Picture courtesy of “Coastal Living Mag.” This small nature preserve in the British Virgin Islands is great for snorkeling and swimming.
It’s the weekend again, and if you were to ask me what am I doing, it would be cleaning, painting, packing boxes. “So, what are you doing this weekend?” Cleaning, painting and packing boxes. Gosh! I need a social life. That picture up above is just calling my name, diving in the Caribbean ocean would be nice right about now. Darn it! Instead I am inside my house doing chores, that’s just wrong, wrong, wrong, oh, my, gosh!
This week it’s all about, “Love, Love, Love.” I thought this postcard I posted was too cute to pass up, I love it, it made me smile. 
Anyway, after watching the movie “Maid in Manhattan” with J.Lo I figure why not make my article this week about love, especially since love has been on my mind since last summer. Today I share some love lessons to live by, use them wisely.
Some Love Lessons To Live By
In life today, it is important to take your relationships seriously if you really want it to last for a very longtime, even for a lifetime. Some people ask, “can a relationship last a lifetime in this world we live in today?” I say, Yes. As long as both partners in the relationship don’t break any major rules or do anything damaging, then yes a relationship could last a lifetime—However, it will be up to you and your partner to take it to that level—So, yes, it is very much possible. Sometimes people get carried away with their emotions when they feel that “Love” is something you simple get off the side when the time is convenient or Love is something you force unto others whether they want your love or not. Love doesn’t work like that, there is no point in “Reinventing the wheel or doing Unconventional or Non-traditional things when it comes to love.” The Traditional and Conventional practices about Love still works better after all these years, “why try to reinvent something different?” Love is a gift from God, True Love is definately a gift from God. Cherish it and you could have it for a lifetime, if you take it for granted then that’s when you could lose something precious.
Dating shows on television like the Bachelorette and the Bachelor, personally in my opinion are just for entertainment. Not something to take too seriously or at all. Life is real, it’s definately not a time when you play games and do crazy things like what they do on these shows. Real things happen in relationships, and you have to approach your relationship in a mature way. What I know for sure is that Traditional practices when it comes to love works much better and is far more successful than what is been portrayed on television today. What people portray on television today is wrong, this whole thing about “May the Best Man Win” is wrong thinking. It’s wrong because love is suppose to happen naturally in the Traditional way not the Unconventional way they depict on television today, where people compete for a man or woman.
Today, I have chosen to offer you my blogs readers some “Simple Love lessons” to live by. In the end it is up to you to follow these lessons but I cannot force you to do so. Some of you will heed the warnings and others won’t, because you have your own beliefs and ideas about relationships—that I cannot change. However, I do guarantee you though, that if you do follow these simple love lessons you could eventually eliminate a whole lot of pain and unhappiness in your life, and instead find the love that you truly deserve. Better yet find your true soulmate, “The One” so to speak.
Do’s
Do cherish and respect the ones you love everyday, it doesn’t have be fancy or dramatic, the small gestures goes a long way.
Do only accept love that is real and genuine. When the love is not real or the person is not really inlove with you, you can tell because it is forced or they are offering love with a great deal of anger. Love offered in anger is “Impure Love, it’s not genuine.” Or, they are demanding you love them when clearly you are not inlove with them—This is Not love at all. When the love is real, the person will allow you to be who you want to be without restraints and they will respect you. As well, they will set you free in the hope that one day when you are ready to be with them you will decide to do so in your own time and without force.
This reminds me of Kate and Prince William, that’s what Kate did, she set William free at a point in their relationship even though she loved him dearly. Yes, she set him free in the hopes that when he is ready, he would return to her one day, when he chooses to do so. Not by force or by intimidation, just according to his own “Free Will.” That is how you know if someone truly loves you, when they are willing to set you free even though they love you, just so you can find yourself and be who you want to be and for you to decide your own future. They don’t interfere with your life they allow you to make your own choices your decisions.
