women walking by faith
Knowing Your Numbers
Health, Wellness and Stress...
Summer Eats At it's Best In Summertime, Health and Well
The Invasion of the Body Snatchers
04 Editor's Note 11 15 19 23
CONTENTS 04
EDITOR'S NOTE
08
FIGHT FOR YOUR SELF-WORTH
Women Rule The World
Self-Worth is more than just a WORD!
06
11
IT'S A WOMAN'S WORLD
SHAREL E. GORDON-LOVE
Get back to Mexico
A woman who has survived so many things shares with us a little on how she did it and is Limitless Through her Limitedness!
EDITOR'S NOTE Happy Women's History Month! This is a terrific time to be a woman, anytime is but especially when we take time out to celebrate women all over the world. Women make the world go round. We are represented in ev e are making statements everywhere we go. We are engineers, scientist, aviators, inventors, mathematicians, CEO's and so much more. We run our families, our businesses and we even run the world. We here are Real Life Real Faith Women Walking by Faith magazine, know the power that women bring when we step onto the scene. We are feminine, softly spoken nurturers, we are visionaries, dream builders, and we can make things happen with just a little bit of something. We are from all colors, creeds, educational backgrounds, socio-economic statuses and everything in between. We are young, old, tall, short, thick and thin. We are the glue that keeps families together, we are fearfully and wonderfully made by God to be the helpmeet to our Adam, the matriarch of our families, the Proverbs 31 Woman as well as the Titus Woman. We wear many hats, play many roles but the most important thing that we are, WE are Kingdom Daughters, we were created by God to do amazing things in this world and we will not stop until what we were purposed to do has been accomplished. We CELEBRATE U!
Cee Cee H. Caldwell Senior Managing Editor Real Life Real Faith Women Walking by Faith
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Women's History Month CELEBRATING THE INNER YOU! NOMADIC
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IT'S A WOMAN'S WORLD .
Get Back To Nature In Mexico: Explore Sian Ka'an Biosphere
Mary S. Newman
There are 27 United Nations World Heritage sites in Mexico and only three of them made the list primarily for their natural significance, as opposed to historical. The most beautiful and diverse is Sian Ka'an Biosphere, a 1.3 million acre ecological park filled with lagoons, forests, marine habitats, and wetlands. It is the largest marine protected area in Mexico and offers one of the few natural treasures of the Yucatan peninsula that is accessible to tourists. Added to the UNESCO list in 1987, Sian Ka'an translates as "Origin of the Sky". It provides a habitat for a diverse population of flora and fauna, as well as over 300 species of birds. There is a small ecotourism and education center there that serves as a model for sustainable development in sensitive tropical ecosystems. The center is funded by the various tours, fishing, accommodation on-site, and various other activities offered there. Some of the ecologically responsible techniques the center uses are rainwater collection, using wind and solar power, and employing systems for wetland waste management. It also provides educational outreach and biological research opportunities. WOMEN WALKING BY FAITH MAGAZINE Â | Â 6
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Accommodations at Sian Ka'an consist of tents that are raised off the ground to allow ecological and hydrological processes to continue. Â They have gorgeous views from private patios, as well as plenty of shade and cooling breezes. Bathrooms are shared, but they are always clean and also have stunning views over the water. The dining areas and kitchens are designed to maximize comfort while minimizing impact on the surrounding environment. The menu for the restaurant is wide and varied, but the best choice would be the fresh seafood dishes that are offered. Activities in the park include fishing excursions, kayaking, or taking one of several tours that will highlight the canals and the Mayan ruins, abundant flora and fauna, and the history of the reserve. There is also a sunset tour that centers on bird watching where you will float along in an open-air boat through beautiful lagoons while viewing birds, plants, and diverse ecosystems. The tour then culminates in watching the sunset over the mangrove forest and lagoon. The kayaking tours are designed to give visitors a more intimate access to the natural splendor of the park. Single or double kayaks are available and expert guides, who speak both English and Spanish, can accompany you through the reserve to bird watch and explore the wetlands. Free basic training is provided if you have never kayaked before. If you would like to explore alone, the guides can give you directions and information on where to go to use ancient trading routes through the park used by the Mayans. This is an excellent option for experienced kayakers, but an additional fee can give someone basic training to undertake this more advanced tour. Sian Ka'an is a beautiful ecosystem to visit and learn about history, ecology, and sustainable technology that will open your mind to possibilities you may never have otherwise known about. At the very least it will give you an appreciation of conservation and natural beauty that should stay with you forever.
