The internet is such an interesting place in terms of how I experience community. In this last couple of weeks I came across some some incredible and thought-provoking articles, and I thought I would share them with you all.
The wrong conversation about virginity (via Mic)
I didn't even notice this when I was watching the episode, but this article helped me to see just how many lies are out there about this kind of thing. It's sad at times, but it is definitely something worth pondering.
How we look at singleness, and therefore look at God (via True Love Dates)
This was so eye-opening for me; we so often buy into the lie that God wants to punish us or enjoys seeing us unhappy when the desire of a relationship (and perhaps marriage) goes unfulfilled. Her perspective is amazing!
The saving grace of Defensiveness and being flawed (via Ten Thousand Places)
I love this. SO MUCH. As someone who has been through the wringer in being told that I'm too (insert supposedly negative trait here), this resonated with me in a way that I had tears me in my eyes.
Let It Begin With Me (via Momastery)
So much emotion. Many feelings. Chilling, moving, and beautiful.
Burn The Candles (via Shauna Niequist)
I am the kind of person that does this: that get's wonderful (and typically expensive) gifts that I'm afraid to use because I don't want to run out of it. I want to savor it as much as possible. Well, shelving isn't necessarily savoring. Don't wait for a special occasion; rather, create it.
Have a great weekend!!
photo credit: Danny Montemayor via photopin cc
Day 16-Love
What are the things (or people, or animals) that you love the most?
Oh jeeze, I can easily come up with an incredibly long list when it comes to this particular topic. But there are only a few things that I love- meaning, I cannot see myself ever existing without, because it is such a large part of who I am as well as a part of my history. And it is in no particular order.
1. My Family-It wasn't too long ago where I once believed that growing up meant moving away from your family, physically and emotionally. Little did I know just how much I would come to miss them and need them, especially this year. They have been the one constant thing in my life, and very much the reason why I am still standing today. As I'm trying my hardest not to cry and type at the same time, I hope they know how much I love and am grateful for each of them. Just as well are my friends, whom many have become my "second family" as I've gotten to know them. I am blessed to have all of them be a part of my life.
2. Disney-It was such a significant part of my childhood that at this point, it is pretty much just embedded in me. I have been to Disney World at least four times (which has convinced my Mom that I am going to get married there). I've gone as every Disney princess for Halloween except Cinderella, Tinkerbell, and Repunzel. I nicknamed my prom dress from junior year my "Belle" dress, and I refuse to get rid of it. I have a variety of stuffed animals, jewelry, pictures and movies related to the subject. Oh heck, I have a whole Pintrest board dedicated to it. I've been told that "it's for a little kids" but you know what I say to that? If it wasn't for adults, the entire company wouldn't exist!
3. Hugging-I am just an extremely affectionate person; if I don't get a hug at least every once in awhile, I start going nuts. The rest of my explanation is a whole separate post in itself.
4. The Beach-Between the beautiful water, the soft sand, the interesting-looking seashells...I might as well consider this a slice of heaven. Many will say it depends on where you go, which I is something that I strongly agree with. Regardless, I absolutely adore it, and have never felt more alive than from being in a natural body of water. My bedroom at home was recently redecorated into sort of a beach theme, so I have my own little "getaway" every time I come back from school.
5. Reading and Writing-I put both of these at the same type because they strongly go hand in hand. We would not be able to read things without people writing them. As much as it has been type-casted as a nerd hobby, I couldn't live without books. Feel free to shut off the TV for any amount of time, but if I can't read I might go so far as to break a few fingers. Writing is my form of self expression, and I feel blessed to be able to do what I do. I do understand now that I have a gift, and I intend not to waste any amount of it.
6. Coffee-I started drinking it when I was twelve and have not stopped since. Always with creamer and never black. I don't know why it has become somewhat of a romantic concept to me, but perhaps its because coffee is so freaking delicious! It's the only liquid that I can drink slowly, and have began my own little collection of coffee cups. My last story that I wrote for my fiction class was actually based around the subject of coffee.
There are a ton of other sentiments, many which can be found in other posts on this blog. However, these are things that I believe sum up my personality the most, at least in a nutshell.
Ever since I was a little girl, I've always loved to read. I can't be sure as to what age I was when it became a hobby, but I do know that it stemmed from both my parents and grandparents reading picture books to me as a child. Around kindergarten and first grade I would check chapter books around from the library and have my parents read them aloud to me at night before I went to bed. Most of the time it was The Baby-Sitter's Club or the American Girl series based off of the dolls. By the time second grade rolled around, I had learned how to read chapter books on my own and could often read one or two in a day. I included the word "semi" in the title for two reasons: 1.) I don't necessarily have as much time to sit down with a good book as I used to. I have alot going on these days and spend the majority of my time doing homework/studying, filling out college applications, and sleeping. 2.) I'm not one that reads every genre out there; I have my likes and dislikes, which I'll get to momentarily.The way I see it, the world of literature is such a beautiful thing. Even before books started getting printed out on paper, there was the passing down of tradition and culture through telling stories out loud. (I'll admit, my neighbor does an amazing job at telling ghost stories around a campfire...he's creeped me out on more than one occassion.) When I read, it's like escaping into another world; sometimes it's similar to my life, and sometimes it's completely fictional. The kinds of books that I like mostly center around fiction (romance, realistic, some young-adult oriented) and autobiographies/memoirs. There are people that have asked me "why bother with that kind of stuff when you can just read it in a magazine or a tabloid?" I happen to think that magazines and tabloids don't always tell the whole story, and at times, they don't even tell the truth. It's interesting to read a person's own words about their lives and their experiences. Plus one realizes that there is more to a celebrity than what is seen on television or written in some kind of news article. There are so many to choose from when it comes down to personal favorites, but I think the one I've found myself reading repeatedly is Rachel's Tears, about one of the students' that was killed in the Columbine tragedy ten years ago. What got to me most was that it wasn't just about the tragedy in itself, or the people that made it happen. It was about a regular teenager who loved God with her absolute being and lived out her faith to the fullest extent. I admired the way she reached out to those who were considered "outcasts" and might not have fit in very well. Even today, her story moves me to tears. My favorite authors include Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Piccoult.And yes, there are those that I don't take a particular interest in. I'm not big on science-fiction or anything involving politics. I find alot of self-help books (especially those pertaining to love and dating) to be kind of annoying. Harlequin novels, or any raunchy titles don't have a whole lot of substance and can get boring real fast. I must say, I don't quite understand the stigma that is attached to reading now a days, especially with teenagers. Yet, I do respect the fact that there are people out there who don't like to do it, and thats not a bad thing. This is something that I'll eventually do a later post on, but I neither understand why certain books are blown out of proportion, or even banned from shelves. I understand that parents have the right to be concerned with the material that their children read, and if they feel it be innapropriate, have them not do so. I just don't see the point in trying to take books completely out of public libraries. Again, this is an issue that I'll save for later on. It's something I feel strongly about.Just a little short-note, I do plan on making future bloggings aimed more toward current events. I don't just want people to come here and read what's going on in my life and nothing else; I want them to learn a little bit about who I am, how I feel about issues in the world today, and why. One may or may not agree with what I'm saying, but hopefully they find my opinions interesting.
