days // hours // minutes

{via pinterest}

we all have our comforts. 

those things that draw us in and bring us a sense of warmth during these final months of the year. the spirit of celebration and nostalgia begins to burn within our hearts, as if kindled by the colder air and swirling leaves in tones of red and gold. 

comforts and warmth are part of the season. these final two months that grace the year are full of so many things unique to them, and only them.

 perhaps it is why we look at our calenders and count the days like children, eager for whispering snow and silver bells. 

how many more minutes 'till Christmas?

i've always been the nostalgic one. the one that looks with fond memories over each tradition, each carefully packed away decoration. the smell of pine makes me dream of late winter nights spent with my sister, pouring over our brightly coloured pictures and decorating the tree on November 1st. 

it's only 365 days between each visit, you know. 

{via pinterest}

but why does it feel so long between?

and why do i want it to come so fast this year? 

i'm catching myself drinking peppermint hot chocolate and longing to slip The Holiday or White Christmas into the DVD player. breaking my own firm rules: nothing Christmas until at least November. 

but we still have three full days until the eleventh month. i'm counting the days till Christmas on my fingers and toes. this sentimentality is killing me. 

perhaps Christmas is my comfort. the carols, the tinkling bells. the smells of pine and snow, the aroma that winter alone carries in its pocket. 

perhaps it is celebrating the start of my salvation. the stepping from gold to straw. from cries of Holy to cries for food and comfort from the throat of the King. 

God to Man combined. 

and so i will snuggle up with my peppermint hot chocolate, breaking my own little rule.

and this little girl will sit, counting... 

57 days. 1,364 hours. 81,864 minutes.

Rêve

I dreamed a dream in time gone by / When hope was high / And life worth living / I dreamed that love would never die / I dreamed that God would be forgiving / Then I was young and unafraid / And dreams were made and used and wasted / There was no ransom to be paid / No song unsung, no wine untasted... ~I Dreamed A Dream, Les Miserables

I dream a lot. 

It's something I've dealt with ever since I was about four years old, and I discovered books. 

It was like a door burst open in my soul...I found myself entirely unable to reign in my imagination. 

Since then, I have come to my own conclusion.

Everyone's a dreamer.

We all have our secret longings, whether we're willing to admit them or not.

Some of us are more expressive with our dreams. We write bucket lists, pouring our innermost longings into our imaginings, be they exceptionally easy or intensely complicated to achieve.

They are all different, depending on the dreamer, but every wish and every heartcry has one thing in common.

There is passion locked behind each and every dream.

Maybe it's something we found in the pages of a book, a winding forest path lined with fairies and mysterious flowers found nowhere else.

Or perhaps it's something we were born to explore...a familial heritage that we too seek to achieve. 

 

Regardless of the dream, no matter what the wish may be, there is one thing that remains the same. 

Your way is secure. 

Your path is laid by the hand of the ultimate Waymaker, the One who sets the world to turning.

He sees your heart and knows your dreams.  

So don't be afraid. 

Rest. 

Be still.  

Embrace the silence.

Let go

and dream. 

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” ~Ephesians 4:20

(Also, don't forget about the giveaway. Only ten days left to enter to win some beautiful jewelry.)
(Guest posting here this week!)

Cadeau (Gift) {33-40}

If you give what can be taken, you are not really giving.  Take what you are given, not what you want to be given.  Give what cannot be taken.  ~Idries Shah

It hardly seems possible that another week has come and gone.

I wonder if time is playing tricks on me...speeding up and slowing down however it wishes, if only to lure me into a false sense of security before pouncing upon me in some strange and unnoticed way.

Each week, as I take stock of the occurrences which now fill the path behind me, I am caught up in the awe and wonder that is my life...and that is my God.

My life is full of beauty. For all the heartache, struggles, and pain that I with which I war daily...there is so much light kissing the edges of the shadows, and making them seem so much less frightening.

