The Power of Faith

I am no warrioress with musket 
and sword 
on my waist and my hair cut close to the scalp in a role to defend my king. But I am a fighter and I am royalty. 

I like to indulge in my passions as I roam through my kingdom, unapologetically and push doggedly on. I will admit that I live a dotty lifestyle and sometimes when you look at me, you might see wildness underneath my crown, in your eyes. It may even drive you mad, if you yourself do not have your own little strange way of being that makes you uniquely you. But I have been blessed with God’s amazing grace who created this unforgettable world around me and I am powerful in my own right.

I will not say that life has been easy to navigate. I will however admit that every moment that I existed in belonged to me. Sometimes I have to break out into applause at all the life-changing experiences that God kept me from experiencing the downward spiral of destruction, which gives me reason to stay in a positive frame of mind. I could sing about this truth forever. 

As knee deep into life that I am, I am far from the point of my origin and so very thankful for that. It has been like a sonic boom and sometimes I still feel the trumpeting vibrations of my stupendously loud childhood, but my attraction to visions of the future are all the reason to ruffle my feathers with confidence for that possible utopia. I know that the possibilities are boundless and I am totally worth it and to know that empowers me. This is the reason why I am able to awaken with a grateful heart every day.

God kept me from destruction in my decrepitude and I am still here to speak of his mercies, even though I am not perfect. How awesome is that? His amazing grace enables me to have a renewed sense of purpose each day and it gives me reason to dance for joy every morning when I see the red glow of sunrise.

Know that You Are Not Alone

We all have at one time or another, come into a difficult trial. We all have experienced hurt or pain. We all find ourselves in a valley of tears every now and then. We all vie for a better life and to enjoy peace of mind. 

Time to face the reality of life. Time to forgive yourself for your falls. Time to accept yourself for who you are where you are. Time to get more out of life. Time to rejoice in the truth of how blessed you truly are.

No need to allow restless thoughts to keep me up at night. There is still courage to be faithful even when disagreeable things come and toy with my spirit. And no need to take anger and frustration out on myself for situations that come into my life that I cannot change; even if the situation is of my own doing. And no need to feel as if you are so alone in this world that the only thing left in your heart is the desire to not live and to commit suicide. Even in moments of distress, never give up. Don’t let doubt blindside you from seeing the truth about the amazingly, wonderful person that you are.

You should know that you are a very important character in this world and the warm sunshine in someone else’s heart. Never forget that; even while bemoaning your own circumstances and while experiencing the severe pressures and demands that comes with the life we are given. You can still find a source of joy to keep your head to the sky. The most important thing is to not let go of it.

If any reason to hold steadily on the course, let it be the splendor of the dawn. Look skyward and be thankful for the blessing of time to fall into a torpor to be still in its refreshing embrace after hustling all day with the wonderful strength you have been built with and for the grace that wakes you up with in the morning.

I am no warrioress with musket and sword on my waist and my hair cut close to the scalp to play the role as bodyguard for the king but instead, I have a king who is my bodyguard who saved my life on countless occasions. For him to see so many reasons to love me regardless of all my imperfections, who am I not to love myself in the same way. I am blessed to see another day and grateful for every day that I can say that I have been kept. And with that in mind, perhaps my original song entitled, "You Loved Me" by Stephanie Jeannot and Mike LeShore might add a little bit more inspiration to your day.  

Hope it does. Thank you for stopping by my blog! 

There is Always a Reason to be Jubilant; Enjoy Life

In the most mundane moments when you fall deep into thought, and you feel like you want to penetrate into solitude based on your situation that leaves you experiencing doubt, let your soul be inspired by painting a picture in your mind of something great that happened in your life which once delighted your eyes. Don't let doubt control the way that you maneuver this world. Just a thought but . . . who did God uniquely and wonderfully custom create to be ruler over many things?

There is always a reason to be jubilant.

Encourage your own self by remembering all the good about you and about your current position, and let that add the spring in your step that you need to allow joy to grow in the fertile corners of your heart. You are so very blessed!  Don't ever let your doubts hold you in as a prisoner. God is bigger than all of that. That's the mustard seed. Don't let go of it and don't ever forget to let God's faith empower you. 

How could you not feel full of life and warmth when you find a reason to smile about your own self?

Let the good you have experienced be etched in your mind and create for you a catchy and upbeat song and dance (some call this life) for you to take on your existence and the world. I mean in all actuality, who’s world is this? 

The Reason Why I Sing!

While many things may tug at me for my attention, I find music to be the one I respond to the most.

