"Were closer than you thought they were"

That's how I think this should be completed: ...you will discover love and happiness were closer than you thought they were.
But of course I'm by no means an authority on this subject.
I'm just a teen -winks-

What makes Megs amazing

Meg loves with her whole heart -and she has a BIG heart.
She shows more interest in you than in herself.
She loves in a way that reaches beyond barriers and goes beyond expectations.
Meggy is a priceless friend, easy to confide in,
because you know she cares; she guards you and looks after you.

What I love and admire most about her
-besides her disposition to love and work for others even when it can get hard or annoying-
is how she continually fights to give life a smile,
whether or not life seems to be smiling at her in the first place.


There's just something really warm about Meg,
something really pretty about her japanese eyes and charm in her smile.
I love it how she's not ashamed
to be who she is.
Because look at her! She is wonderful as she is.


Oh and she's a crazy nut too!
-a happy one that makes you laugh
and puts your heart at its best.


I've told her she's like sunshine, like the warm, gentle sunshine of spring.
A soft, tender encourager that dries the unseen tears,
shares the light of a sweet smile and the ring of a carefree laugh.

I don't know too much about Meg, but this I've seen,
this she's been to me.

Happy Sweet 16 Meggy Megs of my heart!
The sky is no limit for what a girl like you can do.
You're cool, you're sweet, you're smart and sexy, being YOU makes you lovable to a T!
P.S. May your dreams come true...cause with Heaven as backup, they can!
-hugs you till your breathless:D- sorry -lets go-
Haha, I'm dying to see what this new awesome year will become for you!
That you are living makes this world a brighter place.

Rail tracks of life

Life rides parallel rails of blessing and adversity.

I just loved this article so I had to re-post it~
“Why does life have to be a series of ups and downs?” one young woman put it. “Why can’t I just go from one mountaintop to another, from one up to an upper up?”
I understand her attitude, and I’ve shared it. The only difference is that I told myself, “I’m realistic enough to know you have to go down before you can go up again.” But I still kept looking for the peak experiences, even if I was willing to wait a bit.
But what if peaks and valleys aren’t the best way to describe life? What if God didn’t intend us just to endure down times so we could enjoy an occasional up?
Rick Warren, pastor and author of The Purpose-Driven Life, made an observation a couple of years ago that seems to describe the terrain of marriage. In a single year, his book reached the top of the bestseller lists and his wife was diagnosed with cancer. A mountaintop? A deep valley? Or something else?
“This past year has been the greatest year of my life,” wrote Rick, “but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys—you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth.
“I don’t believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it’s kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.”
For a train to make progress, it’s always in contact with both rails. Life rides parallel rails of blessing and adversity.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” writes David in Psalm 23, “I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” This songwriter of the Bible is describing a comfort and relationship that emerges only in the difficult times. In fact, the closeness of that relationship develops in the difficult times.
Likewise, as we mature in life, we begin to notice that joy and difficulty aren’t either/or. They coexist constantly.
“No matter how good things are in your life,” writes Warren, “there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.”
So maybe the purpose of life isn’t about always looking for the next mountaintop.
Joy and difficulty are an odd combination, but much of life is lived seeking one and avoiding the other. I used to think they came one at a time, like alternating currents. Now I realize they’re both present, all the time.
I’m developing eyes to see both simultaneously.
On our honeymoon, Susan and I chose the wrong day to spend at Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Florida. Shortly after we paid our admission and entered the park, a tropical storm moved in and dumped more than four inches of rain on us.
Within minutes we were soaked. Normally, the idea of spending several hours in sopping wet pants, shirts plastered to our skin, and shoes squishing water with each step, is not my idea of a good time. It could have been a miserable day.
But I was with the woman I loved, and she was with me! We took photos of each other splashing through puddles with our stringy hair arranged in crazy ‘dos. That was the first time in our marriage that I realized joy and difficulty could coexist. But it wasn’t the last.
In fact, it was such moments of conjoined blessing and adversity that prepared us for more challenging times. When we gave birth to a daughter, Mandy, who was severely retarded, whose condition made her unable to sit up, hold her head erect, or use her hands to grasp, we were again put to the test to see if joy could coexist with adversity.
One night I sat in a hospital emergency room, where we’d been forced to take Mandy after an extended seizure. I couldn’t make sense of the extent of Mandy’s suffering.
I thought, I never realized someone could suffer so much.
When she died within two weeks of her second birthday, I didn’t think I’d ever be totally happy again. The depth of grief was indelible. I would never forget her difficult and way-too-brief life with us.
But as Susan and I experienced the help and kindness of Christian friends, we learned that joy was still there. We knew moments of joy even in the midst of the pain. We were deeply grateful, for instance, for Sarah, a respite worker the state provided to help care for Mandy. She became a dear friend, and we stayed in close contact even after Mandy’s death. Now, years later, Sarah is helping plan the wedding of our oldest daughter. It’s not a carefree mountaintop experience, because we recognize the grief from which it came, but it is most definitely joy.
As Rick Warren said: “No matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ-likeness.
“You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you’re going into self-centeredness, which is ‘my problem, my issues, my pain.’ But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.”
I’m glad that life isn’t just mountaintops and valleys, but that both joy and adversity are with us always. (Marshall Shelley is coauthor of Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham [Zondervan]. He and Susan have been married 23 years.)

