Memories

Today I was reminded of a song that was one of just a few anthems for me and my roommates junior and senior year in college. The song jettisoned me back to a time I truly loved. My senior year of college was one of the sweetest years in my life. I threw a childlike fit after graduation that it had to end. The memories we shared in that year were some of the silliest things I have done and loved every minute of it. There are memories from every time period in my life or place I've lived that when put together create a beautiful mosaic that makes me who I am - its the moments of great joy that keep me going in hard times. I've been through a lot of difficulty in life and yet I have some of the sweetest memories a person could ask for. We can't live in the past but its great to remember and I am glad we as humans have that ability. What do you need to remember today?

Not A Baby Person - Still In Love

Im not much of a baby person. I know that sounds funny coming from a woman who just had a baby, but having worked with teens for over ten years has made me more comfortable around older kids. I was scared to death about having my son. Its been a challenge but we've done well. People told me I'd miss the newborn stage and I didn't believe them because I felt I couldn't wait until the time we could communicate. The first month with a new baby may very well be one of the toughest things I've faced. The humor in it all is that I look at my 21/2 month old and while I love watching him grow, I do miss his brandnewness (I'm well aware that is not a word) not because I'm suddenly a baby person, but because he's my little guy and he's precious to me. I am so excited to watch him grow, but each day brings such change and I can not get it back. The truth is that the state of anything in life; it just is more apparent with babies. So far being a parent to a new life has helped me see what I can do. It has clarified my perspective to see what is most important it has given me a new love that I'm obsessed with. Yippee!

Curiosity Can Do More than Kill the Cat...

While the phrase “curiosity killed the cat” has its merits, I am afraid that curiosity has gotten a bad rap. Sure, we all yell at the girl in the horror movie not to go after the noise she hears, to run away from danger, and yes curiosity paired with stupidity will surely get anyone into trouble, but curiosity is a good thing. Wise curiosity allows us to know God, the world around us, and ourselves. I love the curiosity in children to get into things, take things apart and to delve into life with a sense of discovery. It’s a beautiful thing to behold and to experience and somewhere in those teen years we become more concerned with how we appear to others and we lose our curiosity at the expense of our reputation. We stifle our inquisitiveness to avoid wandering into a place that might be socially unacceptable. We stumble into curiosities, we never had ourselves, to appear cool to those around us. All that really does is waste precious time. Those years are precious. Curiosity will lead us to purpose and direction. Direction that will get us farther the earlier we find it. Like Austin Gutwein who was curious about those orphaned by HIV/AIDS in Zambia – wondering what it would be like without parents. His questions led him to compassion and to starting up a fundraiser that would change lives – all this at the age of 9. Hoops of Hope, his organization has raised $1 million and counting to build hospitals, schools and provide shelters for the children and people of Zambia. He put his curiosity to good use and allowed himself to seek to answer the question, “What is possible?” The answer was beyond his wildest dreams. The teen years are often seen as the selfish years, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Austin, now 13, is only one example of this principle. There are other examples of teens who have stepped outside of themselves to see what is possible. The great thing is – you could be next? What are you curious about? What could you do to change the world? How are you limiting the possibilities of what you could accomplish? What fears stand in your way? Maybe its time to let the cat out of the bag and seek after what we find curious in God’s word and in his world? What is stifling your curiosity? Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, ”Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them’.” We only get one chance at life and while the going with the flow has its benefits in keeping us from negative emotions, it can also steal an abundant life from our existence. Get out there and live life to its fullest!

The End of Silence

So its been awhile since my last post. In the interim I've had a big life happening. I got pregnant, had a baby and have been adjusting to new life with a baby the past 2 months. I stopped writing after discovering I was pregnant. Last time I got pregnant, I was so excited I shouted the news from the rooftops and then faced a lot of reoccurring pain once I miscarried and had to deliver the news repeatedly. This time I chose to wait until my first appointment to share the news so I laid low but by the time I was ready to share the news I had lost some of my excitement of the moment you first discover the good news. I was honestly nervous the entire pregnancy. While I trusted God I also was worried of repeat. The contrast of both kept me silenced. But I am back and ready to start talking again. I hope to share more of my thoughts with the world. I'd love to have you join me in talking. God bless. - Carrie