Reminiscent

I hope you've all had a wonderful, lovely, amazing Christmas!

I was just thinking about how quickly this year has went by and thought I'd share some of the most memorable moments of 2014...because the things that make a life worth living are the moments that make it up. 

Finding Opportunity

There's a truth that I've discovered time and time again in my life. In some ways, perhaps, I was bound to discover it because it is a natural part of my personality. Nonetheless, its truth holds for every person. Let me tell you a story...a story from my life.

Enigma of the Night

Time marches silently on,
The world continues to spin;
As if unaware that the night is almost gone.
As if unaware of the beauty in the blackness.

The world would be bewildered to awake
If it discovered this enigma of the night:
There is an unknown beauty in the darkness;
And resplendent secrets are found in the deep.

Fall

You made me fall for you,

So why weren't you there to catch me? 

Worth

Some things are worth breaking your heart for. 

I'm not Strong Enough

It's the Most Wonderful Time

Warm fuzzy blankets

Bright and cozy fire places

Drinking white hot chocolate with peppermint

Seeing friends and family again

Overstuffed jackets and warm mittens

Brightly colored scarves

Snow that clothes the trees so pure and white - like a virgin bride

Trying to find that perfect gift for loved ones

Night drives filled with dazzling light displays

Putting my Christmas CDs in my car

Playing piano and singing Christmas songs at the top of my lungs 

The excitement of a new year's arrival

Reading the stories of Jesus' birth and wondering what it would have been like

Baking hundreds of cookies with my family to pass out to friends

I want to go Christmas caroling

I want to go ice skating

I want to see everyone that I miss

I want to wrap up in my warm blanket and drink hot cocoa while watching the snow fall

I want to help decorate a Christmas tree

I want to help bake an extravagant Christmas meal

Can I just push pause for a moment?
Can this just never end? 

I find myself holding my breath and hoping it doesn't pass too quickly. 

Hoping it doesn't pass before I can take in every little moment and save them in my mind. 

The Alabaster Box

Lately, I've been reading through my first blog (it's hidden, so no you can't find it lol) that I wrote several years ago and doing a lot of laughing at how far life has brought me. It's easy to forget where we've been (which is why I think it's so important for everyone to have a journal of some sort to record what God is doing in their life). I found this jewel in the ashes, and thought I'd clean it up a little and share it again. Because if anything, I need the reminder. 

A Cruel & Lovely Reality

Some days it feels like all you do is give and never take.
Some days you try to be a friend and everyone else is fake.
Why can't this world be a less cruel place?
Why can't people at least act like they care?

Honest moment here. On days like that I just want to give up on friendship altogether. Why even try when people that you thought were your friend don't seem that interested in actually being your friend? I mean, am I wrong to believe that being a friend is basically being interested in another person, in the most basic sense. Being interested in what their thoughts and feelings are, being interested in what's happening in their life, how things are going? So maybe I'm wrong to feel like if I'm asking others how life is, that they would ask me how my life is if they cared. And maybe I'm wrong to feel like maybe they are annoyed or not really my friend if they only answer the bare minimum and don't input into the conversation. But usually, I take that as a sign that they don't want to talk, and you know what? That's okay. I'm not going to force you to talk to me. It just makes me so confused at how I ever thought you were my friend in the first place...

Okay, rant over.

On days like that I just have to remind myself that I feel things too deeply. The confusion and hurt are over-magnified because, honestly, I should just stop thinking about it. Haha. If only that were easy (an introvert to stop thinking). Then I think about all the real friends that I have who do care about me. The people who ask me how I'm feeling, even when I don't ask them. The people who go out of their way to make my day a little better. The people who understand my rants and love me, even though I'm not perfect. Even though I don't always say the right things or smile when I'm supposed to. And then, I just can't quit smiling. Because those are the people that make my world go round (:

So if that describes you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Because you are seriously the most awesome thing that this world has ever known. And I totally love you. Thanks for being a real friend in a world of fakers (:

That's all.

December is upon us.

As November slowly slips away,
Her regal gown of color fading into the distance,
Her tender touch and gentle smile
Becoming a memory...

December makes its harsh debut
With savage wind and biting snow,
Trumpeting the beginning of winter
Like a moody adolescent schoolboy.

Cruel days are these,
Only to be softened
By the excitement
Of a coming celebration.

Like an affectionate grandfather
Passes out hugs,
Christmas quietly spreads
Good Cheer.