faithful

I think today is a good day for a post that is short and sweet. Here we go.

The Lord answers prayer.

He is faithful.

He hears us when we call his name.

He is eternal.

Rejoice in Him always.

"But You are always the same, and You will live forever." Psalm 102:27

"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again - Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

Sometimes it is difficult to praise the Lord in all of our circumstances, but He calls us to do so. And when we do as He commands, our stresses and worries fall away, and His peace that we receive is astounding.

grace and the imperfect

God has really been trying to get a hold of me lately, and for some reason, I'm fighting against it. It's shocking to realize how different my relationship with Christ has been in the past several months because of a lack of spending time with Him.

This post is an attempt to be honest. Honest so that it's relatable. Honest so that maybe I can connect with someone on another level and they can see that we aren't perfect. That's so important to understand. We are not perfect.

But God is.



You see, the beautiful thing about being imperfect is that God doesn't expect us to be perfect. That's what Jesus died for. There is no pressure on us to be the perfect Christian. Sin happens, but God's grace covers it all. Christ accepts us just as we are. He meets us where we are regardless of what we've done or what we're continuing to do. This doesn't mean that you have free reign to do whatever you want, but when Christ works in your favor, suddenly sin doesn't seem so appealing. When you receive Christ, you are a new creation. You, as a new creation, gain a new perspective on life, an eternal perspective.

"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

Remember: you don't do works to receive salvation. You do works because you have been saved. You do God's work because when Christ is in your life, doing anything else doesn't seem to make sense.

I constantly feel like I'm fighting against so many things in my walk with the Lord. I sometimes feel like I want to give up and just give in to sin. Things would seemingly be easier that way. But all sin does is destroy the true joy and peace and love that we experience when in the presence of the Almighty.

The next step is to take what seems like a chore and turn it into the relationship. Think about the things that God has done for you in your life. Remind yourself why you began to follow Him in the first place. Think about your actions and the consequences they lead to. Once you grasp that God's grace is more than enough, Christ will miraculously transform your mind and, more importantly, your heart.

the potter and the clay

Again, I'm posting to say that every day, I am changed by the Father. The past several weeks have been a little difficult. The reason being that it's quite a struggle to let go and let God take complete control of your life. Especially for me. I can be a little bit of a control freak.

Have you heard the song "Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt Redman? The bridge in that song says, "You give and take away." Well, I'm currently experiencing the second half of that phrase. I can honestly say I've never had to live this out before, and if I have, I just never took into account that it was God working in me. At the time being, everything that I thought I wanted is floating up in the air, and I'm beginning at square one. I'm starting over. God has taken away the things that I thought I wanted so that He can really do something with my life. It's very humbling, but the humility that I am learning is something that I treasure more as time goes on. While I may not know at all what I want, I believe that the Lord will start filling my heart with desires that are pleasing to Him.

Let's talk about the potter and the clay comparison for a moment.

Jeremiah 18:3-6 says, "So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 'Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?' declares the Lord. 'Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.'"

The Lord demonstrates that He is the potter and we are the clay. This passage is specifically talking about God taking control over Israel because of the evil that has engulfed it. But we can look at this in a more personal way. If God is the potter, and we are the clay, God has a plan for our lives just as the potter has a plan for the clay he is shaping in his hands. If the potter sees an imperfection in the clay, he breaks down the clay to rebuild it into the beautiful pot that he had planned for it. In this same way, when God sees something in us that He wants to change, He breaks us down so that He can build us back up into the beautiful creation that He had planned all along.

I heard a sermon in the past year that centered around this passage, and the pastor speaking said something that has stuck with me ever since then: when the potter is shaping the clay, he never tells the clay what he will turn it into. In the same way, we don't have any right to demand God to tell us what it is He's creating in us. We have to allow God to work in us and have faith that He will guide us every step of the way without questioning Him or giving up on His plan for our lives.

This brings me to my current reality. I honestly believe that God has been breaking me down so the HE can be the one to build me back up. Since I am, like I said previously, starting at square one, I pretty much have no choice but to go in the direction that the Lord is leading me. And while this is quite intimidating and I have absolutely NO CLUE where the Lord is leading me, I know that just by following His lead and His example, He will create something beautiful in me that can and will be used for His glory. Not only that, but He will lead me to have a fulfilling life with no regrets.

bucket list

Bucket list time! This is not the completed list, but it's all I can think of for the time being.


