awwwh yes...

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Things I love: Thursdays



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 These are just a few of the things I have loved this week.


Little Lily hiccups. cutest. noise. ever. Quotes. New books. Hanging out with your two best friends, eating cupcakes, drinking adult beverages and just catching up. Oklahoma State goodies for the whole family. Reading these funny conversations. Dreaming about traveling here, or here or going back here. Watermelon season. Organizing life (yes, please!) and making lists. Impromptu trips to San Diego, for Karaoke night with good friends. Passion Inspiration Living.  Positive, encouraging K.Love. been good to have on the background this week. Editing dissertations. Wandering Target. Want to make something fun like this.  and of course, I love love.

Stolen Post

A good friend just put this on her blog
Which neither of us can take credit for.

It is just so beautiful. I wanted to re-post it
so I would always have it to go back too.

This was written by Megan Burton.  Thank you for writing this.

There I looked upon the hill and saw the skeleton of a tree. It was dead, barren, lifeless. Full only of sorrow and shame. Where leaves were meant to rustle, silence swallowed hard. In place of fruit, scars ran deep along its hollowed bones. Alive as merely a shadow, it stood abandoned. It had no gardener, no one to tend these scars. No one to speak life into the echoing silence of shame. Its roots searched for life, but found none. Strained and ruined, they too withered and dried. Upon the hill stood a carcass, a remnant of life once tasted, an empty reminder of what was once upon a time.



And so I turned and asked the LORD, “Lord, what good is this tree? Long has it been dead – even longer has its leaves covered the ground rather than its branches. Lord, it stands worthless. It stands without fruit. It stands, forsaken of beauty and withering in shame. It provides no shade, Lord. Its branches shrink with the coming sun. Lord, it has no life. What good are its roots? What good is its seed? It does not satisfy the weary with respite nor fruit.” And again I turned to the LORD and said, “Lord, it has no life.”


And the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, the SAVIOR AND REDEEMER OF ALL THE WORLD, answered me. “Do not be deceived. You behold no leaves, yet. You see no fruit, yet. It satisfies not now, but too eager are you to call my creation worthless. Oh, how long will you look on with eyes of flesh? How long will you look and still fail to see? How long will you strain to listen and continue not to hear? How long will you call out questions and refuse in your heart to understand? Forget what you have seen, Beloved, and hear the truth. All of creation is rooted in me. From my breath, life is restored. It is not dead, O Loved One. Its roots run deep into Living Water. For I have chosen to bring life into this tree, not for the work or effort it has put forth. No, not for any effort on its own, but because I am GOD. I am the LIVING AND BREATHING GOD. And so this tree shall be living and breathing according to My Name. It shall shade the weary. It shall satisfy the hungry with sweet fruit. It shall satisfy for I satisfy – and not only so, but also shall it bring glory to My Name. Beloved, turn your gaze toward the hilltop and see. It is no longer without life, but sustained with life to full.”


And so I looked. Upon that hill, bathed in the warmth and grace of the LORD MY GOD, once dead, broken, without life, full of shame and guilt, choking on rage and withering with bitterness, now stands a tree with life. Sweet and satisfying fruit hangs from its branches. Syrup like honey drips from its bark. What all scorned, considered wasted, dead, without value, hopeless and weak and forgotten, GOD THE FATHER looked upon with love. By grace, the tree stands lacking no good thing. By grace, what once was dead, now is alive. By grace, what was nothing now becomes new. By grace, the broken are redeemed. By grace, the orphaned are made heirs. By grace, we know GOD.


Praise the LORD, the LORD GOD WHO REIGNS forever and ever, Amen

43. Where'd you come from?

43. God places people in your life when you need them most

Some people it is more obvious than others
Some I am still trying to understand why they were brought into my life

or why they chose to leave...

But I truly believe God places people in our life when we need them most
and here is one specific reason why...

You know when you meet someone, and you just click
and you feel like you have been sisters all your life
That's how I felt with my best friend

We met at the gym, in line for yoga
Actually, someone asked me to introduce them to my sister
This girl I had just met was not my sister, then.
Little did we know, we were going through a similar life situation

Had God not placed her in my life when he did
My perspective and life would be much different
I didn't know it at the time, but God blessed me that day!

There have been a lot of people in my life
Whom I know were placed in my life for a reason
But this one is the best and most obvious example!

It reminds me that God is constantly blessing our lives
In little ways, throughout our days, hard times, and good times
Special times and special people.

Flowers on Tuesday

Flowers on Tuesday, is a new segment I have been thinking about incorporating.
Awhile ago, I was really excited to start blogging more
but of course, I got caught up in my own life and traveling this summer
oh and applying for jobs!

But, who doesn't love flowers on a tuesday?
This segment is going to be unexpected things that I am thankful for.
Unexpected things that bring a smile to my face
Doing unexpected things for others.

I am not as prepared this week as I would have hoped but there was definitely something unexpected that happened this week, which was like getting flowers on a tuesday.

My brother and his wife came in town for the weekend
We got to swim with the doggies, spend time with our niece, and just laugh together.
It was really nice

and I am going to San Diego this weekend!
Another unexpected treat to my hellacious week.
Going to spend time with my brother and sister in law, spend time with friends and do some karaoking!
Get to know the city I am going to call home in just a couple short months!

xo

What was something unexpected that happened to you this week?

44. If you're Happy and you know it.

44. You don't always have to be happy, but alway be thankful

We don't always have good days
Somedays are worst than others
Some are better than we could imagine

I just think sometimes, its too hard to pretend to be happy when you aren't
and why pretend to be something you aren't!?
even if its a positive thing.

be what you are.
be you.
if you are sad, be sad.
but always be thankful.

even for the things that make you sad
because things could be worse
and then you can look back at this time, and see the wonderful thing God had in store for you.
you don't always have to be happy.
but always choose to be thankful.

45. Cheesy Motivational Quotes

45. Those cheesy motivational, encouraging quotes- really do help

As silly, common sense, mundane, obvious some quotes can be
Sometimes they are just what you need to hear

They can provide some laughter, perspective, courage, support
during anytime in someone's life.

A few of my favorite quotes are (as repeated on this blog often):

You are unrepeatable. There is a magic about you that is all your own. - d.m. dellinger

Promise me you'll always remember: you're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. - Christopher Robin

Always Remember Your Brilliance.