For the few of you that religiously read my scattered blog posts, I apologize. Honestly, I've been so busy this semester that I haven't had much time to sit down and blog. Also, the one thing that has been constantly inspiring me this semester can all be summed up into one word (and I'm sure it will surprise you;)): CHILDREN.
I have been blessed with the opportunity to be in a second grade classroom all semester with 40 2nd graders and 2 beyond incredible teachers. I have also been able to continue teaching dance to beautiful little girls who bring me to tears every time they perform. So here it is: my attempt to somehow explain what I have learned over these past 14 weeks and how it has forever changed me as a person.
Praise loudly and correct quietly. Children need constant positive affirmation, as I believe most adults also need. It is so easy to get frustrated with a child especially if you have tried to teach them something for a while and it just isn't connecting. You HAVE to find the good in the situation and the good in them. You HAVE to pull out something they are doing right and literally praise the crap out of them for it. The joy that I see in a child's face when I light up and almost scream "Good job sweetheart; I am so proud of you!!!" is immeasurable and amazing. This isn't to say kids don't need to be corrected; they absolutely do. But when you need to do so, do it in the most loving way, and start with the good first, always.
NEVER give up on a child. The improvements that I have seen in behavior and in learning this year in many kids that had huge difficulties was wonderful. Once kids are able to take pride and responsibility in their work and life, things will change. They will be able to pay attention and learn and they will appreciate those who helped them get there.
I fell in love with a child this year who truly needed all that love he/she could receive. Before Thanksgiving, we asked the children to write ten things they were thankful for. This child proceeded to come up to me and read how thankful he/she was for family, friends, teachers, and even myself. This enough made my heart full, for we had worked so hard with this child who was so very behind, and that child had noticed that. But first on this child's list, "I am thankful for God because he created me and this Earth".
See, this is a child who others may have given up on. They may have taken one look at that child and said that he/she was too behind and couldn't improve because of his/her past circumstances. My teachers and I fought, though. We fought hard to love the heck out of this child and teach the child all that we possibly could. He/she noticed that. The child also brought us all to tears, for no matter how difficult it was for him/her to learn, that child knew that he/she was a product of our heavenly father.
So lastly, children are perfect. They are innocent and holy and wonderful and everything that is good in this world. Many of them have faith that greatly abounds those of the adults we encounter everyday. Children love in a way that is so beautiful it is almost hard to comprehend. They will love you regardless of your mistakes and failures. You have to love them back. You have to believe in them. You have to push them to their highest potential and praise every little stepping stone they reach along the way. At the end of the day, I promise that you will learn way more from them than they will learn from you. And when you truly fall in love with children, as I have, your life will be way more beautiful and worth so much more than before.
Friday, December 19, 2014
Monday, September 15, 2014
Happy 21st Birthday Spencer!
I hope you have the greatest day. Every moment I get to spend with you is a blessing in itself. You make me so happy and fill my life with enormous amounts of laughter...and music :). I am so proud of the man you are and I cannot wait to see the man you become. I love you!
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Whoops...I did it again
I changed the name of my blog...again. I guess I get too inspired by way too many things for my blog to stay the same. Let me go ahead and explain my reason for this title.
My blog is now called My Offering is True. Hopefully some of my fellow Avett fans will recognize this as a lyric from their song "Offering". This is a love song of theirs that I absolutely adore and I think this lyric is so incredibly beautiful.
I feel like the point of my life right now is to offer myself whole-heartedly to many different things. I want to work hard in school, at my field study, at my job, to better my friendships, my faith, my relationships, and anything else. My offering is true. Whether or not it is recognized by other people, I'm really trying hard to better myself right now. So many things are occurring in my life that are pretty serious and will most likely set up my future. Because of the many serious things coming into play, I am trying to dedicate myself more than ever to work at them.
Now that I've drawn attention to the Avett Brothers once again...you should check out the song that inspired this change. (They're the best band ever...I'm telling you ;))
Offering
I'm also going to try doing some new segments on my blog so that I can start regularly posting again. I hope you all enjoy what is to come (: As always, thanks for reading and I hope your lives are full of happiness right now!
