"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves."

Last night as I prepared to try to go to sleep I read for a little while like I normally do and the day had not been entirely stressful or any of that, but I had received several phone calls and texts from several people in my life that are going through some things. While none of these problems are mine,(though I have a wealth of my own) I believe strongly in the verse of scripture in Galatians 6:2 that says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”

As I began to pray about some of the things that these people are facing, asking God to give them peace, I was reminded of just how perfect love can be. Not only did God send his perfect example of love, he also gave us this scripture to guide our understanding of what it is. Some of my loved ones are facing difficult times finding jobs, with relationships, with self fulfillment. With LOVE, and I am in no way excluded from any of these, and as I allowed the Holy Spirit it began to reveal to me that the answer is still LOVE and the definition of it.

It's patient

kind

protecting

trusting

hopeful

preserving

and it never, ever fails.

 So in that moment I prayed that that love embrace them the same way that I have felt it embrace me so many times before.

 

My Nana is Remarrying Tomorrow.

Well, most of the family has almost made it into town and I'm just sitting here thinking about what's going to take place tomorrow. Truth be known, I'm a little nervous. I don't really know why, just not sure of the emotions that will come tomorrow and therefore I'm a little anxious about it all.I'm very happy for my grandmother. Her whole life has been about her children and her husband and she deserves to make this decision absolutely for herself. She doesn't want to be alone and there is a man that she loves and he loves her, and they should be married if that's what they want.I'm happy for her. My whole family does not share in that excitement and it is causing some tension, but my prayer is that they come to understand it and love it for what it is.I understand it. I can see the sheer joy that comes across her when he calls, or when she's telling me about him, and that's just enough for me. For four years she had lost her identity and she was no longer the Nana that I had grown up with. She hurt, constantly, and it was most certainly a part of the grieving process of losing the love of her life, but over the last few months I have watched as she has been able to breathe again. She's enjoying life again. Days are good now, and though she will always love and miss my grandfather, he is not here right now, and there is another to be loved and to love her. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is the way that my beautiful grandfather would want it to be, and I hope that I can feel his presence there tomorrow as I often have, and maybe the ones in my family that aren't on the same page will feel it wherever they are and be able to let go of the pain of the loss and just show love to the ones we have right here in flesh with us.

The Value Of Working Together

Today the kids created some ocean life murals which struck up some pretty great discussion about the current oil spill and other ocean things.  It was pretty much a time for the kids to freely create whatever they wanted as well as socialize about what they were doing. They were in groups of about 5 or 6 working together. It started off just a little rocky, but by the end of the hour, they had it down. They worked through their minor differences and helped each other when help was needed. They completed the task and had some pretty amazing pieces of art work to show off!

I took the time to think about what I was watching in reference to the recent oil spill in the Gulf. I can't help but wonder how much more of the environment could be saved if people decided to work together instead of lay blame or turn this into some sort of political issue. It's really not a political issue; it's an issue of the heart. Animals are losing their lives and miles of shoreline are being destroyed. This doesn’t even scratch the surface of what will be happening in the long run, because of the pollution. It's way beyond a political issue if you ask me.

Yep. These children are eight and nine years old, but they can understand the value of working together for a purpose. Yes. Of course they’re all different and have their different opinions, but they reach agreements and then they support each other. Granted, it's taken them a few weeks to work out the kinks, but now that they have, I am seeing some amazing things from them.

So,

Maybe as Americans we will eventually work out the kinks and come to realize that no matter what happens, or what side we stand on, we're all just the same. Our heart pushes blood through all of our arteries and veins, and somehow all of our organs function together to keep us living. (So glad THAT SYSTEM knows the value of working together)

When I think about my daddy

When I think about my daddy...........
I think about being 6 years old and him standing beside me harmonizing with me singing "Oh How I Love Jesus."
I think about him leaving the training wheels on my bicycle because I insisted, even though he says that they were broken and so they were not even really touching the ground anymore.
I think about the time that I was about 9 or 10 and I stepped on some glass because I never wore shoes and he got it out with me screaming like I was dying.
I think about the tears that I saw in his eyes after my first marching band performance.
I think about the way he looked at me just a few months ago and told me how very proud of me he is.
I think about leading praise and worship twice a week with him. (Music is our special language)
BUT MOST OF ALL
I think about the love that he has sown into me over the years and I am overwhelmed with the greatest sense of just how absolutely blessed I am to have him in my life.

On My Own

I've lived on my own for the past year, but I've had a roommate for most of that time. What have I discovered? I've discovered that I like my family so much more now that I don't live under the same roof with them. I've discovered that my parents have always been my friends. I recently learned through something that my little brother wrote that I am the person that he most aspires to be like. Who knew? I thought we passionately disagreed on everything in the world. It caused a shift in our relationship, for sure. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that when you're not living under the same roof with these people, they become so much, well, cooler. :) I've left out my older brother, we're still best friends.

I guess more than anything what moving out of my house has taught me is how incredibly blessed I truly am. I feel that blessing way more now because there is no "I need to stretch my legs" tension like there was before.

In a few short weeks I'll be moving into a house. Just me. And I'm very excited. I'm excited because it was my financial decision, and because in just a few short months I will know just how capable I am of making things work for myself. Stability is important to me. Financial stability along with many other stabilities. Knowing that I can have that stability on my own, that's key.

SO, Yes. I graduated from college, but I'm not getting married and starting a family, I'm on my own. And I'm just enough for right now. Yes I want to be married and have children someday, but that's not in my cards right now, and I'll wait. While I wait, I'll grow, I'll learn and most of all I'll have fun. I'll live life. I'll pay attention to the people in it. I'll listen and share. I'll dream, read, write, teach, speak, and love hard.


That's pretty exciting if you ask me!

There Is Never A Loss In Love

The more I grow the easier it is becoming for me to see that things fit. Life happens the way that it does for a particular reason. To teach us,to fill us, to challenge us, and to change us. Physical Seasons don't leave the environment unchanged, and neither do the seasons of life and love leave the individual unchanged. Each relationship means something. Whether it be there for a moment, or for a lifetime, there is a purpose. Even if it's a relationship that comes and goes (flows in and then back out of our lives) it's purposeful. There is a reason, and I think the hardest thing for a mind to manage is allowing those relationships to flow freely into and out of our lives. We resist when we should give in and hold on when we should let go. There is nothing wrong with knowing the value of those relationships and knowing that the love that exists between two hearts will never dissipate. It'll never go away, and ignoring it won't help either. I believe that when we give a piece of our heart to someone, we don't truly give it expecting to get it back, and if do, then it's not true.

I want to be the kind of person that can allow those relationships, in all forms, to flow as freely as they are meant to in and out of my life. And I want to be able to understand that the love that is shared is never lost, and that the individual that I am only gains from it all. I don't go for the whole "It's better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all" because when you truly love, there's never a loss. There is only gain. People may move away, or you "break~up," or die, or a host of other things may occur, but when you've opened your heart wide and loved someone, there is NEVER a loss.

I Live to Live

I've been overwhelmed the last few days with the realization of what the last two years have been for me. I have met some amazing people that will never leave my heart. I have discovered the spark that resides within me and taken hold of all of the elements necessary to allow the flame to come full circle. Most importantly, I have figured out where I fit in this world and I'm not afraid of it.


My heart is so full, and I can't help but let it spill out.



My prayer is that I can always see my life through these eyes, and that no matter what circumstance I am faced with I will always have a deep knowledge of who I am and where I'm going; that I never get lost in the living, but that I live to live. :)