgery and last night was her first night back. We were all very excited to see her.

Mrs. “MF” came to class last night too. She has been taking care of her husband as he battles cancer. She, just like Mrs. “DB” was a consistent regular in the past.

During one of our water breaks, Ms. “KB” came up to me and said: “We have a reason to celebrate. My daughter is going to be able to keep her house.” We have been praying as a class that God provide for Ms. “KB”‘s daughter’s house situation for quite some time now.

As we cooled down to Kirk Franklin’s “Smile”. I felt the Holy Spirt moving as looked out into the gym filled with beautiful faces. So many of these ladies are doing just what the song says… even though they hurt…they smile…even though they have been there for a while…they smile…they know God is working…so they smile…and they dance!

At the end of class, I announced that we had several ladies who were back with us. I called out their names and everyone cheered for them! The gym roared with praise over our Divas coming back home.

“Home is where hearts huddle together and hold on for the meaning of life”. –Shelly Miller

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Five Minute Friday-Ordinary

March 1, 2013 by 2 Comments

Happy Friday Divas! We are linking up with Lisa Jo Baker, (The Gypsy Mama), for her weekly writing link up–Five Minute Friday (FMF). For most FMFs, Lisa Jo provides a one word prompt and challenges writers to write about the prompt for five minutes ONLY. Today’s word is ORDINARY.

What happens when ordinary women come together and encourage each other? The extra-ordinary love of God is experienced.

I am simply ah-mazed at all the beautiful rainbow of women that attend class each week. Empty-nesters, toddler mommies, mommies of teenagers, married without children, single, brown skin, peach skin, tall, short, thin, and my favorite..chunky but funky—all together dancing away the cares of the week.

A wonderful lady we will just call “V” dances on the front row of class. “V” is from Miami and I LOVE to watch her dance. We did a merengue number last night and I was just mesmerized watching her. At one point in the song, I yelled “whoo-hoo” and told everyone to watch her.

At the end of class, ladies kept coming up to her to compliment her dancing. She graciously said thank you but then informed everyone that she is just ORDINARY in comparison to her family in Miami. She even said if her family members were in class, they would put her to shame!

Believe me when I tell you there is NOTHING ORDINARY about “V” as a dancer or as a person. Just watching the way she feels the music and then loses herself to the point where she does her own routine and adds her signature spin gives me so much joy. Just talking with her and being in her presence makes you smile.

We often down play our awesomeness because we look at ourselves through the dark-colored glasses of comparison. When we compare, it is hard to see ourselves as anything but ORDINARY. God uses ordinary people every day. Little truly does become much when it is placed in the Master’s hands.

If you are in the Kernersville, NC area–join us for bible study and class on Saturday.

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Five Minute Friday-Afraid

February 1, 2013 by 3 Comments

Five Minute FridayEvery Friday, Lisa Jo Baker hosts a blog link up called Five Minute Fridays (FMF). She provides a word prompt and then participants are to set their timers for five minutes and write until the timer goes off.  I am so thankful that I found Five Minute Fridays!  FMF gives me an opportunity to just “freestyle”!

Many of you have told me that you really enjoy reading the FMF posts!  You can read previous FMF posts: HERE.

Today’s word is Afraid.

When I was a little girl, I was AFRAID of the dark, monsters, scary movies, bugs, and big scary dogs.  When I became a teenager, I was AFRAID of not having friends, what my boyfriend thought of me and making good grades.

As an adult, finances have a tendency to make me AFRAID.   I worry about grades and friendships for my daughters.  (Let’s not even talk about boyfriends.)  At nearly forty years old, I still have dreams and aspirations that I am AFRAID will not come to fruition.

Everyone feels AFRAID at times. Often, at the point where we feel the most fearful is where we make hasty decisions or react in ways that are not our best. 

 I just love this quote by Lysa Terkeurst from her book Unglued:  “Feelings are indicators, not dictators. They can indicate where your heart is in the moment, but that doesn’t mean they have the right to dictate your behavior and boss you around. You are more than the sum total of your feelings…”

Divas, we ARE more than our feelings.  We are bigger than feeling AFRAID.  Most of all, we are not alone. 

Hebrews 13:5-6 (NIV 1984) …..God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.

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Five Minute Friday-Again

January 25, 2013 by 5 Comments

Each week, Lisa Jo Baker, “The Gypsy Mama” hosts a weekly meme called Five Minute Fridays. The joy of Five Minute Fridays is that Lisa gives a word prompt and writers are to “write” for FIVE minutes–no crazy editing–just write. The word for today is “AGAIN”.

Has life ever had you use the expression, Aggggggaaaaiiinnnnn (in your best whiny voice)? When you say AGAIN in your whiny voice, you are actually saying, I don’t feel like it. Life is FULL of things that need to be done AGAIN and AGAIN. I can think of more than a few things that if I never had to do them AGAIN, it would be fine with me.

