Peace and blessings! I would like to introduce you to contributor, Ms. Celeste S. Duckworth.
Like the famous great thinker, Martin Luther King, her birthday falls on January
15th. She often thinks of herself as a
great thinker and even though her birthday is not yet a holiday there is the
distinct possibility that someday it may be. This thinking that she refers to is responsible for her return to
college to finish what she had started many years ago.
At
one time she embarked on studying to become a lawyer, but her professor
cautioned her that she would not make a living at it because her love for
helping others would prevent her from charging them for her labor. She found that she had a love for writing,
biology, the study of Human Genetics and Anthropology. Her true niche was found
in Medical Anthropology.
During
her second semester she wrote a Science Fiction novel. This led her to enroll
in a Creative Writing class to access her potential as a creative writer. She
had always written short stories privately and this was going to be the first
time she would dare to expose herself to the scrutiny of others by letting them
read her work.
Her
first poem, “An Oasis in the Desert,” was published by the City of Phoenix,
Arizona to hang on the wall of the new Maryville Pool House. Celeste said that this was, “A great
accomplishment since one of the things creative individuals struggle with is to
put their work out before the public. This actually gave her the encouragement to not get so caught up in the
perfect, let it come from the heart, and that is you don’t value your work no
one else will.” She then has gone on and has had four poems published by
VertiKal MagaZine and one poem, ‘Her Strength will be published in the next
year by Big Table Publishing to be part of a book about Women’s
Empowerment.
Through
her Poetry she has facilitated Dramatic Presentations involving Music, Art and
Poetry with her group called the Positively Profound Players. Celeste has written
three books and hopes to have them published by the end of this year.
She
uses her life experiences in her writing and storytelling. A mother of three who has raised them through
Homelessness, and Corporate America she loves to relate the funny stories and
the sad stories and the positive impact on others that she relates the stories
to.
Celeste
has worked as Safety & Training Manager for a large international
corporation, as well as an Academic Advisor for a local community college. Recently she accepted the position of
Publisher at VertiKal Magazine a Global Magazine that brings the local
community in touch with their global neighbors.
1. What does “faith” mean to you?
To me faith is knowing that I can work through
the storm or love through the heartbreaks, or encourage without knowing where
its going because I know on the other side of that storm is sunshine, of that
heartbreak is the Father waiting for you to release it and that his desire is
that nothing will be lost. I ask many of my
guests on the radio program what got them through the challenges. Of course many
say that God brought them through but I ask them to make it real to those who
may not understand the personal relationship with God. Was it counseling? Was it a friend? Was it family? Because in reality God is in all those things
and its okay to call on that counselor or friend because God knows you need
that human touch at times, So, that is what faith means to me, that always the
Father is always there for your lifeline, but he sends many boats, planes and trains to see
you through.
2. Describe
a time in your life when you had to solely rely on your faith.
When my fiance was very ill in
the middle of wedding plans and business building. Then he got better and we started making serious
plans and looking for a house. He began
to spend one month here and there in the hospital. It turned into two years of caring for him
and getting his business in order. Sometimes when he left for business trips, we would
spend hours on the phone to get him calm and make sure he could make the
meetings and get home quickly. At one
point I realized there were things he had to do, so that is when we really dug
in with prayer and every healing touch was prayful. He passed away last year. Through it all, there
were times when I was just tired and overwhelmed and mad and God would say go
back in and help and be patient and kind.
It was one of the hardest up to this date. It was hard to watch him lose everything
because he couldn’t work.
He would still be making phone calls to encourage people and sometimes
did the radio broadcast from bed. When
he had a stroke toward the end and went into a coma, people said you don’t need to go and stay
with him everyday. But I heard the
spirit say go, pray, sing, and hold his hand and talk to him. So, I went daily or
spent the night until the day he transitioned. We had moved into our new place
right before he got sick and changed business paperwork and all the things you do
when you become a married couple. Then watching
all the things you work for go, loss of finances, loss of material things, loss
of friends, and support. It puts you in
a place where all you have and all you can rely on is faith or you will
succumb.
