Pursuit of Happiness...

“Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it.”

The above statement comes from an excerpt inside the pages of, ‘Eat, Pray, Love’, by Elizabeth Gilbert. The book, along with its author, was recently featured on an Oprah Winfrey Show.

The book has reached far and wide…a phenomenon among women throughout the world.

I haven’t read the book just yet; however, in reading the first few pages, and delving into her interview she gave to Oprah, her personal agony is blatantly apparent.

Her personal, inner turmoil is revealed through her words, not only verbally, but within the pages of her book.

She begins with writing and speaking about a place of uncertainty in her life; what she really wanted, wasn’t what she really wanted at all.

I suppose in this country, there is a conditional element to ‘happiness’; we’re conditioned to think that when you grow up, you get married, by a home, have kids, and live happily ever after. However, as you probably already know, that doesn’t happen too often in the ‘real world’ where I live, where you live…I think ultimately, we have to fight for the things we want…and really, are the things we want, really the things we need?

As Elizabeth said, as noted above, ‘Happiness is the consequence of personal effort’; we strive SO HARD to attain what someone else thinks we need to be happy, when all along, we only desire to be ourselves; to be the beautiful creations that God already created us to be…

So…be happy…just being YOU!

Hospitable LOVE?

Hospitality – Defined as what exactly? Why should we be hospitable?

…

I remember as a young girl my mom always tried to make our friends feel welcome, no matter if she thought highly of them or not. She always tried helping them in anyway she could as well. She just had a love for people, perhaps to just be accepted because her teenage years were plagued with turmoil and ridicule from her high school cohorts. Yet deep down, I believe she wanted to be the complete opposite of her parents. She wanted people to know that she genuinely cared for them. I think, that’s where I get it from. I have this innate desire in me to make people feel how everyone wants to feel: LOVED.

Why is that so hard for people?

…

God has made you, God has made me the way He has for a reason. For me, I want people to be treated fairly, the same as anyone else. Why do we discriminate? I think it’s a combination of things, but mostly, it’s ignorance. However, I’d like to think that deep down, inside each of us, we have a genuine need to be LOVED and to LOVE one another.

…

It’s amazing to me to know there is a God who loves us just as we are, right where we’re at. He accepts us, flaws and all, even when the ignorant do not. He loves us even when we don’t love Him back. He blesses us even when we don’t deserve His blessings. He forgives us even when we lack the strength to forgive. We knock and He opens the door, no questions asked. He accepts all, even after we’ve rejected Him. He returns to us, even after repeated failure. He gives us the strength to move ahead, to withstand the mayhem of a dying world. He LOVES unconditionally…
…

It’s a model we ALL should live by…LOVE, no matter what the cost…which I suppose, is the very definition of hospitable…

Hmmm…what a thought…

Learning to Breathe…

I so often times take advantage of what I have. It could be taken in the blink of an eye…that absolute petrifies me, yet it makes me appreciate in abundance the amazing people in my life. My sisters are on top of that list…I am SO thankful that I have three of them…that they are all so unique in their own ways. They have their own opinions, their own causes, their own heartaches and pains; yet, when it comes down to it all, setting LIFE aside, there is this evident connection that all three of us share. I take advantage of that because I think, ‘there will be another day’, or ‘there will be another moment that we all will share’. Yet, how do I know that? How does anyone know that?

…Breathe…

I have two amazing people in my life that have lost siblings. They lost them at crucial times in their lives. Their connection, it seemed, was broken…their lives taken without an explanation. Why? I don’t know…I can’t answer that question when they ask…I don’t understand why people are taken from this earth when they are. I don’t understand why life must go on then, after, for those who are left here. I wish I could answer those questions. I wish I could take the brokenness away from them. I wish that I could do something…anything. In those moments however, I am reminded of what I do HAVE; what I still am so fortunate to have…and…as life ends, and new life begins, I’d like to think that we can be something for someone else. Sure…we can’t replace their lost sibling, but we can be their confidant, their friend, their sister or brother in spirit…and, in the end…those relationships that we are so auspicious to still have, especially those with our family, we can cherish those even more so than we did…we can embrace the moment and live each day like it was our last…taking each breath and making it matter…

Heroes...

I’ve never really been into the ‘hype’ of new television shows. It always seemed to me that networks built their new shows up, and just as soon as you got excited about them, they failed to captivate you like their ‘previews’ did.