Fight For Your Self Worth Self-Worth; this is a word that is so much easier to say, and spell then it is to feel!
Why do so many women feel that they have no self-worth?
How did they lose it?
Is it because of the way the world has portrayed the perfect woman today? .
Is it because someone took it from them?
Is that the void some fill by over eating?
Did their partner breach a trust?
Did their partner fall into the grips of the world of pornography?
Does their partner demean them with insults about how they look?
Did their partner continuously admire other women?
Did they grow up being ridiculed by a family member?
Have they been suffering from a controlling illness?
Were they bullied and criticized through their school years?
Were they sexually abused as a child?
Were they laughed at in a moment of vulnerability?
Were they ever raped?
All of these experiences definitely play a part in pouring a woman’s self-worth right down the drain. The people causing these kind of negative actions are totally responsible for tearing down a woman’s worth. To tear down a persons self-worth is one of the cruelest ways to treat a human being. It is a no win situation for that person. They cannot fight back. They are being attacked with a blindfold on. You have succeeded in humiliating them, and you have won that battle. Well, that’s not a real brag story, because anyone can win against innocence. The true win is when the battle turns around. The true win is when the person who has lost their self-worth, stands up and takes that control back.
For those of you that have been through this battle and are struggling to just get up on an elbow, or feel empty inside and so alone that you wonder why you even get up in the morning, you can beat this!
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Listen to me! You are not responsible for falling, or losing the battle. But you are TOTALLY responsible for getting back up. Yes that’s right, it is you that has to pull it together. I know, it’s a joke to even think about it, but you need to go back as far back as you can and find a place where in your mind that will make you smile. If you cannot, then try to think of someone that you know that is hurting more deeply that yourself and use that knowledge as your motivation. Go there in your mind. Use that thought to give you a reason to get up and pull yourself together. Your self-worth is worth fighting for. You are as strong as your greatest strength. You will always be stronger than your greatest weaknesses. Those weaknesses will never win against your strengths. You have been hurt and raped of one of your most sacred emotions, self-worth. Now you want it back, so take it back. It is right there inside of you. You just have buried it under all your dirty laundry, so to speak. You can go on feeling empty if you want. Noone will care, not for long anyway. You can continue to use drugs, alcohol, or even food to fill that empty lonely void inside of you. You can miss out on life because you are forgetting to fight and it is so much easier to fall into the pity pit. You can spend the rest of every second worrying that if you even try to gain back some of your self-worth, you will fail and feel even more lonely. Well, you might just fail the first try, the second and the third. You may even feel that it’s hopeless. If you give into that feeling, then you are letting yourself down. You have now become responsible for losing your chance at regaining your self-worth. You are allowing whatever it was that tore you apart in the first place to take control of your everything. You are allowing a memory to defeat you. There is no person there now; it’s just a thought. A memory that you are allowing to ruin what little time you have on this earth. Why are you doing that? You know you can stop it. You know how! I have repeated myself so many times and I will continue to repeat this. HABITS- positive habits of thinking. You must reconstruct your thought patterns to think WIN..not to think LOSE! You must make a new commitment to yourself, one that you can reach out and touch! I understand the strength of negative thinking, and I have felt its power many, many times. To the point that I could hardly feel myself breathe. That was when I knew that I, and only I could stop it. It was inside of me. It was not standing beside me or next to me or behind me. It was ro ME! Inside of you, is where you must look and dig for the real you. Not the you that has been scarred and hurt, but the you that can smile and laugh and appreciate all the good things in life. There still are many good things if you will just open your positive side and allow them to reach you. The more positive thoughts that you fill yourself with, the less negative thoughts can survive. Also you must be