Life and Times With Cyndi

Sunday, December 13, 2020

TC Walker Mural In My Hometown

An amazing mural went up in my hometown recently celebrating the life of a local Black in our area. My daughter and I made a visit to see it the week before Thanksgiving. I wish we could have made the dedication service, but you know....pandemic. And I have been very careful about where I go.

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Pastoral Anniversary Drive By Parade

Snapshots from Election Day

Monday, November 02, 2020

12 Years

This coming weekend Marc and I will celebrate 12 years at WABC. I don't know that I ever thought this far ahead. So much of our life has changed since we first took the walk down that road to pastoring and leading a small church in the middle of a neighborhood in the middle of an urban city. Its so weird to look back now and see how the church has changed and evolved. Watching the children we knew when we first came to WABC now grown and some with children of their own. To see my own children now in their mid 30s living out their lives as adults. Having survived Marc's illness and the changes it brought to our daily life. So many changes and now as we embark on this upcoming anniversary in the middle of a pandemic no less I can't help but wonder what the next few years will hold for us. In just the last few weeks we have loss three church member's (thankfully not to Covid-19), but its still a loss that will stay with us for some time to come. I try to imagine what it will be like when we all come back together again. After nearly 8 months of not gathering within a church building (and who knows how much longer it will be with the numbers steadily increasing again), Marc and I have discussed many times what lessons we should have learned from this lockdown. How will we do church differently when we return. How many people will actually return and what does that mean for us as a church. Over the last three years I have learned to not worry to much about what will be. I have learned to trust that God has a plan and despite the evidence sometimes, he really does know whats best for me and he has shown me over the last few years that he is perfectly capable of taking care of me and mine without any help from us. So I will have to just be patient and trust the process. I don't feel at all that God is through with us yet.

Monday, June 29, 2020

Never Give Up on Your Dreams

I wanted to remember this past weekend before the memories got away from me. If you have been with me on this blogging journey for any length of time you know how long I have dreamed of connecting woman in leadership from every tribe, and tongue to gather and talk about this thing called Racism.

The one thing that always held me back was finances. And the fact that I and my husband lead at a small church with very few connections or resources to pull off what I had dreamed in my head (For some reason I don't now how to dream small lol).

Then 2020 came along and COVID 19 happened, followed by the death of George Floyd.

Something in my spirit woke up and said what the heck are you waiting for?

It probably helped that I had gotten an introduction to Zoom because of the pandemic and the need for Marc and I to still be able to connect with his ministry class that meets every Thursday night online.

That is when the wheels started turning. Why couldn't I hold an online meet up? So the planner in me started planning (see how God uses your gifts for his glory). The harder decision was choosing which ladies I would invite to the table.

Two ladies that have been with me from the start of my journey as founder of Blended Souls has been my longtime friend Cheryl (almost 30 years of friendship to be exact) and my friend Alida whom I met via the world wide web over 12 years ago online in a Pastors wives board. These two ladies as well as my friend Michelle who's blog I first discovered when I became a Pastors wife back in 2008 have been part of a small group of woman who have prayed over me for more years than I can count.

Once I got over my initial fear I went with my gut and invited a few other ladies to join me on this past Saturday to sit down and discuss how we were feeling during this uncertain time.

What started out being a discussion on Racism and how it effects each of us, actually turned out to be a chance for a small group of woman (specifically Pastor's wives) to connect, share their feelings in a very private and very safe environment (which is why I will not be naming the guest who gathered that day).

By the time we finished the session Cheryl and I were in tears. Partly because I was just overwhelmed by the feelings of having fulfilled a dream I had carried in my heart since 2008. But even more then that was the fact that these woman seemed to make a connection with one another and right before my eyes I got to see the potential for our future and the future of our children and our children's children. I left the meet up that day filled with HOPE.

I still hope to get us all together one day for a retreat. I even have a place in mind. So what I would say now to the woman who made this declaration all the way back in 2008? Never ever give up on your dreams. Especially ones that have been birthed in your spirit by our Abba Father!

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

My 21 Days of Prayer Devotional Videos During a Pandemic

All of the things we have been praying for the last few weeks. So we need to be praying for men after Gods own heart! Men who love God like David loved God. If we can do that imagine what a difference that can make?

