Anything can happen

Listen to the Mustn'ts,child,

Listen to the Don'ts

Listen to the Shouldn'ts

The Impossibles, the Won'ts

Listen to the Never Haves,

Then listen close to me --

Anything can happen, child,

Anything can be.

-Shel Silverstein

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about possibilities. 

I am a planner.

I'm the type of person that likes to have an idea of where I will be six months from now.

This past week though, I've realized that living that way is slightly crazy.

It is crazy to think that life will turn out exactly the way I plan.

No questions asked. No missteps.

It is crazy to build up certain expectations, only to be disappointed later.

In one of my classes, we talked about an idea called Idealized Thinking.

Idealized thinking is something that we are all guilty off.

We daydream in a boring class and start imagining our lives.

A rockin' wedding

                    Source: tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

 A smokin' hot hubby

                     Source: polyvore.com via Ashley on Pinterest

 A white picket fence

      Source: coastallivinghouseplans.com via Ashley on Pinterest

 The cutest kiddos in the universe

  
Source: sewingin-nomansland.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

    Source: maryelizabethinspire.tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

             Source: blog.hannamac.com via Ashley on Pinterest

                  Source: in-gender.com via Ashley on Pinterest

                        Source: etsy.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I really think a lot about having cute kiddos.


I'm weird. I know.


..............I could go on forever in my daydreaming.

Today, I learned that this is not necessary a good thing.

I learned that I need to stop planning so much.

Plans are good and keep us on track, but when used in extreme, they limit us.

If we are too busy planning, we are not living. 

I want to embrace my life; come what may.

That is how we grow.

We grow when life throws us a curve-ball. 

We learn when our best laid plans fall through, but we end up some where wayyyy better than we could have ever imagined.

I vow to embrace my spontaneous side more.

I vow to live in the moment and stop analyzing and second-guessing everything.

Who knows, I might be missing out on something great in my quest to define everything.

Missing out on an opportunity to build friendships, love people with all of my heart, and become who I am meant to be.

Not who I want to be, but who God wants me to be.

I need to have open hands and remember that anything is possible.

I'm going to stop limiting myself.

Sometimes, you cannot see what is right in front of you until you relax and just let it be.

Let go of the pressure to be perfect.

The pressure to live up to the expectations of others.

Pattern your life around the Lord and you will never go wrong.

Once you open yourself up to being led, your possibilities are endless.

Anything can happen, so let it.

Quote of the Day

"Don't be afraid to dream a little bigger darling"

Anything can happen, anything can be.

Open Hands

Have you ever experienced something that hurt so much, you never thought you'd make it through?

Perhaps a day, week, month, or year where you could not break through the darkness to see light.

We have all had these moments in our lives and they are not fun.

They are painful.

I was reminded of this fact today as I read one of my favorite blogs, The Wiegands.

This sweet family is experiencing a major loss. The loss of their sweet unborn child.

As I read their story, I found myself crying hot tears for this family that I do not even know. 

I was also inspired. 

I am inspired by this momma's strength and faith.

Casey Wiegand is amazing and wrote one of my all-time-favorite blog posts entilted "Rough Starts". You should all check out her blog. She is beautiful, pure, and honest.

She talks about holding onto things with open hands.

She shared a beautiful quote that I have loved ever since I first read it on her blog.

"When a woman has a kingdom heart, she has an active understanding of what matters most to the heart of God. She lives in the balance of passion and contentment. She learns to love well, give without regard to self, and forgive without hesitation. The woman with a kingdom heart may have a duffel bag full of possessions or enough treasures to fill a mansion, but she has learned to hold them with an open hand. Hold everything with open hands. I don't think we are ever allowed to grab hold of anything or anyone as though they matter more than the kingdom of heaven. When you hold relationships with open hands, then people come in and out of your life as gifts of grace to be cherished and enjoyed, not objects to be owned and manipulated. And then when you hold your dreams with open hands, you get to watch God resurrect what seemed dead and multiply what seemed small."

I am desperately striving to have a "kingdom heart".

Our talents are not ours. 

Our loved ones are not ours.

The Lord gives, and the Lord can take.

We are blessed beyond measure to be able to have the friends and loved ones that we do.

Having open hands does not mean that we cannot grieve. A strong person is allowed to feel broken at times.

Open hands mean that we rely on the Savior. We count on him to see us through and to have our best interest in mind, even if we do not understand.

We trust that he loves us enough to give us the trials that we need to grow, but also to enfold us in his love as we suffer through them.

I love the Lord.

I am grateful for my life; good and bad.

As you suffer or watch friends, or loved ones suffer....please remember that pain is personal, but also universal.

Even if you cannot understand exactly how another person is feeling, you can have empathy.

You can remember your own moments of pain and be a source of comfort and strength.

Ultimately, the only person that can truely understand our pain is the Savior.

So, take your pain, your heartache, and your joy and give them to the Lord. Counsel with him about your struggles.

He knows what to do with them.

Quote of the Day

Life is uncertain. But the Savior is constant.

Please keep the Wiegands in your prayers.