Excuse Me, Life!

Those moments in life that break us... shape us. Who we are depends on what we choose to do with the pieces. If we run from them, they remain scattered and you become lost amongst life’s distractions.  We create something beautiful when we find a heart of gratitude for the pieces. To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives-the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections-that requires hard spiritual work. Still, we are only truly grateful people when we can say thank you to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for. Let's not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we a...

When I moved back to Dayton a year ago I struggled with having to leave friends. When I left Dayton for college all those friendships in Dayton faded. I started over in my new home of Northern Kentucky and when I had to leave these friends the fear of them not going the extra mile to maintain our friendship terrified me. I left them all with a letter that I haven't read since then. I just found it and wanted to share. What a coincidence, exactly 13 months ago... December 14, 2012 Dear Friend, Do what you love. Do what makes you happy, the rest will follow. What you love and what makes you happy now could change and probably will change, but that’s OK. It just means you’re growing. Often times you outgrow people. Learn to accept it, let go and remember you’ll always take a piece of them with you. Smile and reflect on the memories but don’t consume yourself with them, there are many more ahead. Don’t conform to the ways of the world or societal norms. That’s when you lose si...

Today marks one year that I’ve been Stewardship Officer for Sinclair Community College. One year is a big deal for me. I was blessed enough to have paid internships all through college, so I was changing positions every semester. I couldn’t exactly control losing my first job out of college after eight months. So this one year is the longest I’ve worked somewhere. To look back and see all the steps it took to get here is overwhelming. I’ve heard it said many times, “You end up in places you never thought you’d be.” Today traces all the way back to my last year of high school six years ago. Long-time lover of writing and the sports editor of the city paper at that time, I was set on a journalism degree. I chose Bowling Green State University and even had a journalism scholarship. It was an exciting time coordinating with a roommate to pick out dorm room décor and getting a class schedule. My life came to a sudden halt after a dreadful call that my “health insurance waiver” was d...

As I go to write I am tackled by the fear of feeling insignificant and not being original.  Is anything really original anymore? I’m sure numerous people have already covered the topics I feel drawn to write about. I don’t want to come off like a copycat. Who am I? A 20-something lady trying to find her place in this world. I have a little blog that reaches a number not even acknowledged by society’s measure of success. Success has become a numbers game in this digital world. We track page visits, likes, follows, etc. Then I stop. I go back to one of my favorite scriptures: Matthew 18:12-13. “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. ” I write for myself, but with the hopes that it will speak to someone e...

"Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?" Job 12:12 I made an unforgettable visit before leaving Florida. Meet Ethel, my grandma's neighbor. She will be 95 in June, but I swear she's just like my 24 year-old girlfriends. We talked about her career as a dental assistant, growing up on Long Island, living in Europe and the men in her life. "I don't feel old, so I certainly don't dress old like others. I wear what I like. The redder the better." "Choose love wisely." "Don't let love blind you to what life should be." "Dance. It makes you feel alive." "My wish is to make it to 95. When that comes I will find something else to do. I can always find something to do." Simple words to summarize a life fully lived with powerful stories of laughter and tears; a life that hasn't stopped because of age.

Everyone seems to have it together – smiles and joy all around. Facebook might as well call the news feed a “highlight reel of happiness.” Is there a need for others to validate our happy moments? It’s a slippery slope when we start to compare and create a perception of how our lives should be. Why am I not married? Why does my boyfriend not post how much he loves me to the world? Why didn’t I get as much for Christmas? I wonder what it would be like to see behind the smiles of all those happy-face posts. I look so happy don’t I? In reality, that whole night I was incredibly depressed and crying because of a break up. It’s like that song by Rascal Flatts, Easy. “It’s easy going out on Friday night… I can smile, live it up… what he don’t know is how hard it is to make it look so easy.” I understand wanting to share happiness but that can easily turn into seeking validation without even realizing it. Are we trying to convince others or ourselves that we are as h...

Last night I visited Hospice of Dayton to sing Christmas carols with some incredible women from my bible study. I'm also a regular volunteer at a nursing home in Dayton.  With every encounter this passion of mine  grows stronger and continues to advance my dream (details to come). Often referred to as “the elderly” or “old people” because of this thing called age that measures our time here on earth. I’m still not sure how I feel about society’s need to label for contextual understanding. It takes away from the beauty of a unique individual or situation that can only be experienced, not labeled. What do you see? On the outside there may be wrinkles and trouble getting around, but I don’t see old. I see a life full of living, wise in all her experiences. I see those moments of falling in love and broken hearts to getting married and having a family.   That time we snuck out or stayed up all night laughing – we are no different. She's just ahead of me ...