3. Have
you ever wavered in your faith? If so, when?
I am not sure really. I think when I was called
I was given that measure of faith where I just knew that I knew. Many times when I am spending time
encouraging others, I am encouraging myself as well. I think we all waver to some extent but I
think when you look at it or try to look at it from God’s perspective you don’t
waver, you get weary. That is when you make a choice to dig in and hold it
down, or give up. I never choose the give
up way.
4. What
do you do when you recognize you are wavering in your faith?
I start encouraging and inspiring big
time. I go deep in my heart and pull out
a miracle or two to remind myself I have had it worse. I have been homeless
with my daughter, I went through fighting a brain tumor. And after Norman died, I could not pay my rent because his part of the
income was now gone. The lights were
getting ready to go off and there was no food in the house. Everyone was pretty much saying, "Well he’s gone. She
will work it out." Well the landlords had
been knowing what we were going through for two years so they told me, "Don’t
worry, we are here. You don’t have to leave". It was a nice secure place to be. Then, I was trying to call this service and
the line was just busy busy. Then, I miss
dialed and one of my girlfriends picked it up.
I was beginning to feel distraught because I know I was going to miss my
opportunity to get an appointment. So I
told my girlfriend I had to go and get this appointment and she prayed with us
both on the phone. When I hung up and
dialed the organization again, they
picked up the phone! I was so shocked that I was actually speaking to a person. They paid my electric for four months and
paid my rent. That was a tremendous
help. I am not out of the clear or how
they say "in the black" yet. I have met
clients for dinner and used my last to eat knowing God was going to make a way, and they would buy advertisement from the magazines. Some days I am pushed to
the wall with our business, but I am actively placing myself in the Father’s
hands daily and working through it and work toward excellence. Encouraging others is a big help for me, too, because when I give inspiration and motivation, I am giving it to myself as well. So it’s a WIN – WIN. But I have to say
also, the Father gave me a mentor, a truly real best friend, and put me with
people who understand business. They are
encouragers and I am learning how God can turn a situation around when people
say it can’t be done. I have seen it, so
I keep working for that day when he says I am ready and I will see my business
continue to grow.
5. What
words of encouragement/empowerment/advice would you give someone who is on the
path to seeing their vision realized?
You can contact Ms. Duckworth at:
celesteduckworth@gmail.com
These are her main sites, and they have four radio
broadcasts:
VERTIKAL Life Magazine’s
Mission is to, “Uplift, Educate, and Inspire Social Change, in our Local
Neighborhood for the Betterment of our Global Community.”
Introducing and sharing the stories
of Creative and Innovative Individuals that are not normally featured in
mainstream media that aspire to change their world and the world around them by
uplifting and empowering people.
Women
On The Rise -
Inspiring women to overcome the barriers to their success by hearing
conversations from other women who have faced their challenges, of pursuing
their passions.
She’s More Network – Creating opportunities for teen girls worldwide by developing their
talents in Writing, Broadcast Journalism, and Media and creating a radio program
where they can share their ideas, lives, and visions with girls their age
worldwide.
Thank you, Ms. Duckworth, for sharing your faith!
If you would like to be a part of this blog and share your faith, please contact Sheronda Barksdale at: faithfrfr2014@gmail.com.
Your blogger:
Sheronda L. Barksdale
Sheronda L. Barksdale is an author, speaker, life empowerment coach, and entrepreneur. Her motto for life and business is, "Empowering your vision to your path". She believes that through faith, anyone can see their vision for their life manifested. You can also read her blog, Faith....Frfr.
If you have any comments, questions, or prayer requests, please contact Sheronda at: faithfrfr2014@gmail.com. Also, you can go to her website SherondaLBarksdale.com. Follow her on Facebook at Sheronda L. Barksdale, Entrepreneur and Life Empowerment Coach, Instagram at: sheronda_l_barksdale, and Twitter at: @SherondaGB.
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