Tag: scripture

Doors

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Doors

As I’ve walked up to the door I about walked through and the door slammed punching me in the face. One of the biggest struggles we may have in life is going with the flow of the river. God will ensure that whatever path we are on will either continue or stop and we will be redirected on a new path. When the avalanche forces a different direction just remember what scripture says. Revelation 3:7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.” Only the doors that God wants us to go through will be opened. The path we may be on can close at any time and we just need to learn to adapt.

Romans 5:3-6 “3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” While it may hurt to have a door close, and it may not seem fair at the moment, it’s probably for our own good. We just have to have faith that what’s in our heart may not be what we are supposed to be doing. We may have our own great plans, our own aspirations, but we need to remember that we’re not the ones in charge. God’s the one in charge, and when we let go of the rein and let God be our pilot.

Giving up control is never easy, and it’s often one of the reasons people have a hard time with Christianity, but the truth is, if God only has plans for greatness, for prosperity, then why would we want to be allowed to walk down a destructive path? God will allow us to destroy ourselves, but there will be roadblocks and signs for us to turn back. If we fail to listen, or push our way through regardless, then that’s on us.

Keep listening to God, and watch for the road signs so we know where to go. Don’t let yourself be so consumed by tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself. Worry for today, and let tomorrow unfold. Watch for the signs God puts in your life to help guide you. The answers are always there, but just like an inspector you must be clever enough to see the clues in front of you. Have faith in God’s plan, and remember to be thankful for what you have, grateful that the woes aren’t worse, and love like it’s your last day.

 

Fertilizing the Greener Grass

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Fertilizing the Greener Grass

What I’ve found is those who cheat, who have affairs, usually think the grass is greener wind up stepping in the fertilizer when playing in someone else’s back yard. The mental mindset that causes people to cheat or have affairs is broad and wide. There are many reasons for it, but the focus for today’s blog post is the aftermath, the destruction left behind.

I’ve been the victim of two vicious affairs. Two incidences where I have bowed out in peace although I attempted to fix the marriage both time, I wasn’t vindictive, or hurtful, not intentionally anyway. There’s a measure of physiology that tells us someone who’s done something horrible, will turn themselves into a victim, they will see you as their enemy, because they are projecting such strong emotions towards you to defect from themselves what they actually feel. Pain, guilt and shame are strong, powerful motivators, and often lead to the dark side. When they reach the other side of the fence, they realize the grass is so pretty and lushes, but there’s a secret, if you’re not very careful you’ll wind up with the secret on the bottom of your shoe. That’s right, I’m talking about the droppings in the hard that makes the yard so green. The other side isn’t truly greener, it’s greener because it’s littered with lies, and deceits, that you will get caught up in, and by the time you’re over there, it’s too late, and you can’t, or won’t go back to where you came from. We often hear that the grass is greener on the other side, but honestly it’s greener where you water it. The new feeling, that what’s full of joy, and shiny, and smells new, and we rave about it, will grow old, it will one day become vintage. The thing is just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s broken.

A friend of mine has an old 1967 Chevy Camaro and it’s a beautiful car. In the right hands it’s been restored, improved upon, and made to look competition worthy. How great it is to own something so old, so out dated, and yet, restore it to it’s once former glory, and get so much enjoyment out of something so vintage. Where are we in relationships? When a relationship seems to stall do we throw it away because it’s not fun anymore? Sadly the answer is yes, most people do. Most people will forsake everything, to include their oaths in front of God even, to have the new and shiny. Most people will leave their spouses and their lives behind, forsake everything they once held dear in this life, and will chase after that shiny new toy. Sadly that new toy doesn’t stay new for long, and often it’s not as advertised.