My blog is now called My Offering is True. Hopefully some of my fellow Avett fans will recognize this as a lyric from their song "Offering". This is a love song of theirs that I absolutely adore and I think this lyric is so incredibly beautiful.
I feel like the point of my life right now is to offer myself whole-heartedly to many different things. I want to work hard in school, at my field study, at my job, to better my friendships, my faith, my relationships, and anything else. My offering is true. Whether or not it is recognized by other people, I'm really trying hard to better myself right now. So many things are occurring in my life that are pretty serious and will most likely set up my future. Because of the many serious things coming into play, I am trying to dedicate myself more than ever to work at them.
Now that I've drawn attention to the Avett Brothers once again...you should check out the song that inspired this change. (They're the best band ever...I'm telling you ;))
Offering
I'm also going to try doing some new segments on my blog so that I can start regularly posting again. I hope you all enjoy what is to come (: As always, thanks for reading and I hope your lives are full of happiness right now!
Thursday, August 7, 2014
A Radiant Woman
I have been reading Captivating over the span of a few months now because I am awful at getting through books. I read a chapter a few days ago about Unveiling Beauty. I made sure to take a screenshot of these few lines of the book, because I found them so incredible.
"It is a rare woman who chooses to keep her heart
alive in this dangerous world. Without striving.
Her heart was very much alive. Present. Open.
Alluring. She had lived years in the presence
of God, with the gaze of her heart fixed on him.
As we gaze on Jesus, as we behold his goodness,
his glory, we are changed into his likeness, the
most beautiful Person of all.
They looked to Him and were radiant. Ps. 34:5"
How lovely that I read this right before an amazing woman passed. Nothing better explains my Aunt Mary. She was radiant; she was captivating. Being in her presence felt like being in the Lord's. She made you feel loved, joyful, and blessed. Although she did not marry and have kids, all of her extended family felt like her children. She gave, enjoyed, and lived. I absolutely believe she spent her years with her heart gazed on Christ. It makes me so so happy that she actually gets to look at his face now. I cannot believe someone so full of life is gone, but you now have eternal life with our Father. I bet he is so incredibly proud of you. I will miss you forever and ever, but every time I see a snow storm, a half-lit Christmas tree, or even oreos with peanut butter, I will be reminded of how BEEEUTIFUL God's creation is, and how insanely BEEEUTIFUL you were and must still be. Rest in peace my sweet sweet angel <3
"It is a rare woman who chooses to keep her heart
alive in this dangerous world. Without striving.
Her heart was very much alive. Present. Open.
Alluring. She had lived years in the presence
of God, with the gaze of her heart fixed on him.
As we gaze on Jesus, as we behold his goodness,
his glory, we are changed into his likeness, the
most beautiful Person of all.
They looked to Him and were radiant. Ps. 34:5"
How lovely that I read this right before an amazing woman passed. Nothing better explains my Aunt Mary. She was radiant; she was captivating. Being in her presence felt like being in the Lord's. She made you feel loved, joyful, and blessed. Although she did not marry and have kids, all of her extended family felt like her children. She gave, enjoyed, and lived. I absolutely believe she spent her years with her heart gazed on Christ. It makes me so so happy that she actually gets to look at his face now. I cannot believe someone so full of life is gone, but you now have eternal life with our Father. I bet he is so incredibly proud of you. I will miss you forever and ever, but every time I see a snow storm, a half-lit Christmas tree, or even oreos with peanut butter, I will be reminded of how BEEEUTIFUL God's creation is, and how insanely BEEEUTIFUL you were and must still be. Rest in peace my sweet sweet angel <3
Thursday, July 17, 2014
The idea of going makeup-less
I recently watched Colbie Caillat's new music video for her song "Try". (If you haven't seen this video, I highly suggest you watch it; I'll link it below.) I've talked a little about my thoughts on appearance before but this video brought to light many thoughts I've been recently having.
Those of you that know me well know that I've been working full-time at a daycare this summer. Since I work 40 hours and then come home and usually spend a lot of time in bed, I haven't worn makeup to work. This hasn't always been the case, though. For about the first week I decided to try hard to look good for work. This, of course, involved makeup, styled hair, and semi-cute clothes (because there is always the risk of being spit up on in a daycare haha).
