Today, as I sit in my favorite cafe' (that's Fraiche Cup in downtown Bremerton, if you didn't know) I am thinking about the things in life that make me happy, and all that I have to be grateful for... Amidst all the tragedies that are occurring in the world, such as the traumatic and heartbreaking despair in Japan, to the civil war in Libya...massacres, etc., I choose to praise the Lord in it all, knowing that somehow in my life, I will fulfill a purpose--the dreams He has placed in my heart.
My heart breaks with such pain for the despair in the world. I want so dearly to help these people, to hug them and to give them hope and to encourage them. My purpose in this world is to help people and to intercede, build up, and encourage. I am meant to be a leader, an inspiration, and an instigator. This is the most important thing I've learned about myself in 2010...and what I aspire to do with my life. I can only use the circumstances in my life to continue to push through for my dreams...
I wanted to share with you the things in my life that bring me happiness, building up to create joy in my heart--that help me overcome some of the darkest and most depressing days. Perhaps this will encourage you to feel differently about the gloomy things that are happening in your lives too.
I wrote about this before, but I really love painting my nails. Please don't think of this as being superficial, because the principle of it is to cater to myself--even though I am a makeup artist, and the perception is that with all the makeup and such, I would cater to myself a lot, the truth is that I really don't wear that much makeup. My skin doesn't always agree with it, and it's not always practical for me to spend 45 minutes applying makeup for it to be washed off in the Washington rain when I'm outside a good chunk of my day. For me to paint my nails, I can be very creative and artistic. I can change them whenever I want to and they add a little sparkle to my day!
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| Last week! Fresh &spring-like! |
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| This week! Funky and sparkly...how I feel! |
Here are some of the designs that I've done that I felt especially proud of:
Very fun!
And these ones:
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| Flowers--all free-hand. It took me nearly 3 hours! |
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| Again, I love sparkles! Long time ago... |
Spending time doing my nails--such a fun time to myself, simple, yet a simple moment that creates happiness, which leads to joy in my life!
Another thing that brings happiness to my day is reading and discussing literature. I do have a particular genre I gravitate towards, which is 18-20th century American and British literature. I find the many different authors and amazing poets, teachers, and orators to be refreshing and incredibly inspiring against the other types and period genres. I took an American Literature course a few years ago, which focused mainly on post-Civil War American literature. In this course, I discovered Mark Twain and Kate Chopin, two amazing writers whose works I've enjoyed immensely. In other English courses, I've discovered Franz Kafka, Ayn Rand, Ernest Hemingway, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Jonathan Swift, Emily and Charlotte Bronte, and Jane Austen. All of these amazing writers have inspired a world of creative writing, documenting history and social movements...I also find myself craving a pursuit of studies particularly in English and literature to perhaps someday teach it at a university level too. Who knows? The possibilities are endless with these vivid dreams.For this entry, I've documented two things that bring happy moments to my day--they bring joy overall, and make me push forward to not feel so depressed about circumstances. It's all about attitude anyway, right? =)
What makes you feel joy and happiness?
Psalm 100:4 says, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name."
Give praise to Him for all the things that bring you joy and happiness. =)
With much love, encouragement, and a hot chai tea,
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