All We Really Need

I've often thought when I was growing up … that friendships would really be ‘forever’ … that my imagination could always stay ‘wild’ with limitless ideas … that life would be this adventure, that was mine to ‘run’ with …

Yet as I’ve gotten older … and time has passed with ‘force’, I’ve realized that things just aren’t what they seem when you’re younger … perhaps we get a little jaded as we begin to realize what the ‘world’ and all its cruelty has to offer …

Sure, there will always be disappointments, but couldn’t we just ‘play’ like children to make time stand still? I miss youth because time really didn’t exist … it wasn’t racing like it is now … as a child, we learned to embrace the simple things … we cherished people and friends because in those moments when we were with those people, life was good and everything else seemed miles away …

It’s a beautiful thought to think that things will always be easy and that life won’t be this constant disappointment, but I suppose, those ups and downs, those valleys of highs and lows, are what make us the people we are … they make us rely on the one thing that IS and ALWAYS will be a constant, He never disappoints, is always there, no matter how many times we fall … thank God for Him … thank God for sending His Son to pick us up when we've been beaten down ... and thank God for moments like these, when we realize that all we really need is Him ...

A Cloud Filled Moment

I wrote another poem the other day ... I suppose you could say I've 'picked' up the 'poetry pen' again ... it's just a few lines of my inner thoughts ... sometimes, I just have to get them OUT of my head ... enjoy and thank you for reading!

Picking apart their consistency, I wonder what they’re made of …

As they travel through the sky, with no destination thought out …

Large, small, medium, irregular, solid, translucent … no two are the same …

They’re perhaps like you and I …

Made of the same consistency, but no two are alike … Beautiful, unshaped, awkward; always 'works in progress' …

A 'Puff of Air' ...

“I wonder why you care, God – why do you bother with us at all? All we are is a puff of air; we’re like shadows in a campfire”… Psalm 144 (The Message)

I read this passage from The Message a few months ago … for those of you NOT familiar with The Message, it's sort of an 'alternative' Bible ... written in layman's terms, to better understand the essence of what the Bible is trying to convey ... it's written in story format, and I would encourage any of you who just don't like to read the Bible, to try this out ...

Nonetheless, I’m not entirely sure why the excerpt spoke to me so deeply, but I just thought I’d post it here for pondering …

I guess you could say it’s a ‘realization’ of sorts … that I am nothing really … and the fact that God cares about me at all, is simply a miracle … I’m really a ‘puff of air’ that could be gone tomorrow … yet God still wants me here … He wants me here for a purpose … He still needs me, perhaps? He still needs you?

Not sure what you think about this passage, but it stirred up a little something in me … I hope it does the same for you … because no matter how big, or how small you feel, God still has you here for a reason … so embrace it … take leaps of faith and don’t be fearful of what you COULD become …

Los Angeles!

It’s been a LONG time since I’ve written …
It’s a whirlwind, but … you take one day at a time …
We traveled to Los Angeles for my sister-in-law’s wedding, which was wonderful!
If you’ve never been, you should check it out someday …
Here are a few photos from the trip …
Will write more soon …
God Bless all!

~Emily

Seeking ...

It’s not very often that I write poetry anymore …

Perhaps it’s the lack of inspiration …

Or, it just might be that I don’t have the ‘gift’ anymore …

But, I’d like to think those things we’re ‘good at’, we never lose …

It’s not like God gives it to you, and then takes it away …

I think it’s always there … even in dry spells … even in dark days …

Here is a poem I just wrote today … God bless each of you!

Jumping into a sea of confidence…
That is what I seek…
Flying above the vast clouds that fill a beautiful blue sky…
That is what I ask for…
Climbing atop a mountainous terrain…
That is my greatest fear…
Wishing on a star …
That is what gives me hope …
Understanding humanity …
My greatest uncertainty …
Seeking You …
My only comfort …

Instructions for Life

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.

FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY- ONE. Spend some time alone.

*A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.*

Caught Off Guard ...

Ok ... I have no philosophical things to share, but I do want to share this photo of my cocker spaniel Winston ... I caught him a little off guard last weekend, and well, this was the outcome! Smile ... and have a great weekend!

Leave Out All the Rest

Understanding life’s uncertainties isn’t something I pretend to do …

I guess as I’ve lived my life, understanding that I don’t know all the answers, makes life more spontaneous perhaps … I don’t know … it just seems to me, if you knew all the answers, then life just might be a little dull …

I’ve lived and learned about how people can let you down, yet in the midst of that, forgiveness is on the other end of that disappointment …

Not because I want to forgive so much, but because God interjects my thoughts and helps me realize the power of forgiveness … after all, I’ve done a few stupid things in my day, and in those moments of realization of those not so good choices, I’ve learned the power of mercy and grace …

So how would it look if in the uncertainties and disappointments of life, I choose to hold a grudge; to NOT forgive?

It’s one of those qualms that I’ll never understand … how we can just forgive and forget … yet, there is reassurance in knowing that God can be what we cannot be, and in those moments, we can certainly leave out all the rest …

The Power of a Sacrifice

May 12th marked the death of a 98 year old lady named Irena.

During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist ...

She had an ulterior motive...

She KNEW what the Nazis plans were for the Jews, (being German).

Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of her tool box she carried, and she carried in the back of her truck a Burlap sack, (for larger kids).

She also had a dog in the back, that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in, and out of the ghetto.

The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog, and the barking covered the kids/infants noises.

During her time and course of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants.

She was caught, and the Nazis broke both her legs, and arms, and beat her severely.

Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out, and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her backyard.

After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it, and reunited the family. Most of course had been gassed.

Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes, or adopted.

Last year, Irena was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize ...

She LOST.

Al Gore won, for doing a slide show on Global Warming.

Check out more of her story here: http://www.irenasendler.org/

I wanted to share this story because I thought it was rather incredible how unselfish this woman was ... not only to sacrifice her own life, but to ultimately lay it down for someone else. Hmmm ... it reminds me of another familiar story, that you all might already know ... it's about a man named Jesus, and how he came and died so that we might live ...

Recent Photos ...

Here are a few recent photos I took ... the first is on a storm-filled night ... the sky was amazingly beautiful, and vast ... it was rather breathtaking ... the next is from a small park near downtown South Bend. The geese there are plentiful, and rather amusing from time-to-time. I snapped this while a grandma, it looks like, and her two grandkids were admiring the beautiful creatures ... the third is a little abstract ... through a park bench in downtown South Bend, near the College Football Hall of Fame ... sometimes, the most awkward of photos can make the most presentable ... ENJOY!

What Would You Do ...

So, tell me one thing you'd LOVE to do, but are afraid to do because you're fearful of failure?

Poetic Thoughts ...

I’m amazed at how selfish we can be …
The lack of humility that each of us has …
We pride ourselves on others pain …
Yet, we are hurting ourselves …

I often underestimate the power of a touch …
And, most days, I reminisce of how it used to be …
I miss the days when life was easier …
Yet, I believe the days ahead are going to be the best yet …

It’s a beautiful, crazy, wonderfully complicated place we live …
Beauty surrounds us …
Embrace life … embrace it before you no longer can …