Let Light Win

12 months ago I stumbled out of the hopelessly dark cavern that had been my home just in time to watch the sunrise.
The world was full of more light than I had ever thought possible. Purest gold and softest rose filled my horizon, and I learned a lesson. Grace makes life beautiful.

Today I'm standing in another kind of darkness. Softer, friendlier, it's whispering to me that I'll find the light again soon. And this time, I've been given a candle. I'm holding onto it tight, each day fighting not to let it go out so I can hold up it's soft, warm glow to the world. My candle is my gift, but whether I keep it burning or not is my choice.

I'm choosing to let the light win.

Introducing...My Rambles :)

   Hey there lovely person reading this! I am introducing what I guess you could call a new series on my blog. I'm calling it My Rambles, because that's just what they're going to be. Random little essays of my thoughts and opinions about things. I like the word ramble because it doesn't have to go anywhere in particular...it's just a little excursion departed on for the fun of it. And if I happen to find something amazing and worthwhile on my carefree little rambles, then it's all the more exciting! I want to write more about the adventures of my everyday life, as I've come to realize that my life is quite different from that of the average teenage girl, and I believe for good reason. Maybe I can share some of the reason I've taken my particular life path thus far on this blog. Soo, I guess I'll just get right into it.
  This January has a much different flavor than the last one did. The skies are foggy and grey, sobbing torrential tears over the ugliness of the world it looks down on. Looking out the window can be depressing if you do it too often, even for me, an avid lover of gloomy weather.
  I'm different this January than I was the last, too. I'm not quite the exuberant, ecstatic girl getting giddy over every cloud in the sky and icicle on the windowsill. But I'm coming into a wholeness, an awareness if you will, encompassing myself and the world around me. I am consciously choosing not to numb myself to things, but instead to pay attention to the messages the universe is sending my way. That might sound funny, but when I say the universe I really just mean God. They're synonymous for me. I believe that God is in every aspect of the world as we know it, and He can speak to us in so many more ways than just one. So I'm working to open myself to that.
   One way that I do this is with my daily yoga practice. I'm currently doing a 31 day yoga challenge that is enlightening in so many different ways. I love yoga because it's really the only form of exercise where you can take care of your body, mind and spirit in one take. It's a practice of wholeness, and it's teaching me to listen to my own body and the messages that it has to send to my spirit. Plus, it makes me feel amazing and healthy and empowered, so that's awesome :)
  I think it's so interesting how much we can learn about ourselves if we only open ourselves up to it. If we only take the time to listen. And to write. Writing down the things we learn always helps, especially when you go back and look at the things you've written later. I've learned so, so, much about me and just life in general from keeping a journal, and referring back to it often. Writing opens up my consciousness so much, and helps give definite shape to the thoughts and emotions that can often get confusing.
  This is a time of year where it can be easy to slip out of mindfulness. The weather is cold and depressing, a lot of the time our schedules are boring and mundane. But if we keep our minds and spirits awake and open, we can realize that life is so much fuller than just the experiences and thoughts we limit ourselves to.
  Hopefully some of the above makes sense. I've been working extra hard lately on mindfulness. I'm trying to slip into a new phase, one of higher meaning and in order to do that, I have to slow down and be more aware. These are some of the things that have helped me. I'd love it if you are reading this and would like to share your thoughts or ideas about anything I've written, if you would leave it in the comment section! I'd really like to start a conversation here on my blog and get some people giving me feedback. That would be beyond amazing, and would totally make my day and life :) Thanks for reading, and have a fantastic week!
 

First Post of 2017!!

    Another year has come and gone. It always amazes me how much changes in a year. I feel distinctly different and I know that I'm not the same girl that I was last January. I'm not quite sure what to think about the changes, both in the world and in myself, but I'm determined to make the best of what I am given and to do the most with the upcoming year that I possibly can. New Year's is my favorite time of year. I love the feeling of newness that permeates the air, the fresh resolve that people have to do and be better. I feel like a new year is a gift from God, to show us his love in the form of a fresh start.
  This will most likely be a very long post, as I have a lot of blogging to catch up on. I'm going to write about the month of December first, then I want to talk a little about my New Year's Resolutions, specifically for the blog.

    December Wrap Up:

    Favorite Part: Christmas with my lovely family. All the gifts we gave each other, both the sweet homemade ones and the other thoughtfully picked ones. This Christmas morning was probably our tamest one yet, as we are all getting older and more mature (although by some standards we probably weren't overly sedate), but we have just as much love in our hearts for each other as ever and that is what makes Christmas magical.
    Reading: I finished Far From the Madding Crowd. It was really, really good. A frustrating and pretty sad story, but beautifully written and with a lot of good lessons and a GOOD ending. So it meets all my requirements. Also my mom and I watched the movie right after I finished the book and it was also amazing and did not disappoint. I would recommend both :)
   Listening to: Oh, everything. Lots of Alice Kristiansen covers and Molly Kate Kestner's new single, which are my current favorites.
   Learning: Where I want the future to take me, and how to live intentionally towards what I want. I'm excited for this next year to unfold, I've got some big plans!
   Thinking about: The new year and all my resolutions and goals.
    Next month: Getting back into the swing of things with renewed vigor and committing to consistent hard work and listening to my heart.

2017 Resolutions:

First off, I have a list of my words for 2017. These are my mantras and what I am striving for this year:

• Mindful
• Motivated
• Focused
• Joyful
• Confident

I have these in a place where I'll see them often, and they are the standards I am constantly holding myself to. 

I also have a list of more practical resolutions, including but not limited to:

1. Become more organized and good at housekeeping in my own little bedroom and my bathroom.
2. Journal every day.
3. Pray about everything.
4. Have a nice long social media purge
5. Post on the blog more! And don't make silly commitments I can't keep on here.

My blogging goals are to post at least once a week. I want to post more of my thoughts and opinions in essay form, as well as poetry. I'm going to continue doing my monthly posts but will most likely be changing them up a little bit.
Thank you for reading and I hope you have the most wonderful of New Year's!