To Love

I am going to state this upfront – I am Christian, and I will occasionally write posts about my faith. If you enjoy reading them, awesome. If you have any questions about my faith or who my God is, please don't hesitate to ask me questions.  I would be happy to answers them!  So, with that said, here goes....

The single most important commandment that God has for us is to love.  To love the people you are closest to, your acquaintances, and the people you see walking down the street.  

Megan Fate, an incredibly inspirational woman and speaker, gave a message at a church I went to this past Sunday.  There were many aspects of her words that stuck with me, but the most memorable would be this: “Love people in a way they don’t deserve because you are loved in a way you don’t deserve.” 

I have to say that there are only a select few people in my life that I can love easily.  The people included in this bunch would probably be my mom, dad and brother...the rest of the people I have a bit of a harder time with.  I don’t know about you, but I sometimes have a hard time loving every single aspect of a person, good and bad.  Just that morning before Megan’s talk I was at work, and I was very frustrated with my boss.  Scratch that – EXTREMELY frustrated.  I won’t go into the details, but lets just say I was trying not to pull my hair out piece by piece.  I, of course, went home and vented to my family for what seemed like hours. I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do but it made me feel good for the time being.  

That night I went to my church with some friends and heard these words on loving people, and I knew God had  brought me their for a reason – I needed to hear that.  It is hard for anyone to love certain people. Who we are sometimes just does not mix with others around us, and this can lead to tons of problems.  Even when you get along with someone extremely well there are certain things that they do that can, well, piss you off.  

While this may be the case, I believe we need to love everyone simply for who they are.  God created every single one of us perfect in his eyes, and while we may not see this, he does, and he loves them.  These people, some whom you may like and some you may not, are God’s people, and to love them is to love Him.  Love the people around you, whether you like them or not, because God loved you first. You may not deserve this love, and neither may the people on the receiving end, but its what God created you to do.  Pass on the incredible love that God shows you everyday, so others may do the same.  Who knows? It may just change the world. 

Roommates

About a week ago some of my friends asked me to take pictures of them for their apartment next year.  I was a little hesitant to accept because I have never done a group session before, but I took the risk and did it.  I had it all planned out -- we would go to the beach first and get some pre-sunset pictures in, then head off to the beautiful sweet pea field we had found a while back to shoot some pictures during the sunset.  Everything was fine and dandy until we realized that a heavy fog was rolling in from the coast.  I was a little pissed that it wasn't turning out as planned (perfectionist me kicked in as per usual), but the girls reassured me that they were fine with clouds and we continued on.  So we went to the beach, then the sweet pea fields, and then ended up at a cool road on the way back.  Even though the golden sun wasn't there to light up the shots, I think they turned out pretty cool, and I had a blast!  I have never been super confident in my photography skills, but it was so fun to shoot photos of these girls and see their reactions when they were done.  They were insanely happy with the outcome and it made me feel a little better :).  We even hit up McDonalds afterwards for some late night fries, which I have to say ended the night on a particularly good note (even though the greasy goodness didn't sit too well later). 

 

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This Week

The past week has been so relaxing!  I finished finals last friday, packed up my dorm, and officially ended my first year in college. Friday night we drove back home to our beach town and got stuck in hours of traffic -- the family wasn't too happy about that, but we got home safe and sound.  That weekend we ate tons of delicious food in celebration of my homecoming, hung out at the local nursery, did some gardening, and more.  We celebrated Father's Day Sunday, my brothers birthday the next, and hung out at our cozy home by the beach the rest of the week.  It has been so amazing to be home and give my brain a break after being away at school all year.  Reading a book on our front porch, dogs by my feet and the salty breeze swirling around me -- that is my definition of summer, and I am so excited to feel this way for the next few months :)

To New Beginnings

I've been dreaming about doing this for a long time.  I've been dreaming about creating this page, a digital diary of all things that inspire me and bring me joy. A place where I can post my photography, my arts and crafts, and random tidbits of my life on.  Something that can essentially be myself in a blog.  And so, here I am today,  finally putting virtual pen to paper and starting this thing.  I am excited to see where this blog takes me and the wonderful adventures that ensue. Here's to new beginnings.