Making sure we put our effort into our relationships, our marriages, our families, and even our jobs, we should make sure no matter where we are, or what we’re doing we maintain our environment. We have a great deal of responsibility with our lives, and how we treat those around us. No matter if it’s a coworker, wife, husband, children, or even our friends, we should always lift up, guide them in the ways of the Lord, and we should always make sure that our hearts are in the right place. We should always love those round us, even when it’s difficult. Life isn’t easy and because it’s not, we always need to know to take a bended knee and pray to the Father, our one and only hope for happiness, we must have the faith to let go of our pain, our past and push forward in our futures.

The grass is a conundrum. As obvious as it is for us to focus on what we have in our own yard, we must learn to stop watering the grass in a yard we don’t own anymore. Let me give an example. For a year now I’ve been separated. I have struggled letting go of that marriage, and as I’ve spent a lot of time focused on away to fix it, now after a year it feels as if I was trying to fix a yard that I don’t own anymore. We live in the past a lot. I have noticed that we often live on a fixed loop in our lives, and we get stuck on a particular event, usually one that’s tragic or hard to handle. The yard wasn’t mine to take care of anymore, and instead of focusing on my own yard, the new one, I let my own grass wither, and all that time I could have spent healing, moving forward with my own life, has been wasted. It’s hard not to focus on what we want even if what we want isn’t good for us. I’m not saying abandon the house at the first sign of trouble, but if it’s worth saving, it’s worth working on it. Don’t give up hope for where your heart is, but only if your heart is in a place where God wants you to be. Don’t give up hope, and never loose sight of the bigger picture. Always put God first, and He will tell you where you need to be focused. Don’t stay stuck in the past, and stay out of other people’s yards. Never forget to love your spouse, love your neighbor as yourself, and above all else, love your God with all your heart.

 

 

Heart On Fire

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Heart On Fire

The word kismet is a strange word is it not? In simple forms it means destiny or fate. We know that everything happens for a reason, but sometimes the reasons are more important then we could ever realize. Sometimes we meet someone and it seems like they are cut from the very same cloth as ourselves. Just because two people may be from the same cloth, doesn’t mean the timing is right for those two people. One thing I’ve been thinking about looking back is what the bible says about timing. One thing I have grown to understand is patience in laying the foundation of something important to us. Galatians 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

I’ve been watching as the tobacco fields have been plucked and loaded on trucks and taken to the possessing facilities. This year the fields didn’t go so well. The crop had a ton of water early on, and then drought set in, and then cold nights hit early. When farming there is a measure of patience, and it’s something us non-farmers have a hard time with. My biggest struggle is patience when it comes to love or matters of the heart. I’m not one to get angry easily, and I’m not one to blow my top quickly, but when it comes to love I don’t always know how and when to take a step back. 1 Corinthians 13:4 “Charity suffereth long, [and] is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,”

We must learn to have patience, Romans 8:25 “But if we hope for that we see not, [then] do we with patience wait for [it].” While loving the girl might be easy, knowing she doesn’t feel the same way is a struggle. Knowing that there are reasons I have to force myself to accept the reasons given, even if I don’t understand. Love is a fickle thing. Sometimes love can be there but it’s just not the right time. Romans 12:12 “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;”

 While my heart burns, longing for a special lady, the truth hits me between the eyes. What once looked like a matter of certainty, what if I was wrong? What if I didn’t see what was in front of me because I didn’t want too? Hopefully I can find it in myself to be patient, be understanding, and push forward. While I know parts of the truth, the important part is my presence is wanted even if it’s not how I would want. I think in life all we can do is take it one day at a time, and hope for the outcome we want. All we can do is pray, and pray that our prayers are answered. We never know what God has in store for us, and all we can do truly, is either complain about it, or face it head on.

While my prayers are that she comes to me when she’s ready, but if not, that someone will come into my life and I will once again have a happy family. In the mean time, I will continue to do what I feel God wants me to do, and hope for the best outcome. Who Knows, maybe I’ll enter the exciting career of vigilante.

 

 

Heaven The House That God Built

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Heaven The House That God Built

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The undeniable truth, that we were formless before the beginning. Genesis 1:2 “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” We have hope because we know Heaven is a real place. We know that no matter how much pain or suffering we endure, it’ll all be worth it in the end. We’ve seen the words to the end of days and we know that in that time the truth will be revealed.

