Walk In The Rain With Me: September 2013

Happy Birthday and Celebration

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

"Celebrate what you want to see more of." -Tom Peters

Did you know that today is someone's birthday? Everyday is someone's birthday, actually. Now, I might not know exactly who's birthday it is, but that's alright. I can still wish them a happy birthday. SO! Without further ado...

Happy birthday!!!

I think everyone should get a hug, or a smile, or something on their birthday. It's a sad thought that a birthday might go by for someone and it just... goes by. That's why I decided my blog needed to wish that person a happy birthday. Oh! And while I'm at it, have a...

Very Merry Un-Birthday!!!

That's for anyone who's birthday doesn't happen to fall on September 10th, but still needs a smile. Because everyday is your un-birthday!

And another thing, this is my 31st blog post. Yay! (I just released 100 virtual, red balloons. You may now feel free look up and smile as they drift away into the sky.)

Thirty-one may seem like an odd number to single out for celebration; that's because it is. Most people celebrate numbers like ten, fifty, and one hundred. But you know what? Numbers like thirty-one are quite frequently overlooked. Isn't thirty-one just as nice as fifty? Doesn't she deserve a chance to shine?! So, I decided that the lovely thirty-one needed some special recognition. Well that, and the fact that I've had a bad week and wanted something to brighten it up. A blog celebration seemed like just the thing.

Now the question is... how do I celebrate? What exactly does one do in a blog celebration?

Well, one shares a list. A list of some of one's favorite things, each from a different category. (Yea. I just came up with that. I'm pretty good, aren't I?) So here it is. To give you a bit more of an idea of who I am, I beg to put before you a few of my favorite things.

______

My favorite bird is... No doubt, the puffin. I love how the bold orange on its face and feet contrasts with the stark black and white on its body. And they're such an odd little bird, too. The have a sort of duck-shaped body and duck-like feet, yet a unique head. Brilliant!
My favorite quote is... By C. S. Lewis. I just discovered this quote a while back, and it really strikes a note with me. It says, “We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.” Isn't that so true? We don't exactly doubt that God knows what's best for us, or that He will do it; we doubt how comfortable we will be with the best. We wonder how much pain it will cause us at first. But when we really let go of it all, we realize that no matter how much pain we experience in it, God will get us through.
My favorite day of the week is... Monday. Definitely Monday. It is such an unappreciated day, and yet, it's really wonderful. I mean, you've got a whole week before you that you can make whatever you want. And it's the day after Sunday, which means you still have yesterday's sermon fresh in your mind to act upon. (For more on why I love Monday, click HERE.)
My favorite month is... November. I love the end of autumn. All of the pretty colors are there, and the weather is getting steadily colder and colder (hopefully). I love planning for Christmas. I love dreary days. (I don't find them dreary at all, actually. I find them... peaceful.)
My favorite song is... a really tough thing to decide. In fact, it's almost impossible to pick a favorite song, because I listen to so much music, and it all depends on my mood and what I'm thinking about at the time. A song that I really like to listen to right now is Berlin, by The Piano Guys. It has such a nice sound to it, which I really like.

So there you go. You now know what a blog celebration looks like. Hopefully you got a smile or two out of it, and maybe even learned something new about me.

Oh! And be sure to subscribe to get every post I write delivered to your inbox. And for those of you on Facebook (though cheers to you who aren't), go ahead and like my page if you want. I may be doing a giveaway in the future for all of my Facebook fans...

life

I am (Partly) a Normal Person

Wednesday, September 04, 2013

“I was always fascinated by people who are considered completely normal, because I find them the weirdest of all.” -Johnny Depp

Ah, how I love to write! I took a bit of a break from my blog for a while, but I'm back now. I don't know exactly why I took a break. I mean, it's not like it was a planned break or anything. I just... didn't write.

Mostly, I couldn't decide what to write about. I don't want to complain all the time about how I'm feeling, and whenever I tried to type up a post, that was all I could think to write about. At some point, you're just tired of being sick. You want to get back to normal things, and you want to forget about it for a while.

And so, I didn't write.

But now I am! Because now, I have something to write about.

I often have people tell me that my blog posts hit right where it hurt most. Right in that spot of their life that they struggle with. They tell me how much they can relate to what I say, and for a long time I wondered why.

Not that that's a bad thing! I really like it when people tell me that they can relate. But how is it that people from such very different walks of life can all get something from the same piece of work? How can people who have so little in common still find something for them in my writing?

Part of it is, I think, in the nature of how we read and interpret things. Everyone brings a little of themselves with them when they read, and while they're not actively thinking about it at the time, they still filter everything through their own experiences and opinions. Everyone can get something different from it, because everyone is unique, and everyone has experienced different things. We can take what someone has written and put a new perspective on it that is as one-of-a-kind as the person reading.

(That was one thing I noticed when reading all of The Chronicles of Narnia. Every time I read it, I noticed something new. They always held something in their pages that I hadn't noticed last time, no matter how much I've read the series. And no matter how many people have read it, there's something in there for everyone. (The Bible is like that, too. Only... more.))

And I think that's one of the amazing things about how God made us.

