Settle Down Already!

I was talking to a friend the other day and she was telling me all the things I missed while I was on vacation... Which actually was a whole lot of nothing. But she was telling me about a mutual friend having a conversation with her about relationships... This friend I'd known for always offering life advice and although it's not always bad advice it's not always solicited either. Ha! Now, as we all know, I am no expert on relationships but I definitely know some of the not good things! Anyway this mutual friend told her it was about time to look at settling down... Okay my first thought was, "with him!? Wink, wink." Haha! Second, "take your own advice bud..." Third, "ummm, you're older than her..." Now I'm thinking a little more...

First of all, I hate that word "settle." Settling is what you do when you know you don't have a leg to stand on in a lawsuit, not what you should be doing with life or a mate! I mean I get it, we all (pretty much) want someone - "DON'T YOU WANT SOMEBODY TO LOVE, DON'T YOU NEED SOMEBODY TO LOVE!!! - but I don't just want anyone.  I admit, I've thought about it, that settling thing... "Well, he's nice.. Good job, not bad looking, Christian..." but I just cannot settle, and I shouldn't... Neither should any of you! Listen we all say "where have the good ones gone?" But maybe it's just that there's no need to become a "good one" if there's always someone willing to settle for a "less than..." I believe there is someone out there made for me, I just have to wait for him to find me and speak up! Haha. Seriously though, even if you don't believe in "the one" I know you believe in a "good one," I know you want a great, fulfilling relationship and all I'm saying is, "okay, so own that. Expect and require it! No, no one is perfect but we can all be good, we can and should all better ourselves and if we can do it ourselves then we should expect it from the people we choose to enter into relationship with!"

And "settle DOWN!!??" Really? Down? NO!! I want my life to go up! I want a relationship to improve on what I have now, without improvement what's the point? I mean, I know you have to "find yourself," "love yourself first," be "complete" on your own, no one can" make you happy" you have to find your own happiness, blah, blah, blah... Yeh, I'm there already lol! But let me just say, although I agree with all that self first, becoming you on your own and finding someone afterward who compliments who you are... That's just it, I need someone who will "compliment" not contaminate, and so do you! Know who you are, yes, but once you do all the self improvements don't you dare to let someone come into your freshly renovated life and leave dirty footprints all over it! Find someone who will improve with you, push you to grow and make your life better than it already is! Find someone who brings you up! Don't settle down or slow down, saddle up and get going! Move into a better future with the support of a loving, equal relationship! And if you can't find that at this point then it's better to stay single with people like me! Haha!

And just in case you don't know who you are yet... Or in case you've forgotten who you are, let me help you, start here...

LADIES:

GENTS:

Great Expectations!

A word was spoken to me last year... Something I've been wanting and waiting for all my life and it was supposed to begin... I believed that word, I waited with great expectations and looked to find it everywhere, at times I even thought "okay, this is it, it's happening!" But I find myself still waiting today, still putting all my hope in an uncertain future, still searching.

Today I had a thought, or maybe a question... "Am I putting my great expectations in the right place?" And sadly, I think the answer is no... It's not because I shouldn't expect the word to come to pass rather I should be pointing my great expectations toward the great God who is to being it to pass! I need to be more like a child... When you take a child to a store and promise them a treat if they are good they don't just expect the treat to hop into the cart at the end of the trip, they expect you to remember and they make sure you don't forget by asking "am I being good? Do I get a treat?" Until that treat is purchased the child will continually look to the adult supplying the treat, the chile will remind and ask, it's not because the child is doubting they are just showing their great expectation to the one who is providing the promise.

I'm sure you have hopes, dreams and promises from God in your life yet to be fulfilled and if you do I'm calling you to the same place I'm bringing myself to, yes, be excited, have great expectations for the future but make sure you're looking in the right direction! Look to the sky's from whence comets your help! Talk to Him, remind Him, ask Him! After all "knock and it shall be open, seek and you will find, ask and it shall be given. For everyone that knocketh (knocks and continues to knock) it shall be open, and them that seeketh (seek and continue to seek) findeth and them who asketh (ask and continue to ask) receiveth (receive and continues to receive!) 