Thanks to prayer

Because you loved me, because you held me, because you prayed for me, I'm here.
I honestly don't know where I'd be right now without the prayers of my friends, loved ones and mom who I know continually prays for us her children.
If I'm alive it's thanks to you, if I'm happy it's thanks to you, if I'm progressing and learning from life it's thanks to you; because you believed in me, you loved me and you went the extra mile as to pray for me and put in God's power to work in my behalf. What can be greater than that?
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. -Jn.15:13
Thank you.

Jesus, you gave us such a beautiful world

Help us to enjoy it

Persevere

Perseverance is all about one step at a time, one moment at a time, one day at a time. Perseverance is refusal to give up. Even when you fall, you refuse to stay there. Even when you make a mistake, you refuse to let it hold you back. Even when you feel like a failure, you refuse to let it stop you. You get back up and try again. -Jesus

Honey a baby needs you

Estie’s 2 day old baby nephew (William) is in a very serious condition. He has what is called Epidermolysis bullosa or also commonly known as the Butterfly disease. This sickness causes his skin to open up in blisters similar to a 3rd degree burn whenever any sort of friction (including touch) is applied to his skin.
So please, keep him in your prayers as many children don’t survive this disease because the pain is very severe and they can’t handle it, and the ones that do… well, this sickness is for life, which means the sores are for life.
Please, please, please pray that the Lord will do a miracle and completely heal her from this disease even though there is not a cure and nothing doctors can do, we have the best doctor in the whole universe!
But also, if it’s His will for this little baby boy to go back to his arms, that it will be very easy for Anim and her husband.
So please, I ask you to join this prayer chain and re-post this in your own blog and send it to your email contacts. United prayer has amazing power, so let’s do all we can to see this miracle through!
Anim and Ez, we will be praying for you! Keep on going strong for the Lord, when we are weak, it is then that HE is strong and through him NOTHING is impossible! The Lord knows what’s best, and I know it will all work out in the end! We love you! -by Windy

More mistakes

Most of us hate mistakes -wholeheartedly! The thought of being wrong, of blowing it again.
Yet I was remembering, while I sat on a green sofa with all intentions to study for my coming Philosophy test, how many people who have lived life fully become pretty carefree. There was a man who once said: "If I could live again, I'd try to make more mistakes (Here you have my wide eyes). I'd relax more. I'd climb more mountains. Swim across more rivers. Pick more daisies. I'd suffer more real problems and less imaginary ones."
I realize I am afraid of making mistakes, the big ones that you can't fix. Or the little stupid ones that mess up things and ruin them. Then I think, "thank God that my decisions or bad decisions at that, don't affect so many others; thank God that I don't have big responsibilities hinging on the outcome of those. It'd be very different if I had kids to look after for instance..."
I feel it's safer to make mistakes now, because I don't have heavy responsibilities. But I think I'll spend all of my life learning that mistakes are good for me, cause if not, how would you have me learn?
The man's name was Don Herold, and he wanted to make more mistakes.
I guess he wanted to learn more -from them.

Secret place

Jesus, You’re the secret place I run
to in my mind when I want to hide
from the world. No matter what’s
coming at me, or who is waiting on me,
or what circumstances or problems I’m
facing, I can close my eyes and enter
into that secret room with You. With
a touch of Your hand and a whisper of
Your words to my heart, You set everything
aright and give me grace to face the
world again.

At starbucks

Friday, Jesse, Sandy and I went for coffee at a heavenly little nook of a place called appropriately: "heavenly Starbucks".
Got so terribly full with the frapuccinos and I couldn't even resist the temptation of stealing sips from the others as well. I could hardly move at the end.
We did what we do best, talk and laugh at old nonsense! -Enjoying the yumminess was a wonderful plus.
Few things are easier than being myself with friends as amazing as they, knowing they accept me and love me just as I am. Even if I laugh real suddenly and loud or say the most unusual things -grins-.

I love this quote:
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind." -Dr. Seuss
And, "To be yourself in a world that is continually trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." -Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I love you! -Just had to say that.