honest with what your bad habits are and where they are taking you. Identify with them and how they are bringing you down, instead of up. These are bad habits that you have allowed to run your life. Now, as you have invited them in, you will simply un-invite them. Additionally, say no to abusing Drugs, Alcohol and yes FOOD! In order to strengthen the mental you, you must also strengthen the physical you. I don`t mean be a body builder or an Olympic athlete. I just mean a healthier you, a you that you want to be! Remember whatever it was that brought you down in yourself is in the past. If you continue to allow the pain to live inside of you, you will suffer. The past is over and there is no suffering on your part that will erase it. So get on with life. Search deep inside of you and bring back who you are. Bring back the person you can smile at in the mirror. Bring back the person you talk to all the time. Bring back the person that you were meant to be. Bring back you, and then you will have your self-worth back! *********************************
Dorothy Lafrinere Website- http://www.womensselfesteem.com
I'm a Black Woman by Mari Evans I am a black woman the music of my song some sweet arpeggio of tears is written in a minor key and I can be heard humming in the night Can be heard humming in the night I saw my mate leap screaming to the sea and I/with these hands/cupped the lifebreath from my issue in the canebrake I lost Nat’s swinging body in a rain of tears and heard my son scream all the way from Anzio for Peace he never knew….I learned Da Nang and Pork Chop Hill in anguish Now my nostrils know the gas and these trigger tire/d fingers seek the softness in my warrior’s beard
I am a black woman tall as a cypress strong beyond all definition still defying place and time and circumstance assailed impervious indestructible Look on me and be renewed
PUBLISHER AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR EVANGELIST
SHAREL E. GORDON-LOVEÂ
WWBF: Who is Sharel E. Gordon Love? SGL: Sharel E. Gordon-Love is a woman of God who loves people; a mother, sister, auntie, and friend; writer and lover of the written word; risk taker and willing worker.
WWBF: Where do you find your inspiration? SGL: I find inspiration in past experiences, others’ experiences, and in life period. I am always watching to create a story about what I see by imagining what it is and what it can be. Overall, God has always inspired me, particularly in writing.
WWBF: When did you start writing and why? SGL: In my imagination, I have been writing since I was a 4year-old. With paper and crayons in hand, I would draw a picture and then write a story in scribble scrabble to read to my mom. I would actually fold the paper in half to look like a book. It is because my mother would read to us, and even at a very young age, I knew that words created a story. I wanted to do the same, ‘make’ a book, something that remained in my heart growing up. By the age of 6, I started writing poems and writing grew from there.
WWBF: Who are your favorite authors? SGL:Far, far too many to name! The very first author I fell in love with was Terry McMillan, followed by Jacquelin Thomas, Pat G’Orge Walker and others, like Elissa Gabrielle, Cheryl Lacey Donovan, Jessica A. Robinson, Sherabim Joy, Carla Victoria Walker, and so many others that would take all day to list.
WWBF: What is it about writing that drives you to pursue it? SGL: Simply that words are vehicles that can be used on different platforms to tell a story, fiction or non-fiction. There are times that I can write how I feel or think better than saying it, and I love that I am able to empty out through writing. Not only that, I believe that through writing, we can help so many people.
WWBF: What would readers be surprised to know about you?
SGL: Readers would be surprised that I draw and paint. Although these days I can no longer do it, I also love to play touch football.
award-winning author WWBF: You are the author of so many books.
WWBF: What is your favorite genre? Why?
SGL: Tell us a little about your favorites. Change Me for My Season is a favorite because it was written during and after I watched my father die from lung cancer. It helped me to process through his initial fight to him resigning to the fact that he did not have long. It was the hardest book I have written to date. I also love the “Saved to Serve Series,” because it not only addresses issues in the church, but how they are dealt with. Most people do not realize that when we attend church, it does not only meet the needs of new people coming in, it also ministers to those that are committed attendees. We are not perfect, but we serve a perfect and forgiving God, and through this series, readers will understand that we are truly ‘saved to serve.’