Do enter into relationships with people who have a positive attitude about life. A person who doesn’t anger easily and is willing to forgive and make compromises. Someone who cares and value themselves as a person. Someone who have your best interest at heart and yes people who genuinely love you for you despite any flaws or imperfections and love you for what you are made of on the inside.
Do tell the ones you love how much you care not so much by the things example, the special gifts you purchase for them but more so from the things you do and say from your heart and how much you respect your partner. That usually goes a long way further than material gifts. Yes, nice gifts are great and is always welcome and should be given from the heart. Remember though that, material gifts can only do so much when it comes to love. The heart always speaks better, and your actions always sends a stronger message.
Do allow yourself give and take in your relationships. In other words, you will have disagreements, during the course of your relationships, but that is normal. It’s how you handle those disagreements that will eventually lead to a successful relationship.
Do be able to laugh with each other when you and your partner are less than perfect. It’s important not to take everything so seriously and be able to have a lighter approach to things during the relationship. Most importantly, just go with the flow of your relationship and customize your relationship based on you and your partners preferences not on what everyone else is doing in society or what is trendy. It’s your life, customize it to you and your partners lifestyle. Accept advice but in the end it should be you and your partner that ultimately decide how you should live your life.
Do take time out of your busy life to spend some quality time with your partner, work isn’t everything. Maybe spending a weekend away together every three months or so is a good place to start. Do whatever comes naturally to you. If going off to the Cottage during the summer is your way of keeping that bond going with your partner then do it. If you like to take “Day Trips” to your favourite place in the country then do whatever pleases you and your partner. It doesn’t have to be every weekend. Just take some time out to spend some quality time with your partner will keep your relationship alive for many, many, years guaranteed and that will help create a strong bond together as a couple.
Do respect your partner and don’t take your love for each other for granted. If you feel your relationship is getting a bit stale or mundane, then find some creative solutions to spice up the relationship. There are so many things a couple can do to keep their relationship going, it’s practically endless.
Do accept that you are not perfect neither is the person you are in a relationship with or will be entering with in the near future. At some point throughout the relationship whether at the beginning or the middle somewhere, mistakes will be made, hurts will happen and tears will be shed—and that my dear is called “Real Life”. However, remember, “It is not the mistake you make but how well you rise above it.” This is what will mold and shape your character as a person for a long time to come. If you made a mistake be a person of character and admit you made one and most importantly, “fix your mistake if you are alive and well and can do so, do it.”
(Note the movie I featured this week with J.Lo. This a great movie about how when we are in relationships whether at the beginning or the middle of it, mistakes can happen by either partners in the relationship. Some of it will be painful and some will be embarrassing. However, we all make mistakes it’s how you handle it after that and how much you are willing to forgive your partner in order to have a happy life and have a successful relationship. This is what the movie tries to depict and for us to learn from it.
Forgiveness goes a long way because if your partner makes a mistake and you forgive them you could eventually find yourself with the partner you always wanted, “the One,” your soulmate, so to speak.
So, if you haven’t seen this movie yet I do recommend you watch it, you won’t be disappointed and you could learn something that could no doubt help you in your own relationship.
Don’ts
Don’t, I repeat, “Don’t enter into relationships that are considered “One sided.” Meaning, relationships where one person is inlove but the other person is Not inlove. The relationship will fail and would cause a great deal of unhappiness. Only enter into relationships where you and the other person are completely inlove with each other, and sincerely care about each other and have a strong bond and connection together.
If you are a woman Don’t allow men to force you to love them. Any man that wants to do this, “Does not have your best interest at heart and they don’t love or care for you.” Yes, it’s as simple as that. They may like you, but they don’t love you genuinely.
Don’t enter into relationships with anyone who strives off conflict everyday, the relationship will become toxic and will not succeed. It will only cause you a great deal of unhappiness. People who strives off conflict and drama everyday will cause your relationship to deteriorate rapidly and you will only end up been completely unhappy.
