Embrace Beauty. Love God. Live Life to the Fullest...

Today I am reminded of a quote from Pastor Kyle Lake who was killed in a freak baptism accident in 2005.


"Live. And Live Well. 
BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply.
Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. 
On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun. 
If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool Autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE. 
Get knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time. If you bike, pedal HARD and if you crash then crash well.
Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed. 
If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old's nose, don't be disgusted if the Kleenex didn't catch it all because soon he'll be wiping his own.
If you've recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And Grieve well.
At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. 
If you're eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke.
And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. 
And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. 
Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift"

Take some time today and this week to enjoy God's creation.  Even on a day like today when it's raining.

Have a great week! =)

~A

New Year's Resolution(s).

I don't normally have a New Year's Resolution.  Simply because I think they are kind of lame, to be completely honest.  I don't think that they are taken seriously because people (myself included) have already set in their minds that they will break them.

Instead, here are my goals for 2011:
Love harder. Live fuller. Laugh louder. Be nicer. Be intentional. Get reconnected.
Basically, be the best me.

I've become a little too complacent. I've been a bit lazy. I'm not as intentional as I once was. I don't feel like I show people how much I love and appreciate them as I used to.

I don't like that I've become this way and I wish I would have admitted it earlier to myself and not been in denial.

I pray that each of you have a blessed New Year. May the Lord continue to bless & keep you. =)

~A