Our Father

This image is true. Fact. It happened. Knowing this carries with it many feelings- sadness, guilt, love for a Father that gave so much for your life. But knowing that this image conveys a true story also puts responsiblity on all of our shoulders. That responsiblity is this. Matthew 22:37 says, "Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." God continues to say that we must love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Your life needs to belong to God. Despite having so much responsibility, God has made one this sure: You will not have to face that responsibility alone. God will walk with you every step of the way. He will never leave you.

Isaiah 43: 2, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

Urban Decay

So, urban decay has been something that I really enjoy looking at. Maybe someday I can go see some, and take pictures, but for right now the world wide web will do. Urban decay is described as: the process whereby a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude. (Thank you http://www.wikipedia.org/. I love you, even though all of our teachers go all wild on us when we use it.) So yeah, sounds like a very sad thing, but I think it is beautiful. Some examples are posted above. I know the first picture is of a psychiatric hospital in New York, but the rest I am unsure about. However, Detroit, Michigan, is packed with urban decay. So, I have linked urban decay to God: All of these buildings look unused, left for dead, etc. But they all still have potential. They can all be renovated, their structure kept but their inside remodeled, made beautiful, and restored. With God, our lives are changed. This shell of our body is kept, but God restores what is inside of us- what really matters. God renovates our lives and causes a revolution in our hearts. Well, hope you found this interesting.

My quote for the day: I dwell in possibility. ~Emily Dickinson

My verse for the day: 1 Peter 2:9, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

X0X0, Gail

Some of my favorite tea...

This is Harney and Sons tea, available at Barnes & Noble. Personally, I think that this tea has a more earthy taste than most black teas, and I like it!

This is Celestial's Raspberry Zinger tea, and I love it! Not much sugar is needed with this tea, although we all know I'll add more than necessary anyway.

This is Tetley tea, a classic and found at possibly every grocery store I can think of, fabulous for making sun-tea, or a regular cup of tea.

This is Tazo Wild Sweet Orange tea, and I absolutely love it! If you make homemade ice teas, this is wonderful to add to regular Tetley tea, for a change.

This is Bigelow's English Breakfast tea, which surprisingly, I drink at breakfast time.

This is Get Happy Tea, by the Republic of Tea, and if you like sweet herbal tea, I highly recommend this!

It's a tea morning...

This summer, I have been having issues going to bed early. Last night, I decided to turn over a new leaf and go to bed around eleven o' clock. So saying, I woke up at six-thirty this morning, feeling refreshed and alive! Okay, just joking, I actually felt a little crappy, and my neck hurt. So, to feel better, I made myself a cup of tea! (Many thanks to my much loved aunt for supplying me with the tea: It is called Get Happy Tea, by the Republic of Tea.) So after adding sugar to my steaming cup of goodness, I climbed under my covers (yes, in 90 degree weather) and read a book. I was feeling so much better that I came to a conclusion: I should blog about my first early morning of the summer! And so I did...

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?