Photo from Taste of Minsk 2017 provided by EMM Management

I am thankful mostly for the spring of life that it gives me which is why I have genuine enthusiasm to partake in the art of singing. From the cradle to now in my adulthood, singing gives me motivation. Even in my worst days when my strength is sapped like in the heat of summer, somehow God girds me with strength just to fulfill my passion.

You might wonder why I love it so much. Well, I can honestly say that music gets my heart pumping. It brings my world to life. It animates me and gives me ecstatic joy. It adds sparkle to the routine of my day and I am thankful for the wonderful gift of music, song and voice that God blessed me with and I believe this is what I was born to do. Singing is my purpose.

Photo from Taste of Minsk 2017 provided by EMM Management

I know my most focused attention dwells there but it is only because I am wading in the deep waters of love God gave me to embrace it with confidence. That is just one of the many reason I will forever sing of his mercies. Thankful for every open door of opportunity that he enables me to walk into.

You are Invited:

Perhaps I might interest you in one of the many upcoming singing engagements that I will be participating in.  

On Saturday, September 9, 2017, please join me as I get on stage at the Fort Greene Jazz Festival hosted by Eric Frazier. It will take place in Fort Greene Park located at Dekalb Avenue and South Portland in Brooklyn NY from 3PM to 7PM. 

Photo from Taste of Minsk 2017 provided by EMM Management

I am thinking this event will be one of the biggest of the annual Fort Greene Park Jazz Festivals yet, now in its 8^th year. It is a free event and open to the public I think it will be something that will bring a spark of fun, joy and dancing in the streets of Brooklyn and am so excited to be able to share my talents there. 

Hopefully you can join us this Saturday. If so, see you there! 

Learning from the Birthday Boy, President Barack Obama: Yes I Can!

The only knowledge you need in life is to know that you will be alright. We all find ourselves dealing with miseries sometimes because life is not easy. But walking around with a distorted vision of you is not right because all of a sudden, you become a victim of your own prejudice. The simple truth is, you are on a pioneering path and you need to know the great amount of influence you electrify the world with when you strive; even those big steps you take moving forward with which you find yourself coming up short. Yet still, don’t be so reluctant to believe that you cannot be a leader but also have glitches.

Just because you are carrying the weight of life on your shoulders does not mean that it has to dull your shine. Nobody said that you had to be driving in the hottest Italian sports car to be worthy of a robust life. Nobody said that to be seen as intelligent, you have to know every James Baldwin novel from cover to cover. There is nothing that says that one must eat 7 ½ servings of whole grains a day in order to be taken seriously. Don’t let these stigmas strip you of your supply of faith.

Stop wrestling with your doubts and letting the war in your mind deflate your willingness to continue pressing on. You don’t always have to be readily available for those invitations to lunch from your wounds and instead, you can find fuel from your passions and continue on with your unlimited expectations of what is to come. Remember, we all come up short sometimes from our own expectations of what life is supposed to be at the moment, detour, and lose our bearings, but don’t emotionally react so quickly to what may seem to be the pinnacle of your dreams. If you have envisioned the fruit at the bend of the rainbow with your own eyes, then you must first learn to tolerate your flaws and come to peace with who you are.

Keep your heart grounded in God’s greatness and love while also allowing him to heal your wounds. Target the opportunities, even through your personal struggles. I mean, what is discussing your dilemmas and aspirations with God if you are not going to let him do what he does? Move along the line with confidence and know in truth that the best is yet to come. Press on in the race and never give up. You are thoroughly equipped to gain momentum.  Life is all about taking chances.  It’s about fighting like Jack Johnson for what you want. But remember, God is bigger than all your problems. 

Love yourself, even with the abrasions, bruises, chatter-about-you and drama. These things are meant to be distractions for a reason. Nothing that an open-flow conversation with God can’t fix. They can be so transforming, if you hold on to God’s faith. A simple declaration such as the famous “Yes I Can” affirmation that the birthday boy, President Barack Obama uses can also change your nature. The most important opinion of you should be the one you hold of yourself. 

 You must also remember that not every aim at the basket will be nothing but net. You might gain momentum on the court with your heart beating wildly and the basketball falling under your spell until you shoot and miss. This is not a reason to be full of vexation; especially if you are keenly aware of who you are and what the end goal is.

What is life if you have to walk a tight rope to well adjust to it? Time to pay a visit to a different strategy. Enough with the wallowing in self-pity. Your mishaps are not chained to a slave castle in St Croix. It would be hard to change your mind with it racing 65-miles per hour. Stop being a slave to the things going wrong in life and instead, emancipate yourself and applaud the good things. A different perspective is all that is needed to endure the journey and to tap into the internal joy that no one or nothing should be able to take away.