Every Season, Turn, Turn, Turn

Hey guys! I'm sorry I'm a day late (again...) I'm in Florida and the resort we are staying at has spotty wifi in the rooms, so here I am writing to you from the Club House...  It's so nice here, perfect heat and a light breeze, aahhhhh... I was reading a couple of nights ago and something caught my attention and I thought I would talk to you all about it.

I know I'm in sunny Florida and yes, it's great but I come from cold, snowy, wintery Canada so I know what it's like to be stuck inside when you want to go somewhere... Isn't life the same? Sometimes we are in sunny seasons of fun and happiness and other times we are stuck in a place of bitter cold and it seems we may be there forever. In seasons of weather we know without a doubt better weather is coming but somehow we can't always seem to translate that belief into our seasons of life, it's more difficult to believe the pain will subside or that we can be happy again, but it's no less true, we will see better days.

Maybe you're in the middle of life's winter season though and some blonde chick typing to you from another country or state just is not enough to lift those spirits up... And you know what, that's normal, I totally understand... That's where what I just read will meet you with hope! If you're in a dark place in your life you may be right where you need to be, you may be in the presence of God...

Maybe you've read that scripture a million times, I know I've read it before... But although I have had similar thoughts to this I'm not sure has meant so much... No, I may not be in the same season as you but I have been through those seasons and I guess that's just the point, isn't it? I've been THROUGH seasons of darkness and you will get THROUGH yours as well. Before you rush toward the light just take a minute to look around; yes, winter is cold and sometimes miserable but there is also a beauty you could never understand without seeing it with your own eyes... Take time to see the beauty in the season you're in, to feel the love of those around you who are supporting you through that season and to trust that God is with you in that season and darkness and light are the same to Him, there is no darkness that he cannot dispel.

You Never Know

Gosh, what a crazy day, I actually didn't even think of posting anything! First it's my mama's birthday! I love her, she's awesome, wish her happy birthday! But work today, ugh... Seemed like one of the days the wheels just came off everything! But this time next week I'll be writing to you from good ole Florida! 

I saw a quote last night that made me think... Not an original thought this time but one we all should consider nonetheless. 

At first I thought, yay for being real but then I read the rest, how sad. So here's the thought for today, you never know, you just never know who I'd being fake for the sake of keeping it together. I once read a Martin Luther King Jr. quote urging us to "be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." How often do we get frustrated and shoot a look at someone who cuts in front of us in a line or show impatience with an overwhelmed waiter? We should be able to answer never to this question but I doubt any of us can. Let's determine to become more mindful of others battles they face, you never know what someone is going through or facing... Just because they look fine means nothing, they may only be able to hold it together long enough to get to their car close the door and cry... 

I have a cousin who has a very rare disease, to my understanding it basically slowly paralyzes and shuts down internal organs and muscles... There is treatment but no cure. My cousin has been hospitalized many times with infections and not able to swallow, no able to breath properly, etc. because this disease is so aggressive she may be fine one day and bed ridden then next. My cousin is pretty good at keeping a smile on and being independent, she still goes out and keeps a positive attitude. One day on her way into the hospital she parked in a handicapped parking space, displayed her card in the window and walked in... Someone in the parking lot yelled at her for taking a parking space she didn't need away from "real handicapped people." Yes, my cousin could walk to the door but her breathing was shallow and was going into the hospital for treatment of a disease that has threatened her life in the past. That person yelled in the name of helping someone else but they had no idea of the story behind what they were seeing...

It's so easy to trust what our little eyes see and react accordingly but let's try to be more than that. Let's be sensitive to others needs we may not be able to see. Let's let kindness overtake a heated moment of judgement or impatience. Let's not use "helping others" or "standing up for what's right" as an excuse to heap insult upon injury on a broken soul, let us instead help the person in front of us, let us stand up for right by being understanding and compassionate. I know we all have off days, I know we've all done and said things we regret, I know it's difficult when we are out of time and patience but let's try to put others ahead of our own preferences in those times. We don't have to change over night, I'm not saying we will immediately be a better person in those circumstances, but I am saying if even once we hold back an unkind word or a clearing of the throat to make sure we aren't stepped in front of, even once makes a difference. One kind word or extension of compassion can change not only the life of the person on the receiving end but it will change us as well.