I work in television, so there is ALWAYS something new coming to the screen. I work for the local NBC affiliate, so I’m a little biased to that network. I must say, they’ve ‘brought it on’, if you will, this fall. With shows like Journeyman, LIFE, Chuck, Bionic Woman, and Heroes, their lineup is something to take notice of.

If you’ve never seen the show Heroes, I encourage you to check it out. It’s a show that I never thought I’d like, but I must say, after watching a few episodes of last season and being intrigued by the first episode of this season, I’m reminded that there is a certain element that we all have to ‘fit in’, yet there is something extraordinary about each of us.

“We dream of hope, we dream of change, so much struggle for meaning, for purpose, and only in the end do we find it in each other; in the fantastic, in the mundane, the simple human need to find a kindred, and to know in the end that we are not alone, and that all we need is each other.”

Angels...

I've been thinking a lot lately about life…

As the weeks, months, and years continue to pass us by, I fear that my contribution hasn't been all that it could be. So many times we get caught up in work, play, and really, in general: LIFE. It's an amazing gift, but have you ever wondered what if you didn't have another day? I know, I know, it sounds a little morbid, but hear me out.

Do you ever lay awake at night and wonder if you made any difference at all and if you didn't wake up in the morning, if God would say, 'Well done'. I don't know…All my life, I've had this innate feeling inside of me, to just want to matter in some way, to someone, to make a difference…

…Although, perhaps we never know who we really touch on a daily basis. It's amazing the people that cross our paths and just a simple gesture could make their day. As a really inspiring song by a band called Skillet says, "What will you do to help someone along the way? Just a touch, a smile as you turn the other cheek; Pray for your enemies, humble yourself…; In the midst of the most painful faces; Angels show up in the strangest of places".

What can we do more of to "help someone along the way"? What can I do more of to help those in need, just trying to exist in this place we call home, in this world of blank stares and people trying to 'get ahead', no matter who they step on in the process? I think that we can all be an 'angel' to someone, without even knowing it. It's our actions that speak the loudest, which can really show people how beautiful life can be.

I suppose this morbid thinking has a point…if I didn't wake up tomorrow; I'd like to think that somehow, some way my actions spoke louder than my words. And, furthermore, in the midst of the chaos that life can bring, I'd like to think that somehow, some way you and I can be more than just blank faces, stagnant stares, and greedy mongers, becoming 'angels' for the people we know and those we don't...

Stop and Smell the Roses...

I received this not too long ago from a family member and I must say, I was moved. It’s amazing how life passes us by, and we don’t even blink. Stop and smell the roses…enjoy life with no regrets and believe in the dreams that once made you young…


The first day of school our Professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm 87-years-old. Can I give you a hug?"

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.

She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.

After class we walked to the Student Union Building and shared a chocolate Milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went.

She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester, we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three-by-five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed, she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are 19-years-old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn 20-years-old. If I am 87-years-old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything, I will turn 88. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."

She concluded her speech by courageously singing ‘The Rose’.

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.

At the year's end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over 2000 college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

These Words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.

We make a living by what we get; we make a Life by what we give.

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Good friends are like stars, you don't always see them, but you know they are always there.

Unexpected...Freedom!

Sometimes, life can throw us the unexpected. Perhaps it's the wicked letdown from someone who says they love you; a reality check that you really didn't need from someone who really doesn't know the REAL you; OR perhaps, it's an unnecessary roadblock that wasn't supposed to invade at the moment it did.

Whatever the 'unexpected' is that you might be going through…in this moment in time…please know this: GOD can make ALL things work the way they were always intended to. It might not be the way that YOU wanted them to work, but realize this: GOD knows best. In the moment, it may not seem that way, but as you begin to come out of those 'unexpected', sometimes, catastrophic situations, you will begin to see that it's out of our hands. It always was; it always is. Perhaps that's a comfort, an even further uncertainty, but maybe it's something you needed to recognize all along…

...I don't' know…

What I do know, without a doubt, without an uncertainty is God is ALWAYS right by your side, cheering you on, lifting you up, breaking your fall, and most importantly, setting you free.

Be set free…

My sisters and I...oh how I miss our younger years...

You know, when my sisters and I were younger, life seemed a bit more uncomplicated. It was fun; living with no responsibilities; our feelings were simply the love for each other, mixed in with the occasional fight or two, and our lives, thankfully, we knew, were connected forever.

Now, as we’ve all gotten older, chosen our separate ways and began our lives with our significant others, I’m reminded by those feelings that we once had when we were merely children.

The playful remnants linger in my mind as if they were yesterday, and I am reminded by the connection we all share.