1. learn how to play the guitar.
2. own a horse.
3. audition for american idol.
4. ride in a hot air balloon.
5. go to mardi gras!
6. sing the national anthem at a thunder basketball game.
7. live in LA
8. go to hangout fest, bonnaroo, coachella, and lollapalooza.
9. befriend a rockstar.
10. sing on national television.
11. swim with dolphins.
12. get married.
13. have some kids of my own.
14. write a song.
15. visit jim morrison's grave in france.
16. get a tattoo. (or several. i've heard they're addictive)
17. see incubus live.
18. be on the kiss cam at a sporting event.
19. go on a mission trip.
20. travel the world.
21. bring someone to Christ.
22. adopt a child. maybe several.
23. meet johnny depp
24. go to ireland.
25.

Yesterday, I realized how much the Lord has changed me. I was saying things that I've never heard myself say before. I was overcome with a sense of peace and patience that I don't think I've ever felt before. I speak of Him more often in daily conversation. He is becoming more and more important to me every day. I really have become a totally different person. The shallow things that were important to me before are losing their value compared to the love of Jesus. As I follow the Lord in my daily life, I see Him working in me. Several friendships that I have have been rekindled and are more Christ-centered. And as every day goes by, I am amazed more and more by the Father.

After reflecting on all of these things, I have come to this conclusion:

following the Lord is the best decision I've ever made.

I am amazed at the way God has brought certain people around me for encouragement. I was skeptical of walking with the Lord at first because, let's face it, I'm usually skeptical about making big commitments. But the things He has been doing for me and around me has removed all skepticism that I had. What has made the biggest impact is the relationships with which He has surrounded me. When I can talk about the Lord with friends or family, it makes me love Him even more because I can then share with other people the things He's doing in my life, and I can hear about what He's doing in the lives of the people around me. At the end of the conversation, I feel closer to God and closer to the person that I was talking to.

If you're reading this, and you think that God could never love you, or you don't want anything to do with God, or you believe in Him but you're perfectly comfortable living your life just knowing He's there, I promise you that once you are able to accept the love and grace of Jesus, your life will NEVER be the same. It will be the best decision of your life. Trust me, the skeptical one. Your life will have meaning. You will have guidance. God loves you, and He wants so badly to be close to you. You have worth in Jesus. The relationship that you can have with Jesus will be the most rewarding and loving relationship you'll ever be in, and He will bless you beyond what you can imagine if you just trust Him.

give Him everything.

As every day goes by, I am amazed more and more by the love of the Father. Every day, I enter into His presence, and it never fails that by the time I end my quiet time in the Word and move on to the rest of the day, I feel this amazing peace that seems to completely flood over me. You know, there are so many days where I feel like I'm the most selfish person that has ever existed, and I think, "There's no way that I can come to the Lord today." Those are the days that He touches me most. Those are the days that I am completely overwhelmed at the power of His presence and love. He never ceases to answer me when I call. He never stops loving me. He never leaves my side. Right when I think that I don't deserve His love, He reminds me that I am His and that I find my worth in Him.

I was talking with a friend yesterday, and he was telling me about how he doesn't want to call himself a Christian because there are things in his life that he needs to figure out and change. My response? You don't need to get your life together before you come to Jesus. He takes you just as you are. No matter what you've done in your life, no matter how many times people may have told you that you are unworthy or that you don't matter. No matter how you've treated people or how people have treated you. No matter how bad you think you've messed up and you can't fix anything. He loves you just the way you are, and there is nothing you can do that will make Him love you any more or any less than He already does. What wonderful news! I think that's something that should be celebrated on a daily basis. As long as you truly believe with all of your heart that Jesus has was crucified for our sins, that He rose again on the third day and defeated death, you have become a new creation in Christ. You are one of His children, and you will be able to spend the rest of eternity with the Lord in heaven. What a miracle! We are so undeserving, and He takes us anyway. He gives us the choice to follow or not follow, but when He is so good and faithful, why in the world would you not want to take that FREE gift that He has given you? If you are a believer, you are forgiven, you are new, your slate is wiped clean.

