Good morning

How are you all doing today? ❤️

What is something you have in mind to do today that you don’t really feel like doing?

I just want to remind you: do it anyway. Regardless of how you feel, take that step. Feelings are temporary, but the sense of accomplishment you’ll feel once you complete that task can last much longer.

I also want to remind you that in this life, one of your greatest goals should be to find joy within yourself—not to depend on others to create it for you.

If you’ve spent most of your life making sure everyone else is happy while neglecting your own peace, stop today. You are not responsible for carrying everyone else’s happiness at the expense of your own.

People cannot be your source of true peace. God is.

Make Him the center of your day. Invite Him into your plans, ask Him to lead you with His perfect peace, and trust Him with the things you cannot control.

And never allow someone else’s choices to rob you of the peace that God has given you because of the choices you have made for your own life.

Choose joy. Choose peace. Choose God. And keep moving forward.

Protect your peace, pursue your purpose, and let God lead. 🙏🏽❤️ -CM

Favorite 5 apps

What are your favorite 5 apps on your phone?

The Bible App, WhatsApp, YouTube (especially Candace Owens—when she’s not on, I honestly feel like YouTube has stopped working, so I have to find another source for my news 😂), ChatGPT, and Gmail. And naturally, the United Airlines app—I’m always checking flights and keeping an eye on how full my working flights are. ✈️ —CM

In Reston Town Center, VA

Which is the best restaurant in your city?

One of the best restaurants in the city I used to live in—and am now moving back to—is Pisco y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar! 🇵🇪❤️ It’s Peruvian food, and I absolutely love it!

I used to walk there just to eat, and I would literally order two meals for one person so I could have enough to enjoy the next day! 😂 It was definitely worth it.

Maybe one day, I’ll see one of you guys there! 😊 -CM

August 12th Recap

Here I was, sitting right in the middle of Brussels at Restaurant François, waiting for my food. 🇧🇪✨ The eclipse was out too, and I definitely didn’t want to blind myself, so I sat there taking pictures of myself instead. 😂 Meanwhile, my coworker was over there trying to be extra cool. 😎😂
My food finally came! I had a starter of fish soup, but I had already inhaled it before I could even take a picture, lol. 😂 For dinner, I had mixed grilled fish with mashed potatoes and some regular potatoes. It was absolutely delicious!

In the video, you’ll also see some of my coworkers and their yummy meals. 😋

And no offense to my Brussels people, but I have to say it—escargot is definitely better in Paris! 😂🇫🇷
At the end of the night, these two lovely ladies and I decided we wanted KFC at almost 10 p.m. 😂 We didn’t even realize they had the same type of food we have back home in the States. Shame on us! 😂
But I have to say, the chicken in Belgium tasted so fresh and natural. 🇧🇪🍗 It was definitely good! Of course, some of us had to get a little exercise in beforehand to balance it out. 😂🏃🏾‍♀️ It was overall a beautiful night, and I was blessed and grateful to be surrounded by marvelous people. Thank you, Belgium, and see you again next week, lol. -CM

Michael, movie

As I was watching the movie *Michael*, I noticed something in the beginning that really stood out to me. When his father said to him, “If you want to cry, go on and cry, big nose,” I felt like that was the beginning of why Michael slowly and eventually quickly—started changing himself.

Sometimes, the wounds that shape us the most begin with the words spoken to us by the people we love and trust the most. A child may not understand the weight of those words in the moment, but they can carry them for years, allowing those insults to become the way they see themselves.

The Bible says, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger” (Ephesians 6:4). Children need correction, but they also need love, encouragement, patience, and words that build them up rather than tear them down.

What we say to a child can become either a wound they spend years trying to heal or a foundation they stand on for the rest of their life. Words matter, especially when they come from a parent. -CM

Three pieces of advice

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

1: The one piece of advice my stepfather gave me was, “Save as much as you can while you’re young; it will pay off later.” It’s advice I’ve carried with me ever since.

2: Another piece of advice: when someone gives you something with a genuine heart, receive it. Don’t immediately say no or push away a good gift. If someone says, “I’m giving this to you with gladness in my heart; please take it,” then receive it with gratitude and simply say, “Thank you.”

Sometimes, refusing a blessing that someone sincerely wants to give you isn’t humility—it can prevent them from experiencing the joy of giving.

So, receive what is given to you with a grateful heart, and don’t try to take away the blessing God has placed on someone else’s heart to give. What is given in love should be received with love.

3: The advice I give myself is this: being beautiful on the outside means nothing if you are not beautiful within. True beauty is found in the condition of your heart, the peace within your spirit, and the way you walk with God and treat others.

When you are at peace with yourself, at peace with God, and at peace with those around you, there is a beauty that no mirror can measure.

I remind myself that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. With my right hand, I receive every good and perfect gift, every blessing, every opportunity, and every purpose God has placed before me. I receive it with faith, gratitude, and an open heart.

What God has for me, I will receive. What He gives me, I will honor. And where He leads me, I will walk boldly. -CM