It's All For You!

It’s All For You!

Part One

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV)

What do you see when you look in the mirror? Have you ever looked in awe and wonder? Or have you fallen into the societal habit of sizing yourself up? Saint Augustine shared it this way, “Men go abroad and wonder at the heights of the mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and pass by themselves without wondering.” I’m guilty of taking my gift of sight and the modern day pleasure of a mirror and being inappreciative for who and what is looking back at me. The only room that’s never full is the room for improvement, the adage says. True. Nevertheless, when we understand who created us and why, certain things about us should illuminate when we see them.

Here’s what I’m getting at.

You were created, no, hand crafted…no, no, especially fashioned for certain things. The psalmist begins the 139th number by singing about how well God knows him. "Thou hast searched me, and known me..". It’s a clear indication of intimate relationship, the kind that doesn’t happen overnight but makes life worth living. Mothers and daughters have it. Fathers and sons have it. Husbands and wives have it. True friends have it. This kind of intimacy makes a world of problems melt away in an instant. Isn’t it wonderful that we, the created, the hand crafted, the especially fashioned can have intimacy with the same God who formed the Milky Way? Isn’t it wonderful that he knew not only what we would be, also but who we would be; that we were born purposed in him?

 Some of us are teachers. So much so that we could wake up after teaching all day with an hour nap and a half cup of coffee and do it all over again without skipping a beat. Some of us are builders. I see a pile of dirt, but you see architectural designs the world has never known. Maybe you love literary expression like me and want to safeguard it so much that you’ll stay up all night until the narrative is just right (true story). Perhaps you’re an orator. We recently celebrated the life of one of our nation’s most beloved activists and orators in the person of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Could you imagine Dr. King as a mailman or an accountant? What a waste that would have been. Of course there is honor in all labor but don’t you want to do what invigorates you; work that may tire your body but reenergizes your mind?

I do.

God wants that too. And he proves it through the prophet Jeremiah.

For I know the thoughts I think towards you…

We existed in the mind of God before our flesh ever came into being. Chew on that for a moment. Violets serve a purpose, as all flowers do, but did God have to make them so beautiful? He did that for you. The twinkle in the eye of your loved one. You know that look. The one that melts your heart. He created that for you. God’s love for us is evident in his design. When I do work well I am filled when it is noticed and appreciated. Imagine how we bless God by seeing ourselves as he sees us.

Build,

Nakeia

 

 

Singleness...

Singleness…

                You may be wondering what a woman of my status is doing talking about singleness. Well, there’s more than one kind, you know. Not convinced? Let me explain.

                There this idea that’s been bugging me for several months now. As I pondered what to blog about this idea was, well, bugging me (you know the old saying, the squeakiest thought get the oil!)

As I stumble through my 30’s I have been quite surprised at this magnetic inclination to hold on to the past. And by hold on I don’t mean grip. I mean hold on like a pit bull with lockjaw; like an Alaskan stabbing her ice pick into a giant wall of frozen ice to survive the harsh winter's storm...like a dog with a…well, you get my drift. First there’s the occasional nostalgic trip down memory lane, reminiscing over high school memories and college days long gone. Then there are the deep-seated ideals that were instilled in us from one environment or another (Any church kids out there? How about private school kids? Yep. You feel me.) And I can’t forget relationships. The organic ones I can handle but what about ALL the other ones we have to juggle, old and new? With lifelong learning (I heart reading), the need for culture (gotta have museums), television (Scandal anyone?), and uh…oh yeah, people (who doesn’t love people, am I right?), it’s a wonder we’re not all catatonic from the weight of juggling it all.

And boy do we want it all.

We want the start-up business that makes it to Forbes List, we want children who wake themselves up and make their own breakfast and get hired as student-teachers in the 3^rd grade, we want spouses who can read our minds and non-verbal cues in their sleep while helping out around the house, showing up at our work functions and smelling good when they do it. We want magazine-cover-greatness. Washboard abs, flawless skin, and 27 hour days so we can fit that last episode of our current Netflix binge in before getting the two hours of sleep we need to start it all over again.

But there’s this thought that keeps bugging me. Singleness…no, not that kind of singleness. Singleness of mind. What is singleness of mind? That, I’m figuring out daily. What I’ve got so far is that we take life on one chunk at a time. You know, like eating an apple. Instead of trying to do it all, have it all and be it all, why not do one thing at a time and do it well? Maybe being a single-minded mom means I skip television and play a game with my children. Or find a program we can all watch together (sounds like a win/win to me!) When I’m so mentally overloaded that my brain is about to blow a gasket, instead of taking it out on my spouse, why not consider areas I can cut back on (Do I really need to be on the Foundation for the Cultivation of Puppies in Space? Maybe. Maybe not.) My point is, I am learning to learn from the past and then let go of the past. The better I get at it the more space I open for my present, and what a gift it is! (C’mon, I had to. It was too good to pass up.)

Join me in discovering what matters in your life and then channeling your mind to the singleness of working towards that end. Want to be a better person? Singleness. Want better relationships? Singleness. Want financial freedom? Single. Ness. You’ll find, as I have, that the chaos, juggling and madness that don't make us better people all filter out as we shed the weight of mental excess the world and even we put on ourselves. We don't need it all. And if we're honest, we're satisfied with much less than what we have. Once we de-layer our heart and mind, and focus on what matters, what we have left is peace. And we could all use a little more of that.

 

Build,

Nakeia

 

Xulon Press book The Best of Us | Nakeia Council-Daniels

When a writer loves you...

When a writer loves you…you will never die

A loved on recently shared a quote with me. While I am unsure who penned the phrase, I am glad they did because it stirred within the gratitude for who God created me to be, and the reason for pure expression. Whether brushes of paint on a canvas, tools chiseling stone, the elongated movement of limbs as they give glory in dance, the lingering sound of a melodious voice as it echoes into the atmosphere, or inspiration that births thoughts who grow up to be words poured onto pages; no matter how it is expressed…

art. is. love.

That being said, I will take the saying further and add, If an artist loves you, you become immortal. The thread of who you are will fill their hearts, hands, arms, and toes and you will be in every movement, your name spoken in every word, your laugh in every painting. What I know for sure is that God is real and his love for us is expressed every time an artist breathes.

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http://www.xulonpress.com/bookstore/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781629525969&HC_ISBN=

           What a WONDERFUL time had by all!

Xulon Press book The Best of Us | Nakeia Council-Daniels

The Best of Us!

 

Ladies and Gentlemen it's time to order your copy of my breakout novel: The Best Of Us!!!

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(If you wish to have your copy signed, please order it directly from me on Craig's List)

 

My goal is to make sure that the printed word never dies; to encourage others to write and to use my resources to help build the future writers of our great nation, but I can't do it without you. Buy your copy today!

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Nakeia Council-Daniels has been an active artist for more than twenty years. A writer, vocalist, poet, and musician, she is now the author of her debut novel The Best of Us: A story of love, loss, corruption and family set in New York City.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. Nakeia now lives in Southern California with her husband Jerry and their three children, Jerry III, Jonathan and Naomi.

*Nakeia is pictured above with her beautiful daughter, Naomi - Mother's Day 2014*