• 33. Waiting by the mailbox patiently all week long, only to open the small copper door and finally find the most beautifully penned note for which I have been tirelessly waiting...as I have said, it is the small things.
• 34. An evening of fun with people whom I care deeply about...putting aside myself for just a few hours, donning a hand-stitched cape and dramatically swirled eye makeup, and joining the leagues of justice for a more-than-delightful Heroes and Villains murder mystery party. 
• 35. 11:11 and eyelash wishes. Perhaps a bit of foolishness...more than a gentle reminder to think and pray for you.
• 36. Raspberry lemon ice and oreo-M&M shakes with my daddy after a particularly frustrating rehearsal. Tucked in a blue and white booth, laughing over nothing and mutually missing my mother and sister...such comfort only my daddy can provide. 
• 37. Captain America, too much popcorn and Diet Pepsi, with a bag of M&Ms to share between us...I will never to get too old to share 3D glasses and date night with my daddy. 
• 38. Waking up to Owl City ringtones and the most perfect sunrise...even though I am still confused why my alarm was set to 5:30am. Even still, the glory of the heavens and the paint from the hands of my King made it all worth it in the end. 
• 39. The realization that I can't carry everything by myself...that I have a God who's big enough to carry me and everything else. And on mornings this like...I am clinging to this truth like I'm drowning. For me, and for those I love. 
• 40. Letting God crack the door to the poetic corners of my heart this week..feeling Him cut away at my silent, struggling voice. I am Moses...I cannot speak well. He is making me Deborah. 

I am trying to gaze at the bigger picture. I am letting go of my own mentality of "this is now, and this is all it will ever be."

My life is watercoloured clouds. 

First glance, it is simple, basic, and easily explained.

But now

I am tones of pink and gold and blue and silvery green.

These are my gifts...

...these watercolour clouds. 

See, I am doing a new thing. Now it is springing up; can you not perceive it?I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." ~Isaiah 43:19

Whimsy (Second Giveaway)

Item No. 1

Dreaming is an act of pure imagination, attesting in all men a creative power, which if it were available in waking, would make every man a Dante or Shakespeare.  ~H.F. Hedge

Before we begin, I have to admit...I was blessed beyond measure by each and every one of you that responded to my previous giveaway. For it being my first, it was exactly the encouragement that I needed to continue in this beautiful endeavor. From the lovely comments I received, three random winners were chosen.

And now, as August rolls around...the final month in these warm and wonderful days of summer...the second giveaway has begun

I am more than honoured to present the following pieces from the beautiful and talented Molly and Claire of Molly the Pirate and Bisou Bisou Beads, respectively.

Each one of these pieces is remarkable in its own unique and one-of-a-kind beauty. I am, once again, drawn to the faintest bit of longing to be one of the lucky ones who will receive these elegant designs.

As before, the items mentioned are shown in order throughout the post.

Item No. 1: Afternoon Coffee Petite Glass Earrings from Molly the Pirate

Item No. 2 (example)

Items No. 2 & 3: One (1) Scrabble pendant necklace of the winners' choice from Bisou Bisou Beads. Two examples have been included in the post. Two winners will be receiving this gift.

(IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are one of my lovely international readers...i.e. not from the United States...please comment as such in one of your entry comments. Many lovely thanks!)

Here is how to enter to win one of these three beautiful items (each counts as either +1 or +2 entries; leave either one or two comments per entry, respectively. Also, please include your email or blog link in at least one of the entry comments).

Entry 1 (mandatory): Comment on this post with something you've always wanted to do, a place to which you have always wanted to journey, a dream you have yet to complete...perhaps an item from your bucket list. (+1)

Entry 2 (mandatory): Follow this blog, and put the BLOG BUTTON in your side bar/lovely reads/blog page/etc. (+1)

Entry 3: Blog/tweet/Facebook about the giveaway (+3, one entry per, one comment per)

Entry 4: Go to Molly's Etsy shop, heart it (if you have Etsy), and comment on this post with your favourite item from her shop. (+2 )

Item No. 3 (example)

Entry 5: Go to Claire's Etsy shop, heart it (if you have Etsy), and comment on this post with your favourite item from her shop (+2)

Entry 6: Follow Molly's blog (+1)

This world is full of whimsy...of beauty...of so many perfect dreams, just waiting to be experienced. Life is meant to be lived. We were created to wonder...to muse...to stand in awe of this world and the Mighty Creator who knit us all together from our earliest moments.