Don’t put your friends above your partner in a relationship. It’s important to maintain balance. You can have all the friends you want, but don’t let your friendship with others take precedence over your partners love for you. I learnt this from my Grandparents, they never let people that they knew, friends that they both had interfere with their relationship as husband and wife. They always stick together through thick and thin. Remember, your partner will be there for you regardless, friends will come and go and will choose when they feel they can be there for you only at their convenience not yours, so be careful.
Don’t allow anyone acquaintances, friends or sometimes even family members to ruin your relationship and destroy it. Especially when you know that you have found your true partner, your soulmate. Whenever people see a good thing and know you have really found true love, look for all sorts of things to happen, or people trying to destroy something genuine and real. Other women or men will try to destroy your relationship at some point in your life. Don’t let anyone have that kind of power over you, and don’t give them the power or the satisfaction to do that either. It’s wrong to destroy lives, but it is always right, “To be able to make someone else happy in life.”
Do not enter into relationships with men who are “Emotionally Abusive.” Men who believe that control equals love OR that if they are inlove with you as a woman and you are not inlove with them that you and them can be considered a couple and have a successful relationship together. Basically, men like these are just what I like to say, “Holding on to false hopes.” That’s what it is just “False Hopes.”
They are holding on to something that will never materialize for them or come to fruition but they will try to force themselves unto a woman even when the woman is not into them or inlove with them. These men need a serious head check. Please stay clear of men like these, because that is what I would do. Not only are they trying to take advantage of you, but the relationship would fail and cause you a great deal of unhappiness and pain. Men who don’t care if a woman loves them and wants to be in a relationship with the woman, “Don’t have any respect for you and they don’t love you or care about you.” If they did they would say, “You know what, the woman I want to be with doesn’t love me or will ever love me so, I need to move on with my life and find someone who will love me.” That’s what they need to do. Anything forced especially when it comes to love will never survive, never. So, the man needs to move on with his life and find someone else who will love him and stop, “Entertaining False Hopes.”
Do not enter into relationships with men who tend to be manipulative, jealous, possessive, obsessive, controlling, angry all the time and emotional abusive, clearly they are the kind of men you want to avoid.
Don’t commit infidelity whether your a man or woman who is in a relationship. Infidelity causes a great deal of pain, unhappiness and leads to failure of relationships. Instead what you should do is tell your partner, you no longer want to be in a relationship with them and move on with your life. So many things could go wrong. If you commit infidelity someone could get pregnant or you could pick up an incurable disease or worst, God forbid. It’s a dangerous thing to do. In the end it’s up to you to determine what kind of life you would like to live and what kind of legacy you would like to leave behind and how you would have wanted others to remember you years after your gone, especially your children.
Overall, today has I journey through life, I like to live my life the same way my Grandmother did, someone whom I loved dearly and who I had a great deal of respect for. She always try to do what’s is right, just and fair and she always tried everyday to instill deep traditional values for me to follow. She was kind, generous, loving, giving and always wanted to share whatever she had with others. She taught me values of self-respect and to always conduct myself in a respectful way, whether I had money in my pocket or not, to always think highly of myself. Gosh, I am writing this and I am crying because she was such a great woman, such a great woman and I miss her everyday. Everything I have learnt from her I will pass it down to my daughter and my son.
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Stormie Omartian Prayer of the Day
www.stormieomartian.com
When I Need to Live God’s Way
Lord, help me to obey You at all times. Put a holy barometer in me that always measures the spiritual climate I am in so that I never compromise Your ways. Warn me whenever I am close to crossing over the line from doing things Your way into doing what is wrong in Your sight. Thank You for the wonderful rewards of peace, wholeness, and fulfillment You give to all those who live according to Your commandments.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether…Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.