SGL: Hands down, Christian fiction is my absolute favorite genre because it is through these stories that people can relate, whether they are Christians are not. The stories minister to a particular need of the readers, and that is most important to me. It also allows me to create characters, scenes, scenarios, personalities, just everything. It also allows me to add in things that are true and necessary while having fun with the story. WWBF: What have you realized about yourself since becoming an award winning published author? SGL: I realized that I spent too much time underestimating myself, that I have more to offer than I once believed.
WWBF: You are a Publisher as well. What is the name of your Publishing company and are you currently taking submissions? What type of submissions and where can they be sent?
SGL: The name of my publishing company is After The Storm Publishing, and we also have a children’s division, ASP Kids Publishing. We are accepting submissions at this time for fiction and non-fiction, as well as for children’s books – picture books and chapter books. Submissions can be sent to sharel@afterthestormpublishing.com For fiction and non-fiction, the first three (3) chapters, inquiry letter, and synopsis should accompany the submission. Children’s chapter books should also follow this guideline. Picture books, depending on the size as well, otherwise submit the story in its entirety.
WWBF: How do you handle work-life balance as an author, publisher, mom and Evangelist?
SGL: Quite honestly, I do what I have to do as things come up. When my children were growing up, I would write at lunchtime at work, late into the night after they’ve gone to bed, or take advantage of times they would all be out of the house. Basically, things had to fit in accordingly, although it was not easy when life dictates unexpected things. Today, I have more freedom now that they’re all grown, and I can pretty much schedule my day.
WWBF: Do you have any upcoming releases? If so, when can we expect to see it?
SGL: Yes, I have three coming in 2018. The 7th book in the Saved to Serve Series, “When You Do What’s Right,” along with a full-length book of the series. My first children’s book, “Mud Pies
NOMADIC
& Summertime,” will be released in the summer.
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PUBLISHER WWBF: Tell us a little about your latest release Limitless through My Limitedness. What made you want to step outside of your normal genre? SGL: Initially, I started chronicling my health journey since I was first diagnosed with carcinoid cancer in December of 2007. Trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I had cancer was one of the hardest things I have had to do. Thank God, chemotherapy, and radiation has never been part of the journey, but when it reoccurred in 2012, I was devastated. It was then I began a true research into the medicine that I take, especially side-effects and interactions with each other and food. One of the key things I found overall is weight gain and how it adversely affects our health. That led me to what I was eating and what I needed to change. The journey continues, so there may be another book. WWBF: From your experience, what key ingredients do new writers need to succeed as an author?
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SGL: Hone their craft, that’s very important. Use a good editor, listen to their advice or the advice of another seasoned writer. Take a class, but make sure they do their research because they want to put their best foot forward. WWBF: What topics do you speak about and who do you share your inspiration with? SGL: The topics I speak about is Domestic Violence and women’s issues, particularly self-love and self-worth with women because I was a victim of Domestic Violence and experienced not knowing how to love myself, and neither did I know my worth. I also speak to children and teens about whatever topic they are dealing with today, and it’s quite extensive.
"FAITH MOST TIMES TO ME MEANS TO DO, NO MATTER WHAT YOU SEE OR DO NOT SEE."Â SHAREL E. GORDON-LOVE
WWBF: Have you endured any obstacles in your life and how did you overcome them?
SGL: Absolutely, especially in my health because it has kept me from living my best life and doing things I love to do on my own. I have learned that overcoming something starts in the mind, acknowledging what it is and working towards doing something about it. Accepting that there may always be obstacles is fine, but not doing anything about it is unacceptable. Through prayer and God’s Word, I continually and daily work through the obstacles of health issues and a better way to deal and heal my body.
WWBF: How has the journey been for you?
SGL: In retrospect, I must admit I would not ask for anything to be different only because of how it has helped to shape my life. Granted, there are some things I would like to change or do over, but it is through the journey that I see how God has had His hand in my life all my life. So, the highs and lows, setbacks and comebacks, losses and wins all work cohesively together.