If any of you feel like you're falling apart or that you aren't worthy of love, God loves you. He loves you more than you can ever imagine. He loves you more than anything in the history of creation.

At the end of the day, I can count my blessings and see how God has truly worked in my life. We are all undeserving of salvation, but God loves us so much that He gave us Christ. As if that isn't enough, He calls us to give everything to Him. Any fears, any doubts, any problems, anything that is troubling us or worrying us. Once we surrender everything to Him, it's truly amazing the kind of peace you experience. The Word says in Philippians 4:6-7: "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

I'll leave you with this: challenge yourselves to place everything at His feet and see how He responds.

Thanks for reading. I'll hopefully post a blog soon that might not be so heavy. Ha!

perspective

To the objective eye, my life hasn't really changed a whole lot. I'm still just working at the law firm full time. I'm still living at home with my parents. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my life. 

All of those things are the same, but if you knew me, you might be able to notice that my life is changing. I have learned to alter my perspective on the things in my life that are important. As far as my friends and family are concerned, they will always and forever be collectively two of the most important things in my life. However, with some of the experiences that I've had since I've graduated college, my life is beginning to take a new turn.

I am learning to become a fully devoted follower of Christ. He is why my life is changing. He is the reason that I am beginning to rethink my goals in life. He is becoming a bigger influence on my life daily. It's truly amazing to me how much life is changing since He has become a priority. It is still a struggle to allow Him to control my life completely, but I'm working on it. When you allow God to take control of your life, things just seem to fall into place. There are so many things about this life that are uncertain, but one thing is true and unchanging: my God loves me, my God sacrificed His only son for me so that I may be able to live with Him forever in heaven. While no one deserves heaven, Christ died so that we may have life to the full with God in heaven. What beautiful news! God's love for me proves to overwhelm me and humble me every day.

A dear friend of mine has, in the recent past, made me realize that it is a true blessing and honor to serve the Lord of the universe. Being a Christian isn't about what you can and can't do; it's about showing the world who God is in your life. It's about His saving grace. Once you stop thinking about how you're restricted, you can experience true freedom. Freedom from sin, freedom from baggage, freedom from pain, freedom from trying to please people that will inevitably fail you. The Lord never fails. The Lord is always faithful. The Lord is loving and just and righteous. Everything that you could ever need, God has already given you through Christ. 

I am humbled to say that I have landed a spot on the worship team at my LifeChurch.tv campus. My first weekend to serve on stage with the team is the last weekend of December, and I am SUPER excited! It's such a blessing to be able to serve with a church that God is using to do incredible things. My life is taking a different direction than I expected it to, but I'm anxious and excited to see where the Lord takes me. I have to remind myself, though, that it's all about Him. 

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

everything happens for a reason

My crazy, exciting, unpredictable life. It has its moments when I feel like I'm drowning, and then it changes immediately, and I can't imagine it to be any other way. Lately, I've been able to rekindle some old friendships that are beginning to be the most important ones in my current reality. As usual, I can say I've been adding some new relationships, and those are also very meaningful. I can only hope that my luck is changing as far as new relationships are concerned. The last few have been less than true.

I'm lucky to have been born in the place I was. I'm fortunate to have all of the things I need to succeed in this life. I'm blessed to have the most amazing family and friends at my side for the support I need. 

The only thing I can think is to say..

praise God. 

frustrated

I know that there are so many things in my life to be thankful for. I understand that my life could always get worse.


But sometimes, the smallest things just really upset me, and I think that anyone would have the right to be upset for some amount of time.


I just want answers. Everything was pretty damn close to perfect, and now I can't seem to understand what's going on. Hopefully I'll get some kind of relief in the near future. Until then, I can only wait.


And the waiting is miserable.

Have you ever wanted something so bad that you almost couldn't stand it?


Well, I definitely have.


Last night, all of that changed when I realized that the one thing I've been wanting for so long hasn't happened because I'm not at all ready for it.


Talk about a sobering moment.


If you want something, make sure you're in the right place in your life to handle it. Especially if it is something that could be potentially life-changing.

new chapter

My life has changed dramatically in the last month. First off, I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Musical Arts with emphasis in Voice and secondary emphasis in Business from the University of Oklahoma.

