A Song to Ponder

I was listening to this awesome song the other day ... not sure if any of you out there have ever heard of Linkin' Park. I can imagine you have ...

Nonetheless, it's a new song, called 'Leave Out All the Rest'; and basically, it talks about leaving all the hurt, pain, the bad behind ... forgetting all the 'stuff' that sometimes, we can take with us to the grave ... we resent sometimes the things that have happened in our past, and sometimes, we don't let go until it's to late ... the song simply 'asks' to leave out all of what we can't change, and remember something good ... not only remembering the good in others, but also in ourselves ... it asks to leave out all the rest, and remember what went right ... it's a powerful message, with forgiveness behind every word ...

Let Love In ...

If I may be so bold, I’d like to pose a couple of questions to you all, my ‘blog friends’ … they are questions, that perhaps might evoke some emotion, but they’re questions that I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts on … so, here goes:

Why do you think people judge others?
Do we have the right to judge another person?
What ever happened to LOVING someone first?

I must say … I’ve been pondering these questions the past few days … I’ve found that throughout my life, personally, I’ve been a ‘judger’ so to speak … perhaps not so much consciously, but more so because I thought something should be one way and not another … or I thought I was right, while the other person was wrong … when all along, I lacked the capacity to accept that someone else had an opinion! I think this was more in my youth … when I was in middle school, into my freshmen and sophomore year in high school …when I was naive and just ‘learning’ what it all meant to have a relationship with Christ …

However, as I’ve gotten older, my focus has become, not whether someone is right or wrong, but whether they are loved or not … perhaps that sounds a little strange, but, as I’ve learned more about the ‘heart of Christ’, I’ve learned that He just LOVES us, right where we’re at … He loves us even in our darkest days … He loves us when we’re sinning … He even loves us when we turn our backs on Him … and while that breaks my heart, I realize that I lack the way He loves others, many times … I wish I could love like Christ in moments where my anger gets the better of me … or I feel a ‘judgment’ coming into thought about someone … I wish that it was easy to LOVE at all times … but that’s where our human nature interrupts and invades … yet, I pose a challenge to those out there who call themselves ‘lovers of Christ’, including myself … instead of passing judgment on someone FIRST, why don’t you try LOVING them FIRST … Love them like Christ loves them … give them grace and show mercy, just as Christ has done so many times for you and I … it might be something as simple as a smile, or maybe it would require you to take a leap of faith, but do it! Do it today, and just let LOVE in ... when you can be overcome by the love that Christ has for you, you can then become 'in love' with those around you ... even when you don't agree with their lifestyle … even when their sin blinds them … practice LOVE first …

"Don't Quit"

When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but do not quit.

Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things go wrong that you must not quit.

Author Unknown

Sex in the City - The BOND of Friendship

I don’t know if any of you out there are Sex in the City fans. I never was a fan until I started watching the ‘edited’ versions of the show AFTER they went off the air. It’s not that I wasn’t a fan of the show when it was on air, but it was more that I didn’t have access to it! It was an HBO commodity, which I wasn’t privileged to have access to. Ah well …

Nevertheless, as I’m sure you already know, the ‘big screen’ version of the show came out this past weekend, and I was ecstatic to see it. Perhaps you’re frowning at the mention of the show, or, you’re an enthusiast like myself, but I was asked by a friend the other day, why I like the show so much.

There are many misconceptions about the show and while some just might be true, there are quite a few positive aspects to it as well.

Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte, are much more than fashionistas. Sure, they live lives that many of us could only dream of, but they also carry something much deeper than the materialism that surrounds them in the ‘Big City’: the bond of friendship. The show, and the film, showcases the friendship of women, and the struggles they share. They’re devoted to each other, through the ups and downs that life so many times, brings to each of us. They’ll fly across the country for a friend in need, and not only do they rejoice in one another’s victories, but they also share in the sorrow and disappointments of life.

They forgive and forget, love when it hurts, and encourage the beauty in each other, even in their most dire moments.

So, a fan or not, the bond of friendship these four women share, sure is something to hope for, if not fight for!

"No matter who broke your heart, or how long it takes to heal, you'll never get through it without your friends.”

“Maybe our girlfriends are our soul mates and guys are just people to have fun with.”

Alive Day ...

In a war that has left more than 25,000 wounded, ALIVE DAY MEMORIES: HOME FROM IRAQ looks at a new generation of veterans. Executive Producer James Gandolfini interviews 10 Soldiers and Marines who reveal their feelings on their future, their severe disabilities and their devotion to America. The documentary surveys the physical and emotional cost of war through memories of their ‘Alive Day’; the day they narrowly escaped death in Iraq.

Please, check it out ... it's one of the most powerful depictions of the affects of this 'War on Terror' that I've ever seen: http://www.hbo.com/aliveday/.

Whether you believe in this war or not, the men and women who are fighting it deserve our respect … they deserve honor … and most of all, they deserve our support and gratitude for fighting for the freedom we ALL take advantage of …

Watch it and be changed …


This is Marine Staff Sgt. John Jones; he is a double amputee below the knees, had shrapnel in parts of his thighs and wrists, some memory and hearing loss, and suffers from post traumatic stress disorder. However, he remains optimistic. "I hope to be a positive influence for others and to set an example for those that have given up hope."

