Clarity

"And I will wait to find if this will last forever... because it can't, it just can't, it's not supposed to"

John Mayer, "Clarity"

"But I know the heart of life is good" resounds in the background of my kitchen as I blog this one. Except this time it is not coming from my trusty Spotify but rather from the distinct reverberations of a vinyl. And I'm loving it. So big shout out to a dear friend for making a little girl's dream come true;  it is nice to have something to hold on to. And appropriately I dub this post, "Clarity" as a tribute to the genius behind the first two records to my name--next few I'm feeling should be a little Bob Seger, Beatles, and the Fray??

I'm back from a wonderful and relaxing hiatus at the beach with the three favorites, my sweet little family. I kept exclaiming to my father's rolled eyes that this was our best vacation yet, and I have to admit I was not lying. I think the best moment of the whole trip occurred on a quick trip to pick up Papa John's (I know I'm a cheap date). Mama and I trekked out in the cold alone for little lady time disguised as our venture out to fetch the pizzas. While on the ride, I pulled out the dramatics (per the usual) and was met with the best advice I have heard in a long time. And I'm going to try to really take it to heart, because I firmly believe it was a wake-up call from God himself, but spoken--again per the usual :)--through my angel of a mother. She reminded me I had to stop waiting and live in the present. All the little ideas and plans we have for ourselves, not only could they never amount to the glory of God's ETERNAL plans for us, but also they would probably (most definitely) not pan out exactly how we picture them to be. Because that truly is the beauty in our Earthly time--it is both unpredictable and finite. We must make of it what we can with the promise of our loving Father's house as the final destination. I think that is something to smile about. Truly I do. Whatever is plaguing our minds and enrapturing our hearts today is only of this temporary life. If it can and needs to be changed, let's do what we can. But what we cannot change, let us not worry our time away on. I hope 2013 is the year I put this advice to practice, Momma, I really do!

As a last nod of the year I wanted to leave you with two articles. One addresses the glorification of busy and why that glorification is unduly awarded. The other addresses a young lady's viewpoint on a topic I touched on tonight--waiting. I think both are absolutely great, and rather than paraphrase I will just send you to the source!

"Don't Tell Me You're Busy": http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2003/10/23/dont-tell-me-youre-busy/

And 

"I Don't Wait Anymore"...please stick it out to the end, I promise it is not a pro-pre-marital sex rant!: http://gracefortheroad.com/2012/02/03/idontwait/

Happy New Year lovers, 

K

 

And So This is Christmas

"Those Christmas lights light up the street
Down where the sea and city meet
May all your troubles soon be gone
Oh, Christmas lights, keep shinin' on
Those Christmas lights light up the street
Maybe they'll bring her back to me
And then all my troubles will be gone
Oh, Christmas lights, keep shinin' on
Oh, Christmas lights, light up the street
Light up the fireworks in me
May all your troubles soon be gone
Those Christmas lights keep shinin' on"

Coldplay's "Christmas Lights"

"The angel answered, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God." Luke 1:35
Hope the days leading up to the birth of our Savior remind you what is most important in life!
-K

Nothing

This morning I'm thinking about how different my life was a year ago this time. I was not even the same major I am now. I took a big leap of faith and switched my major and took on an internship that probably ended up being one of the best decisions of my life thus far. I figured out what I was really passionate about and formed a loyalty to Macon, GA that I think I'll never forget no matter where I go.

The friends I had a year ago are still good friends to me, but the people I am closest to now are people I barely spoke to, and some I didn't even know, this time last year. There were people I thought I'd never let go of, and today they're not in my life at all.

There have been a few constants, the good kind. Like my devotion to Jesus Christ. I still don't have a church home or denomination that I can identify with, but I have no other rock but Him in my life. I am so completely thankful for my family and my home and the undeserved blessings I have recognized in my life since a year ago.

But all this is not really what this post is about. Instead of talking about how much can change in the long run, I want to talk about how quickly things change...

For the middle school girls that hate to wake up and go to school every morning because you're afraid of what part of you today will get picked apart and judged, quickly things change for you.

For the high school girls that wonder when you're going to be recognized for more than the fact that you can write papers like nobody's business and when you're going to figure out what you really care about in this life, quickly things change for you.

For the kid out there that wonders if you'll ever learn to love something or someone more than yourself, quickly things change for you.

For the person out there that is scared to take an airplane ride halfway across the world because you're afraid you'll find more of yourself over there than you ever have anywhere else, quickly things change for you.

For the daughter that wonders if she would end up making everybody proud of the girl she was and the woman she wanted to become, quickly things change for you.

For the friend that wonders if you're going to find anybody that genuinely wants to stick around and who is worth exposing all sides of yourself to, quickly things change for you.

For the Christian that wonders if your God really will stand by you even while you're running away, quickly things change for you.

And last, for the lady who thinks college is the biggest adventure of your life, quickly things change for you.

I know because I have lived it. My biggest challenge to you is not to let today's temporary circumstances control your life. God has planned and promised a better plan than we could ever afford or attempt to plan for ourselves. I have to trust in that, and I really hope you can too.

Keep fighting the good fight,
K

Finals Week

I think some good (distractive) writing is going to come out next week while I cram for finals. In the meantime, I want to challenge you readers-- make a bucket list only for the weekend, go for a walk, stop complaining, think back to your favorite memory and then file it away again, read poetry and smile when it reminds you of someone, dabble in new friendships and passions. Happy weekend, good people!