Revelation 21:4 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” How nice it sounds to with without pain, to see life in the fullness of all it can be in perfection. We were delivered from a life of eternal damnation and although this life is difficult, and even though we endure so much pain and suffering, that seems a small price to pay for eternal love.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Jesus bled and suffered before dying on the cross for all of our sins. Christ paid the price for our sins, but in turn if a little suffering along our path is what we have to pay, what we must carry along our way, it seems small in comparison.

While the promise of Heaven is as real as the oxygen we breathe, not all will join us in paradise, Matthew 25:46 “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” We will watch as what we had on earth will pass away and be no more. It’s in that sacrifice we shall thrive. 2 Corinthians 5:1 “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” It takes faith in Christ and love in our hearts to be able to reach eternal bliss. We must believe in Christ with our whole hearts. We must fight the sin nature and live a life according to the scripture. Matthew 7:13-14 “13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” No everyone we know and love will be with us in Heaven. All we can do is pray and hope in their heart of hearts they know Christ and they follow to know the joys of Heaven one day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bright Tomorrow?

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Bright Tomorrow?

The darkness fills the room. The lights go out and blindness is the word of the night. How we cannot see when the darkness is all around us. When choices weigh you down, and you can’t seem to lift your head off the pillow it’s so heavy like a pile of bricks. The darkness spreads, it’s an evil entity with a mind of it’s own. It follows you, it stalks you, it hunts you in the light of day, and in the darkness of night. The shadows weigh you down, and if it catches you, it may very well crush you.

When you run from the darkness where are you running? What are you running from? We all have our shadows, and we all have the darkness inside us. It’s fear, and doubt, it’s the bad traumas we face, and it’s the hopeless nights that haunt us. We feel the weights pile on, and we watch as the weight on our shoulders weighs us down dragging our shoulders to the ground. The literal weight of our own cross drags us to the ground and if we aren’t careful it’ll crush us into the dirt. Have no fear though, there’s hope just on the horizon.

1 Corinthians 9:26 “So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.” How do we fight the darkness? We must remember that the darkness are the lies and the self flagellants we push upon ourselves. The Devil wants to use our fears and doubts against us. The Devil wants us to struggle with our past mistakes and our past failings. We know that the world isn’t a fair or kind place, but when it feels like more then you can hold, you know who to call, and no not the Ghostbusters.

When the world is more then you can take you gotta call upon the one and only strong enough to get you through, Jesus Christ. Christ will carry you through, Christ will left you and protect you. We have our trials, we have our hurdles we may face, but no matter what it is, it’s never to big for God. Give us strength oh Lord of all to help us through. I don’t have to be strong enough because I am never alone. Christ gives me strength to push away the demons who attack my weaknesses, Christ gives me strength to light up the darkness and make the enemy of the night flee before the light of the cross.

Heavens mercy upon us is strength for this world, it’s hope, and it’s a way to push beyond the fear. We can always count on the Lord to be with us. We can always hope and pray for the best, but we know the fight will come, and we must always be ready. We can’t let our past weigh us down. We can’t allow our pain to forge our future. We must learn to embrace the pain, and use it for a better tomorrow. We draw a line in the sand and we choose to fight. How can we fight if we are weighed down with our own fears and doubts? The world is hard enough to face, let alone face it when we are over encumbered. The Devil wants us to go to war with the fear and doubts, the pain, the hatred we hold in our hearts. How can we share the light if our own light is subdued by the stained hearts we have? The fact is, is you’re going to stand you need to go toe to toe with the darkness. There’s only room enough for one of you in this world, and it’s either the one that embraces the light to forge ones self in the fire, or those who embrace the darkness and forever lives in the shadows of misery. You can’t forge steel without the flame, so who are you going to be? Are you going to be the one to fall on your face and stay down, or are you going to embrace that fire, and fight the Devil? You need to realize you’re more then the bad decisions, you’re more then the pain, you’re more then the lies the devil tries to spread. You need to have the faith that allowed the clouds to part, the giants to fall, the seas to split, and the sins of the world to break the temple in half. Don’t be afraid of the darkness because with God anything’s possible. The fight is coming no matter what we may want. You have to learn to be ready for it, and when it comes know how to fight back. Trust in God and believe in the impossible. God doesn’t just have the big stuff, but the small details too. Don’t let the darkness scare you because if you are walking with the Lord you aren’t in the darkness. It may creep up on you, but stand firm on the heels of Christ and you can defeat the Devil when the battle knocks on your door.

