When blogging, I used to just type out the thoughts in my head, never proof-read, and just post.
That way, it felt REAL, not manufactured, and like people (if anyone actually read my posts) were getting the real me.
Now, I do at least scroll through my posts before sending them into the blogosphere (is that a real word?!) to make sure they make sense. What I have found is that I am all over the place, subject-wise. (Oh! You already realized that?) But, just bear with me, and hopefully, at the end, everything – or, at least MOST everything – ties itself together and makes at least a little bit of sense. Most of all, thank you for reading! Those of you who email, text, call, share on IG/facebook/twitter make my day! =)
Perhaps I’m late to the party, but I just heard about a little boy named Ronan, this morning.
I was scrolling through news stories online, and happened to see one about Taylor Swift Singing a Song She Wrote For a Little Boy Named Ronan
who died at age 4, from cancer. (Click the link above to read the story)
Whether you love or hate (or are somewhere in the middle)
Taylor Swift, there is no denying the girl has a heart of gold.
It seems almost daily,
I read of her donating thousands of dollars to a person or family in need,
inviting strangers into her home for cookies and dance parties,
and other things that most celebrities would never dream of doing.
When I allow myself to dream of lofty goals or experiences,
I would like to believe,
should I ever find myself in the position of influence,
that I would ALWAYS try and make other’s feel special, important, and most of all, loved.
But, honestly?
Every single day of my life, I try and make the people in my life feel this way.
And, I am certainly no one special or of high influence!
Life is too short to have anyone in your life ever wonder what,
exactly, they meant to you, or how you felt about them.
I would MUCH rather, when I’m gone,
for people to say about me
“She was ALWAYS hugging me, telling me how much I meant to her,
how much she loved me, appreciated me, etc….”
than for even ONE person to wonder if they mattered to me.
Gosh, I can’t imagine much worse!
Upon reading the article, and then watching the 7 minute video of Taylor’s concert
I found myself thinking back to when my own dad passed away from cancer, and the song I wrote for him.
Cancer is a weird thing.
Until you are personally affected by it, it’s like most anything else you hear of, in life – you don’t really think about it.
Then it’s like a sucker punch in the gut…
Someone YOU know, or love suddenly has this horrible disease, and now, suddenly, it MATTERS.
(Side note: Taylor Swift’s own mom was diagnosed with cancer a couple years ago)
It’s hard to understand a LOT about life, and why we go through what we do, until it happens to us.
We hear or see people who have cancer, or another disease,
We know people who have gone through divorce, or are children of divorced parents.
We hear of people addicted to pornography, alcohol, or drugs,
We know people who have lost a child, who struggle with infertility…
and on and on it goes.
There is no shortage of difficult moments in life,
and scenarios we talk ourselves through,
but never want to imagine we will personally EVER deal with.
But the truth is, we ALL go through tough times,
whether dealing with sickness, death, mental health issues,
dependencies, and various other issues.
I’m currently reading a book by a lady I know and love, and it is hitting me like a 2×4!!
Get this book and let it speak to you.
She is a beautiful example of how God can take all the
brokenness in our lives and transform it to something amazing.
(Look up Romans 8:18 and cling to that verse, if you’re walking through a hard time in your life, right now. It has helped through SO much, in my own life.)
One thing I’ve learned in my own life is, there isn’t a RIGHT way to grieve,
or to work through whatever we find ourselves dealing with.
Yet, everyone seems to have an opinion for the best way to deal –
many of whom have never walked down the path we are, at the time.
Often, anger, confusion, and outward hostility stems from FEAR.
Fear is such a crippling thing.
It keeps us from living the life we were created, and meant to live!
How scary a thought, that we may throw away
wonderful experiences and moments in life,
simply because we are SCARED!?!?!?!
I don’t want this to be said of my life.
I recently came across this screen shot I took on my phone years ago…
There have been hateful things said to me,
just as I’m sure everyone else has dealt with, too,
regarding the way I have dealt with sadness,
grief and circumstances in my own life that are less than happy.
Sure, the words hurt.
But, understanding that people don’t always know how to react to other’s sadness,
helps me bite my tongue and refrain from spitting out hateful words, back.
Two wrongs don’t make a right – my mom used to always say.
What if we just FORGIVE ourselves?!
What if we just FORGIVE others?!
No one is perfect.
This is nothing more than a fact.
Yet, so many people use it as an excuse for not acting the way they should,
not completing tasks in the time frame they should,
or being notoriously late.
It’s true, I’m not perfect, nor are you.
However, owning our faults,
and most importantly, working to right our wrongs,
is a huge sign of maturity and repentance.
Today, and everyday, let’s work to love wholly and truly, and correctly.
Let’s put others before ourselves.
Let’s love selfLESSly instead of selfISHly.
Let’s not let fear drive us from doing the things we are created to do.
LIVE YOUR LIFE OUT LOUD!
xoxo
**If you would like to read more about Ronan, his mother has a blog about his life, battle with cancer, and how she is carrying on his legacy, everyday. You can follow along at http://rockstarronan.com/