This information is minuscule in the grand scheme of things but I have to tell you all this in order to set up what I've learned. First, I work with kids. The most beautiful thing about children is the way they love. I can come in with super puffy dark eyes and dirty hair disguised as a bun on the top of my head and they do not act any differently towards me. They truly see passed the surface which is funny to me considering they are so much younger than people we deem "mature and intelligent".
I told my boyfriend recently that I've been feeling more confident lately. For some reason, when I look at myself at work now, I feel good about myself. I think this has to do with the children loving me no matter how I look but also something else. See, my roommates and I discussed this theory last year during one of our many late night couch sessions. We think that the more you wear makeup, the more you become disappointed in yourself and the more you don't wear makeup, the more you become happy with the way you look.
When a girl wears makeup everyday for an extended period of time, she ends up feeling disappointed in herself without it. It's like you look at yourself in the morning and say "Wow, is this how I really look? No wonder I cover this all up..." On the contrary, when you don't wear makeup, you get used to the way you look naturally and realize it isn't all that bad, in fact, it is probably insanely beautiful. My reasons for not wearing makeup consist of the fact that I'm lazy and my skin hates me when I wear makeup (aka it breaks out). Therefore when I don't wear makeup, my skin feels healthier and I feel happier about my appearance.
I actually want to challenge the small handful of my readers to do something. Don't wear makeup for a ____amount of time. For me, this has become not wearing makeup during the week and only wearing it on the weekends when I have a special event to go to. I feel like you have to go at least a week for this theory to go into affect. It's almost like you have to forget the way you look with makeup on in order to start to love the way you look without it. Try it and see how you feel after a week or two. It truly has made me love my natural self so so much more.
As always, thank you for reading and I hope your summers have been filled with love, laughter, and a fair amount of sunshine.
Colbie's Video
Those of you that know me well know that I've been working full-time at a daycare this summer. Since I work 40 hours and then come home and usually spend a lot of time in bed, I haven't worn makeup to work. This hasn't always been the case, though. For about the first week I decided to try hard to look good for work. This, of course, involved makeup, styled hair, and semi-cute clothes (because there is always the risk of being spit up on in a daycare haha).
This information is minuscule in the grand scheme of things but I have to tell you all this in order to set up what I've learned. First, I work with kids. The most beautiful thing about children is the way they love. I can come in with super puffy dark eyes and dirty hair disguised as a bun on the top of my head and they do not act any differently towards me. They truly see passed the surface which is funny to me considering they are so much younger than people we deem "mature and intelligent".
I told my boyfriend recently that I've been feeling more confident lately. For some reason, when I look at myself at work now, I feel good about myself. I think this has to do with the children loving me no matter how I look but also something else. See, my roommates and I discussed this theory last year during one of our many late night couch sessions. We think that the more you wear makeup, the more you become disappointed in yourself and the more you don't wear makeup, the more you become happy with the way you look.
When a girl wears makeup everyday for an extended period of time, she ends up feeling disappointed in herself without it. It's like you look at yourself in the morning and say "Wow, is this how I really look? No wonder I cover this all up..." On the contrary, when you don't wear makeup, you get used to the way you look naturally and realize it isn't all that bad, in fact, it is probably insanely beautiful. My reasons for not wearing makeup consist of the fact that I'm lazy and my skin hates me when I wear makeup (aka it breaks out). Therefore when I don't wear makeup, my skin feels healthier and I feel happier about my appearance.
I actually want to challenge the small handful of my readers to do something. Don't wear makeup for a ____amount of time. For me, this has become not wearing makeup during the week and only wearing it on the weekends when I have a special event to go to. I feel like you have to go at least a week for this theory to go into affect. It's almost like you have to forget the way you look with makeup on in order to start to love the way you look without it. Try it and see how you feel after a week or two. It truly has made me love my natural self so so much more.
As always, thank you for reading and I hope your summers have been filled with love, laughter, and a fair amount of sunshine.
Colbie's Video
Monday, June 9, 2014
An Attempt to Explain My Obsession
Those of you who know me well or even remotely know me that I am obsessed with the Avett Brothers. Spencer introduced them to me about 3 years ago and it took me months to warm up to them. Once I had, though, there was no turning back.
