kindness

every year my husband and i pick a word to represent the year we are about to embark on. we usually take the last two weeks of the year and come up with some ideas. example: peace, faith, rooted, open, boldness, etc.  my husband came up with some pretty good ones this year, though they are not coming to my mind as i am sharing this, typical. while i was praying for this one word, the word kindness came to the forefront and i knew it was it.  i have a 11 month old and i have been catching myself lately on telling her to be kind.  be kind to the dog, be kind to her cousins and babies around, be kind to mom and dad.  if there was one thing that i would want people to know of me or my family is that we are kind people.  kindness  is it, our word for 2016.

have you ever thought about choosing a word for the  year?  we started this about 5 years ago and really enjoy it.  of course we have gotten through half of the year before and had forgotten what word we have chosen.  but we are committed this year, we think.

my own personal goal is doing the whole “random” acts of kindness for others.  i am really going to try to make this a habit for 2016.  what is the saying? do something for 21 days and it will become a habit? well that is that i am going to try. 21 random acts of kindness for others.  i will let you know how it is going as i do them!

want to join me on the fun?

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A Beautiful Distorted Mess

Ever since the devastating news came out regarding the death of the great Robin Williams, I have been hesitate to write or share about his death and the impact it has had on me as of late.  Now someone might ask, how would it impact me?  Well to be straight to the point it’s the depression and mental illness that has been cursing through my mind and soul.  It’s the many faces that come to the forefront that I know well struggling daily with a mental illness. Now that weeks have past, the conversation surrounding mental illness has dwindled but the millions of people dealing with it increases.  It’s a funny thing when you are processing something or facing something in your life, how the same topic of conversation arises with friends, family, and strangers.  This past week, for instance, was exactly that.

My husband deals with depression and ADD, and has dealt with it from many, many years.  Some people understand and others do not comprehend the effect depression has on someone.  Before my husband, I just thought depression was just someone who was sad or down for a little while.  But I was in for a wake up call.  Depression is so much more than that.  My husband explains it like a dark pit with no hope and no way out. I sometimes feel like I am in the pit with him when he is in that dark place, but I can still see the edge and the light shining in.  I cannot say I know what people who have depression feel like, but I do have the experience of seeing it first hand.  If you know of someone who has it, please please be gracious to them.  They might be unmedicated, they might have no support around them, they might feel so alone that they don’t want to be here anymore.  Depression is real, active, and strong.  Without the right support, guidance, and medication its a dangerous disease.  I am thankful that my husband has found friends, a counselor, and medication that we have had more good days than bad as of late.  It’s a good feeling to see the light in his eyes each day.

So for those of you who want to know more, watch his video below.  My husband found it and explains depression perfectly.  Please pray for those dealing with mental illness.  Depression is just one of the many out there.

 

Trying Something New

Irony.  What a clever little word.  “You must do the very thing you think you cannot do”.  Does starting a new blog and allowing strangers read your thoughts and ideas count? Well if it does, here I am, throwing myself like a cannonball into the open sea of bloggers.  I must admit its a strange feeling, but a curious one.  I am in no position to say that I have it all together. You will NOT find here the most creativity, unique ideas for the DIY lovers,  the most scrumptious and mouth watering recipes, the perfect updo hair tutorial,  the best product to use, or the cleverest mind provoking book to read.  No, I am just a woman who wants to embrace life, but sometimes fails.  A woman who thinks she has it together, but in a flash it crumbles in her face.  A woman who desires much but often asks for little. A woman searching out the beauty in life and wants to stir on hope, love, and creativity to others like her.

My hope for this little blog is to create hope, encourage love, and to be open to something new.  I can get swept up in my little world I call my own, but I often find that I need moments to be reminded that there is beauty in this massive, chaotic world spinning all around me. I must look for it, search it out and bring it out into the open for others to see.

So friends, take courage today.  Stop and smell the roses.  Do something that you never thought you would do. I did, so can you.