 

The Writings On The Wall

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The Writings On The Wall

“And when you find her, you fight for her. You risk it all, you put her in front of everything, your life, all of it. And maybe the stuff you do to help her isn’t so clean. You know what? It doesn’t matter. Because in your heart you know, that the juice is worth the squeeze. That’s what moral fiber’s all about.” (The Girl Next Door)

Do we walk with eyes of the reality in which we live, or do we walk without sight of the truth? 2 Corinthians 5:7 “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” The truth is, sometimes we don’t want to see the truth. It can be so obvious, the facts, but with our sight we may only see what we want to see. “Love is Blind” this is an interesting remark and it depends on context I suppose. We are to love God with all of what we are and trust in Him completely. However when we love someone we can’t always see that love might not be good for us. We may believe as I had that if the juice is worth the squeeze then you’d do anything for the person you loved. The key to that is though, what if they don’t love you back?

As difficult as it may be, sometimes the truth is hard to accept. For many the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is difficult, and for others impossible. To place your fate in the hands of someone you don’t know, and question if they ever existed is a stretch for some. Knowing Christ existed is not the problem, the evidence to his life is incontrovertible. The question that remains is the validity of his Divinity. While I could go on for hours as to why Christ is the savior, I won’t. The bigger point I want to make is a problem we face on a regular basis. When we love someone we are often blinded by the feelings towards them. We look to them and dismiss the bad stuff they may do and we see only the good, only the positive things we want to see. What if the love isn’t mutual? Do we still love if it’s not reciprocated? Why do we fall for those who never show us the same love? What is it about loving someone who can’t or won’t show us the same love in kind? It’s a tough dancing act we follow. Knowing the truth is always different then accepting the truth.

 The truth is hard to accept, it’s difficult to stomach when what you want something so bad, but can’t have it. The feeling in your stomach, the sinking feeling, the struggle to catch your breath as the air feels as if it has been sucked straight out of your lungs. The heart rate spikes, and pounds, and you’re left with the emptiness that remains. Tomorrow will come and the feelings in our hearts will remain, and all we can do is try and move forward and let our hearts heal in the face of pain. We may not get what we want, but all we can do is take what we have and use it to get stronger for the fight that will come tomorrow. The fight comes each and every day till the day we draw our last breath. We can either fight or die not knowing what we could accomplish. Some people search an entire lifetime to find true happiness. Some find it, some never do. Some have it and let it slip through their fingers, and others have it and destroy it. Either way love is fragile and we have a responsibility to the strongest thing in the universe. Allow it to flourish, or let it die, we have a choice, so what will it be?

What’s Good for the Goose is good for the Gander!

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What’s Good for the Goose is good for the Gander!

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander! You know what I feel about this? What’s good enough for someone, should be good enough for someone else. Have you ever been categorized in a particular way? I’m what most would consider an odd duck. I have my particular talents, my particular traits, but mostly I’m not much different then most dogs, trustworthy, loyal, protective when I need to be, and I’m easily trainable. I am usually considered to be a nerd with the characteristics of a boy scout. I would think honorable traits, but perhaps not all that flattering. One thing I’ve noticed is the phrase really makes no sense. How many people tell you, you’re such a great guy, anyone would be lucky to have you! What, the what? See, this makes no sense, if you tell someone they are so great and anyone would be lucky to be with them, then why aren’t you, or why are those the people who are single the most? I have an answer for all of you, the dreaded friend zone! No one wants to be there, but so many nerds end up there. So many nice guys end up in the friend zone for reasons that for the life of me, I just can’t explain.