Be a gypsy.

Be a sojourner in this world while you yet have time.

Inhale life.

Chase the whimsy.

This giveaway closes on August 30th at midnight CST. Winners will be drawn that night using Random, and announced the following day. Winners will have 48 hours to claim their gifts, or new names will be drawn. 

The best reason for having dreams is that in dreams no reasons are necessary.  ~Ashleigh Brilliant

Reflétant

Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?  ~Winnie the Pooh

Tonight, I am taking the time to think.

I'm not sure what it is about tonight that is causing my mind to become lost in thought.

Perhaps it is the fact that the sky is finally calm...after almost three days of storm-churned clouds and pounding rain.

Or that I had my second dose of the final Harry Potter movie tonight, and was reminded yet again just how much my heart belongs in the stone corridors of Hogwarts.

Maybe it was the taste of the entire pack of strawberry Twizzlers I slowly nibbled through this evening until the wrapper was empty and the fruity taste of the only member of the licorice family that I enjoy lingered gently on my lips.

Might it have been the growing list of questions that have begun to collect on my blog...brimming with untouched inspiration, awaiting  my answers in the coming days?

Perhaps it was the way I spent my day...curled on the couch in the company of three other women whom I greatly admire, laughing and weeping and learning together amid plates of summer salads and fresh-cut fruit.

Whatever the cause, my mind is lost in itself tonight.

I'm not even sure what I'm thinking about, to be honest.

I'm simply overflowing with the beauty of life.

My thoughts dazzle me, as though the stars had melted with my dreams, calling me to waltz with them tonight.

There is much to be said for the beauty speaking...

...but there is much unsaid for the elegance of secret thoughts.

And then, when the Empress ran aground / And my eyes turned blue and green, / I heard a gorgeous sound, / And that's when it became a dream / When the sky fell in, / When the hurricanes came for me, / I could finally crash again, / And that's how I became the sea. ~Owl City, How I Became the Sea

Time-Turner

It's a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up.  ~J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire


Time is a funny thing. 


It can move as slowly or as quickly as it wants, depending on your own hopes and wishes...


...and yet, it is so entirely reliable all at the same time. Things repeat themselves in the most calm and reassuring cycle. Dates and times moving forward and yet circling in a gradual loop. 


365 days in a year. 28-31 days in a month. 7 days in a week. 


But I will admit...sometimes, I wish I could make time move as I chose. 


I wish I could borrow Hermione's Time-Turner. 


I wish I could freeze moments in time...those moments that make you feel more alive than you've ever felt in your life...your skin afire and your breath tingling like electricity in your lungs. 


I wish I could speed up certain events...passing through the heartbreak of the current moments, silencing the inner struggles and casting away the Dementors in my own mind as easily as though I wielded the power of the Patronus. 


I wish I could rewind...go back to moments in my past and fix them...make different decisions and not act like such a foolish child, and maybe save myself some pain and heartache in the long run. 


But then I realize...what purpose would that serve?


What would I learn if I change my past?


What would it serve to me to feel nothing of pain or sorrow...what growth would I obtain?


And if certain moments were frozen and repeatable, what sort of precious would they be? Would they not fade into something trivial and empty, nothing to be rejoiced it at all? 


As much as I envy Hermoine her Time-Turner...


...I do think that I shall live in the present 


and savor my own moments 


as they occur. 


"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~Matthew 6:34

Présent (The First Giveaway)

Item No. 1

Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can. ~Danny Kaye

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. 
To enter the August giveaway, go here.

The day has arrived.

The day to begin the first Inspired Monthly Giveaway.

Yes, technically, the plan was to wait until July1st to begin. However, as of yesterday morning, I hit 100 followers, and I simply got far too excited to wait another moment.

And so...here goes.

Our first fabulous giveaway is courtesy of the lovely Holly at Five Little Gems. 


