Quote of the Week.

'Frankly I'm not even that smart. What I am is fearless and intuitive' -- Kelly Cutrone, taken from 'If You Have to Cry Go Outside and Other Things Your Mother Never Told You'

I love this quote, because that's almost exactly how I feel about myself. I laugh whenever people describe me as smart or a genius. It's not that I'm not smart but genius is more than a stretch. In fact, I'll let you all in on a little secret - I had a tough time with reading for YEARS. I may be a freakishly dedicated reader now but until the 6th grade reading came only of force and hard work for me. Being mildly dyslexic it wasn't easy for me to learn to read and it wasn't enjoyable for years after.

I never thought of myself as particularly smart but I suppose I knew for the most part I also wasn't dumb. I had the unique benefit of being taught at home (yep, I was home schooled) so I had advantages many of my peers did not. I took to certain subjects (eventually) like writing, literature, and sign language. I excelled in those areas even as I continued to be painfully aware of my shortcomings in math (I have a much harder time with numbers than letters) and science.

I've had some great victories since graduating college and I'm grateful for continued opportunities. That being said, I'm with Kelly - my successes have not come from being smart, I don't think myself any smarter than the next girl. They have come from courage and hard work. The courage to try what others don't dare dream of, the resilience to get up after failures (and there have been some), and the work ethic to do what it takes.

I like Kelly. She's an average small town girl who didn't take no for an answer. She fought to get to where she wanted to be and she fights to stay on top of her game now. I respect that.

Love,
B

Quote of the Week.

First off, confession, I was OBSESSED with Kirk Franklin in middle school and some of high school. My Dad and I can do most of his songs perfectly, even the rap parts (this is a hoot to experience, trust me).

I know the Lord is speaking to me when the voice I hear is always challenging, always convicting, and never allows me to be comfortable where I am. Not having a father, what an honor it is to have One who loves me so much that His greatest desire is to see me grow. - Kirk Franklin

I admire people who grew up without fathers and have found the fatherly love we all desire in their relationship with the Lord. I was blessed with a Dad that would arguably be the greatest Dad in the world, so this isn't something I necessarily relate to but as I grow up and my job opens me eyes to the importance of active fathers in the home, I'm that much more in tune with the Lord's provision of HIS fatherly love in situations where that earthly need isn't met.

I picked this quote this week, however, because I am recently experiencing the growing pains of being challenged, convicted, and uncomfortable in my faith. A great reminder that I AM growing and that I may just be on my way to being dangerous to the enemy. I've learned in my adult life to use the 'down time' between really hard parts of my walk to prepare for when those times will return. I am preparing with truth, with prayer, and with an earnest desire to know the Lord more every day.

Love,
B

Quote of the Week.

Assumptions are the termites of relationships. - Henry Winkler

You know what they say about assumptions...it's true. Enough said, really.

Love, B

Quote of the Week.

Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself. ~William Faulkner

I hope you've been loving the revamped 'quote of the week' as much as I have. I'm especially fond of this one as I'm in the habit of saying that I love to compete but the person I love to beat the best, is myself.

I'm in this funny, awkward stage of life in which I happen to be a bit ahead of my time. I'm 25. I have been employed full-time since the day I graduated college. Oh yeah, and I do have a college degree. I'm a homeowner. I'm established in my community and my church. I'm kind of an 'old soul' for lack of a better term.

So competing with my contemporaries could either inspire me to be even more of a go-getter than I am or it could give me an excuse to coast. Hey, I'm pretty advanced for 25, let's just hangout here being content and not push to be even better every year. Well you all know me well enough to know I'm a pusher. I push my friends but I push myself harder than I push anyone else. I push myself to be disciplined. I push myself to be thoughtful. I push myself to reach goals, to try new things, and to be outside of my comfort zone - regularly. My challenge for you is to push yourself to be better than you've ever been before. Stop comparing yourself to other people, regardless of if it makes you feel better or worse about yourself. Set goals and acheive them for your own sake.

Love, B

Quote of the Week.

People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

We have all met what I call a Debbie Downer. The person who can suck the life out of the happiest of occasions or find some reason to rain on any parade. Now as a formerly faithful watcher of the show Daria on MTV, I admit I do like a little cynicism and sarcasm, when done well, puts stitches in my sides. But how you view the world, people, life, circumstances is in fact a reflection of your character.

Life is in essence what you make of it and if you're like seems to really stink all day every day well - that probably isn't totally without your help. So much of the way life works out for you is really up to you. Now, that's not to say there aren't just days you woke up on the wrong side of the bed and you keep checking to see if there happens to be a full moon in broad daylight. BUT it means that the way you act under those circumstances reflects you and only you.

Everyone deserves to just have a bad day from time to time. Be cranky. Get out a good cry. Hole up in your room and pout for a day by all means - but one day. Not everyday. Remember that the attitude of those under you is a reflection of your leadership and that your character, good or bad, shows through by the way you view the world.

Love,

B

Quote of the Week.

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ah, another of my favorite Ralph quotes. I'm not sure this requires much expansion from me. I've blogged plenty about my opinions of how the world pushes me to want certain things and I'm fighting with all my might not to get caught up in the perceived 'norms' but to find my own niche.

Sometimes when I start to feel a little odd and out of place I try to remember that I may just be blazing a trail for women behind me to feel like they can be themselves too. The world is certainly always putting pressure on me but I'm shoving it right back with my determination to just be me.

Love,
B

Quote of the Week Get's a Makeover.

I've been sharing quotes from time to time on the blog over the last two years. I want to bring back the quote of the week but with a twist, now I'm going to blog about it too. I'm not just going to give you someone else's words but my thoughts on them, which should give you an idea why I chose them. Hopefully this will be good for my writing but will also be of greater interest to you. And for those of you who recently told me you 'steal' my quote, I love that. Clearly, I stole them too.

Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

I talked a lot about fear on the blog when I was reading, 'In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day'. Fear is paralyzing in our lives. It holds us back not only from God's will (for Christians) but from reaching our full potential. If you're always afraid of failure you will never really succeed. If you're always afraid to take a chance, you will never fully experience life.

There's perhaps one thing I would argue defeats more people than fear, and that's sin. But I think they're linked. I think often times we get stuck in patterns of sin, doing the wrong thing, but our fear or being judged keeps us from getting the help we need to break free. Our fear of giving up our lives to our faith also keeps us from experiencing the fullness of life God intended because we want to store just a ltitle of our treasure on earth, too.

I love Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was so articulate, so wise. He professed to be a believer though his beliefs were, interesting to say the least. But I find that I'm drawn to his quotes again and again.

Love,
B

Quote of the Week.

'In the midst of pain, God makes a way for us to see and experience His greatness' - One in a Million, Priscilla Shirer

Quotes of the Week.

For all my new years resolutioners who are losing weight...

When you think about 45 pounds, that's like carrying around a preschooler . Trust me, it wears out your knees'. - Marie Osmond on her weight loss

'I just got tired of being overweight and unfit' - Peter Jackson (director of Lord of the Rings)

Quote of the Week.

But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most? -- Mark Twain

Another one that makes you think.