While I cannot provide any answers, and while I’ve failed to fix any of my own frustrations in this life, the only thing I can offer is God is still on the throne, and in charge over all. We may not always see the reason, or the purpose to our current or long standing predicaments. We must remember to have faith in the plan even when we can’t see it. God tells us it’s not good for man to be alone, so he created woman. I believe for everyone there is someone, and although it make not be easy, nothing in this life worth having is easy. We must learn to trust God with all our hearts, and even in the midst of loneliness, we must have the strength to carry on. Being alone for some people is a fate worse then death. We must take the grief and the pain we have, and learn to use it for the betterment of our lives. Much easier said then done, and I by no means am an expert in this. In fact, one might say over the last year, I’ve not done so well. It takes time to change, and to be molded. Time for us is fleeting, but as long as we continue to try, that’s the best we can ever hope for. Just remember, just because someone doesn’t want you, or someone doesn’t love you, or even someone who has loved you, then leaves you, this doesn’t quantify your self worth. Don’t allow people to be what makes you feel worthy or important. This is something I am terrible at, and I need to work on this every single day. I hope in my struggles, someone out there may read this and know they are not alone in this fight. I pray for each of you alone with the desire to have someone special, finds that person and helps fill that void in your life. Good luck to all of you and God Bless.

 

Pay it Forward

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Pay it Forward

While on a wonderful date with a very dear woman in my life, I was sitting in Olive Garden having a wonderful conversation. Toward the end of the meal the waiter came up with the customary black pouch that holds the bill. He proceeded to inform us that another table had seen I was a veteran and to thank me for my service picked up the bill. I was left speechless and all I could say was wow that was so nice. The truth that you may find kindness in the most unusual of places is so completely true. While I never expected to encounter such kindness on my trip, I would go as far to say perhaps, on this journey outside of my well established comfort zone, a renewed sense of faith in humanity has been found. While I was expecting the bill to total near $50, I felt badly for the waiter. I couldn’t let that go, so I did what I felt was the best and most correct course, I left him a $20 tip. Though it seems like a small gesture to repay such kindness I felt it was a good start.

I’ve seen and heard in the past these measures of kindness be passed along. Though I’ve never experienced them myself, I’m rarely in a position to afford such generosity. While I do feel that old period in my life is passing away, and a new life is awaiting for me, I am excited to continue to do my part for the good of mankind. It’s so important to continue to look out for those who are less fortunate then ourselves. We must let the guidance of the Holy Spirit point us in the right direction and allow ourselves to not hold onto, or horde our accumulated wealth, but to share it within reason with those we encounter. Doing small acts of kindness such as paying for someone meal, paying for a families energy bill when you know they are in need, or as once in my youth providing a Thanksgiving dinner just because whoever sent it knew my family was not very well off, and often in need of assistance.

Proverbs 22:9 “He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.”

Proverbs 28:27 “He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.”

 In whatever state we find ourselves we will always be better off then someone. We don’t have to look very far to see the suffering and needs of others. While I have sat and thought about this a great deal, I have pondered the song by Brandon Heath:

 

Give Me Your Eyes

Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city of lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touch down on the cold black-top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breathe in the familiar shock of confusion and chaos
All those people going somewhere, why have I never cared

***

There’s a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie.
Too ashamed to tell his wife he’s out of work, he’s buyin time.
All those people going somewhere, why have I never cared.

 

(Chores)

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see,
Everything that I keep missing,
Give your love for humanity.
Give me your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten.
Give me Your eyes so I can see.

