One Piece at a time...

Happy Monday!!!

I know it has been a minute since I have checked in this space so let’s just call these next few weeks necessary checkpoints! October- December, Q4 in its finest garments brings about a unique set of seasonal characteristics for everybody!! We don’t know if its daylight savings woes , SAD ( Seasonal depression) , Exhaustion ( because I know this year has drained many) , Retrograde or for others the drive to finish the year strong in doing ,ignoring the being just to have proof of substance ,life or validate one’s own gifts. Nonetheless, everybody that is somebody is going through or to something and for that reason we shall convene again the next few Mondays via the LBF blog for some reminders, laughs and encouragement and shares to keep your minds and hearts at ease ensuring that you know YOU ARE NOT ALONE on this journey. Even if I don’t physically SEE YOU , I SEE YOU, when I don’t hear your voice  I still hear your voice and even in the absence of the weekly check-ins I never stopped taking notes and praying for you the past month or two!

As we tackle November, the holidays, family, and the end of the year activities I want to remind you to ensure that whatever you do is in ALIGNMENT with WHO you say you ARE and what YOU desire to be!

A few weeks ago I was out with friends having a grand ole time and found myself at some point throughout the event feeling like “ Why am I here” lol It was nothing anybody said or did , it was a great event , I was actually enjoying myself but for a split second a few things that I am after personally began to flood my mind and I asked myself how does what I am doing in this moment ALIGN to that. It was such a moment for me because this type of epiphany usually comes in my quiet time. But at this moment, it was in real time while I was doing something I enjoy with people I love. I don’t know if any of you have ever experienced this but in the moment something shifted and I realized that there will be moments that the very thing that you enjoy that does not harm you in any fashion can still place you at a disadvantage or misalignment from your dreams and the destiny attached to who you are BECOMING  if you are not careful.

Alignment is defined as an arrangement in a straight line, or in correct or appropriate relative positions. Think puzzle pieces, they have various shapes and sizes and they belong in the stack but they don’t necessarily fit in the position you “attempt” to place them in when putting the puzzle together in the beginning – somebody will get that later 😊.There are other pieces to the puzzle that must be intact before you ADD the additional pieces. Such as Life, right?

The puzzle pieces of life are quite the same, there are some pieces that very much belong, just not where you are trying to put it on your list of priorities or in the order by which you are piecing the puzzle together. If you are like me and love a good puzzle you know there will always be clues to what belongs where, when, but that often does not come until you have placed a large some of the puzzle together.

At an aerial view of the work you have put in, you are able to step back and see where the missing pieces belong ….no longer attempting to place pieces in incorrect places because you can SEE how each piece that is left can or will ALIGN to the puzzle as a whole!

As the people say, “There will be signs” ...

The edges and corners of the puzzle pieces tell a story…. When you attempt to place a piece in the wrong place you are at risk of damaging the piece and the puzzle. The edges may get bent or torn because you are forcing a piece where it does not belong …… though eventually there will be space/room for it …. Sometimes it is just not right now…. (Sit with that)

The size of the pieces left to fill the GAPS tell a story as well. How big is it? Is there Space for the puzzle piece. In life this can represent your bandwidth and ability to manage certain pieces of the puzzle.

What I love most about puzzles overall, is that every piece has a purpose and the puzzle is not finished until each piece is in its rightful place! I also love that depending on the size and number of pieces included in the puzzle, the puzzle could take days, weeks and for some months and years to complete. The beauty is the PEACE that comes with piecing it all together and the JOY and celebration it breeds when its finally finished. Nobody ever questions the length of time you took to complete it or the work that went into designing this masterpiece ensuring all the pieces were properly aligned.

If we can be honest, the same goes for the puzzle of your life and the masterpiece you are designing as well. Alignment is key, Timing is everything and duration has no known expiration date. YOU are the PUZZLE being pieced together season by season and there are pieces of the puzzle that you have YET to figure out where they belong and it is OK. There’s JOY there, so continue to give yourself GRACE as we navigate the uncertainty of this winter season and the days ahead.

Take your time with your PUZZLE, let it bring you more PEACE than grief, this is NOT a competition or a race, it is a masterpiece and AMAZING things like YOU take TIME!

As you begin to align your priorities this week, don’t feel bad if OLD things don’t align with your NEW goals….From time to time you have to remove a piece( old habits) that does not fit until you find the correct piece ( foundation/boundaries/discipline) that has to be connected in order for the OLD thing to fit properly. 😊 

ALIGNMENT IS KEY!!

Be at PEACE with your PRESENT, Embrace the lessons of your PAST and Get Excited about your FUTURE there is still TIME for you to finish soft, strong, at your pace and WIN.

Delays are not Denials.

Live Full , Piece by Piece!

Be encouraged!

R. Rene’