Joy in Self-forgetfulness

Helen Keller, who was deaf and blind since childhood, said:

"Is it not true that my life, with all its limitations, touches at many points the beauty in life? Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn whatever state I may be in, therein to be content. Sometimes, it is true, a sense of isolation enfolds me like a cold mist as I sit alone and wait at life's shut gate. Beyond there is light and music and sweet companionship, but I may not enter. ... Silence sits immense upon my soul.
"Then comes Hope with a smile and whispers, 'There is joy in self-forgetfulness.' So I try to make the light in others' eyes my sun, the music in others' ears my symphony, the smile on others' lips my happiness."

At times what helps me gain perspective when I'm mad, sad or disheartened is to think of others who have it a lot worse than I do. And yet, they still get up in the morning, they still shine on life with their smiles, they keep trying and making the most of what life gave to them. There are those people, and I want to be one of them.
History has shown, that those with seeming lacks, physical hindrances or limitations, at great odds or with big difficulties, overcame. It didn't matter what it was.
Helen Keller, Fanny Crosby, Isaac Watts, Renoir, the apostle Paul are a few names I can think of.
They each learned to be content with what God had given them, and yet they weren't complacent. They went beyond what the world thought they could do, and even jumped outside the limitations they had placed on themselves.
I know achieving contentment in life is hard, but if there's people who can, then I can too. Their lives are a living testimony to it, even if it's passed.
And I have it so much better.
Why not do it and strive to be content in "whatsoever state I'm in"? It's doable, and I have every reason to do it cause my life will be better as a result, even if it's tough.
Today I heard: "If it's not worth fighting for, maybe it's not worth attaining".
It didn't have any relevance to this, except it showed me how worthwhile things have a price and must be fought for. Being content in life is worth it to me. Help me Jesus.
I toast to Helen Keller, to blindness and to sight, to sickness and health, to rich and poor, to hard times and happy times, to simplicity. And to having our eyes open to how beautiful life is, as rough as it is, it's still worth fighting for!

The donut

Thank you for the donut, Jesus

I trust that the hole is there for a reason...

Today I enjoyed

*picking up a fallen pretty flower off the sidewalk
*a walk in the sun
*the smiles of my friends
*the drive on public transport to school
*smiling
*Dropping by for a few minutes to hug my best friend.
*playing basketball with people of all ages. Full court! :P
*Eating some crackers found in my bag :D
*Laughed with Sandy at how hilarious we looked on the webcam, and the funny faces!
*A creatively and lovingly prepared lunch by mom.
*Eating a crep for dinner, with spread peanut butter, gridded pecans. and piloncillo syrup on top; plus a green apple, a banana and half a cup of milk -grins-
*Hugging my family, Susie, Sandy and uncle Solomon as many times as I did.
*Chatting with an old dear friend.
*Taking a beautiful, refreshing shower.
*Texting a new friend.
*Singing in the car
*Praising God that I'm not the only crazy one on this planet
*Looking forward to going out to starbucks with close friends, and enjoying it!
-I'm serious, I'm dreaming with that latte.
*Drinking water when I was thirsty
*Laughing at how dogs tend to look like their masters.
*Changing into mini-shorts and a T shirt in the middle of the day and its heat.
*The smiles of my mom and dad
*Adrian's searching after my opinion of his drawings.
*Reading in bed.
*Taking a glimpse at the starry night.
*Having Nina look ultra cute wearing my hat and makeup (which I begrudgingly lent her)
*Looking through the sweetest, simply cutest scrapbook a friend could put together for you, and reading her note.
*Getting counsel from a friend.
*Reading God's promises.

Oh do this when you feel you've just had an ordinary day!

Winds

Happy 16th Birthday!
W- Wonderful
I- Intelligent
N- Naturally beautiful
D- Dynamic
Y- Youthful
That's Winds!

Him

I love the feeling of being alone with Him.
I love the feeling of being in love with Him.
I love the feeling that I can rely on Him

Happy Birthday to my wonder of a friend!

Nalies oh Nalies! Happy Birthdaay!!
I'm so thankful to know you, to share in the treasure that you are.
As this new year dawns I wish you the best of gift laden for you all throughout the path ahead of you! Someone like you can be happy no matter what, can succeed no matter what, can make something beautiful and worthwhile out of her life no matter what happens in it, because you love Jesus, you have a heart of gold and the strength in Him to do whatever you like in life! You're awesome like that.
You can change lives, you can affect them for the better -like you did mine-, you can love and live on in everyone's hearts, starting a chain reaction of love that keeps on multiplying. The love you give is strong enough to reach through lands and oceans, to keep in touch with old, new friends and loves and to keep reaching out (hugs you so very tightly)
If something can describe you Nalies it'd be true friend. Anyone who knows Nalies has luck on their side, will be filled with love and appreciation and will be happy to be with such a marvelous, unique, simple, funny, lovely, crazy, sweet person as her! She's just, Nalies.