You

Dear you, 

You are the love of my life. You are the girl of my dreams. You are what I’m not. You are everything I could want. You are everything I need. You are kind. You are gentle. You are everything I want to be. You push me to be a better person. You encourage me. You amaze me. You are very sexy in your own quiet and modest way. You are easy to love. You are very graceful. You are artsy. You have soft lips. You love to be held. You are my best friend. You are driven. You are mine. You are beautiful. You are my sunrise. You love the lake. You surprise me. You are adventurous. You are trustworthy. You listen well. You are strong hearted. You open up to me. You are passionate. You have a serenading voice. You probably have a tattoo. You love animals and have a great respect for them. You leave a mark wherever you go. You have the kindest eyes I have ever seen. You have been places I only dream of going. You are given to me by God. You make my day amazing. You are going to be my wife. You are what I can’t put into words.

Here is the sad part.

You are a stranger. I am without you. You are not in my life. 

I can’t wait to meet you. Someday you and I will be together.

Try This!

“To get something you’ve never had, you’ll have to do something you’ve never done.”

Simple quote but it makes complete sense. With many many things, if you do the same thing over and over again, eventually you will stop getting new results and the same thing will happen over and over again. Just like the quote says, if you wanna get something new or go somewhere new, you have to change something in your life to get there. Either by trying harder, trying something new, or spending more time and giving more dedication. Challenge yourself.

This idea or concept can be applied to many areas of your life; spiritual, physical, mental, emotional. I have found myself in a rut with many things in my life, so I am challenging myself to do something I’ve never done. For the next month, I am going to be a vegetarian. It is something I have never tried and I want something new to challenge me and to change up my norm. I’m not saying you have to do the same, but I challenge you to find something, anything and give it a go.

If someone goes to the gym everyday and does the same workout everyday, soon he will stop seeing results because his body will get use to that same workout. In working out, you have to change up your workout regularly to keep your body guessing. The same thing can be applied to anything. Challenge your brain, your skills, and your body.

If you have never read for pleasure, pick up any chuck klosterman or chuck palahniuk book and give it a go.

If you have never gone to the gym, go to the gym.

If you want your walk with god to be closer, than walk closer. Try spending even just 10 minutes a day in his word and prayer.

If you spend 10 minutes with him each day, try 20. Just try spending more time than you do now.

If you have never drawn a picture, try drawing something. 

If you have never played an instrument, try it. It’s never too late.

If you want closer relationships with people, listen a little more, or open up more.

If you want to know more about who you are, try journaling. I have found this year that journaling makes a huge difference.

There are just some ideas. But do it. I dare you to try something new and see where it gets you. If anything, it will just change up your normal routine for a little bit. Because “to get something you’ve never had, you’ll have to do something you’ve never done.”

simple things

Last night I spent the evening with my entire family over at my sister’s house. My parents were in town from Fredonia. And it made me start thinking about things. Simple things. I love those moments sitting around with everyone. Everyone has their place and role.

As we’re sitting around you have tony (older bro) telling inappropriate jokes to everyone. My father is the wise one. You can always look to him for a great joke, or great advice whenever needed. I can usually use both just about everyday. My little bro, steve, sits around and throws his 2 cents in every once in a while and cracking sarcastic jokes you would find on the office. He is the smart one of the family. He’s a mechanical engineer. You can usually find diane, (big sis) and I sitting next to each other acting like we’re 5. We like to poke and jab at each other the whole time. I love her. Most of the time you have her husband sam sitting there making fun of us for how we’re acting with each other. But he definitely gets his jokes in against me as well. And then always you can find my mom just sitting back and watching all this go down. She loves just watching everyone do their thing.

Here’s my favorite part: Up stairs you can here the 4 grandkids running around chasing each other and having fun. Occasionally you get one coming downstairs to tattle tale on one another. Richelle will say, “Shelby won’t be my friend.” Shelby comes down, “Josiah hit richelle.” Then Josiah comes down, “A.J. keeps biting the dogs.” Ha Ha. And then A.J. comes down and says, “chelsd skdi skdwi bla ha haga!”

But in these moments I realize life is what you make of these times. It’s in these moments true happiness can be found. Hold them near because they may leave at any point. We use to share these moments every sunday and mom and dad’s. But as of a month ago, they moved away.

It’s the simple things in life such as spending time with the family that make things complete for us. In that moment it doesn’t matter what drama you’re going through or what has you down. These simple things can act as an escape from the hardship of life.

I love you family!

What will be, will be. And so it goes.

I hate to quote Jack Johnson in two post in a row, but what can I say? He is quite the amazing song writer. This weekend was my fathers first sunday at his new church in Fredonia, KS (pop. 2500). On the way down there sunday morning, stephen put in Jack Johnson to listen to on the ride down. In one of his songs he says, “what will be, will be. And so it goes.” 

