Inspiration | Tyra Garlington

All I want for Christmas

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

It seems everyone is talking about Christmas and gifts and sales. Children are making lists of all the things they want. They know that Santa is on his way with all kinds of toys and goodies. Parents are working hard to help Santa make all their dreams come true. It is also a time of parties and pageants, lights, and laughter. T’is the season to be jolly at all costs! And the costs seem to be getting higher and higher. At this writing, there are 24 more days to get it done. For Christians, there is also another reason for the season.……
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How often do you use the power of “Thank You”?

Posted on November 23, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Yep, it’s here. The day we intentionally celebrate family, food, and football. Thanksgiving! It’s also the day the Christmas shopping “deals” seriously begin with “Black Friday,” which now actually begins Thanksgiving day. Historically speaking, in 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, during the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November. Biblically speaking,……
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The act of showing up

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

While I was away, I searched for, found, listen to, shared with and internalized new wisdom from those who are walking a similar or parallel path as me. Most importantly, was the affirmation that this walk is a process and not an event. Today I want to share some words of wisdom from Mollie Ah Singh based on her historical field trip in South Africa. “I like watching people “people watch.” I guess you could call me a people watcher of people watchers. People are reuniting with full force hugs, an elderly couple holding hands, the hysterical laughter of two……
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The power of words

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

The following wisdom was put forth in a video I watched when Dave Chappelle sat with Maya Angelou. It was poetry. “Words are things. You must be careful, careful about calling people out of their names, using racial pejoratives and sexual pejoratives and all that ignorance. Don’t do that. Someday we’ll be able to measure the power of words. I think they are things. They get on the walls. They get in your wallpaper. They get in your rugs, in your upholstery, and your clothes, and finally into you.”[1] “Maya Angelou spoke this truth, and it resonated with me. Resonated……
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When society and reality clash

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Let me start by saying I am blessed! For most of my life, I have had everything I needed and a lot of what I wanted. However, there have been seasons when I was homeless, unemployed and critically ill. Even in those times, I was aware that God’s grace was ever present in my life. Those seasons were also opportunities to review, renew, adjust and reposition my perspective. My commitment to serve began to increase. In doing so, I learned to look behind the words that judge and images that redirect. And I found hope. Consider the story that follows.……
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Everyone has a soul story

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

While I was away, I spent time reading, listening to, and watching people whose journeys and messages resonated with me. It was uplifting and affirming. However, the power of their stories is minimized if I don’t share them with you. Here is one from Caroline Myss, the author, and internationally acclaimed wellness speaker. She has devoted her career to studying why people don’t heal. What she has come to realize, she says, is that ‘the instrument to heal is the soul.’ She asks each of us this question: “Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to move on from past……
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Did you miss me?

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

I had to go away for a while. I was losing focus. I was listening to the voice of numbers. The number of “likes,” “comments,” and “shares” became the main objective of my blog. I wanted lots; I wanted more. I had forgotten why I do what I do. Shame on me! It took me a while to recognize and say, “Yes” to God’s purpose for me. And when I finally did, my tears dried, my burdens were unloaded, and my joy was restored. I walked out of my lonely wilderness and into my worthiness. However, the critical success factor……
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Do you care about your image?

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

“Even when our masks irritate our skin, and we can’t relax or be ourselves, we still resist change. This epic performance is a huge drain on our minds, bodies, and souls. It’s a hard act to constantly pretend to be, or feel like you need to be, someone else. Similarly, it’s very draining to regularly act like you feel one way when you really feel another. Wearing a mask protects us from vulnerability. I fear that if I stand tall and exposed, I’ll be “weak” in some way. But when you wear a mask you stand in resistance to your……
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Everything you need is somewhere.

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

This morning I as sat down to write I thought, “I’ve got nothing!” Lately, I seem to spend most of my creative energy fighting negative images and messages that crowd the 24/7 communications cycle. I was too exhausted to put on my positive attitude. Halfheartedly I visited one of my favorite inspirational sites. The following testimony reminded me of the power and provision of grace in my life and that sometimes similarity provides comfort. It read. “In the last four years I have been let go, promoted and even quit jobs. I found myself to be in a constant search for “my……
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For every mountain; for every trial …

Posted on June 7, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

So, I am sitting outside on a bench reading, marveling at what a tease spring is and I ran across this article. You want a pick me up? Check this out then see what you are leaving on the table when it comes to making a difference in your life. It’s a little longer than usual and worth it. “In 1955, Ella Fitzgerald had a professional music career that spanned nearly two decades. She was a critically acclaimed Jazz musician, and yet she was hardly known by the general public because she was an African-American doing amazing things at a……
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