Also, I think it has something to do with the fact that, underneath it all, I am (partly) normal. Oh, I know some people would be surprised to hear that. I'm sure there are a few friends of mine who think I'm pretty weird. (To be fair I think they're pretty weird, too.) And I believe that's true. The other day someone called me fascinating. I think that's true, too.

But I also believe that, underneath it all, I'm a bit normal. Because when you think about it, what is normal?

Sometimes you think of normal as average or everyday, but I don't think that could possibly be it. Everyone is so different from one another, that there really is no "everyday". Some people hide their differences more than others because they're afraid to be different, but everyone is unique, so really... what's the point?

Is normal what society tries to tell you is right? Because if so, I don't want to be normal at all. And I don't really consider myself "normal" in that definition. Society tells you that you need to wear tons of makeup, follow the latest trends, have a hot boyfriend, etc. And I don't want or have any of that.

But if normal means having basic needs that everyone feels, then sure. I'm normal. I want to feel needed and important. I want to be cared for. I want to have friends. I want to be a part of something bigger than myself. I want to love and be loved. I want to be noticed, and I want to be remembered.

So I guess, underneath, we all have a bit of normal. And I don't think that's a bad thing. It gives us all common ground. No matter how different we are, we have common denominators. Things we all understand and relate to. Things that give us a reason to try to like each other. Or, at least, to not hate each other. Because when you realize that someone struggles with the same things you do, and when you realize that you have the same needs, it makes it easier to put aside your differences. To forget about all of the things you don't have in common, and think about the things that you do share. It gives you a certain degree of... empathy. Not just sympathy, but empathy. The ability to share and understand the feelings of another.

So maybe- maybe- the world would be a better place if we remembered that we all have a bit of normal.

change

Everything Changes

Sunday, September 01, 2013

“Everybody has to leave, everybody has to leave their home and come back so they can love it again for all new reasons.”- Donald Miller

I have realized something recently. Well, not really realized, because it's not as if I didn't know it before. No. It's more than just a realization, because now it's more than just an idea or thought- I have experienced it.

What is it that I've experienced? Well, simply this- things change. A lot. And sometimes, change is scary. Really scary.

I don't know what it is, but we as humans tend to want to know what's going to happen. We don't generally want things to just... happen. We want to know what's going to happen, and we want to know that it's all going to be alright. We want to know we'll come out of it, and we want to come out of it happy.

So we make all these plans to try and convince ourselves that we know how it's going to happen. That we've got it all under control. Even though we don't. Even though everything is out of our hands, we still try to imagine that we're holding onto it.

Change... We feel threatened by it, sometimes. We feel like it's messing up the "perfect" plans we have for ourselves. But if you think about it, our plans aren't perfect. Because our plans don't take everything into account. We can't know every single detail, nor how our "plans" will affect us- or anyone around us- in the future.

But God's plans can. God knows how everything works. How it needs to work. He put everything together, and He hasn't let go of it since. It's still right there- safe in His hands.

A lot of change has been happening in my life. Some of it I like, some of it I don't, and some of it I cannot decide whether I like or not. Some of it scares me. Well, most of it. Because it's so different and new.

What are some of the changes? Well, for one thing, one of my very best friends is about to go to Honduras for a year. (You can see her blog HERE.) She just left, and Wednesday night was the last night I got to see her before she took off. It was a rather emotional night for me. I was happy that she was able to do this, because I know that she is excited. And I know it's what God wants her to do, so of course I'm happy for her. But I'm still really sad that she can't be both places at once. (I think God knew how confusing that would get when He made us unable to do so.)

Also, I am in my second year of high-school. Or, will be. As soon as we start back to school. (That's the nice thing about being homeschooled! We get to choose when to start and finish. Cool, huh?) I mostly like the thought of one more year closer to being finished with high-school, but I also realize that this brings me one more year closer to college, and one more year further from the simplicity of being a kid.

In fact, a lot of things in my life seem to be making me acknowledge the fact that I'm getting old(er). A little brother who's learning to read. More responsibility. Evolving relationships. Nothing is as innocent as it used to be.

And, I may very well be facing a diagnoses of POTS. I'm horrid at trying to explain it, so here's a link if you want more information- www.stars.org.uk/patient-info/conditions/pots While I am very glad that we may finally know what it is that has been causing me so much trouble, unless I grow out of it (which, by the way, is probable), my life is most likely not going to be the same anymore. And even if I do grow out of it, it won't be the same for a while. That's a bit of a scary thought. But I know that I will get through this with help from God and my family.

Well, I guess all of this was to say that you can't turn back time. All those moments that have gone by? They're gone. And now they're nothing more than memories.

So as you go through your week, remember this- one day, these moments will just be memories. Time passes by so quickly, and if you don't use every second you're given, you will look back and realize all the things you could have done. Don't let these precious moments pass by because you're so busy with all the things you think are important but really aren't. Appreciate every single second you are given with your family, friends, and even with yourself. Because things never stay the same for long...

(So it doesn't have much to do with the blog post, but this has been one of my favorite songs lately.)

Happy Birthday and Celebration

I am (Partly) a Normal Person

Everything Changes

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