It doesn’t matter who comes into our lives, or who walks out, it’s the bond that can’t be broken that provides hope in the struggles of daily life; we are sisters and despite our arguments in adulthood and the political views we disagree on, our lives are intertwined; and thankfully, that’s a forever too.

(In the picture, from left to right, my sisters, Elysia, Erin, and Melissa. That is my dad too!)

Remembering Today...

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

Perhaps that is a saying that you know, perhaps youve never heard it...nonetheless, we can all relate to what we call the best of times and what we call the worst of times...they are moments in time that seem to cover our minds, our hearts, our souls, they change our lives forever

Perhaps the sixth anniversary of 9/11 can be depicted such as this...it was the best of times, as the human spirit was truly revealed throughout that fateful day, and then months, even years after. The people who helped in time of need, running into danger rather than away from it...many people were enveloped by the support that seemed to echo throughout the nation, and really, throughout the world...the endless emotion to one another of the loss of perfect strangers; it was the love for another that seemed infinite...

After the terrorists took the lives of many that day, the nation showed them they could not take the one thing away from us that still, was so prevalent: our undying human spirit.

Sadly however, we remember the worst of times on that beautiful September day...as extremists attacked American soil, hitting our country at a vulnerable time...the lives lost was unbearable, incomprehensible, uncertain, and most of all, unwarranted. How could someone do such a thing many of us thought...how could people be so evil?

Today, six years later, that question and many others remain...however, what also still lingers, is the uncertainty of tomorrow, as nations recognize the world's most common enemy: terror.

Remembering the terrorists attacks of 9/11 should not be merely a day, but a lifetime...to honor the men and women that were lost that day, and now, the men and women who have fallen to the cause of freedom...who continue to fight for that freedom daily overseas...

...Despite your views about the war on terror, despite your views about the men who attacked our country in such a vicious way September 11th, 2001, remember that day, remember that moment in time, remember what we lost, and remember that the fight still continues...

Escape

Here is another poem for all you poetry lovers out there...

I wrote this a few years ago; and to be honest with you, I'm not entirely sure why I wrote this. I think it might have been one of those days that I just wanted to hide away, escape, and somehow, find a stairway leading to anywhere but here!

Nonetheless, it's just another 'point of interest' of where I was at, attempting to discover where I needed to go...

The escape of reality,
Your dreams; I find intriguing
Why we laugh
Why we cry, I find enlightening
The vastness of a bright blue sky,
Mountaintops drenched with snow, I find peculiar, yet marvelously created
Escaping your past
While uncovering your future;
What stimulates you to discover?
Do you dream to escape?
Do you wish to escape reality?
Dream…then escape.

Copyright ©2005 Emily R. Allison

'Sweetly Broken'

Music SO many times in my life has been extremely therapeutic. I find solace in the musical compositions as well as the words that an artist is inspired to write and then sing.

I recently heard a song by Jeremy Riddle. I’ve never heard of him before, but I happened to be scanning through radio stations and heard ‘Sweetly Broken’. I must tell you, I was amazed by the lyrics, by the sincerity of the song.

The chorus is what moved me the most. It goes something like this:

“At the cross you beckoned me
Draw me gently to my knees
And I’m lost for words, so lost in love
Sweetly broken, holy surrendered”

‘Sweetly Broken’; what an amazing thought of how gracious God is. He breaks us, but brings us to a realization that he is more powerful than we can ever imagine. He is merciful and forgiving and loves us, right where we are at.

He has called us out of death and into life and we ARE ‘sweetly broken’ because of his grace and mercy. Thank God...

Helping to change the world...one person at a time...

You know, I often get so overwhelmed with the chaos and disorder in this world. Working at a television station, I often read and see the news as it happens, and frankly, there are many times I just want to shut my door and cry. The thing of it is…I don’t understand why things happen the way they do. I just don’t…I can’t seem to understand why people, especially children, must suffer.

When I decided to start writing, I thought that perhaps, there would be some way for me to make a difference. However, at times, I feel like I’m back at square one, squandering, attempting to find my place in this mixed and messed up world.

I’ve heard it many times… ‘Write what you know’. This is what I know…life is what you make it…so…as Gandhi once said, why not ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world'? Lofty thought, yet how many believe that? Hope, many times, is lost...people think that WE can't change the world. However, I think that anyone can help to change the world, if they just put their mind, their talents, their God-given gifts to the cause...

So...despite seeing the daily turmoil, perhaps what we begin to see is the beauty around us; the GOOD people right in front of us...just wanting to do the same thing...change the world, one person at a time...