Thursday, June 06, 2019

An Honest Blog About My Struggles

Not going to lie. The month of May was a tough month for me. I have been struggling with sadness, sometimes downright anger , not to mention feeling as if my life was completely out of my control (which it has been). Its hard watching your spouse struggle, which thereby causes you the caregiver to struggle. There are days when it seems like no matter what we do it is not enough. When it seems like Marc has taken two steps forward, BAM something else happens that takes him back down again. Yet, even through all of the tough patches, God has continued to give me a few glimpses of hope through the dark moments. Every once in a while he would even drop little tokens into my spirit or send an angel my way to remind us that he still had our back. For sure I don't know what I would do if I didn't have family and friends who have continually lept me in their prayers. And it also helps that whenever I go home to visit my home church that the Pastor there and his wife remind me how much I am loved and how blessed I am. This was the week after I stepped into the pulpit for the first time in a year and my home church pastor had told me he wish he had known because they would have been there to support me. You just don't know what that means to me (and I am pretty sure he didn't realize how much I needed to hear that after starting to doubt that I should even be in this position).

After not picking up my bible or doing a devotional in quite some time I picked up an old devotion book that one of the ladies from my church had given me a while back. On two occasions I knew the message was directly from God to me trying to get my attention and wake me up. Don't you love when he does that? LOL

Then Mother's Day weekend came around and For the first time that I can remember in a very long time I did not take not one photo on Mother's Day. It didn't help that the day started out extremely difficult and I found myself crying for no reason at all (did I mention that being in your mid 50s and dealing with hormones on top of being a care giver can overwhelming?). We spent the morning at church and then left to go to the country to visit family. My girls came up as well as my sister and her children (I think we both needed that family time). I spent the afternoon surrounded by my family and lots of cute babies. LOL Sometimes that is all it takes to get you back on track (at least for a few days or more).

Weekly phone calls and hugs from this lady (my sister cousin Pat) always helps. She has a way of pulling me out of the dark places I tend to go to when I am feeling sad and alone. It also helps knowing that she and my auntie are praying for Marc and I on a daily basis.

Not all of the month was bad. I got to meet and congratulate a long time Pastor Wife friend who came into town to walk and receive her Doctor's degree. She let me just talk and talk while she listened when I really should have been letting her do most of the talking LOL. Meeting Randa finally after being pastor wife friends online for such a long time was the highlight of the month for me.

Another one of the highlights from the month was our Woman's Weekend Luncheon. It was great seeing so many of our ladies using their talent for the Kingdom. And then getting to hear my friend Dr. Lee (man I have a lot of well educated friends lol) preach was just what this old girl needed to make it through the rest of the month. After a year of struggling with my faith and trying my best to not turn away from God I am starting to feel just a small glimpse of the old Cyndi coming back again. The one that knows that God has a purpose and a plan for her life.

The month ended on a high note when this young man who has been like an adopted son to us surprised us with a visit. He is one of Nicki's long time brother's from another mother friends from college who now lives in California but who had been promising to come and visit the next time he was in town. I just love the fact that it put such a big smile on my husband's face.

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

April Church

Celebrated my birthday in April and got a big surprise from the Church and our Youth.

Us Easter Sunday.

My Easter Sunday dress courtesy of the Youth Ministry

The Sunday after Easter was my first time preaching in the pulpit in over a year. My sister , my mom and nieces surprised me by coming to service. Needless to say the babies got all of the attention!

My BFF spoke that afternoon for our Missionary anniversary.

We have been friends for over 20 years. That this many years have gone by since we first met still amazes me. Teresa and I are as about as opposite as they come but she has always been there for me (and encouraging me to just be me when so many others tried to change me...now don't get me wrong when she needs to she will tell me about myself , and vice versa lol) and I hope that if you asked her she would say the same of me. You don't often get to have friends like that for the long term so I count it a blessing that she has been that friend.

One last photo of the babies. one because they are just soo cute but also because they are dressed up like my girl Minnie and who doesn't love that?

Saturday, May 11, 2019

IKEA Grand Opening

After years of hoping we finally got an IKEA in our area.

My daughter and I got up extremely early in the morning to attend the grand opening.

This pad came in handy after four hours in line waiting for the store to open.

IKEA did a good job of keeping everyone entertained. From live music, giveaways and local mascots from the colleges in our area.

I could ger lost in this place and stay there all day LOL

IKEA door prizes

It was my birthday week so why not wear a crown? I mean after all my nickname is the Disney Queen. LOL

You can't go to IKEA and not get the meatballs.

Love that I can go back anytime (rather then once every few years 5 hours away).

Speaking of going back anytime. A week later I went back again with these crazy ladies. LOL