Shaneia Says...

I've recently had an epiphany. I have discovered after thorough research that I am a HUGE fan of ABC Primetime. I never really thought I was much of a TV watcher but as it turns out I think I watch enough to be considered an expert on the subject. Although I am a fan of Discovery Channel and MSNBC, I really enjoy Primetime Dramas..and I have come upon the realization that ABC is my fave. Foregoing the obvious, Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice I have recently become a fan of Big Shots, Eli Stone, Cashmere Mafia, Ugly Betty, and an occasional Supernanny. And that is a lot of television to enjoy on one evening network. I have even decided after three completed unwatched seasons to finally give Lost a chance. ABC Kids also hosts my Disney Faves - Suite Life of Zack & Cody, That's So Raven and Hannah Montana. So, it is with unwavering certainty that I am declaring ABC my favorite local network. And yes, I am aware that Oprah comes on WBAL, but did you know that O...

I'm trying to remember what started this whirlwind of drama this month and I couldn't even begin to tell you. I'll just say that I'm awful glad that this month is more than half over. I was reading a friend's blog yesterday and she described a beautiful city scene...one that made me go out today and take a look at Baltimore with new eyes. I was appreciating the rush, the individuality, the candor. I was falling in love with what I enjoy about city living all over again. And then I was reminded of the other side of life in the heart of the city...just that quickly. Today was hectic from the very beginning. I came into work thinking that I was making a trip to Philadelphia to have one of my newer borrowers sign paperwork. We can always send fedex, but my manager believes that when you sit down with a borrower and they can put a face to a name, it gives them a reason to send you referrals. And so far, he has been absolutely right. So, for the cause - I was dri...

Let me set the scene. It's labor day weekend, I'm not flat broke and me and my best friend have just won a pretty decent game of spades. I'm feeling pretty ok. There's a little bit of drama with the neighbors. Somebody had too much to drink and she done said something out the way to somebody else and it is FUNNY! 'Cause there is nothing wrong with a little bit of drama, as long as it's not MINE. I'm working out some of the question marks in my life, not with lightening speed, but I'm seeing the gray of the silver lining. Not too much more one can ask for right about now. And then.... Just when I think I'm doing really well. I'm looking and listening and maybe doing a really great job of figuring out some of the life lessons that the Lord is trying to teach me, this happens. I am so NOT ready for this. Anything but this. I mean, I really do deserve a break here. A lot has been going on and I've been keeping my head up, not giving up, listeni...

I had the privilege of reading someone else's blog yesterday. Perusing her thoughts and experiencing life through her eyes. It was such a refreshing reminder that our journey is not one that was meant for us to experience alone. As I read her confessions I realized that at some point I had felt the emotions she was writing about and a lot of them were feelings and ideas that I was experiencing in my present. Having my own issues and questions about how this thing called life is supposed to go is difficult sometimes. It's a good reminder that there are others who strive for greatness experiencing what we are. And it is even more rewarding to be reminded by someone else's hand of the mark of excellence that we strive for daily. You see this week, I've been questiong AGAIN whether I am supposed to stick this mortgage slump out. It's been grueling and I think surely God does not want me to be this broke... And then I remember that when things were doing extremely...

Last Saturday seemed as if it were going to be kind of regular..me working extra hard to get everything done before the new work week. I came into the office for a brief moment to make some calls, and received an unexpected but very welcome call from one of my best friends. When she started talking I could tell immediately that something wasn't right. After quick hello's, she told me that she had something to tell me. Her husband of over ten years had passed away unexpectedly. Only 36 years old and with a new lease on life, I could hardly believe what I was hearing. I listened to the first couple of sentences and then my mind went completely blank. It felt completely surreal as I listened to her, my mind immediately went back to the last time that I saw him (they threw a sleepover together for all their friends a couple of months back), and my heart ached. I was there, I watched them grow. Watched them go through the ups and downs that couples do, but more importantly wat...

I know its gonna sound like I'm talking about work and in a way I am, but I'm really not. I promise I have a bigger point. I was watching Oprah the other day and she had guests on the show who live in what most would consider extremely small spaces. She had her main man Nathan on the show helping people open up their tiny spaces. There were of course your Manhattan renters who pay lots of dough to stay in studios and those who have chosen the life of the village to raise a family. Even those who moved to smaller spaces so that they weren't living "house poor". But the man that caught my attention was a man who lived in a house that was literally no bigger than a room. He paid no mortgage and had very few other expenses. He said that he chose to live in that small house so that he could have fewer bills and really use the money that he did make to ENJOY LIFE. That statement really got me thinking, since when did the number of square feet you owned determin...

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortune of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let not this blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial ...