Happiness

 It's taken me a while to do a new post because i've been very busy. Very busy and very blessed which is something I want to talk about.
So just a heads up, this post isn't going to be focused on humor, so if you were wanting a knee-slapper, either re-read my previous posts, or just wait till next week. :)

So here's the deal,-
 life is wonderful.
 If you've ever heard the saying, Blessings brighten when you count them.' It's like that, except instead of just "brightening" they're like a firework show.

It's not like i'm trying to brag and say my life is so much better than everyone elses, because anyone (including myself) could look at my life and pick out a handful of different things that wouldn't be considered ideal, but  i've decided to focus on the positive and it has made a world of difference.

I could list all of the things Jon and I have been blessed with but it would take too long. Plus I don't feel like sharing the actual blessings would be as beneficial as sharing the joy that come from them.

I know that service is the best way to "return the favor" from the man upstairs, but since I can't bake everyone cookies, I guess i'll just share some uplifting messages.

Quotes and poems. Two of my favorite things. Except the dumb ones of course.

But here are some that have had the biggest impact on my life.

 

I'm kind of a pansy, so this one particularly hits home. When I'm exposed to, or think about negative things, like natural disasters, chaos, people suffering,  I get anxiety, and I get scared. It consumes me really fast. So I always try to remember this one. It helps a lot. I know if we are prepared we shouldn't fear, so this is a nice  reminder. Light will always overpower darkness.

Another one I love is the story of the star fish. I first heard this story when I was in young womens, we got it on a hand-out and I've kept it ever since.

                                        

The Starfish

A young man was walking down the beach just before dawn. In the distance he saw an old man picking up stranded starfish and throwing them back into the sea. As the young man approached the old man he asked, “Why do you spend so much energy doing what seems to be a waste of time?” The old man explained that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun. “But there must be thousands of beaches and millions of starfish,” exclaimed the young man.”How can your efforts make any difference?” The old man looked down at the small starfish in his hand, and as he threw it to safety in the sea he said,“Made a difference to that one.”

I love that. The message is pretty self-explanatory but I like it because I know sometimes we feel like some things we do are insignificant,but they all make a difference to at least one person. And one is better than none right?

The next is a poem called The race.
I first heard it my jr year in seminary. It's long but worth the read.

Whenever I start to hang my head in front of failure’s face, 
    my downward fall is broken by the memory of a race. 
A children’s race, young boys, young men; how I remember well, 
    excitement sure, but also fear, it wasn’t hard to tell. 
They all lined up so full of hope, each thought to win that race 
    or tie for first, or if not that, at least take second place. 
Their parents watched from off the side, each cheering for their son, 
    and each boy hoped to show his folks that he would be the one.


The whistle blew and off they flew, like chariots of fire, 
    to win, to be the hero there, was each young boy’s desire. 
One boy in particular, whose dad was in the crowd, 
    was running in the lead and thought “My dad will be so proud.” 
But as he speeded down the field and crossed a shallow dip, 
    the little boy who thought he’d win, lost his step and slipped. 
Trying hard to catch himself, his arms flew everyplace, 
    and midst the laughter of the crowd he fell flat on his face. 
As he fell, his hope fell too; he couldn’t win it now. 
    Humiliated, he just wished to disappear somehow.


But as he fell his dad stood up and showed his anxious face, 
    which to the boy so clearly said, “Get up and win that race!” 
He quickly rose, no damage done, behind a bit that’s all, 
    and ran with all his mind and might to make up for his fall. 
So anxious to restore himself, to catch up and to win, 
    his mind went faster than his legs. He slipped and fell again. 
He wished that he had quit before with only one disgrace. 
    “I’m hopeless as a runner now, I shouldn’t try to race.”


But through the laughing crowd he searched and found his father’s face 
    with a steady look that said again, “Get up and win that race!” 
So he jumped up to try again, ten yards behind the last. 
    “If I’m to gain those yards,” he thought, “I’ve got to run real fast!” 
Exceeding everything he had, he regained eight, then ten... 
    but trying hard to catch the lead, he slipped and fell again. 
Defeat! He lay there silently. A tear dropped from his eye. 
    “There’s no sense running anymore! Three strikes I’m out! Why try? 
I’ve lost, so what’s the use?” he thought. “I’ll live with my disgrace.” 
    But then he thought about his dad, who soon he’d have to face.


“Get up,” an echo sounded low, “you haven’t lost at all, 
    for all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall. 
Get up!” the echo urged him on, “Get up and take your place! 
    You were not meant for failure here! Get up and win that race!” 
So, up he rose to run once more, refusing to forfeit, 
    and he resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn’t quit. 
So far behind the others now, the most he’d ever been, 
    still he gave it all he had and ran like he could win. 
Three times he’d fallen stumbling, three times he rose again. 
    Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.


They cheered another boy who crossed the line and won first place, 
    head high and proud and happy -- no falling, no disgrace. 
But, when the fallen youngster crossed the line, in last place, 
    the crowd gave him a greater cheer for finishing the race. 
And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud, 
    you would have thought he’d won the race, to listen to the crowd. 
And to his dad he sadly said, “I didn’t do so well.” 
    “To me, you won,” his father said. “You rose each time you fell.”


And now when things seem dark and bleak and difficult to face, 
    the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race. 
For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all. 
    And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall. 
And when depression and despair shout loudly in my face, 
    another voice within me says, “Get up and win that race!”






So good right?? I know EVERYONE has felt like this at some time. It's such a good reminder. We're always going to have hard times but we weren't sent here to fail, we just have to get up and keep going.! 






And last but not least, my all time favorite. I know this sounds cliche but this one has honestly changed my life. I first heard it my freshman year of college and it hit me hard. I couldn't get it off my mind. I wrote it on our apartment mirror and it stayed there for the rest of the semester.
                                   
Seems simple. But can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone took this to heart? I honestly believe it would diminish bullying 100%. I'm not sure why this hit me so hard, it's not like I was a bully. But I, like most people struggled with judging and gossiping and all other unpleasant attributes of being a teenage girl. After hearing this I was kind of on a love-everyone-i-meet-high. I even read this book called He Looketh on the Heart. Which I highly recommend. It pretty much revolves around this quote. After you read it it's pretty much impossible not to love everyone you meet no matter who they are or what their situation is. Now don't get me wrong, I still struggle with those unpleasant attributes, but it's definitely not as bad as it used to be. The whole idea of realizing that everyone you meet is or has gone through something hard that has made them the way they are is so beneficial and helps you really just learn to love people. And trust me, that makes life so much more enjoyable.


Well enough seriousness, since we're talking quotes we gotta end with 
Quotes from Jon:
"Money doesn't buy you happiness, but it'll sure buy you friends!"


And this one cracks me up, remember last post about fails? Remember the popcorn bag fail? Well after Jon read that post he was appalled that I blamed that on him, apparently it wasn't him.(wasn't me either so its a mystery!) He went on a hilarious half joking half serious rant about how I lie about stuff on this blog (even though the popcorn bag was my first "lie") so he continued on to say "Your blog is a lie! it's a blie!"
hahhahaha i love him.


Have a good one!