I started this blog as a sort of update on our family doings and whatnot, but it has become more of an outlet for me to express myself. I'm sure I will still sprinkle in some good ol' bragging about my kids from time to time ; )

In my 29 years I have learned many lessons, mostly the hard way, and by far the most important lesson I have learned is that you have to be true to yourself. You can't deny who you are, you can't be someone else. You are only hurting yourself when you try to be something you're not. It takes a great deal of effort to squash your true nature and morphe into something else. You can't please everybody and if you have the kind of friends that require you to change for them, you should tell them to get lost. They aren't worth the effort it takes to conform to what they want. If people don't like you, the real you, then it's their loss. In my humble opinion, people who are constantly trying to change others really need to change themselves. I can count on one hand, the people I have ever been really close to. The older I get, the fewer fingers I am left holding up. True friends are so rare these days, I wonder that they even exist. People aren't willing to take the good with the bad...you do one thing they don't like and boom, you are no longer friends. And of course they show this by deleting you from Facebook, very mature. I think friendships, relationships in general, have to consider that no one is perfect. We all make mistakes, we all have regrets, but forgiveness is such a lost art these days, such a luxury that people simply cannot afford, or rather choose not to afford. Looking back, I can see who my true friends are/were. I always had those "fair weather friends", the kind that like you in fair weather and despise you in bad. Sometimes, it's not even a matter of what you have or haven't done, it isn't even you...it's just that people are selfish and if being friends with you doesn't gain them anything then they discard you. Until they are lonely and have no one to turn to...then you are best friends again, in their distorted way of thinking. The sad part is, some people spend do much time waiting for that "friend" to come back, to need them again and when they do, they just pick back up like nothing ever happened. You can't put your life on hold for people, you have to live it to the fullest and enjoy every minute. Be happy with the person you are and never, ever think that you should be anyone else. Don't waste your time with people who think you should be this way or that. Don't look at someone else and think that's the standard for you. You set your bar exactly where you want it, you set your own standard and live by it. Don't let people dictate to you what is right for you. I hate when people befriend ones they know they can intimidate and manipulate, people who hang on their every word and do exactly what they want them to. It's ridiculous. No one needs or deserves friends that treat them that way. The bottom line is this...tell the world "this is me, take me or leave me". Changing shouldn't be an option. (Note: I am not talking about people coming to Jesus and changing for the better, that is a GOOD thing. I am simply talking about conforming to the ways of others, just to clarify). The sooner you accept yourself, the sooner everyone else will : )

Today you are you, that is truer than true. There's no one alive who is youer than you! - Dr. Seuss

Life's Little Imperfections

Life isn't perfect. Period. We all know that. But how often do we look at the imperfections in our life as a blessing? Probably never. We think that only the good things in life are blessings. That's human nature. We want to throw away the bad, the messy, the ugly...but what if God is showing us something profound in our mistakes? What if looking at life's little messes will bring us a greater satisfaction than only focusing on perfection? After all, it's the flaw that makes a true masterpiece. I was thinking this morning about my life with kids. There are times when I feel like my house will never be the same! But then, I am glad for it. It's true, my house is rarely immaculate, as I would prefer. As hard as I try and as much as I work, sometimes there are dirty dishes, toys scattered, a pile of laundry, unmade beds...but then I started to think...those dirty dishes mean that we had food to eat, those toys scattered around means I have two healthy children. That pile of laundry means we have clothes to wear and those unmade beds mean we have a warm place to sleep. I started thinking about all the things in this life that we take for granted. My house, my life, will never be the same and I'm ok with that. My kids make messes and I clean them up...over and over and over. But they are my kids and I love them for all their ways. I'm glad they are healthy enough to play and make a mess, that they have the strength and energy to run around screaming like wild Indians! On days when I feel like my head will explode, I stop and say "Thank You, Lord that they aren't sick or dying...thank You that they are full of life." If you didn't have messes to clean up it would mean you weren't living. God loves us even when we make mistakes, He cares so much for us. We are His children and He doesn't just discard us when we falter. He picks us up and dries our tears and sets us right again. He looks beyond our fault and sees our need. So, take a good, long look at your messes, your imperfections...and see the blessing in it, the strength you gained, the lesson you learned, the scar you earned. Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to be perfect or exactly like someone else, but God doesn't want that. He wants us, with all our insecurities, our faults and failures...he wants to be our Savior, our Healer, our Redeemer. He could never be those things to a perfect person. So, in short, marvel in your shortcomings and remember that life's little messes are one more way to give Him thanks! Your life may not be perfect, but it's perfect for you!