I'm still on quite a music high from my 5th Avett concert last night. I have seen them twice in Charlottesville, once in Roanoke, once at Freefest, and now in Portsmouth. They put on the best show I have ever seen last night.
The Avett Brothers are the most incredible band in the world. I would place all my money on this. I promise you if you go to an Avett concert, your life will absolutely be changed for the better. The brothers put everything they have into a show. They are so passionate and joyful about sharing their music with others.
Their energy is unlike anything I have ever seen before. They do not stop moving and stretching their voices and breaking strings for a solid two and a half hours usually. They put on one heck of a show every single time without fail.
This is all just about the performance, though. The music is a whole other story. The Avett Brothers make the most beautiful music I have ever heard. Maybe their voices or instrument strokes aren't perfect. Their words are perfect, though. They have a way of saying things that knocks any other artist out of the water. They admit to mistake, imperfection, heartache without trying to seem like perfect people, as many other artists do these days. They talk about God and allude to him often in songs. Seth smiled last night when he talked about the good Lord being beside him and it made my heart so happy.
The Avett Brothers have completed me. I honestly do not think any band or artist will ever come close to them in my eyes and this blog post could absolutely never do them justice. I so greatly look forward to the day when I can tell them (or at least attempt to tell them) how much they mean to me and inspire me. For those of you who have not fallen in love with The Avett Brothers yet I will leave you some links to a view songs that make my heart melt. I cannot wait to see them again soon.
Oh and PS: If anyone close to them reads this, The Band Concord is available always to open;)
My favorite always
My jam
What they stand for
Another Jam
Absolutely beautiful
An old show
The Best Youtube Channel Ever
And a guy who goes to almost all concerts
I'm still on quite a music high from my 5th Avett concert last night. I have seen them twice in Charlottesville, once in Roanoke, once at Freefest, and now in Portsmouth. They put on the best show I have ever seen last night.
The Avett Brothers are the most incredible band in the world. I would place all my money on this. I promise you if you go to an Avett concert, your life will absolutely be changed for the better. The brothers put everything they have into a show. They are so passionate and joyful about sharing their music with others.
Their energy is unlike anything I have ever seen before. They do not stop moving and stretching their voices and breaking strings for a solid two and a half hours usually. They put on one heck of a show every single time without fail.
This is all just about the performance, though. The music is a whole other story. The Avett Brothers make the most beautiful music I have ever heard. Maybe their voices or instrument strokes aren't perfect. Their words are perfect, though. They have a way of saying things that knocks any other artist out of the water. They admit to mistake, imperfection, heartache without trying to seem like perfect people, as many other artists do these days. They talk about God and allude to him often in songs. Seth smiled last night when he talked about the good Lord being beside him and it made my heart so happy.
The Avett Brothers have completed me. I honestly do not think any band or artist will ever come close to them in my eyes and this blog post could absolutely never do them justice. I so greatly look forward to the day when I can tell them (or at least attempt to tell them) how much they mean to me and inspire me. For those of you who have not fallen in love with The Avett Brothers yet I will leave you some links to a view songs that make my heart melt. I cannot wait to see them again soon.
Oh and PS: If anyone close to them reads this, The Band Concord is available always to open;)
My favorite always
My jam
What they stand for
Another Jam
Absolutely beautiful
An old show
The Best Youtube Channel Ever
And a guy who goes to almost all concerts
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Thoughts on Appearance and Love
I've been having a lot of deep thoughts lately on different subjects. I thought you all would maybe like to hear them and also maybe not...either way here they are :P
Thoughts on appearance:
I bought a pair of overalls a few weeks ago. My roommates pressured me into trying them on and apparently I "pulled them off" so they made me get them. I was brave enough to pull them out one day and wear them. I went onto campus and was absolutely scared to death. I was literally standing in lines at our dining hall wondering what people were thinking. Do they think I look stupid? Do they think I look like a five-year old? Maybe I should go home and change...
I finally snapped out of that ridiculous girl moment and realized how insane those thoughts are. I love my overalls. They may be as saggy as a diaper but by golly they were the most comfortable things I had worn in a while. I am going to wear my overalls because I love them, not because anyone else loves them.
