Author: esse11e

Serendipitous.

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If I could speak briefly about what life should be when I fathom, absolutely, having come into Union with you, I imagine my voice would shake, emitting resonance as follows: It wasn’t planned, how you and I met, not by me at least. I spent my whole life looking for you going in mistaken directions what felt like a million times. I even envisaged having met you when traveling said paths. I can recall how good they felt, too, but none would begin to compare to you. In hindsight, I knew they weren’t you; some felt like dead ends, early terminations… We aren’t even wholly acquainted as I still build upon all you’ve offered me, yet I finally feel complete. And beyond what I feel, I’ve never stopped stopping to think, since the day you were no more unbeknownst to me. The idea of you kept me going. The potential. The belief that there was more. For my development, you conceptualized major terms before we ever intersected. You encouraged me to pray more, that I might …

The Alchemist x Paulo Coehlo

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Everything they’ve said is true!!!!! This book is purely amazing, start to finish! It is a tale of a boy who journeys through life trying to achieve his own “personal legend.” It is a story of perseverance and determination, with the aspect of love that can never be omitted in life’s greatest quests. Paolo Coehlo, in The Alchemist, literally does everything right. I honestly felt like I was there and I was in love every step of our journey through Spain, across the desert, all the way to Egypt. Truly, there are not enough words to put together in the best sentences to accurately convey how much I loved this book. Unlike all of the other “Bookworm” posts I’ve shared, this is a novel. Still it hits on some important stuff we could all use in our daily walks! Happy Reading! ❤

in.decision.

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Everything in life is a choice. Even when we choose to do nothing, we are doing something. Sometimes it seems right, to do nothing; sometimes we are content to wait our turn. Sometimes, the holding pattern becomes so familiar that we find ourselves happy in a cycle that never changes. Unless you can honestly tell me that you’ve accomplished, or worked tirelessly to accomplish your wildest of dreams, it sounds more like complacency if you ask me. Have you reached your career peak? Do you make time for your favorite hobby, regularly? Is the girl|or|guy you’re dating mutually invested? Is your spouse[wife|or|husband] working with you? Do you feel valued every day? Do you put into the world even a portion of what’s been bestowed upon you? First things first, you are responsible for yourself. You have to seek God in knowing your purpose, and in following it. Stop looking around to have opportunities fall into your lap; maybe it happens on occasion, but that’s not the way things work. Faith without works, my friends. Now, …

The Gifts of Imperfection x Brene Brown

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What I love about this book, The Gifts of Imperfection, is the perspective it takes on living a “wholehearted life”. The author,  Dr. Brene Brown, is a researcher who has studied things such as shame, fear, and vulnerability. That gives her a highly unique perspective on people and how we choose to live, especially as it relates to perfectionism! Using this unique perspective, Dr. Brown shares several points of wisdom (i call them) that teach us to let go of what we’re “supposed” to say, do, or be… and embrace who we are. Now, this doesn’t mean that she fails to encourage us to learn and grow; rather, she challenges us to do so in ways that we desire, that please us, and that don’t come as result of other people’s expectations of us! Happy Reading!

On Love – & loss.

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So often, so prevalently, the word “love” is thought to reflect intimate, romantic relationship. In reality, love is a much wider umbrella under which we are all supposed to live. God commands that we do all things in love. The truth is, I haven’t always done things in love. Frankly, I haven’t even always tried to. There were times that I was content to be selfish, to lack the capacity to care any less about how my actions could affect others. It’s not that I wanted to intentionally hurt them, but doing so as collateral didn’t cause me to think twice. I remember, for instance, when dating for fun was the point… So then when I was “tired” of dating someone, I could just leave them standing alone in the rain. Where, then was the love umbrella? No, I don’t mean I had to love or be in love, but I could have been more tactful. Having fun is great, necessary even, but not at the expense of others. The same goes for friendships, even …

1.18.15

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Oh Lord, I come before you now thanking you for life. It is the most beautiful blessing to wake each day, to live, to learn, and to grow. As people are in abundance around us, laughing, speaking, crying, engaging, isolating, and [verb]ing, l believe we tend to take the gift of life for granted. We are grateful for it, but I for one sometimes overlook the simple blessings in life. I ask that you’d slow us down, Lord, that we might see the beauty in living, that we might actually experience the natural world and its inhabitants. Allow families to bond, to know and love one another unconditionally, allow friends to recognize not only that, but also why they have chosen one another… For those expecting children, please help them to rejoice in every step, allow them to love their children and to care for them sufficiently. We are not innately good, so please help us to be better people that we might extend our hands to help one another, and not attack. Help us …

Mis|tak|en

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There’s a quote that reads, “Mistakes are proof that you are trying.” I love that quote; it’s encouraging, not condemning. The more I read it though, the more I realize I don’t exactly agree with it. For me, it isn’t the mistakes that prove effort, it’s the acknowledgement, the conceptualization of whatever act as “mistake, and what’s more, it’s the conviction one feels after the f(act). To acknowledge something as a mistake is to admit wrongdoing, to hold oneself responsible for having committed the wrong, and to make conscious efforts to act differently in the future. Whether our mistakes are intentional or unintentional, and we will all make both, reconciling takes on the same process. It wasn’t until recently that I realized the need to reconcile with myself, I always thought  it had to be two or more involved for some sort of resolution. Well, I’ve found that in some ways, there are, even when I reconcile with myself… there’s the guilt-crazed one who made the mistake, the judgmental one who condemns me for having …

1.11.15

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Heavenly father, I come humbly to you today to ask for nothing more for myself than your forgiveness. I am a sinner, Oh God, and though it is written as fact that I will never be perfect, I want, everyday, to please you. Though I cannot do all things right, though I was born and wake each day a sinner saved only by your grace, spared only by your mercy, and promised only your love, I want to do better. I have no desire to make casual mistakes, even those unintentional; for that only tells me that I am not intentional enough about my steps. I know that you will love me all of my days, oh God, and I am so grateful for a God like you, one so selfless even with the power to do all things. Lord, I thank you for allowing me new days to see, to live, to learn, to breathe… I pray that I learn to maximize these days with love that I may lift your name and magnify you, …

Emogical I

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The Internal Have you ever had a friend vent to you about the SAME situation over and over again, until the point you listen without having anything to say. In the back of your mind, you’re screaming “you could do so much better if…”… But, knowing your words are for naught, you listen without hearing a word. Is that an emotional or logical response? One could argue either or both ways. Imagine if you did the same thing to yourself. Chances are: many of us have been there in some way or another. I can think of tons of examples, honestly. As a people pleaser, I’ve had far beyond my fair share of taking on the weight of the world… or the weight of my acquaintances in the world. The biggest ones for me, perhaps, surface in relationships, both romantic and non. With friends and some family, I have had the tendency to drop everything when someone asks me, never mind what I may be doing. The best part is when I actually had the …

Boundaries x Drs. Cloud & Townsend

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I honestly cannot say enough about this book. I’ve read it twice in three weeks, and some chapters even more. It has and will continue to change my life, forever. I don’t say this lightly. I’ve spent time reading this book for content, reading for understanding, and reading for healing. I have cried, I have laughed, but most of all, I have learned. It seems so simple, Boundaries. It isn’t a term unheard of or taboo; for me, however, it has been an all too cavalier practice. Boundaries, written by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend, has engaged me, cover to cover. It ignited a burning flame in me to take responsibility of who I am that I may truly be an adult, by action, or by lack thereof. If you want long-lasting, meaningful practices to intentionally govern your life, boundaries are a surefire way to start! Happy Reading! ❤