WWBF: We are celebrating Women's History Month. What women inspire you and Why?
SGL: My mother inspires me in such a wonderful way. She is my first example of a mother and a woman, and to this very day, she is my caretaker since my illness. Also, the late R. Carolyn Cahoon, who is the epitome of love in action, has left an indelible mark on my heart. She had the ability to make you feel like you were number one to her.
WWBF: What Does Faith Mean to You?
SGL: Faith most times to me means to do, no matter what you see or do not see. Other times it means to be still, to wait, something that can be difficult for me because I am usually poised to take action. It is forward moving, believing that whatever it is God has given you to do, it is done.
WWBF: How can the readers stay connected with you?
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/SharelEGordonLiterary/ or https://www.facebook.com/sharelegordonlove/ Twitter – @SharelGordLove Instagram – @sharelgordonlove YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/SharelLove Email – sharelbooks@yahoo.com
C H A R L E S
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S C H U L Z
Still I Rise by Maya Angelou You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? ‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells Pumping in my living room. Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I’ll rise. Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shoulders falling down like teardrops, Weakened by my soulful cries? Does my haughtiness offend you? Don’t you take it awful hard ‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines Diggin’ in my own backyard. You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise. Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise That I dance like I’ve got diamonds At the meeting of my thighs? Out of the huts of history’s shame I rise Up from a past that’s rooted in pain I rise I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear I rise Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
Ego Tripping Nikki Giovanni
I was born in the Congo, I walked to the fertile crescent and built the sphinx I designed a pyramid so tough that a star that only glows every one hundred years falls into the center giving divine perfect light I am bad I sat on the throne drinking nectar with Allah I got hot and sent an ice age to Europe to cool my thirst My oldest daughter is Nefertiti the tears from my birth pains I created the Nile I am a beautiful woman I gazed on the forest and burned out the Sahara desert with a packet of goat’s meat and a change of clothes I crossed it in two hours I am a gazelle so swift so swift you can’t catch me For a birthday present when he was three, I gave my son Hannibal an elephant He gave me Rome for mother’s day My strength flows ever on My son Noah built new/ark and I stood proudly at the helm as we sailed on a soft summer day I turned myself into myself and was Jesus men intone my loving name All praises All praises I am the one who would save I sowed diamonds in my backyard My bowels deliver uranium, the filings from my fingernails are semi-precious jewels On a trip, north caught a cold and blew My nose giving oil to the Arab world I am so hip even my errors are correct I sailed west to reach east and had to round off the earth as I went The hair from my head thinned and gold was laid across three continents I am so perfect so divine so ethereal so surreal I cannot be comprehended except by my permission I mean . . . I . . . can fly like a bird in the sky . . .
Faith, Food and Family
BY DEBORAH HUNTER Honey's Southern Pecan Pie • 1-1/2 cups of pecans divided ( 1/2 cup pecans finally crashed) ( 1/2 cup coarsely chopped) ( 1/2 whole) • deep dish pie crust • 3 large eggs at room temperature • 4 tablespoons of butter • 3/4 corn syrup • 1/4 cup Maple syrup • 3/4 cup light brown sugar • 4 heavy cream • 1 tablespoon flour • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon vanilla flavor • a dash of nutmeg in a large sauce pan on medium high heat melt butter add sugar Consistently stir until sugar is dissolved be careful not to burn you sugar stir add your corn syrup bring to a light boil turn off the heat add heavy cream and 1/2 finely crushed pecans and flour stir well and allow to completely cool once your mixture is cool add your eggs (make sure you whip the eggs before adding into mixture adding 1 tablespoon of water to your eggs before whipping ) before adding this mixture to your piecrust brush on melted butter add your 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped pecans in the bottom of your pie crust now your mixture top with your whole pecans place on the middle rack in a preheated oven at 350° for 40 to 45 minutes allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes this pie is delicious served at room temperature or chilled___ Serve with ice cream or Cool Whip
WOMEN RULE THE WORLD
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