Something that Sam said...started it all...

God is far better than we can think, imagine, or dream. The fact that you're alive at this very moment is evidence of God's grace upon your life. Don't waste your life.
-Sam Kang

What does it mean to waste your life? Are you wasting your life? What are you doing that makes a positive impact in the life of someone? What are you doing that makes you happy? And I'm not talking about happy in that moment but intrinsically happy? Long-term happy?

I'm trying to figure all of that out for myself. I spend so much time focused on other people and what I can do for them, that I forget about what I can do for me. Its a challenge that I have always had. Sometimes I handle it better than other times. I guess its all a part of growing and developing and I never will 'arrive' so it will always be with me.

Anyway, here are the pictures for the last few days:

1.14.2010: TRUST, SING, KNOW

Those are words that I know well, but that I fail to apply fully in my day to day life. I must TRUST that God is in control and that He has a better plan for me than I have for myself (which doesn't take much these days). I must SING because I have been gifted with a wonderful talent and not only does it make others happy and bless them, it blesses me because I worship so much more freely and with so much more of who I am when I sing. I must KNOW that my God shall supply all of my needs according to His riches and glory. I must also KNOW that all of the glory and honor for how God chooses to manifest his presence in my life belong solely to Him.

Soli Deo Gloria.

1.15.2010

This picture demonstrates the best way to end a Friday...NOT!!!

My computer at work went blue screen on me on Friday, while I was typing webpage wording in preparation for our upcoming Commencement. I was not very happy at that moment, but thankfully I had other things that I could do and have needed to do. Isn't it funny how easily we get caught up in the computer? These days we rely so heavily on it, that we struggle to survive without it. Do you remember days before cell phones and gps systems? When people actually carried change and phone numbers written down and they used maps and got directions to places instead of simply saying they will "mapquest it" or "plug the address into their tom tom/garmin/choose your brand..." We have become a society so dependent on technology that we cannot function without it. By that I mean, we have laptops and blackberrys and iphones that keep us connected around the clock. We cannot survive life without twittering or being on facebook constantly. We have virtual friends instead of real ones. We get suspicious when anyone in real life tries to give us something for free, but accept 'gifts' right and left with the click of a mouse for our profile page or gift page. We spend so much time enveloped in technology that we are getting fatter, more lazy, disrespectful, unhealthy and then we wonder why we feel bad throughout the day. When was the last time you went for a walk around your block on a brisk winter morning? Not just for the exercise, but for some time away from the beeps and dings and buzzes of technology. We should strive to do just that sometime. We should open our mouths and speak to people that we pass on the street. We should be willing to lend a helping hand to a neighbor or an acquaintance just because they need it and not because there is something in it for us. We have the power to influence change and to help people to be more aware.

I am thinking of doing another thing this year. Its been rolling around in my head for a little while now, the title of the project is called Stories. Basically, the idea is to go around and to be intentional about taking the time and showing that I care enough about people to hear their story. I can think of a few people off the top of my head whom I would like to approach yesterday. These are not hot shots, these are not big wigs, but are normal people just like you and me....although the hot shots and big wigs still put their pants on just like the rest of us.

1.16.2010

The answer is Yes. Before you even ask, I took this picture while I was driving. It was a beautiful sunrise Saturday morning. I was making my way down the road to Virginia Beach for a Mary Kay training session. I love sunrises, but I also enjoy sleep and I had forgotten what it was like to be awake to see a sunrise. I need to and will be doing it more often. As I write this my alarm is set for 7am tomorrow morning. I am glad that the days are getting longer, because it is actually light at 7 now. Anyway, I am working to put somemore discipline into my life and to make sure that I take advantage of every sunrise that I can.

1.17.2010

So Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny and I chose to spend the morning sleeping and to go to church in the afternoon. It was wonderful and I am glad that I did it. Not only did I get some extra sleep, but I also was able to see some friends that I had not seen in a while and do a bit of work on these crowns. This picture actually has most of our living room in it, with the sunlight streaming through the windows. And with all of the supplies and such laid out on the floor ready to be used. Fun, Fun, Fun!!!

1.18.2010

This is Max. He is 11 weeks old and came to visit me today at work. He was sooooo cute!!! My desk sits just to the left of the area that the picture captured, and I was working on something when I see our Executive VP jog down the hall playfully and look behind him. I stuck my head out the door and here came Max. He got distracted from chasing the VP and ran right over to me and of course I squatted down so that I was more on his level. He just was so excited to be there and to get attention and to be loved and petted. His little tail was wagging so much that it shook his whole body. Oh I want a dog. Now, Max will get to be about 15 pounds when he is fully grown. And he will still be just as cute then. It was great to have him come for a visit. The spirit was lighthearted and there were smiles and laughs and excitement. The people that I see on a daily basis were acutually happy and excited to see Max and it showed not only in their faces, but in their body language and in their willingness to leave what they were doing to enjoy time with Max. It was priceless. And I am thankful that Max decided to stop and love on me during his visit.

1.19.2010

SHINE!!! That is something that we all should do on a daily basis in our daily lives. I fail to shine lately. If I am shining, I just have a dull shimmer. No, I am not trying to put myself down, just stating some truth. I need to fully be the person that God created me to be, but that can only happen when I let go. One day I will see my Jesus face to face and I know for sure that both of us will be shining on that day. So shine on, shine on, shine on me, whenever something's missing you're exactly what I need. Your love has shown me the life and now I finally seen. So shine on, shine on, shine on me.

1.20.2010

So today I finally decided that I would be better off going to workout with the track team than going by myself. So I left work at 3:30 and went with the track team to workout. Let's just say that I am sore now, but it is a good sore. I am looking forward to working with the students on the team and helping them develop some leadership amongst themselves.

I have not done a workout for track in several years, so I know that we will start slow, but we will also be steady. It was an interesting practice for me. In the midst of trying not to pass out (because my heart rate was sky hi and my body was rebelling), I watched the short sprinters complete and finish 12-80 meter runs. 

It was good to see them do a real work out. I will 

enjoy working with them in the future.

Well that about sums it up. I will do my best to make sure that there is not this much of a lag in time between posts from now on. I have been good about taking my pictures , but now I need to make sure to load them on the computer. lol.

Well this is where I sign off for tonight. Have a wonderful night!

Be blessed now and for always and be a blessing.

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