not just some rosemary.

you want to know what's the best feeling? when someone does something special for you and leaves you feeling so thankful and fuzzy inside. 

last week, a friend out of the blue promised to take me some rosemary from his garden. a couple of days went by and i didn't have my rosemary. it was no big deal, but i would tease him that my grandma's recipe for rosemary chicken was waiting on him. he jokingly would hide from me because he had forgotten yet again.

yesterday as i was coming into work he called me over to his desk, and as i walked up he had a huge bag of rosemary overflowing out of it. it was pretty hilarious, well not for the girl with allergies, but instead of simple cutting a few sprigs and handing them to me, he said he would bring them over to my desk. 

bob seller is not his real name. it's an inside joke at the company we work at

after a good while, and me starting to think he had forgotten yet again, lol, he handed me a nice little bunch wrapped with a red ribbon and a little printout of what rosemary can be used for! it was such a nice touch!

and to think he did that for each of the people he promised rosemary to. 

i mean something like a bunch of rosemary which may seem nothing of the extraordinary, but it's those little details that make something more beautiful, more filled with love. 

it's such a reminder to do every small thing with love, with my full heart, not ever forgetting those small little details that might will make any other day, one to always remember and inspire others to do the same.

 

what has someone done for you that inspired you or made you feel special?

to be inspirational.

since starting this blog, i've asked myself quite a bit of times where i want this to go?
is this truly for documenting my life for just me and my family, is it just an outlet for my creativity, or something bigger?

over the past few weeks, i've told myself i want this blog, this space to be a source of inspiration. whether it be for mothers, wives, healthy lifestyle seekers, women, believers, etc.
i want to be used to inspire and encourage. yet a lot of the times i don't feel like i have a lot to bring to the table.

when i look at my life, i haven't written a book, i'm  not a famous artist, i don't have a perfect marriage, i have self image issues i still struggle with, i don't have motherhood figured out completely, i have horrible grammar, i ramble without really making a concise point.
how can i ever be an inspiration to others when i don't have things together?

and this is where i always get stuck. this is where i stall. and i feel defeated.

these past couple of days, i've been dwelling on that thought. and i have finally realized: who does?

who honestly has it together? who honestly leads a perfect life that is worthy enough to be of inspiration?

nobody. nobody has it together, nobody has it perfect.

see, what i'm starting to finally realize is that being inspirational doesn't only come from  being famous, or having an established business or having numerous book deals. it also comes from  having the right perspective. whether you see the glass half full, or half empty. it comes from falling hard but standing up and trying again. it is in those that make mistakes, sometimes ugly ones, but learn from them and next time do better. it can be found in those that choose to be transformed into beauty from ashes. that's inspirational. that's a breath of fresh air.

and for me, that's where powerful stories are born. not in perfect situations, but in the middle of a mess that isn't powerful enough to keep you down. in being honest and raw about our heart and letting others know, hey i'm kinda messy, i got a past, i struggle but i'm pushing through it.
those are the stories my heart seeks. those are the ones that i look up to in being real and allowing me and others in to know i am not alone. that we are not alone.


i'm going to keep it real with you all. sometimes it won't be the right post for you, but for someone else it might. sometimes it will be a little sad but that will be what my heart feels at that moment, in that same token the next day it might be completely lighthearted because that's just how i function.
but i will not hold anything back that my heart feels to pretend i have it perfect.


and that's what i hope for this space to be. for me to share my falls, my struggles and victories with anyone who graces these words. and in the middle of it, even if it's just a small sliver, that i can inspire someone with my words, in sharing struggles that they too might be facing, in sharing my brokenness that i experience from time to time still and encouraging that life is a gift and must be experienced to fullest (see, run on sentence) because we are all in it together, and that is a perfect inspiration in itself.

we are all inspirational. we all have something beautiful to bring to the table. we all have an amazing  story to be told. your life is a beautiful inspiration.

be quiet.

lately i've been thinking about life a lot, and the little lessons here and there that i've learned. some not so hard, and some that have knocked the life out of me.

learning to be quiet is one of them. being quiet doesn't come quite easy for me. it's a bit ironic, because i like quiet time referring to the environment around me. no noise, no people.
 but i, myself, don't really know how to be quiet and listen. even when it's just me. even if i'm alone, my mind will be going at a hundred miles per hour and just won't stop. and it's done more harm than not, a lot of the time.
see, if my mind is going at a hundred miles an hour, it doesn't have time to reflect on the circumstances, or the intention of the people around me. and i tend to spew out what my mind immediately thinks of, at times when i should really just be quiet and reflect.