Walk proudly towards what you crave to see in your life and be patient while working towards your achievement. I mean think about it. If every test you took was met with an A, there would be no reason to study or aim for higher. Things gained without working for it is not as appreciated as those you bust your butt to attain. So keep pushing forward.  

Time to put this trivial ego-buster out in the trash and regroup for those ample opportunities. But don’t sit on the veranda thinking for too long. Trying again should not be beneath your dignity. Especially when you have eyes filled with curiosity of what that opened door for you would mean. Let your action of trying repeat itself and do it with a fresh supply of faith unless you want to make God insanely jealous by giving into your doubts. Even in a premature stage, giving life to your dream matures you. Experience life! 

The important thing to remember about life is that sometimes you win your battles and sometimes your tries might have disastrous results. Then there are times when you are so at peace with who you are that you find yourself reclining on that veranda, looking back and laughing out loud at yourself at the sticky situations you got yourself into while striving for excellence.  

Hey Mon!

It's evident. We all are a little bit like Hey Mon from "In Living Color" because we wear many hats and have many responsibilities. But I've learned that the most important hat we could wear is  Child of God. 

We are all live and in living color when we take the forest like a lion or lioness. But even kings and queens receive their strength from God. Without that hat, the smallest sling could knock us off solid ground. Without God, our hats mean nothing at all. But hey mon! 

With that being said, I would like to invite you into my world. I am a singer/songwriter/performing artist from Brooklyn, NY and I'd like to let you know I have music and videos on-line. Please check me out and like or follow if you are willing. Here are some of my links: 

Http://www.youtube.com/sj1and0

Http://www.reverbnation.com/stephanayjnote

Http://www.facebook.com/jnotemusic

Http://www.instagram.com/musiqal1

Http://www.twitter.com/musiqal1

Http://www.soundcloud.com/stephanay-jnote

Http://www.cdbaby.com/artist/stephaniejeannot

Happy Thanksgiving

This year seems to be traveling at the speed of sound and incredibly, I still can't get over nature's song and dance.

It feels almost as if it were yesterday when I woke up from a second of sleeping wedged into a back of a truck with the metal of my own car before me looking as if it had been cut open by a can opener. But I survived it and am so blessed to be able to say that I am still here because God kept me. Yet, there is no denying all the wonderful blessings God has provided and I am very grateful.

I subscribe to a blog which delivers articles to my email on a daily basis and I came across a gratitude challenge.  The challenge was to write down three things daily in which we are thankful for and by the end of the year, we should have about a 1000 things on our list.

I had been with writer's block for a while unable to express myself in song. But come across a gratitude challenge and the words unraveled like a petal of a rose in the springtime. The words were down, and then shortly after, the melody and music; a song of thanksgiving inspired by the thankfulness challenge that I came across and thought was very appropriate as we are coming upon Thanksgiving Day.  And here we are,  giving thanks to God,  He is definitely worthy of it. Check it out if you'd like https://soundcloud.com/stephanay-jnote/thankful-rough-mix. The song is called "Thankful"  (A raw and rough draft)!

https://soundcloud.com/stephanay-jnote/thankful-rough-mix

I am definitely thankful that you took the time to check out this post and with even more gratitude to have each and every one of you in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

The Art of Being a Musician

I know chords enough to structure and create tracks for a song, but I would not consider myself a keyboardist. But I'm learning to sing and play at the same time, so maybe I will gain that wonderful skill someday. 

I can strum guitar strings and own a guitar but am not a master of that instrument and wouldn't consider myself a guitarist. 

I can hold down a beat but to use the sticks and steady on it, I can't do because I'm not a drummer. 

Today I was asked am I musician. I thought about it and realized, the vocal cords are an instrument; the only instrument hand-made by God. 

Yes, I am a musician. I'm a singer!!! 

How to Smell the Roses

I am one with nature and definitely learning how to smell the roses. Each new day a new blessing. Each new blessing, something to not only be thankful for but to build on and also learn from. 

Thankful for fresh opportunities that break me out the box and transform me just a little bit more. I feel just like the roses when you shed your light on me and enable me to stand tall and lift my face unto your beauty. Thank you Lord for loving me as softly as a morning sunrise.

God is good!!! (EVERYDAY) 

I Know you love me Lord because even as imperfect as I am, you loved me. 

Please check out my original tune "You Loved Me" on Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/stephanay-jnote/stephanay-jnotes-tracks-1 on SoundCloud