I often think that the expectations for girls don't affect me that much. I try not to get caught up too much in appearance. When I have moments like this, though, I realize I often fit exactly into the stereotype of a self conscious girl. But why? Why does it matter if I wear clothes that I wore when I was five? Why does it matter if people think I look stupid in my comfy faded overalls? It really doesn't and I'm kinda done worrying about it.
I bought an adorable chevron print with this bible verse on it a few months ago. I think that I'm going to hang it in my apartment with Cay next year to remind us what really matters.
"It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that should make you beautiful. No, your beauty should come from inside you-the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. That beauty will never disappear. It is worth very much to God." 1 Peter 3:3-4
Lastly, a quick thought on love:
Love is really special. I know people who know me think I'm the cheesiest girl around but love just amazes me every day. Probably a week ago, I was in a funk. I was laying around my apartment a lot doing work and I just needed a change of pace. I was stuck in a schedule at school and I was sick of it; I was ready to be home (Surprise, I already miss VT but that's beside the point). The point is, that Spencer knew I was feeling icky. He knew I had felt so blah for a few days now. We sat in his apartment thinking of something to do. I quickly asked him to sing me a song (this actually doesn't happen as much as people think it does haha).
He asked what song I wanted to hear but of course I didn't care. That's when he started singing Jack Johnson's "Better Together". Spencer used to play Jack all the time but it had been a few years since he had played this song. That didn't stop him, though, he pushed through, figuring out chords along the way. This doesn't seem like much, but Spencer knows I love when he sings Jack Johnson. He knows I love the way his songs make me feel. Instead of playing a fast folk song as he probably would've wanted to, he took the time to make me happy. These are truly the moments I cherish most with him. I love our love.
Better together :D
Thoughts on appearance:
I bought a pair of overalls a few weeks ago. My roommates pressured me into trying them on and apparently I "pulled them off" so they made me get them. I was brave enough to pull them out one day and wear them. I went onto campus and was absolutely scared to death. I was literally standing in lines at our dining hall wondering what people were thinking. Do they think I look stupid? Do they think I look like a five-year old? Maybe I should go home and change...
I finally snapped out of that ridiculous girl moment and realized how insane those thoughts are. I love my overalls. They may be as saggy as a diaper but by golly they were the most comfortable things I had worn in a while. I am going to wear my overalls because I love them, not because anyone else loves them.
I often think that the expectations for girls don't affect me that much. I try not to get caught up too much in appearance. When I have moments like this, though, I realize I often fit exactly into the stereotype of a self conscious girl. But why? Why does it matter if I wear clothes that I wore when I was five? Why does it matter if people think I look stupid in my comfy faded overalls? It really doesn't and I'm kinda done worrying about it.
I bought an adorable chevron print with this bible verse on it a few months ago. I think that I'm going to hang it in my apartment with Cay next year to remind us what really matters.
"It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that should make you beautiful. No, your beauty should come from inside you-the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. That beauty will never disappear. It is worth very much to God." 1 Peter 3:3-4
Lastly, a quick thought on love:
Love is really special. I know people who know me think I'm the cheesiest girl around but love just amazes me every day. Probably a week ago, I was in a funk. I was laying around my apartment a lot doing work and I just needed a change of pace. I was stuck in a schedule at school and I was sick of it; I was ready to be home (Surprise, I already miss VT but that's beside the point). The point is, that Spencer knew I was feeling icky. He knew I had felt so blah for a few days now. We sat in his apartment thinking of something to do. I quickly asked him to sing me a song (this actually doesn't happen as much as people think it does haha).
He asked what song I wanted to hear but of course I didn't care. That's when he started singing Jack Johnson's "Better Together". Spencer used to play Jack all the time but it had been a few years since he had played this song. That didn't stop him, though, he pushed through, figuring out chords along the way. This doesn't seem like much, but Spencer knows I love when he sings Jack Johnson. He knows I love the way his songs make me feel. Instead of playing a fast folk song as he probably would've wanted to, he took the time to make me happy. These are truly the moments I cherish most with him. I love our love.
Better together :D
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Lately...
Lately I've been getting back into the swing of college, hanging with friends, and overall having a blast. This being said, no insane moments of inspiration have come to me. So, I thought I would tell you guys what I've been loving lately. This may be totally lame to many of you but I thought it'd be interesting to reflect on and look back on.