..okay so I realize that's really long. Basically I got a degree saying that I can sing and that I kind of know what I'm doing as far as the business world is concerned.

But graduating from college is more than just saying that I have a degree. It also means leaving behind everything I've known for the past 4 1/2 years of my life. Well really more than that. More like the past 16 1/2 years of my life. I've been doing school since I can remember, and the thought of not having to worry about grades or tests or homework is a pretty crazy thought for me.

Graduating college means that now my life can truly begin, and honestly, thinking about that is incredibly scary. As awesome as it is knowing I never have to worry about going to class ever again, the thought of actually being on my own is intimidating to say the least. However, knowing that I can take my life anywhere at this point is incredibly liberating. I can go and do anything I wish, and I know that I will be successful as long as I do my absolute best, regardless of the outcome.

With that liberation comes sadness that I will no longer be spending all of my time with the people that I met and loved throughout my college years. They will no doubt be a huge part of my life forever. I will treasure the moments I had with all of them for the rest of my life, and nothing can replace those memories.

Since graduation, I have started working as a receptionist at a law firm in Oklahoma City. What makes it really nice is that my mom works here. So to be completely honest, my real adult life has barely begun. I still have that cushion to fall back on until it's time to move on and accomplish the dreams that I have had for my life. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me.

doing vs. whining

My life is so much better than I ever give it credit for. My God has given me everything I could possibly need to be happy and successful.


Why is it that, in life, we always want more than we need? And why is it that we take what we have for granted? If we quit wasting time on wanting and wishing and put more time into making things happen, maybe we would see that we have everything that we need. Maybe then the world would be full of doers and do-gooders instead of wishers and whiners.

"All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

So, I've been thinking a lot lately about what my life will be like in the next coming months. The fact that I will be graduating from college in December has made me start thinking in a different way. I'm trying to live in the moment and really have a lot of fun in my last semester, but at the same time, I can't help but wonder what comes next.

Since I finished my senior year, I've had a lot of friends graduate from college already, but most of them have stayed in the area. Today was the first day that I've really had to say goodbye to a good friend. I am pretty sad about this, but I guess I had better get used to it because this will be my reality in about 6 months. This is just the time in my life that I never thought would actually get here.

To be honest, I'm really scared to graduate. I don't know what my life will be like after college is over. I have really big dreams and big goals, and I really want to go places and see the world. Be able to support myself while still doing what I've loved doing since I was a little girl. But it scares me to death thinking about my life changing in a big way like that. I've loved every part of growing up and becoming my own person. I know I can do anything that I set my mind to, but actually getting up and doing it is incredibly frightening.

I've got to remember: courage is what separates the talkers from the doers. Courage is what I'm going to need to accomplish my goals. I've got some time before my new life begins, but I can't help but think about it all the time. I'm trying to start planning a little bit, but how can you really plan for something so big?

change

So many different things have been happening in my life lately. I have so much going on, and it all feels like so much more than normal. I guess just knowing that my college life is almost over really freaks me out, but at the same time, it makes me realize that my life is really about to begin. I still have until December, so (lucky me) I've got one more football season!

Ever since right after Christmas, my life has felt different. I came to some realizations of what I want to do with my life, what I want to accomplish, and have decided to turn some of my dreams into my goals. Hopefully this means that I'll actually make them happen.

Some things I've done to get on track:
1. I applied for a position at Sony Music. As of right now, they're not looking to hire me because I won't be a student for too much longer. They require someone who will be in school for at least another 2 years. But I'm still working on them. I figure that I just need to keep pestering them until they give me a job. ;)

2. I'm beginning to lose weight. So far, I've lost 14 pounds. I've got my senior voice recital coming up in a couple of months, and I thought that there was no better time to start changing than before my recital. My recital marks the end of all of the hard work that I've put into my voice since I've been studying at this university. I just hope that I can pull it off and really do a great job.

3. My backup plan is to stay in the metro area, get a job to save money, and then eventually (within a year or so) move to L.A. and audition for backup singer gigs. It's something I haven't really thought about too much until recently, but it has so many perks. I get to travel. I would have the opportunity to meet tons of fantastic people. I would be singing harmony all the time. *major perk* And I would never be in the spotlight. I've never wanted to be super famous, and the idea of having cameras in my face all the time really freaks me out. Hopefully, this will be something that I can accomplish if a job with a record label doesn't work out.