These words got me thinking about the situation I was in. All my life my father has been at one church and in one house. Now after only knowing one home and one city for my family, my parents leave. It at first was saddening news but as leaving came and went, I find myself happy for him. As far as my sadness goes; what will be, will be. I can’t do anything to change the situation. I can just look at it as a new season. I thank God for the season i had with my parents for the past 24 years. Now a new one has come, loving them with a distance between us.

As the drive continues down to Fredonia I still keep thinking on these words. I find myself many times in my life wishing things were different or someone treated me better, but I can’t change them. They are who they are and things will be as they are. So I’m done looking at others and wanting more from them or looking at them wishing things were different. Things are how things are. Deal with ‘em. 

“What will be, will be. And so it goes.” That’s my new way of looking at situations in my life or at relationships in my life. No more complaining and whining. So as far as my parents leaving, there is no reason to be sad and complain that they are gone. I can’t change it. So I’ll just deal with them being and hour and a half away.

Wisdoms in the trees, not the glass windows

As Jack Johnson amazingly puts it; the wisdoms in the trees, not the glass windows. In many things in our lives we are satisfied with simply taking things for what we are taught and we take things at face value. So often we’re ok with excepting things as is and from afar. 

Those who have been to an ocean can attest to this. Seeing the ocean, hearing the ocean, and feeling the ocean is nothing like looking at a picture of it. We need to take time in our lives to explore the things unseen. In my french class we look at a lot of pics of Europe and discuss culture. But the students who have not been will never really get the true understanding of what is taught. I’ve been all over Europe and to many oceans; pictures do absolutely no justice. Go, Travel, and see the world. 

Another way of looking at this saying is that we take what is told to us and run with it. Too often we don’t challenge it or go see for ourselves. I feel this is very relevant in church. So many times we take what is being told to us about Jesus and say, “Ok, that’s cool about him.” We don’t take the time to do our own research and our own exploring. 

Get to know people. Get to know Jesus personally. I can’t get to know one of you from just watching from afar. I can learn about you and see your habits, but I won’t really know you. Same goes with God. We can’t just watch and read. Then you’ll know about him without truly knowing him. Same goes with our friends. Take time to get to know people. Ask questions. Listen to them whole heartedly. Stop taking things at face value through the window.

The wisdoms in the trees, not the glass windows. So get outside and go explore yourself. Stop excepting things through the windows of our lives.

look left. look right. go!

In elementary school they teach us when moving forward through an intersection to look left, look right, then go. A conversation I shared with my friend Erin got me thinking on this.

We have many times forgotten this simple lesson. Look how simple these directions are; left, right, move forward. There is nothing about looking behind you and to the past. It says to look ahead, and to the present dangers and then cross the intersection. 

Too many times in our lives when we’re goin through hard times and huge intersections in our lives, we look back. Whether looking at the past and regretting the mistakes or looking back at the good times and wishing they were present. So many times we live in the past. We hold people for things they did in the past or we walk with our heads down for the decisions we had made and hold grudges against ourselves. Or many times the past was amazing and we walk in the present wishing life is like it use to be. Don’t.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t learn from our past, we should. Just learn from it and move forward. Don’t live in it. I find myself guilty a lot looking in the past and wishing things could have been different and I let it affect the intersection I’m facing in the present. 

Fallow the simple directions we learned in grade school. When facing decisions and hard times in life;

Look left. Look right. Go forward. Don’t look back.

Love but DON’T touch

Could you do it? Could you fall in love with someone and remain in love without being able to touch the person. So many people these days rely upon physical touch to show and receive love. I’m guilty of this as well. So many times we fall into a “why not” (H) situation. We think if i like you, and you like me, why not kiss then? We rush into things and wonder why they slowly dwindle away. 

What brings this challenge to me is the thought of “the pie maker” on Pushing Daisies. He has the ability to bring people back to life with a simple touch. But if he touches them again, they go back to being dead. Forever. On one of his investigations he comes upon his childhood love. She’s dead. He brings her back to life, but decides to keep her alive to spend the rest of his life with her. Under one condition, he can never touch her again. So here in this story, he is love with this girl, planning on spending the rest of his life with her, yet can not touch her. Ever. Could you do it? The rest of their lives they much show each other love through other means. 

The question this brings to my mind is; can I show love with out every touching you? Can i give you quality time, words of encouragement, or even just listening whenever you need to show my love for you? 

I think it would be like a battle between knowing your loved and questioning if you’re not. Does he love me? Is he into me? Most the time we use physical touch to answer those questions. It’s the battle we all have inside, good vs evil, white vs black, and the endless he loves me; he loves me not. 

Could you love and not touch?