Listening to:
Ben Rector's new album "The Walking in Between". While most of these songs are feel good and simple, his voice is one of the most extraordinary ones I've ever heard. He's also amazing in concert. He's just one of those artists that never disappoints.
Watching:
"Parenthood" and "Sherlock" on Netflix. "Parenthood" is just great. Real life issues, real life humor, real life love. I'm obsessed. "Sherlock" is absolutely bonkers incredible, though. Spin and I have been trying to find a TV show for a while that we would both love to watch together, and we've found it. The artistry in the filming and writing of this show amazes me. The second season especially has not let us down.
Eating:
Anything at my dining halls. This may sound crazy to many of you, but the food here at Tech is as good as I could get at any five star restaurant. I especially love the spicy asian chicken wrap from West End, the mustard chicken with asparagus and rice from Turner, and the salads from Turner (OMG THE SALADS AT TURNER).
Enjoying:
Going to The Band Concord's shows and laying low with my roommates. I'm such a groupie for my boyfriend's bands because obviously I adore them but their shows are just so much fun. They have one coming up Sunday at The Lyric, the old movie theatre here in Blacksburg, and I'm pumped. Please check them out if you haven't; their album should be coming out soon(:
http://the-band-concord.com
Also, my roommates just rock. I get to wake up to my best friends everyday which is an indescribable feeling. The other day we were reflecting on how we all met and came together, and it was a pretty intricate process. God's plan for us to be together was pretty rocking'!
So that's what's been up with me lately(: What's been up with you? I hope you all have been feeling blessed and happy and I hope this blog post wasn't too boring. Love ya much!
Monday, January 13, 2014
"Of Course!"
As I left my papa two days before he passed, he was oddly alert. It was hard to wrap my brain around because I knew he would soon be leaving us, but 2 days before, he had his last hoo-ra. A bunch of sweet family and friends came to visit him and he knew all of them by name and asked how they were doing. When I left I bent down to kiss him and told him I loved him, but he seemed a little off. My papa ALWAYS kissed ME on the cheek before I left. So I looked at him and said, "You're gonna kiss me on the cheek aren't you?". His face lit up (like it always did when he saw me), and he responded "OF COURSE!". These were the last words he said to me and I thank God so much for that being one of my last memories of him.
My Nana and Papa got married very young. She was 17 and he was 22, I believe. They had my father and my Aunt Kim very close together. They weren't super well off, but they made it. My Papa worked for everything he ever had. He was raised by his grandparents and had since been a hard working man. He served around 20 years in the military and after that worked in the paper mill in Covington. My father said he was brilliant at what he did. He would constantly be called to different centers to trouble-shoot and could always figure out the problem and how to fix it. Another fun fact that I loved to hear was that my papa is actually on the patent for the Westvaco version of the cardboard milk carton.
I was/am my Nana and Papa's only grandchild, and heck you sure can tell, from my name on their license plate to my face covering the walls of their home. My papa really loved me. He loved me more than I could ever deserve, more than anyone deserves. I remember trying not to tell him if I ever had a headache or stomach-ache because he would get so distraught over me being in pain. I could pretty much get away with anything when I was with him.
I have so many fond memories of my sweet little man. I remember playing t-ball in their old backyard and collecting all the pebbles surrounding their home. I remember sitting on his lap when I was little and smacking his stomach bc it was big and looked like I drum (I really got away with everything). I remember playing school with him in their new house. I would always give him a Z on his homework…not an F but a Z. He would always tell me that was impossible but laughed anyways because you guessed it, he really loved me. My late childhood/early teenage years are filled with remembering a man dedicated to coming to all of my dance recitals/competitions/performances. For those of you with family members that dance, you understand how trying and sometimes painful sitting through this can be. Lately, I just remember visiting him and listening to his always adorable comments. He could be so cute and grumpy at the same time which blew my mind. He loved Spencer. The second Spencer came into my life, he started asking if we could go on double dates. We went on two but what I would give to have gone on more.
