Tag Archives: carpe diem

That Something More

6 Nov

And I am struck with the idea that people color life, and as long as we make loving others a priority, each day  will shine.

Every moment will be  filled with hope overcoming doubt in our attempt to create new things to fill the voids in the atmosphere.

 

We are always longing for something more

 and the “Something More” is what we have.

 A circle within a circle…………..

 Infinitely. 

 Infinity defines the center.

 The True Life’s flow inspiring

 life expressed creativity

 and acts of love.

 -John Luby

 

And suddenly, happiness hits us “like a bullet in the back,” as Florence sings.

And we know the present is as bright as the future.

Because the future is determined by us.

By our daily decisions to believe in the Grace that empowers,

that gives life to words,

that leads us back home.

 

 

Life is, after all, what you believe it to be. 

 

When you look for chaos and pain, you will inevitably see it.

When you look for goodness, it is there.

Real maturity means understanding no one will live your life for you.

You have to live. 

You have to scoop it up into your arms and embrace it — but don’t hold it too tight or it will squirm away.

Each day you have to face another form of an old fear, and remind  yourself why he doesn’t control you anymore.

But fear will try to stop you from doing that. He will hide himself with disguises that look like safety and common sense.

He will try to convince you to hoard what you have received, so no one will slander it or try to take it from you.

He will trick you into existing, without truly living.

I say, punch fear in the face.

Go ahead.

Kick his ass.

Refuse to hear his voice.

Do what you never thought you could do.

Believe you have that “something more” to actually do it.

Love someone deeply with no agenda.

Create something incredible with your life.

Pause.

Then listen.

Because the sound of Love is always louder.

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The Grand Finale

5 Jul

Every year we gather under a sweaty darkening sky. The July heat surrounds us, pressing down on us, reminding us why air conditioning  was invented. We round up little ones, hold hands with lovers, hold our breaths and wait for the show to begin.

Boom! Crash! Sounds like thunder, bright as lightening, but the sky is void of clouds and the earth is dry despite the humidity, skin moist with spilled sno-cone and sweat. We “Oooooh,” and “Awwww,” still holding on to the feelings of being in rapture after all those years, still remembering what is good in life: family, friends, freedom.

We fill with hope every time a new colorful explosion cascades light across the night.

Across the nation, people stop and stare, looking up, for maybe the first time in months. Despite the barking dogs and crying babies, there is a peace in the booms and crashes that could be mistaken for gunfire, but on this day are something safe, something meaningful, something brilliant.

We enjoy the moment, the colors, the flashes, but really, we wait in anticipation for…

The grand finale.

Every child whispers in excitement to his parent, “Is this it?”

We all want it to come, because we want to experience the most spectacular part of the evening, even though we know it is the prerequisite to the end.

Inherently we know beyond the cynicism spoken that all good things come to an end, the deeper truth that all  good things come at the end.

The dessert. The movie or book where you end with a tear in your eye and an enormous sense of satisfaction.

We think we want the end of things to go smoothly, to be steady, to be a nice and easy ending with resolve,

Yet maybe what we really want is a grand finale.

Maybe what we all hope for, underneath our addiction to comfort,  to slowly backing down and easing our way out of this season, or this life,

is to go out with a bang.

We fear growing old, being dependent, being immobile. We are so conditioned to be safe and secure, to avoid risk, to have a great retirement plan where our biggest goal is to stay out of a nursing home.

We are told it is inevitable this life-sucking something that happens as we grow up: to lose passion, to lose fire. We think we want to sit down and blend in. We can hardly hold on to our wonder and awe that once held our gaze, captivated to the sky every Independence day.

But we don’t have to lose it.

We can hold onto the spark.

We can see each day as an extraordinary adventure.

We can hold fast to the idea that the older we get, the more exciting life becomes. The more you mature, the more less you care about what people think. The more you see what matters. The more you are able to follow your passion.

There is no reason to fear death, if anything, fear fading away and fizzling out. Whether it be the death of a relationship, a dream, a idea or belief we once held fast too, or the ultimate death when we breath our last breathe and are taken into the light, make it a grand finale.

Does it have to start with a broken heart
Broken dreams and bleeding parts
We were young and the world was clear
But young ambition disappears
I swore it would never come to this
The average, the obvious

I’m still discontented down here
I’m still discontented

If we’ve only got one try
If we’ve only got one life
If time was never on our side
Then before I die
I want to burn out bright

Switchfoot- Burn Out Bright

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Top Three Do or DIE

5 Jun

Sometimes it is good to sit back and reevaluate my life. Not in a way that analyzes it to pieces, more in a way that nourishes dreams which have been previously starved to death by my own cynicism or just plain laziness. I need to remind myself of what makes me come alive,

and then go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.


It’s good to simplify. Yes, life is more complicated then we wish, but it is really? The things that really matter are simple, I believe. And so, I decided to re-think and re-write the list of things that really matter. This is not a bucket list, I have plenty of those. This is not a vision statement, really. These are the top three things that matter, that if my day to day life isn’t somehow making room for these, it was pretty pointless. This is what gets me out of bed in the morning, what drives me, what if I didn’t do I may as well DIE.

My answers surprised me a little, but once they were down, I understood many of my impatience, and frustration in life.

Here they are, in no particular order… actually, that’s a lie. They are in order, counting backwards. And GO….

 

3. Somehow be a part of the rescue, healing, and restoration of people who are being used and abused, mainly women and children. Prostitutes, those forced into it and those who were not. Orphans, physically and spiritually. Homeless, dejected, rejected and hopeless. Saying this is a huge task is a gross understatement. I have no idea how I can do anything at times. I can write about it, and that is important. I can tell stories that will hopefully stir people, give what I have. I can love. I can offer them smile, a hot meal, a bath, fresh clothes, a word of hope, a word of encouragement. Anything. To somehow let the loveless know they are in fact loved.

2. Write, Good News. The phrase used to be, “be a writer, get published, have my name known.” While I am not going to fake humility and say I don’t care about that anymore, I am not going to bother putting it in her, because in the scheme of things, it doesn’t matter. This is so much bigger then me. Truth needs to be written. Redemption needs a voice. I feel mainly these words need to be for Christians who live in fear and don’t understand God’s love is unconditional, that His grace is enough, or those who hate anything to do with the church because of what has been done to them.  I am realizing this could look like a variety of things: poetry, co-authored books, honest stories, life essays. Anything. Life needs to jump off the pages. Words need to become a hug from Jesus.

1. To be a wife and mom. Lately, I love the thought of dreaming what another life is going to look like, knowing I can’t control it, but I can love, I can be there, I can guide. I can whisper “You were meant for amazing things.” I can watch them grow. My whole world can revolve around them, instead of myself. Lately, I think that motherhood is in fact the most important thing I could ever do. I guess this goes beyond waiting till the right timing to have my own kids. There are all kinds of people that need mothering.

 

So there they are. Bare naked ideas that will somehow make my life livable.

I think maybe I should frame these, or tattoo them backwards across my face so I can’t look in the mirror without remembering why God made me.

Hopefully this was more then just me spilling my guts, hopefully it got you thinking about what makes you move.

Ready. Set. Discuss. What are your Top Three Do or DIE?

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