In the Backyard ...

Here are a couple more photos for you! These were taken in my sister Melissa's backyard! It's rather beautiful what you can capture! Enjoy! (P.S. Thank you for all the wonderful comments and for continuing to visit my blog! It means so much! God Bless you all!)

Here we go again ... Dreaming!

An idea? Hmm … what is it really? Is it only a thought? Personally, I think 'raw ideas' are essentially, dreams that are resurfacing ... it's kinda' like when in our youth, we have these profound ideas, an epiphany if you will, of our lives when we are ‘all grown up’. We dream big when we are younger … when we have NO idea whatsoever of what it will take to make that dream come true … yet, as we get older and life complicates things, those ‘dreams’ or ‘epiphanies’ seem to resurface because someway, somehow, they make life worth living … they make mornings worth waking up to … and they surely make for something to fight for … to hope for … so come on already! Start dreaming again! Who knows … that ‘idea’ could just turn into what you’ve always ‘dreamed’ for …

My New Hobby ... Part Two ...

Iowa Countryside
(Iowa is a rather lovely, beautiful place! The hills and landscape are just amazing!)

Bridge in Cincinnati
(This bridge suspends over the Ohio River and sits right across the Great American Ballpark, where the Cincinnati Reds play.)

The Lighthouse - St. Joseph, Michigan - Silver Beach
(There is no place like the beautiful beach on a sunny day. This was taken on a trip with my mom to Silver Beach. It was beautiful and the Lighthouse was the main attraction!)

Somewhere Only We Know

It’s a common occurrence to become saddened by what goes on in the world around us … there is so much shizit (this is a word I like to use from time-to-time to refrain from saying the other, which I’m sure you can pinpoint) … and well, sometimes, it gets a little overwhelming to take in …

I like to go to a place of solitude and placate in those times … as I imagine it, it’s a place of beautiful things … there is an abundance of sunshine, and the people within my little world, are happy… at least for a moment in time … I guess I like to think it’s just a little taste of Heaven …

Unfortunately, the painstaking reality is, the world waits on the other side of it … I don’t understand the heartlessness of people, but at times, in those moments, I do understand and see the beauty in all of us … compassion usually surfaces in many desolate times, which helps to accept the reality we live in …

But … it’s nice to think that we can escape to a place where we only know … a place where we can be silent, where grace and mercy are in abundance … where there is no pain or loneliness, and for a moment, we see that life truly can be magical …

Just a Little Lonely ...

I’m amazed at people’s loneliness. If you look close enough, you can catch the signs of it …
Sometimes it’s in the subtle words they say … sometimes it’s in the emotionless stares … and sometimes it’s in obvious body language …

Sometimes, as 'Christians', and I use that term loosely, we THINK that we should have it all together, because the world tells us that we should … but deep down, and in 'reality', we are just like the drug addict, looking for their next fix, the lonely soul, who just wishes to be anywhere but in the place they’re at, and the uncertain recluse, just wishing for answers …

Unfortunately, I think loneliness is a prerequisite of life … it’s inevitable, but it’s required … when loneliness DOES happen to creep in, I think WE ALL just want that connection with SOMETHING … As a woman who loves Jesus, I am reminded in those moments that He is right there, by my side … but … I think we can crave for something tangible, so badly, that our emotions overcome us, and we look at ourselves as inadequate? Perhaps this comes from the fact that we TOO, along with the person who doesn’t know about Jesus, can’t say, ‘I’m not lonely anymore because I DO have Jesus’.

The reality is, it sure would be nice to know that SOMEONE is there … faith is a little tough in those moments because what we can’t see, is not what we need … we need that gentle touch from SOMEONE who cares … and, even with that, the amazing part about it all, is that God still loves us, right in the midst of our feeling of loneliness, inadequacy, self-doubt, and perhaps, our feeling of un-reliance on God to get us through …

Honestly, I think everybody needs a little love, to make it all work out … so LOVE someone … you never know … you could just ‘break’ them of their loneliness in that specific moment in time … and in return, when you’re feeling a little down and out, someone just might reach out … a little further, and LOVE you right back …

A New Hobby ...

I've recently taken up a new hobby: photography! Here are a few photos of one of the greatest cities in the U.S. ... Chicago! Be Blessed all ...

A Poem ...

This poem was written by the one and only, Erin Elliott, my little sister ... I thought it was TOO excellent not to share! Perhaps you might find it rather solemn, as did I, but please know, this was a pivotal and changing moment in her life ... one that I feel, has brought this beautiful piece of prose for all to enjoy!

Hope you like it!

Untitled
It’s been a short day.
Hot & unforgiving.
My head aches.
& i can’t tell if I'm
still high or just tired.
The summer night
is taking over.
And the sun
is far from us now.
The sound of beats
are filling my ears.
& those dreams come
back to taunt me.
Segments of my life,
I’ve totally forgotten.

& this chair does not
make matters any better.
worn ragged material,
hating my skin.