Saturday Shopping

Today we went shopping...and let me tell you, it was hard to see the beauty.  I was shopping for a swimsuit.  The beauty, however, was in the fact that I was shopping for our Spring break trip to the beach and that I have the opportunity to go and to take my children.  You see, at their age I had been out of the state three times: to Tulsa to visit a friend of my mom's, to Waco, TX on a Greyhound bus, and to Yakima, Washington....also on a Greyhound bus (both trips were to visit family).  I stepped in the ocean for the first time after I had my second child.  So the beauty in today is that I can offer my children so many experiences and I get to go along on the ride. 

We finished the night watching Coach Carter.  The following quote is one of my favorites:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
― Marianne Williamson, Return to Love

First Friday

Sometimes when we look around to see the beauty, you have to look at people.  I have a very interesting job working with a wide variety of people, even though it is in a very small town.  One thing that constantly amazes me is the resilience of people, especially young people.  When you really get to know about someone, and really consider their background, you are sometimes amazed that they have turned out to be the people they are.  I am so, so proud of so many young people I know.  They are not young people that I can brag about because of confidentiality but when I look around and try to see the beauty, I don't have to look very far.  The beauty of perseverence sits right in front of me.....working hard, being great moms, overcoming negativity and sometimes horrible conditions that most of us have no idea exist.  Beauty... doesn't always fit our traditional definition, but it is beautiful all the same.

As for myself, I will see the beauty in my job and the opportunity to work with so many different people.  I wanted this blog to be titled "Go make a difference" but that title was taken (along with about 30 others I tried).  I originally chose that title becasue a professor dismissed my class last week saying "now, go make a difference" to a group of teachers.  It reminded me of a song we sing with youth group......"Go make a difference, we can make a difference, go make a difference in the world".  Really, what more could I want out of my day than to make a difference in someones life.  Maybe, with the grace of God, I will make a difference every day....I just want it to be a positive difference.

Ash Wednesday!

I am still getting used to the blogging thing and I really want my blog to have music, so bear with me if I post some odd links for a while. 

Some very wise young people I know recently posted a quote about things being hard...and if they were never hard, we wouldn't know when it was easy.  So essentially the difficult things in life make us thankful for the things that are good.  Being sick is the same, when we are sick it makes us thankful for all the times we are healthy.  The bad give us a new appreciation of the good.  Lent can be same, those people who have chosen to give up something for lent (like chocolate, wine, or coffee) will find great enjoyment in having them after Easter. Or....they may find out that they didn't miss them that much. 

For myself, I think the blog will work.  I concentrated very hard on the way to work this morning looking for the beauty in my surroundings.  I actually did enjoy the look of the bare trees with the sun shining through them.  How can bare trees be pretty, I don't know but they were. 

As for enjoying things once they are gone......I will enjoy this cold very much...when it is GONE!  Happy Ash Wednesday!

Fat Tuesday!

Blogging for lent!  Somewhat unconventional I would say, but I am not one to give up pop, candy, chocolate, or any of the other things I enjoy so much.  I would rather make a committment to become a better person, change a bad behavior, or become more aware of the blessings around me.  This blong is meant to do just that, I hope to spend more time reflecting on my life and the world around me.  The world is an amazing place, and even on the worst of days, there is good to be seen.