The interesting thing about “AGAIN” is when we enjoy an activity, we don’t mind doing it…AGAIN. It is when we loathe the activity or when the activity causes pain that AGAIN seems like just too much.

Just before teaching class last night, I said “Aggggaaaaainnn?” in my best whiny voice. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be there, I was exhausted. My exhaustion led me to question everything from the playlist to my shoe choice.

When we got ready to cool down, I was secretly ecstatic. “Whew, I made it”, I thought. “I won’t have to do this AGAIN until next Wednesday”.

Then the song “What a Wonderful World”,  performed by Ledisi, began to play and I was reminded that AGAIN is a blessing.  When she crooned the following verse, I realized AGAIN is something to be THANKFUL for:

The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Saying, “how do you do?”
They’re really saying
“I love you”
 
Thank you God for rainbows, thank you God for the sky I get to see AGAIN and AGAIN, thank you God for these beautiful faces dancing in front of me yet AGAIN.  Thank you God for loving me AGAIN and AGAIN even when I don’t notice. 
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Five Minute Friday-Cherish

January 18, 2013 by 1 Comment

Five Minute FridayEvery Friday, Lisa Jo Baker hosts a blog link up called Five Minute Fridays (FMF). She provides a word prompt and then participants are to set their timers for five minutes and write until the timer goes off.  I am so thankful that I found Five Minute Fridays!  FMF gives me an opportunity to just “freestyle”! Many of you have told me that you really enjoy reading the FMF posts!  If you have NEVER read the FMF posts, I urge you to read the ones from last year: HERE.

The word for today is CHERISH. Happy Friday Divas and here goes:

 When you CHERISH something; you hold it dear, you cultivate and care for it….you love it.  I love, hold dear in my heart and CHERISH the women in our class.  When I stand up on stage and look out in a gym full of… “life givers, joy raisers, laundry folders, world changers” (thanks Lysa Jo Baker).  I am humbled.

Our time in class together provides so many with so much.  It is so much more than a room full of women jiggling around all sweaty.  Although there is plenty of jiggling around and enough sweat that if sweat could be sold we would be rich, it truly is more than that.  For me it is God allowing me to do what I feel like I have been waiting my whole life to do.  I am so alive on that stage dancing and sharing the love of God with women of all different shapes, sizes and colors. Oh how I CHERISH my time on my God-given platform.

From what I observe, it is the relationships and the environment that makes our class so much more than dancing and sweating for the ladies in class.  It is the praying for each other, giving each other a much-needed hug after a long day, and punching together in the song my ladies call Beep-Bop, that is CHERISHed. 

We CHERISH our families, as we should.  We are learning how to CHERISH ourselves.

Join us for Soulful Saturday affectionately called praise and tone tomorrow 9:30am-11am AND join us for BIBLE STUDY…Karen Ehman’s Let. It. Go.  8:30am (just before class).

 

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Five Minute Friday-Opportunity

January 4, 2013 by 2 Comments

Five Minute FridayHappy New Year Divas!!!! Five Minute Friday is BAAAACCCKKKK!!

Every Friday, Lisa Jo Baker hosts a blog link up called Five Minute Fridays (FMF). She provides a word prompt and then participants are to set their timers for five minutes and write until the timer goes off.  I am so thankful that I found Five Minute Fridays!  FMF gives me an opportunity to just “freestyle”! Many of you have told me that you really enjoy reading the FMF posts!  If you have NEVER read the FMF posts, I urge you to read the ones from last year: HERE.

The word for today is OPPORTUNITY. Happy Friday Divas and here goes:

The New Year is seen as an OPPORTUNITY to start over with a clean slate.   In reality, every new day that we are blessed to wake up to is an OPPORTUNITY.  As much as we would like to change what happened a moment ago, we cannot.  As much as we would like to know exactly what is going to happen in the next moment, we cannot.  All we have is our right now and it is our OPPORTUNITY.

Every year, people make New Year resolutions. No more sugar! I am going to be on time! Lose 20 pounds… and the list goes on and on.

We soon discover anything worth doing usually takes more energy than expected.  As it becomes harder and harder to fully do what we said we would, the “New Year” transforms from an OPPORTUNITY to just January.

Perhaps for 2013 we can take the OPPORTUNITY do something different this year.  For this start of the New Year, maybe we can resist the urge to scurry about to do more and achieve?

Divas, there is a whole lot of 2013, Lord willing,  left to go.  May we begin 2013 with renewed strength by putting our hope in God.

Isaiah 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Dear God,

Thank you so much for another moment, day, year.  Father God, help us to remember to put our hope in YOU not resolutions, people, money or achievements.

If you are anywhere close to Kernersville, NC come on out and dance, tone, and praise with us on Saturday January 5, 2013 for Soulful Saturday!!!!

 

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