Wednesday, April 22, 2009

I choose joy.

For some time now I have been seeking what we call true joy, contentment, happiness. Is there ever an "ending point?" Nope, I don't think so...for whatever reason I always think I can be a little happier a little more content -- and maybe that's not a bad thing. Thankfully at this point and time in my life I am truly filled with joy. I have desired to find my "nitch" ... to find a career/job that I love, a place where I can call home (slowly, but surely...it doesn't happen over night).

Are there things I don't have that I WANT, sure! I'm not sure anyone could say they have everything they WANT (need, sure...I'd say so) but I wouldn't mind if 20 of my closest friends moved to Savannah, if my parents lived just a little closer, if I didn't have student loans, if prince charming really existed and was in my life, I owned a house and a new car, etc... :) You get the picture -- I guess I can want a lot sometimes, ugh. But I am TRULY happy. I am finally disciplined in my relationship with God, I am learning that honesty is the best policy -- in any/every situation (with tact at times, of course), I love my job, absolutely love it, I am living in a place where I feel free and loved, I have people in my life who care about me, and I am happy! 

I was reading over this the other day and liked it...so I'll share: http://kevinpierpont.com/217/true-joy-philippians-11-2/

"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude." 

So ~ I'm happy I'm happy. :) 

Things I look forward to:
-Parents visiting in May
-My throat getting rid of this soreness stuff
-A vacation ... even if it's not till Orlando with my oldies, but goodies.

That's all! :)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

to every season - turn, turn, turn.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace

i always seem to look back at the past a lot or constantly dream and wonder about my future. what about the joy of living in the now...of taking in every day, every moment that God has given me. there may be a time to reminisce in the past and a time to anticipate the future but for the most part i need to live in the present season. i wonder if this is hard for others as it is for me. and this time, right now, is rather good :) 

With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us. ~ Alexandar Graham Bell

It's only possible to live happily ever after on a day-to-day basis! ~Unknown


what time is it for you?

Saturday, January 31, 2009

a lot can happen in 5 years

on my drive back from hilton head island today visiting a good friend i was thinking about how time flies (at least in retrospect it does...not always each day, but you understand).... and i was also thinking about how much can change it such a little period of time.

high school (jr. year ish) till freshman year of college in JoCo = lots of big changes. (what the heck was i thinking is my response back to most of that nonsense)

2004-2008 = life in Manhattan. lots of great memories, tons of amazing friends (seriously best part of those 4 years) and a lot of life lessons learned, learned again, and now mastered :)

2008-now = moved to savannah....found a career/job i absolutely love.. i work with some of the most talented and loving and caring people i've ever met. i've found my "nitch" ... or at least part of it. i've made some good friends, learned some more about myself...and am now a grown up? really. yah, i think just about.

anyways -- a LOT has happened in my life in the last 5 years. some good, some bad...lived a lot, learned a lot, and now just flying through my mid-twenties.

i can honestly say that 5 years ago i would have NEVER imagined i'd be working in ministry, in savannah georgia -- graduated from bible college and away from all things familiar.

i'm still learning. but i think i've got a lot to teach too.

i'm staying put. (for the most part)

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

half full...half empty

I'd like to think that I typically look at the glass half-full .... hopefully I'm not fooling myself!

I'm leading a small group and we're going through a book by Andy Stanley called Take It To The Limits.... there's some good stuff in it. I guess we don't actually start till next week but since I'm "leading" I figured I should know that I was talking about. Here was a funny, or at least I thought it was funny, quote... "Today, there are three kinds of people: the have's, the have-nots, and the have-not-paid-for-what-they-haves." Haha....good one :)

I think 2009 has some potential.
-Holly is coming to visit in April for 5 days, WOOHOO!!!!
-October will be a fun month. Orlando with some of my bestest friends!

I saw Bride Wars last night. It was pretty hilarious! I love girls night with great food and movies.

Life in Savannah is slowly becoming home....I don't know how long it takes necessarily but it's crazy to think I've been here about 8 months already.

Ok--ta ta for now.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

2009.

ok, so i never do these and even when i have i rarely accomplish them. we'll see how 2009 goes in about 365 more days, right?!

1. no more coke.
2. pay off credit cards.
3. make a trip to kansas.
4. make a trip to colorado.
5. make a trip to arizona.
(i'm betting i won't/can't make all of those trips...)
6. go to Orlando with some of my best friends.
7. find a boy. a nice one, a little older, mature, good looking, etc...
8. read the other 3 books after Twilight. (this will be done within the week)
9. every years resolutions: work out more, read the Bible more, trust more, fear less.
10. enjoy life.

that's all, for now. those seem pretty do-able. well, except # 7 probably :) but my imaginary boyfriend Edward will suffice until something better comes along.

2008 was.....some of the worst times of my life, some of the greatest change in my life, and some pretty good times. i can't say some of the greatest times were in 2008 but i sure am thankful for a lot of things -- like my friends, my family, my job, and grace.

and to all a goodnight.

--oh, and a thought i should remember next year. do NOT spend New Years Eve on the beach when it is 35 degrees....(75 the last 2 months tricked me tonight!!)

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Dear Cupid....

We have got to discuss your aim.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

mg at her best.

At the end of the day, when it comes down to it, all we really want is to be close to somebody. So this thing, where we all keep our distance and pretend not to care about each other, is usually a load of bull. So we pick and choose who we want to remain close to, and once we've chosen those people, we tend to stick close by. No matter how much we hurt them, the people that are still with you at the end of the day - those are the ones worth keeping. And sure, sometimes close can be too close. But sometimes, that invasion of personal space, it can be exactly what you need.

At the end of the day, there are some things you just can't help but talk about. Some things we just don't want to hear, and some things we say because we can't be silent any longer. Some things are more than what you say, they're what you do. Some things you say cause there's no other choice. Some things you keep to yourself. And not too often, but every now and then, some things simply speak for themselves.

Maybe we're not supposed to be happy. Maybe gratitude has nothing to do with joy. Maybe being grateful means recognizing what you have for what it is. Appreciating small victories. Admiring the struggle it takes to simply be human. Maybe, we're thankful for the familiar things we know. And maybe we're thankful for the things we'll never know. At the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing is reason enough to celebrate.

Pain, you just have to ride it out, hope it goes away on its own, hope the wound that caused it heals. There are no solutions, no easy answers, you just breath deep and wait for it to subside. Most of the time pain can be managed but sometimes the pain gets you where you least expect it. Hits way below the belt and doesn't let up. Pain, you just have to fight through, because the truth is you can't outrun it and life always makes more.

I've heard that it's possible to grow up - I've just never met anyone who's actually done it. Without parents to defy, we break the rules we make for ourselves. We throw tantrums when things don't go our way, we whisper secrets with our best friends in the dark, we look for comfort where we can find it, and we hope - against all logic, against all experience. Like children, we never give up hope...

At the end of the day faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don't really expect it. It's like one day you realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. And it's not so important happy ever after, just that its happy right now. See once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you , and once in a while people may even take your breath away.

At some point, you have to make a decision. Boundaries don't keep other people out. They fence you in. Life is messy. That's how we're made. So, you can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them. But there are some lines... that are way too dangerous to cross.