// i think i've shared a couple of times here my heart for my marriage. we have a story. quite a story i tell ya. and it didn't begin with wedding bells, or a fairy tale synopsis. we were young, what can i say. young, immature, blunt, and competitive. as in always wanting to win a fight. always having the last word. throwing out the harshest comment to be up one. for years it was like that, until i realized it was spiraling out of control.

source

then one day, just like that, i tried it. i stood quiet. i listened and reflected.
sure the hot tears were stinging because of anger and pain and just wanting to blurt out my words. but many times before those words had caused much damage and were not ones i could take back. being quiet, breathing in, and giving a gentle answer which at many times was in the form of no answer at all, has made a world of difference in my marriage. no wait, a universe of difference from both parts. him and i.

we sometimes want the last word, if they unintentionally hurt, we want to say our words that might give us the lead score. but it never made me feel like a winner. it made me feel like a jerk. every time.

 with the kiddos, it tends to happen as well. i speak too quickly, yell too quickly, assume too quickly. just because i'm the parent, doesn't ever mean my words are the only ones that matter. in fact, their words are really the most important. to lead them, i must understand them. can't do that if i'm doing all the talking. or yelling in some cases. i know i sound like a bad mom, but i'm just another mom trying to figure this whole thing out. with them i need to take that time to be quiet and reflect.

//come to think of it, it's so necessary to just be quiet sometimes and reflect. with friends instead of judging too quickly, just be quiet and hear their story, their heart. quiet your mind down for a few moments. and with God, oh with God, how come I just can't shut up for crying out loud? how come i always want to insert my two cents and not just be quiet and let Him speak? .................... it's a constant struggle, but i'm getting better at it. everyone has something to say, but not everything is to build up or encourage. today i choose to be quiet and reflect.

how about you, do you have a hard time being quiet?

linking up:

home + heart

scripture saturday: rain down.

we stayed in our cars for a good while. it was pouring down HARD. the raindrops sounded almost like hail on my windshield and we could not see anything through the windows.

then, it was hail. hard enough to feel like my windshield was going to break any moment. feared crept up, debated going home instead. we waited.

when the hail stopped, we all made a mad dash inside. 

and as the storm grew louder, our voices grew even louder then. 

our hands were lifted, our hearts in an offering. 

and in that moment, our voices in unison with the enormous raindrops hitting the windows, the Lord made His presence known. 

even in the storm, no matter how ugly, how deep the howling of the wind, your heart as it seeks the Lord will always find His righteousness and salvation. 

because He is faithful to those that draw near to His heart. 

may you have a weekend full of close moments with the Lord. 

so you wanna live healthier?

a couple of weeks ago, i shared my thoughts on my #30daysofsalads challenge and what i learned from it. 

today i wanted to do a follow up to that post and share some tips in case you have found yourself struggling in staying dedicated to a healthy way of living or a new eating plan. 

quietly contemplating. [happy and healthy you]

lately life has been a bit confusing. a bit unclear and i can sort of see a new road unwinding. 

i could be afraid of it, and at times i have shed a tear or two fearing the unknown. but as i type this and think about all the inspiring posts i have read this week and God's voice being behind each one of them, i'm breathing in deep and can say i'm okay with it.

i'm choosing to see His grace in my life. in those moments of quiet which i've craved more this week compared to most (and it's barely wednesday!), i smile and take it all in. i can't allow the negative or the threatening storm clouds to move me. heck, i might even break out a run when and if it begins to pour.  

now link up below and tell me what you are doing that makes you happy or healthy. could be anything! dancing, eating, spending time with your kiddos. tell me below!

link back so more can join the party, and visit others. it's a party, so mingle or leave some sweet words. say hi!

just copy and paste, mkay? 

button code. ain't nobody got time for that!

melting momma's heart.

This little girl. I love her to pieces. She's my little princess, but the most stubborn princess at that, and she can drive me up the wall. Yesterday, she and I got into a little spat. Has been happening lately. That says a lot about me being the adult, right?

After about three seconds of me raising my voice at her, I felt like the size of a flea. I grabbed her from the couch, took her into my bathroom and had mommy and Becky time. As I'm brushing her hair and curling it, my heart melts with the words that come out of her mouth.

i like happy.

there was a time in my life, not too long ago either, where anything could bring me down.
many, many nights i would cry buckets over my feelings being hurt, the past that hounded me and little things that stole my joy. it was a rocky season in my life that not only impacted me, but those around me including my marriage and my children.

And the only thing I had left after all the crying, was a massive pounding headache, puffy eyes and many tears lost and Advil was getting lots of my money. it was a season of lots of pain, lots of stress but in it all, i learned something.

i like happy.

So, you wanna blog?

Sunday, I spent some time on a quest to find blogs that would inspire me.

This being my second go round at blogging, after a good hiatus, I was hit with the same feelings I had when I first began to blog.

will I write something witty and brilliant that people will want to read?

will my blog design be as trendy as the next blogger?

will I gain a 'respectable' amount of readers?