turkey time

well in honor of thanksgiving,

and my trip up north to see

the family, I thought I'd leave

you with a bit of adorableness...

my baby, Sasha:





and a song that makes me happy...

*warning... this song WILL stick in your head for days*


(Lenka, "The Show")

:)

So... i'm feeling particularly happy today. Not sure why...

I've been thinking about life a lot lately - how things happen the way they do, why things happen the way they do... I wonder how differently I'd live my life if I could REALLY get a glimpse of the big picture. I mean... I know that the world is so much bigger than what I see on a day to day basis. I know that God has an ultimate plan for this earth and that I play a part in that... but wow... if I could be zoomed up into heaven for a few minutes and have a little meeting with God, I'd love to see what's in store for me. I know He's given me BIG dreams, HUGE ones. He's given me a passion for music, for people, for the world around me... and I know He's going to use it for His glory... I just don't know how exactly.

I blogged this quote just a few days ago, but it's still speaking to me:

"It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not." -Unknown

Courage is what those words above are talking about.

Courage= to act in accordance with one's beliefs, ESPECIALLY in spite of hardships, pain, danger, etc. .

Courage is one's actions matching one's spirit. It's actually LIVING what you know in your heart to be true.... and it can be quite a scary thing sometimes. It's is not just dreaming dreams, it's running after them. What a great quality to have.

Gosh... that word, "courage," has really been ministering to me a lot recently.... If you can't tell by the over-use of it in this post :). I was told by a woman I greatly admire that I lacked this bigtime. Yes, it may sound a bit harsh, but it resonated with me so deeply that I fought to hold back tears. Sometimes it takes someone really calling you out on your weaknesses to step up and rise above them, and that's what I plan on doing!

God has given me EVERYTHING I need to fulfill my calling in Him - my destiny. There is nothing that I lack. All I have to do is show up and have the courage to pursue the desires of my heart.

things that make me cry

Leona Lewis, Run.

Incredible.

stolen words

ok... i totally took this quote from a friend of mine... but i read it this morning and it really stuck with me.

We do not exist for ourselves alone, and it is only when we are fully convinced of this fact that we begin to love ourselves properly and thus also love others. What do I mean by loving ourselves properly? I mean, first of all, desiring to live, accepting life as a very great gift and a great good, not because of what it gives us, but because of what it enables us to give to others.

-Thomas Merton

my to-do list for today?
live life.
be love.
find good in
EVERY situation.

what i have learned from John McCain

alright, well i started out this blog by drawing up two lists... what i have learned from obama's campaign and what i have learned from John McCain's campaign. As you can imagine those lists are in STARK contrast to one another. I've decided to not post my thoughts on obama for a few reasons... but primarily because I want draw on the positive here, and focus on how we can work in the future to follow the incredible model that John McCain has laid out for us. Now... the obama list does exist, so just let me know if you're interested in viewing it... and i'll send it to ya! :)

There is much to be learned from John McCain. He has proven to be a man of great integrity among many other things:

He is an example of unwavering standards
He is an example of a straight talker - one who doesn't see the need to dance around issues
He is an example of one's actions matching their words
He is an example of what it means to fight for America
He is an example of what it means to uphold the morals that this nation was built upon
He is an example of strong character
He is an example of a truly remarkable man
He is an example of HUMILITY
He is an example of what it looks like to have a servants heart
He is an example of what it means to be AMERICAN.

Although he did not win, I'm honored to have supported him throughout this entire election...

Thank you John McCain for the example you have proven to be. Americans are sure going to need it in these coming years.

something to think about....

"It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not." (Unknown)


Are you allowing your fears to hold you back?
Are you allowing your insecurities to hold you back?

What we do here on this earth is not dependent on our own abilities... they're dependent on Gods.

It's time to refocus our thinking. Who cares what we believe we're capable of? God's sees no boundaries when it comes to our destiny. All we have to do is surrender to His ultimate plan, and trust.

Trust.