While all of these things are important and fun to think about, I'm still just trying to focus on my life right now and have fun doing it. Music has really been important in my life since the beginning, but the more I learn about it and the more that I invest in it, the more important and exciting it becomes. It's comfortable, but at the same time it makes me get out of my bubble.

That's all for now. Nothing too profound. Just a little note to get some thoughts out.

romance

Have you ever heard a song and gone to the place it takes you? When I listen to music, it usually takes me to places that I've been to before.  Even if I've never heard the song before, I find myself associating places or moments with the music that I'm listening to.

At this very moment, I'm being transported to a place in the middle of nowhere at night with the one I love. Stargazing. There's nothing going on. Just peace and quiet. Simply enjoying being with another person. Knowing full well that there's no other place I'd rather be.


All I can think is I can't wait for this moment to really happen.

new

So.. life lately has been pretty great. I finished my online class and definitely got a 100% in the class. HOLLA. That's pretty exciting. The only thing is now that it's over, I feel like I have nothing to do. There's nothing left that I need to get done, so I've been trying to find things to fill my time so I don't feel completely unproductive.

In less than 2 weeks, I will be leaving for Austria! This trip is a choir trip, but I'm trying to not think about actually performing, and I'm just going to enjoy myself. I've never been to Austria before, so needless to say, I'm VERY excited.

Oh, here's something interesting that's happened lately. When I went to Sayre to take my grandma out there, my parents found a rottweiler out in the street. They brought her into our garage thinking surely the owner would come looking for her soon after. No one ever came. My parents decided to let her in our house. Normally, I don't think it would've been a bad idea, but Cleo (one of our little dogs) doesn't like her. Cleo growled at this rottweiler, and the rott grabbed her by the neck and started shaking her back and forth. BAD NEWS. My dad rescued Little Cle right before this rott killed her. So she was out in our backyard for awhile.. Just until we could find somewhere we could take her or someone who would adopt her.

Now, almost a month later, we still have her. My dad is completely obsessed with her. We have named her Heidi, and she's a new member of the household. She's actually very sweet-mannered. I don't know what caused her to go after Cleo that day, but she hasn't tried anything with any of our other dogs, so I guess she'll be okay. We now have 4, yes 4, black and tan dogs at my house.

Not too much longer till summer is over. I'm not very ready for classes to start back up, but I really can't wait for football season!! So, I guess there's always an upside to everything. ;)

life lately

So sorry I haven't written lately! There have been so many things going on in my life lately, and I seem to have been neglecting my poor blog.

Since my last post, I've been pretty busy.  First of all, my friend Brittany moved to her house in Stillwater, and so I went to her house-warming party.  Oh the way there, I ran a stop sign and got hit by another car. I couldn't believe it. My first real car accident, and it was MY fault. That definitely put a little damper in my night.  So.. I was carless... again.

After all that happened, I was kind of in a little funk.  I went places and did things, but it just wasn't the same. My summer just seemed to be having a lot of ups and downs.  About a week after I had my wreck, I got the terrible news that my car totaled. TOTALED.  After the hail and the wreck, my car was just worn out.

Later that week, I got my new car! Now, okay. I was really really really sad about my poor car, but my new one is pretty freaking awesome. It's a brand new, black 2010 honda civic coupe.

Since I've had my new car, I have been driving it everywhere.  I took my grandma home and stayed out with her for a couple of days. While I was there, I spent some time with one of my very best friends, Cindel.  We've been friends practically since I was born.  We had an absolute blast when we were together.  Not only did we catch up, but we reminisced on all the wonderful times we had when we were little.

My summer is finally hitting the high that summer is supposed to hit.  I still have the most wonderful, loving family a girl could have, the best friends I could ever ask for, and a life that I can't complain about. 

just another day

Yesterday was a great day. I spent time with my family, played volleyball with some very good friends, and then sat by my aunt's pool listening to music and stories told by my family. Thank goodness this day happened.