 

If we could just all do a kind deed, just one a day, if everyone would reach out to help someone, and if everyone found it within themselves to pay it forward, we would all live in a world where the people in this world would be taking care of all the other people in this world, how much could we change. We are all part of a broken and fallen world, but if we are all broken together, maybe we can find a way to make it in this world together, because together we will always be stronger. Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” The idea of together stronger is a long running theme in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 speaks of the body working in separate parts, yet vital together. The legs and arms work apart, but vital as part of the body as a whole. We are all part of the body of Christ and if we are to work together we must learn to do this as one. We must learn to love one another, and when nice things are done for us, random acts of kindness, we must learn to pay it forward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Would You Give Up?

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What Would You Give Up?

When all you want is all you can’t have, what would you give up? I was thinking of a song not to long ago by Tim McGraw : Don’t Take The Girl. When we live our lives we often feel like if we could just have one thing, just that one special thing it would change our life forever, and we’d never ask for anything big again? During the boy’s life in the song it starts off with a girl going fishing, and in his youth he doesn’t want the girl to tag along. He’s older and asks the girl to marry him and they get mugged. He begs the man not to take the girl. He offers his possessions in the hopes he can keep her from harm. Later she’s giving birth and complications arise and he begs God not to take the girl, he pleads with God to take him instead. Have you ever been in a place like that? Have you ever pleaded for something so strongly you’d be willing to trade places to protect someone from harm?

John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Have you ever loved someone so much you were willing to give your all for them, to protect them? Think about what it means to give up everything for someone. Think of what it means to make the ultimate sacrifice? Jesus Christ did that for us. He gave up his life to save ours. He suffered at the hands of the wicked, and his innocent bloodshed paved the way for our eternal salvation.

A love that would last a lifetime is a rare thing. A love that would wade through the mud and the muck, that would suffer long, and be patient and wait through the craziness of this world. Loving someone isn’t easy and sometimes that love in itself can cause pain, but through the pain can be something wonderful, something hopeful. Having the patience and the security to manage isn’t always an easy thing to do. Sometimes we must take a leap of faith in order to see what the world may offer. Sometimes for the one chance at the spark of love we must give up ourselves in order strike the match. It all boils down to faith. Do you have it, or do you need it? Either way in anything we encounter in our lives we must have faith to see the path through the darkness, and only in that faith can we finally, and fully see the light of true hope.

A Day With God

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A Day With God

Have you ever wondered what a day with God would be like? I like to imagine a peaceful day by a lake, fishing with the perfect weather, feet in the water, the sun warming your face, but not scorching. I imagine a conversation of deep thought, God asking the question to make me think, to discover truths within myself. While obviously this hasn’t happened to me, today was pretty great. I honestly felt more comfortable and at ease then I have in a long time. It’s an amazing feeling to finally start feeling like myself again. It’s been so long and I’ve struggled so much with the duality of who I was, what I’ve lost, and who it’s made me, that to finally feel a sense of relief I can only praise God for today.

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” We must always remember that in our trials, or when our days are going perfect to always seek God first. Always give to God before ourselves, always praise the blessings we have, and be thankful in all things because even as grim as it may be, and not to underplay anyone’s situations, but it can always be worse in some way.

The day was bright, and sunny, and beautiful, the weather was perfect, the company I spent my day with was beyond amazing and I can’t remember the last time in my life I laughed as much, enjoyed life as much, and looked upon my life as relaxing. The wonders of life as it’s often unpredictable can be filled with so many blessings we can’t contain ourselves or articulate how we are feeling in a moment such as this. Today not only did I have a wonderful day, I managed to pay off the final bills and became truly debt free. While I am alone, and should obviously be celebrating I find myself content in my hotel room with my Tervis cup of wine and my wonderful service dog Riley, good music, and a few friends texting or messaging me seems to be all I need tonight. I look forward to my days ahead here on vacation, and then when I return home figuring out my next step. I’m trying to remind myself to live in the moment, and for tonight, and just the few days I’m here to remember to live, love and laugh. Joy is found in ourselves in whatever situation we find ourselves. Every day doesn’t have to be perfect, and it won’t be, but as for me, today, I couldn’t have asked for better.