Memories with grandpa...

Sometimes, you cannot deny it... our relatives are getting older! It is sad, but age is inevitable. We are all getting older. My grandpa has been falling a bit for the first time, and forgetting things, so I just want to honor him by sharing a few things we do together, or how I am remembering him...

1) At Thanksgiving meals, he will always pray as our family holds hands.

2) His snow white hair, and his eyes that express the years he has lived.

3) Some of my favorite memories with him are when we play the card game 500 Rummy. He told we once, that, if you dealt cards from the bottom of the card deck in the Wild West, you could be shot legally. So now if one of us accidentally deals from the bottom of the deck, we can mimic a gun with our hands to "shoot" each other, and we get a few extra points.

4) Every time I received good grades, or made the distinguished/honor roll, he would give me 10 dollars.

5) He loves chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. (So, undeniably over the years, my own calorie intake of cake at every one of his parties has been huge! Thank goodness for exercising.)

6) I love to see his face as he opens up every one of his Christmas gifts, and each year all he asks for are gift certificates to car washes, but we never listen...

7) One year he took me to a cafe for lunch and persuaded me to try a sandwich that had a slice of pineapple in it, along with ham, lettuce, and a special sauce. It was delicious!

8) Every piano recital, dance performance, or school function that he attended, I am grateful for!

I love him so much, and to all of you that are having trouble with relatives or friends, not even specifically grandpas, you need to let past grievances with them go. Forgiveness is keeping yourself from bitterness! It will be hard at first to completely forget, but life is too short to miss out on those that were placed in your life for a reason. They won't be here forever. The small things can be what matters. You don't need to plan a vacation or a huge party, just a handwritten letter or phone call will do at first, even if you are with them with others around. But reach out to them... they may just want your attention and love.

Best friends and ferris wheels...

Who could ask for a better night than the one I just had? I went to a small town festival, practically the size of my backyard. It has three rides (a train, a circle of cars, and a ferris wheel), about six game booths, a dime toss, a band shell, gambling for fruit baskets, bingo (which my friends will never do with me because supposedly, it is "only for old people"), and the regular festival/fair food. I definitely suggest the french fries. So I rode the ferris wheel with my best friend, and she laughed as we people watched, and I shook the cart as it went around and round. (Can anyone say Noah from the Notebook moment?) And then we listened to the old fashioned country band, while eating our melting cherry and orange snow cones, and I thought, "How could anyone ask for anything more? Than to be sitting with the person who knows you better than yourself? And to just be enjoying the freedom of youth?" It was a delightful day, and I would not trade it for anything. And so now I am thanking God for every second I have. Every breath, every footstep, and every quiet moment. I thank him for my best friend in the entire world, and the ability to enjoy a quiet summer night without true fear that so many around the world constantly worry about. Relax. Breathe. There are so many things you miss when you do not slow down enough to think about what you are doing, and why you are doing it. Thanks, best friend, I love you, and keep being a daily inspiration and positive influence in my life! You are doing a good job of it right now...

Some things that I love the most...

Here are a few things that I love, and remember even after they are over. Sometimes I forget to tell myself that we aren't measured by all of the big things that happen, such as learning to drive, getting that big promotion, or finally buying that expensive and, oh! gorgeous, diamond ring. No, I believe that life is measured in what you do during all of the small moments, when no one is watching, or when you are simply with a friend for a few hours, talking over coffee, and living.
1) Driving with my dad in our beat up Toyota truck, listening to old rock music on a crackling radio, using a piece of paper as a fan because there is no air conditioning.
2) Swimming in a pool all by myself, just floating in the water, secretly pretending that I am a mermaid. (You know you have done this before.)
3) The moments before you fall asleep after an all nighter at a sleep over with your best friend, when you are just so happy and grateful to be where you are.
4) The feeling you get right before you read that first line of a book, whether it catches your attention, leaves you wanting more, or is, after all, a disappointment.
5) Picking strawberries with your mom and grandma, feeling the summer heat on your skin and listening to the buzz of the bees around you.
6) When you make that perfect cup of coffee, after trying various creamers and coffee blends, and then you can't get it right again, but you realize the joy of being able to try again.
7) Realizing that the fabulous shade of lipstick you have on is actually the staining of the cherry juice from when you had cherries earlier.
8) Watching the ones you love laugh, and being able to laugh with them.
9) That aching pain you feel when you have a crush on someone. Somehow, it hurts but causes delight. It is hard to live without it.
10) Thinking about calling someone when the phone rings, and it is them! Or similarly, thinking about a song on the radio, and then it plays on the station.

These are just a few, but what are some of your favorite small things that happen to define your life? And your character?

A quick thought...

I wonder what I would think and do if I went fishing in a pond and caught a shark!

Dreams like distant stars...

Many people say that we should "Follow our dreams". What does that mean exactly? Not all dreams are reachable. So does that mean that we can only succeed in some dreams? If so, is that really following our dreams at all? So often I feel that what I want is simply that: only what I want. It is so hard to achieve! And then there are so many voices out there telling me what I want, so many TV show, movies, and books all influencing me at once. Sometimes I feel that, being influenced by so much, is what I want really what I want. Or is it just what the world wants?

My first blog...

So I have decided to start a blog! I think it will be good for me. If you have opinions and ideas, why not share them? Sometimes I feel that I need to constantly check what I say, for fear of hurting others with my words. But, then I need to realize that I cannot please everyone. There will always be someone who is unhappy with what I do... that is life! All I need to do is glorify God with my words and actions to the best of my abilities. Opinions can hurt. They can destroy a nation, ruin a life, and change the future. At the root of many ideas are many opinions, either good or bad. I cannot tell you how to react to all of my posts to come, I can only let you see them. It is your choice on how you react. You may agree with me, and you may not. All I ask is that you hear what I have to say. Life is crazy! It is filled with hardships, broken hearts, mended wounds, lots of love and hate, and many, many choices. In the end, you are only a small flash in the time allotted to this earth. A small flash, but a meaningful one. What are you doing now? What will you be doing in the seconds, minutes, and years to come? All of that will stem from what you have an opinion on now, and essentially what you believe in. So that is why I labeled my blog Tea leaves, books, and searching for the truth. Tea leaves represents the small things in life, such as doing the laundry, writing a letter, or giving a smile. All of these are small, almost insignificant, but they take up time in our life, and therefore cannot be overlooked. The books represent your legacy, like what you leave behind. When you are no longer here, what will others remember? What will be worth writing down? And then, searching for the truth represents exactly what it says: What are you searching for? We all look for something. It is what keeps us going. Day after day, we continue to hope. Hope is wanting to do more, know more, and be more. There are many questions that I wish to have answered. Many truths that I have yet to find....