As I have already stated in a previous post, I've learned a lot this summer. The last couple of days have been no exception to that. Here's a big lesson that I've been really thinking about a lot. Well, it might not be a lesson, but it's something that I hope to do to possibly change my life.

I have always been so concerned with having something that I don't currently have, and I would let it get me down all the time. I've come to realize that this thing that I want is 1. not worth having right now, and 2. not important. Last night, it hit me really hard that I have some things in my life that I need to work on. I also have a lot of important things to invest my time in like my family. My wonderful, LOVING, close, thoughtful family.

I've been spending a lot of time with my family lately, and all it makes me think is how lucky I am to have the loving family that I have.  There aren't too many people that have a great support system in their lives, but I am so blessed.

Just thinking..

Ever wonder why you think about the things you think about? Or how about this.. How many things you think about in a short amount of time. I drove to Norman and back today and thought about countless things from spending time with Jamie today to what I want to do with my life. It wasn't until I got back to the city that I thought about how many things I had actually thought about in that 45 minute drive.

Try it sometime! It's ridiculous how many things you can think about in a tiny amount of time.

true joy

I feel like I've learned a lot in the small time since school ended.  I don't know if it's because I want something to write about, or if I actually am starting to really appreciate the things I have around me. I'm gonna go ahead and assume it's the latter.

This summer has already taught me so much, and it's just getting started. I'm excited to see what else is going to come my way for the rest of the time I have until school starts. Hopefully, all of these things will continue after school starts. It definitely wouldn't hurt me at all to learn how to appreciate the things that I take for granted.

As crappy as it's been not having a car, something special happened the day the crazy hailstorm hit oklahoma city. When I walked outside to see what kind of damage the hailstorm from hell brought upon my car, my aunt's next door neighbors were standing out in their driveway, doing just about the same things as I was. I had never formally met them, so I walked over with my aunt and started conversation.

I can remember when I was young, maybe 8 or 9, my brother's car got broken into, and I wanted so badly to go see what his car looked like. So, my brother picked me and walked over to his car so I could see.

While I was talking to my aunt's neighbors, I saw their little adopted son, Anthony, just looking up at us, probably wondering what the heck we were talking about. He's 4, and he was just so cute! So I looked at him and said, "Hey Anthony. Do you wanna go look at my car?" He looked up at me and nodded. So I picked him up and walked over to my car. He held his hand out and tried to touch my windshield. He was so curious, just like a kid I suppose. After a couple of minutes had gone by, I walked back over to his driveway and tried to put him down. He wouldn't put his feet down, so I just thought, "What the heck." I held him for a little while. He was so sweet. He just put his head down on my shoulder and didn't utter a word. I fell in love with him right then.

It came time for me to attempt to drive my car home, so I put him down and told him that I would see him again soon. He started to walk back to his front door.  He was very mopey. He obviously didn't want to go back inside. So I crouched down and said, "Hey Anthony! Come give me a hug!" He turned around and ran to me with his arms wide open.

It wasn't until after he had gone inside that my grandma told me why he had been adopted. His mother did some terrible things to him, things I'm not going to say. My heart broke. He's the sweetest little boy I've ever met, and I don't understand how people can be so hurtful. Knowingly hurtful. My grandma also told me she thinks the reason he took to me so fast was because I'm young like his mom.

I have always envied my friends that are very obviously good with kids. I've never been really close to any younger kids, and I've never had one really take to me like he did. I'm kinda good with early teens I guess, but no one has really touched me the way that Anthony has. I was telling my mom earlier how I can't believe how fast I began caring for this little boy. I asked her if that's what it felt like when she had kids. She told me it's this feeling times a million. If that's the case, I can't wait to have children. This little boy is truly amazing.

I had the great pleasure of seeing him again today! His eyes brightened up when he saw me walking over. What he doesn't understand is how much joy I got from seeing him and playing catch with him.

You never know what wonderful things can happen amidst something bad happening. In the two very short meetings I've had with Anthony, my life has been changed. My days have brightened.

Please don't rush through life. Take advantage of every moment that God gives you on this planet. Like everyone always says, it's the little things in life that make it worth living. What I didn't really understand until now is that the little things that happen to you have the biggest impact on your life. If something so small can be life-changing, why would you ever want to miss it?