Holly has generously donated three of her AMAZING pieces to this giveaway, and I could not be more delighted with her work. Her entire shop is flooded with stunningly beautiful necklaces, earrings, hair combs, wire work, and more. 


I can honestly say that I have the faintest twinges of envy for those who will be receiving her beautiful artistry through this giveaway...if only I could win... 

Item No. 2

The items to be won are shown in order throughout the post, and here they are: 

Item No. 1: Burgundy pearl bar necklace with antiqued gold

Item No. 2. Denim blue jade faded nugget bar necklace

Item No. 3: Pink crystal and grey pearl earrings

Here is how to enter in this giveaway (each entry number counts as +1, and each one must be left in a separate comment)!

Entry No. 1 (required entry): Comment on this post with your favorite lovely "simple" things that you enjoy in the spring and summer months. What little joys make you smile, the things that would normally be overlooked in daily life?

Entry No. 2 (required entry): Follow/be already following the blog, and post my BLOG button (not my 100 posts button!) somewhere on your blog.

Entry No. 3: Tweet/blog/both about the giveaway, and either leave the link to the post or your Twitter username in your comment.

Item No. 3 

Entry No. 4: Go to Holly's shop and pick a favorite item from her listings. Be sure to tell me what it is about that item that draws you in. Also, follow Holly on Twitter (hollynichols1) and add Five Little Gems  to your favorite shops, if you have an Etsy.  

There are three items to be won, and as such, three winners will be randomly chosen (using www. random.org) on July 31st. Winners will have 48 hours to contact me, or a new winner for each "abandoned" item will be chosen. 

I am incredibly excited, overwhelmed, overjoyed, and blessed by this entire process...I really hope that you are, too!

It's the simple things, the little things that illuminate my heart with joy. 

I cannot wait to see

that same joy

in you.

To live remains an art which everyone must learn, and which no one can teach.  ~Havelock Ellis  

Timeline

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

It is now 2011.

Wow.

For me, this is almost impossible to believe. I feel as if I blinked and have passed from January to January without hardly a second thought.

Did last year leave me behind?

To be honest, however, 2010 was a year of a lot of changes for me...many of which were beyond fantastic.

I reconnected with an amazing old friend after almost two years of silence, and found myself in a brand-new friendship that picked up as if things had never left off and has radically changed my life.

God answered my prayer for a female best friend, and I have never been more blessed to have her in my life as a sister and warrior on this road together.

I celebrated a landmark -- one year of marriage to my incredible husband, which still continues to blow my mind and delight my soul.

I met amazing people who have loved me and changed me for the better.

I started this blog, which has been a dream of mine, and was a resolution for 2010 that I actually saw through to fruition.

The blessings that have been heaped upon me still blow my mind and draw me to my knees time and time again.

However, this year has also been one of the hardest of my life. I have cried more than I ever thought possible. I lost precious friends for one reason or another -- some because of serious issues, and others over trivialities that I wish I could take back. My heart has broken almost to the point of bleeding -- both for myself and for those I love.

I have made so many mistakes...I look back at certain points over the past year and I weep with the utter shame of it all. In all honesty, there were so many points when I just wanted to give up...to give in to my own insecurities and lack of strength and simply let the world slip through my fingers.

But it takes the bad with the good to give me a reason to step forward.

If this past year had been nothing but good things -- perfect blue skies without a single thunderstorm, how then would I have grown?

It takes fire to refine the dross away from silver; it takes lightning and thunder for crops to grow.

The hands of the clock keep ticking by.

Soon enough, 2012 will be upon us. But that is the future.

2009 is gone.

2010 is gone.

The past is over and buried under the blood of the One who looked from moment to moment and decided that I was worth His ultimate sacrifice.

And so, this year, I begin with only one resolution.

To grow.

To climb further up and further in.

To find my footing in Jesus Christ instead of myself...to allow myself to reach out and take His nail-scarred hand...

...to rise and rise again.

So here's to love and loss, to tears and joys, to passions and disappointments.

To growth and to journeys.

To becoming more like Him.

Here's to fresh starts and new beginnings.

Here's to 2011.