What has been amazing through all of this is what Papa has shown me through his passing. I have learned more about him than I ever knew. My Papa was a simple, strong, and humble man. He planned his passing, funeral, and life all to take care of his wife and family. He didn't want visitation, he didn't want his casket to be open. He wanted to make everything as easy as possible and not inconvenience anyone. Dad had this theory that he would wait on everyone to leave the hospital to pass, because he did not want to upset anyone with that image. And he did just that. He's just a superstar in my opinion. Although he was sassy and grumpy sometimes, his heart and motives so greatly modeled that of Christ's.
I could go on for days. I have never dealt with someone so close to me passing before and oddly enough I've handled it very well. I've had such a huge feeling of peace over me this whole time. I think that's God's way of telling me everything is all right. I bet they're having a blast up there.
But do I miss and love that man beyond words? Of Course <3
My Nana and Papa got married very young. She was 17 and he was 22, I believe. They had my father and my Aunt Kim very close together. They weren't super well off, but they made it. My Papa worked for everything he ever had. He was raised by his grandparents and had since been a hard working man. He served around 20 years in the military and after that worked in the paper mill in Covington. My father said he was brilliant at what he did. He would constantly be called to different centers to trouble-shoot and could always figure out the problem and how to fix it. Another fun fact that I loved to hear was that my papa is actually on the patent for the Westvaco version of the cardboard milk carton.
But do I miss and love that man beyond words? Of Course <3
Sunday, January 5, 2014
We're All Sinking
I feel like I may be posting a few times on my blog this week for my heart is very heavy at the moment.
That being said, I felt like God was calling me to change the name of my blog. The previous title was "It is then that I carried you." I still love the story of footprints, but I feel like this title made it seem like my life was full of hardships. Don't get my wrong, I need Jesus always, through what I see as good and hard times.
Currently my sweet papa is very sick and will probably be leaving this Earth soon to join Christ in heaven. This experience of potentially loosing someone so close to me has made me realize that the grace in my life easily outmeasures the hardship.
The song "How He loves" is widely popular among Christian worship. This song has had the largest power over me for a long time. When thinking about the immense blessings in my life I immediately thought of my favorite line from that very song, "If his grace is an ocean, we're all sinking." And just like that, I have renamed my blog.
I really love this title because it can be taken in many ways. On the most pessimistic side of things, we're all sinking can be seen as the hardships that pull us all down. I personally also like to look at it as if we are all sinking in sin. We need Christ to lift us up from those difficult times and pull us away from that sin. Of course, on the more optimistic side of things, we are sinking in the Lord's grace.
This is probably my favorite way to look at Christ. I feel like this line can answer everything. No matter what life brings, or doesn't bring, Christ's grace overflows around us. His mercy and love endure over all else. We are not sinking in problems, but rather sinking in the glory of our Lord.
As I continue to face this difficult time in my life, I am comforted in the grace and love of our heavenly Father.
And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If his grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.
That being said, I felt like God was calling me to change the name of my blog. The previous title was "It is then that I carried you." I still love the story of footprints, but I feel like this title made it seem like my life was full of hardships. Don't get my wrong, I need Jesus always, through what I see as good and hard times.
Currently my sweet papa is very sick and will probably be leaving this Earth soon to join Christ in heaven. This experience of potentially loosing someone so close to me has made me realize that the grace in my life easily outmeasures the hardship.
The song "How He loves" is widely popular among Christian worship. This song has had the largest power over me for a long time. When thinking about the immense blessings in my life I immediately thought of my favorite line from that very song, "If his grace is an ocean, we're all sinking." And just like that, I have renamed my blog.
I really love this title because it can be taken in many ways. On the most pessimistic side of things, we're all sinking can be seen as the hardships that pull us all down. I personally also like to look at it as if we are all sinking in sin. We need Christ to lift us up from those difficult times and pull us away from that sin. Of course, on the more optimistic side of things, we are sinking in the Lord's grace.
This is probably my favorite way to look at Christ. I feel like this line can answer everything. No matter what life brings, or doesn't bring, Christ's grace overflows around us. His mercy and love endure over all else. We are not sinking in problems, but rather sinking in the glory of our Lord.
As I continue to face this difficult time in my life, I am comforted in the grace and love of our heavenly Father.
And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If his grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.
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