Oh, the places you'll go! -Dr.Suess

Well it's been a few days since I've been on here!

We are busy with life and our evenings with VBS.

I wanted to share some pictures with you today. 

Here they are!

(Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan)

(I took this from the top of Iwatayama Monkey Park in Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan...this guy was chillin..)

(Taken in Mino Park)

 (Also taken in Mino Park. These little ones were EVERYWHERE!  :-) )

My world expanded when my husband and I took a trip to Japan this last April. 

Before then, I'd only been to Guatemala (at least in the years I'm able to recall the memories. I don't remember being in Germany as a baby...). 

The trip to Guatemala was equally eye opening!

We forget, I think, that beyond our comfort zone is a huge world that was created by God for us to see, experience, and enjoy. 

There are things that our eyes will never see unless we get on a plane and go somewhere far, far away.

Places I still want to go are:

Israel
Eastern Europe
China
Vietnam
Australia
Canada
Alaska
and
Somewhere really tropical :)

I would challenge you to travel. Whether it's within the borders of your country to places you've never seen,

or to a completely different continent to places you never knew existed, PLEASE travel. 

You'll be glad you did :-)

Always in love,

L

Value.

In my book To Be Free, Annora addresses her struggle with social anxiety. This is in no small part because it gives a more concrete depth to her reclusiveness and the level of grief and loneliness she feels over the loss of her parents. People who struggle socially tend to grieve more tragically. 

As a teen, I dealt with a hearty dose of social anxiety. It stretched far into my 20's and has been a factor in many relationship struggles, both romantic and in friendships. 

I tried for years to understand why I had such a hard time with it. In high school I had friends, dated, and went to school functions. I was involved in choir and other activities. But inside, I was absolutely and constantly terrified. Every blunder stayed with me forever. Every awkward moment scarred me. I can still recall them! I spent a lot of time walking fast, trying to look busy, or, on the worst days, hiding in the bathroom until lunch was over because I was too afraid to approach anyone to ask to sit with them. 

Did people treat me badly? No.

Had I done something to shame myself? No.

But for some reason I was always scared. 

Why is it that some people can't seem to loosen up and feel comfortable in their own skin?

Why is it that some people, like me and others I've talked to, analyze every word they say and torture themselves over even the smallest inflection?

I'm pushing the big 3-0. I've hit a point in my 20's when I am now seeing it in the distance and realizing that life moves so so fast and I want to grow and be and live. 

In that desire to live fully, I've learned something about myself, and possibly other's who struggle socially. 

While I have always valued the people in my life, I have not always valued my place in their's. 

Let me explain.

If you don't believe you matter to people... 

If you don't think people really care about you...

If you are convinced people just put up with you...

If all you do is focus in on what you can't do and ignore what you can:

You will ALWAYS be afraid. 

I realized looking back that my problem wasn't whether or not people cared about me or were genuine friends, ect.. my problem was that I didn't value myself.

I believed myself to be disposable.

I believe I was everyone's second choice.

I believed I was just making a fool of myself.

I believed that once I made a mistake, there was no redemption for me. That the blunder defined me, no matter how small or insignificant it might have been.

I couldn't see what I was good at because I was staring at all the things I was terrible at.

I know I'm not the only one who felt like this. 

I know there are others who feel this way now.

Here's what I would say to you:

You have to believe you are worth knowing. 

You have to believe that God put you on this earth intentionally,

and that that places a value on you that is untouchable.

You have to remember that we were all given gifts (talents, abilities) and they MATTER and are NEEDED.

You have to remember that because you DO have a purpose, 

there will be opposition to that and that making you feel insignificant and unworthy is just one tactic to make you QUIT.

Remember who your enemy is. God is your greatest ally and the devil (yes, satan, the devil) is your greatest enemy. There is a spiritual battle being being fought over you. When you give in to feeling insignificant you are laying your purpose down and the enemy just laughs at you and chalks it down as a point in his favor. 

Don't let that happen. 

So, friend, lift your head and wipe off your apprehension. 

Smile and remind yourself that you are important, needed, and here ON PURPOSE. 

Value yourself. 

What you bring to the world really matters.

We need you.

A Writer's Obligation...

Yesterday evening I spent a couple hours at the library with my laptop and my headphones.

I try to do this as often as I can, it's my favorite place to write at the moment.

It's hard sometimes because a place will inspire me for a while, 

then suddenly one day I won't be able to focus there anymore. 

I was sitting by a large window in the corner of the library; the US History section. 

Directly in front of me was a small round table for the purpose of studying. 

I was about 1000 words in and feeling warm and fuzzy and inspired, 

when a woman and her son sat at the table. 

"How sweet." I thought, as I watched him open his book and begin to read.

"She's going to study with him."

I focus my eyes on my screen again. 

A minute later - above my music - I hear a loud, irritated voice.

I look up to see the mom is on the phone, clearly joining a friend in a fuss over someone, all hand-gestures and accusing eyes and sharp words.

I look around to check if anyone else is seeing what I'm seeing or hearing what I'm hearing.

The only person around ducks into an aisle, hiding from the disruption in the How To section. 

I do my best to ignore the noise. 

I do my best to not roll my eyes or huff.

I keep my body language under control and, eventually, the annoyance recedes and I just block her out.

Not two minutes later, a no-older-than three year old comes running past me. 

Thirty seconds later, he runs past again. 

He's doing laps. 

Thirty more seconds pass, but this time I heard him coming.

He's yelling...no...screaming in glee as he runs. 

This goes on for at least five minutes.

I want to say, "Is this the library?! Can't a girl get some peace and quiet?!" 

But I don't and I just try my best to block it out. 

Then something hits me and I pause Ellie in my headphones and listen to the noise around me. 

I look up and discreetly glance around, taking it all in. 

I realize that this is the stuff that makes life interesting. Sure, it's not always pleasant, but it's life and it's being lived right in front of my face. As a writer, I have an obligation to take it in. Not block it out. This is the stuff that makes stories rich and people unique. 

Before long I'm smiling each time the little boy superman's past my chair. 

I smile at the lady with the cell phone when she gets up to leave. 

Life is being lived by everyone around me and if I pay attention, I get to join in.

Always in love,

L  

Be nothing.

You're perfect. 

You're wonderful.

You're doing everything exactly right, don't change a thing.

You can do no wrong.

Those sound really nice, don't they?

That's what we want to hear, affirmation.

But affirming what?

Affirming our own personal belief that we've arrived, that we have peaked at perfection?

Sometimes phrases like that are important to hear. 

Women, you are perfectly made by a perfect creator. 

But does that mean you don't have any room to improve on yourself 

where your imperfect human nature has done some damage?

Men, you are wonderful. You were made glorious and strong and brave.

But does that mean that in your faulted humanity you never fail?

It's OK to receive encouragement.

But be careful you aren't purposefully aiming to surround yourself only with

those who will feed your ego.

None of us are perfect. 

We need people around us who will challenge us and who are committed to 

our growth just as we are committed to their's. 

Constructive criticism (given with good intentions) is just as important as praise. 

Without it we never change. 

We just stay in our muddled state of lack because we can't see ourselves clearly enough to 

improve. 

True friends show us the things our own eyes have missed. 

Choose wisely if you want to be something. 

Always in love,

L