1. So I had coffee around 10 AM today, but I still feel wide awake. This is getting ridiculous. What kind of coffee did my dad buy….??
2. Got 4 or 5 mosquito bites today. Sadness :(((((
3. Major FOMO right now. I really miss my Boston friends. SO MUCH RAWRRRRRR.
4. BUT I will FINALLY get to see my old church buddies tomorrow! It has been way too long. WAYYYYYY too long.
5. Still learning how to be honest with myself and with God. It’s been painful, I’m not gonna lie, but it’s definitely worth it.
God never ceases to amaze me with what he teaches me, and what he uses to teach me these things.
Take today for example. I had to go to a family gathering to celebrate my cousin graduating early (proud of him!) earlier today. To be honest, I wasn’t too thrilled about going because these things usually end up being really awkward. And then on top of that, my dad’s side of the family isn’t close. All I was focused on prior to going was going, saying hi to my cousins, and then leaving.
When we got there, however, things suddenly changed and clicked for me. Every family has its problems, and mine is no exception. But I shouldn’t let the baggage that the older generation carries weigh me down and keep me from my relationships with my cousins. We are individuals, and we’re completely different from our parents. We don’t have the same conflicts that the older people in our families do, nor do we need to let the existing ones get in the way of our relationships. Up until now, I never saw my apathy towards that side of the family as a bad thing. I just shrugged it off and thought to myself, “Well this is how a lot of families are.” But I know I can do better than that; there’s always a choice. I can choose to go on with my life and keep being indifferent or I can choose to move forward. Today, I chose the second one.
Moving forward in this particular area of my life is a pretty huge milestone for me…I hope I’ll be able to move forward in other parts that I struggle with. But for now, this will do. It’s a process, and it’s something that I will have to take step by step, but I’m eager to keep moving.
(Source: alighthouseofwords)
These are high-speed photos of paint splashed just the right way to simulate flowers!
Photographer Jack Long diligently plans out each photo, shooting hundreds of tests. None are Photoshopped other than to “clean up” the photo.
High-Speed Photos of Paint Look Like Flowers [via Inthemess]
p.s. Check out his high speed photos of coffee!
10. Empathy: An individual’s ability to empathize with you is crucial in a relationship. Empathy is an important relationship skill that both parties should develop. Empathy is the ability to view the world from your partner’s eyes. Being able to put yourself in…
My dearly loved husband,
I remember watching as friends entered into healthy, Christ-centered relationships and not understanding what it was about me that was lacking.
Was it better hair? Better skin? The right perfume? I could find ways to cover up physical flaws. I could spend more time in the morning getting ready.
Was it some kind of charm? Was I lacking in some kind of flirting etiquette? I could read up on things. Maybe consult more friends.
The question loomed: Am I now enough? When will I be enough?
I remember believing that I was not in a relationship yet because I was not godly enough. I believed in this lie that I had to be a perfect woman before being able to be with you. Instead of seeing relationships as a process of sanctification together, where God uses two sinners to continue His work, I saw it as some “happily ever after” that only the godly-enough could experience.
Were other people in a relationship because they were somehow more godly, that they reached this supposed “relationship maturity boiling point” before I did? Not only did I dwell in my own insecurities, but I had somehow created a standard that superseded God’s standard for me.
But, somehow, in the complex and beautiful mathematics of grace – I realized that I am enough. Me (never enough) + God (infinitely enough) = Me (enough).
I am enough because He is infinitely enough. He declares me His perfectly imperfect work in progress, fashioned by His own hands and loved with an immeasurable love.
Who dares to say otherwise?
Continually praying for you,
your future wife
Swimming pool with New York skyline, Mumbai
The eye-catching swimming pool in Mumbai, India, has been built to raise awareness about the threat of sea level rises as a result of global warming.
It was constructed by attaching a giant aerial photograph of the New York City skyline to the floor of the pool.
The idea was conceived by advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather, who were commissioned by banking giant HSBC to promote its £50million project tackling climate change.
The Ogilvy team came up with an innovative way to show the adverse impact of global climate change. They glued an aerial view of a city to the base of a swimming pool.
When the pool was filled with water, it gave a shocking effect akin to a city submerged in water. The visual of a sunken city shocked swimmers and onlookers, driving home the impact of global warming, and how it could destroy our world someday.