Psalm 19:9,11
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Featured Movie this Month: “Maid in Manhattan”
A Romantic Movie “2002”
So, I love this movie with J.Lo especially now that I am a single mom, it’s a very heartwarming movie about how we can all find true love in very unexpected ways. Sometimes when you start a relationship mistakes happen and we feel bad about these mistakes, but it’s how we rise above them that’s what makes us special and different from the others. The movie also teaches us that not because someone makes a mistake in a relationship then you are going to throw away a great relationship because you can’t forgive them for making a few mistakes. If you do forgive the person you fell inlove with initially you could end up with a really great relationship, so be patient and forgiving with your partner because none of us are perfect.
If we don’t make mistakes today, or at the beginning of the relationship we will make them later. No one is perfect so try not to act like you are perfect or put major pressure on others to be perfect and for them to act perfect all the time. It’s just “Plainly Unrealistic in this real world of ours.”
Storyline
Marisa Ventura is a single 
mother born and bred in the boroughs of New York City, who works as a maid in a first-class Manhattan hotel. Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez,) has made a good life for herself and her ten-year-old son, Ty (Tyler Garcia Posey), even if they don’t have a lot of money.
By a twist of fate and mistaken identity, Marisa meets Christopher Marshall, a handsome heir to a political dynasty, who believes that she is a guest at the hotel. Fate steps in and throws the unlikely pair together for one night. When Marisa’s true identity is revealed, the two find that they are worlds apart, even though the distance separating them is just a subway ride between Manhattan and the Bronx. As romance, mistaken identity and front-page gossip collide, Marisa and Christopher learn that the bigger your dreams, the better the chance they might come true.
This romantic movie is great and 
never gets old. It’s classic and timeless and even though I have seen the movie before I still enjoy watching it again. Marissa aka. Jennifer Lopez does a great job of portraying herself as a single mom and working as a maid in the movie. Her acting is always genuine and you always feel like your apart of the storyline. Ralph Fiennes aka. Christopher Marshall is really great in the movie, he comes across as a warm and genuine guy who doesn’t concern himself about what people would say about him if he was going out with a girl who was a maid. Especially because he was running to become a Senator. Great movie, there are some touching moments in the movie where you will cry and parts that will make you laugh, it’s a funny movie also. It’s just a all around nice movie to watch over, and over again.
A Bit about Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Nathaniel Fiennes, known simply as Ralph Fiennes is 48 yrs. old and is an English actor. He has appeared in films such 
as The English Patient, In Bruges, The Constant Gardener, Strange Days and Maid in Manhattan. He is an eighth cousin of the Prince of Wales, and a third cousin of the adventurer Ranulph Fiennes. The eldest of six children, both his parents are deceased.
So, get yourself your favourite glass of wine, or your favourite treat, maybe some pizza, yeah, pizza is always great and some good friends, or just enjoy by yourself. Rent the movie at your favourite video store this weekend…
Enjoy!
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is 41 yrs.old also known by her 
nickname J.Lo, is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, fashion designer and television producer. J lo is married to Salsa Singer Marc Anthony and they have two children together. Jennifer just started a new fashion line that will be available at Kohl’s in fall 2011, online and in the stores.
http://www.islanddefjam.com/jenniferlopez/
Today, I dedicate all these beautiful songs to someone very close and dear to my heart, who had a profound impact on my life last summer. I miss them everyday of every hour, and will continue to do so, for a long, long, time to come. Where ever they are this very moment these songs are for them…. Enjoy!
Hope had this to say about her song: “I hope that people will be inspired to live happily and to live in love and live fearlessly.” http://www.followhope.com/
No doubt, one of my favourite Love songs of the year….for the third time on my blog here is “Love, Love, Love.” Yep! I love this song…..Enjoy.
Toni Michelle Braxton is 43 yrs.old and is an American 
R&B singer, songwriter and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 40 million records worldwide. She has a contralto vocal range. (Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice) Toni Braxton have two sons both 8 and 9yrs. old respectively. http://www.tonibraxton.com/
Love all of Toni’s songs including this one….Enjoy.
