Reach Out

      Alienated. Alone. Isolated. Not fitting in. These are feelings that so many people around us are feeling. I have struggled with this for so long myself. It breaks my heart to see people I love go through this. It never ceases to amaze me how the people that struggle with this the most are usually the ones that look like they have it all together. It is the ones that have all the friends around them. Then ones that are involved in almost everything. It seems to me that the more people you have around you the less people actually stop to care for you. Everyone just assumes that someone else is taking care of you that they don't stop to do it themselves. 
      We need to be there for the people around us. Everyone needs to feel like they have a place they fit.  A place that they know they are loved and cared for, a place they feel safe. We were created to need a community. We need a family of people supporting us. It is really hard to find that place sometimes.  Don't assume someone else is going to reach out. Sometimes all it takes is someone willing to reach out. Why not be that person?

Take it or Leave it

         I have never been your typical girl. I am strong, and independent. I always have been. I am stubborn; I don't like asking for help. I have high standards and I am not going to compromise them for anything. I am opinionated and I can be moody. I over react. I am strong willed and determined. I am an extremely hard worker and I take things too seriously sometimes. I am not afraid to stand on my own two feet. I am not afraid of what people think of me. Yes, I have my problems and my insecurities, but I love with my whole heart; I give it all I have, and I never leave my friends. I may be hard to get along with sometimes, and I may be hard to love but it is who I am so take it or leave it!

"Tough, I ain't never been nothing but tough, all my edges have always been rough. But Jesus loves me anyway. Oh backbone, there ain't nothing wrong with a woman that got a little backbone." - Kellie Pickler

Learning to Appreciate Again

          Lately I have developed a better outlook on life, my old outlook on life. Since coming to college I have been laying low, blending into the crowd. After giving so much and being so involved for so long I ended up emotionally and physically drained. It left me bitter and cynical, very jaded.
        This year has been a transition, trying to figure everything out and just observing from the background. But now with a year under my belt and a year of rejuvenation and recovery I am ready to step back into it and show the world who I am and what I have to offer.
         I am tired of being upset and down about things that have happened and that I cannot change. I am tirede of every second. Take the good with the bad and love it while you have it.
         I have grown to appreciate the little things in life again. Like sitting on a window cil in the sun sipping iced coffee, or hanging out with friends, or getting out of afternoon lab early. "Appreciate the small things in life because later you will look back and realize they were the big things".
         I am tired of being upset and down about things that have happened and that I cannot change. I am tired of letting life slip by and not appreciating it while I have it. Life is just to dang short to not take advantage of every second. Take the good with the bad and love it while you have it.

Can't Wait

         One of the most amazing feelings in the world is when amidst the chaos of life you have inner peace. Right now there is a lot going on in my life and yet I feel like I can go out and conquer the world! You just have to realize that you can't change everything, you can't please everyone, all you can do is out and and do your best.
          Someone showed me this week that yes, I have been going through a lot, but God is setting me up for something really big and I am so excited to see what that is! I just have to trust him that he has everything under control and I can't wait to see how he is going to use my experiences and my story!

When Time Stops

       Sometimes in life there are moments when time just seems to stop. For a split second everyone and everything around you just freezes. These moments are normally followed by a whirlwind of confusion and questions swirling around in your head. These times can be extremely scary and overwhelming. They catch you when you least expect them and suck the breath out of you for a moment. They creep up and hit you with a reality check that you are really not in control of as much as you might think you are.
          Maybe it is a car crash, maybe it is a break up, or hearing someone just died, or someone is sick, but it is these moments that make you feel sick and like you just got punched in the stomach. Life has a way of keeping us on our toes and reminding us that we really are not in control, although we like to think we are sometimes.