Just Have Hope

  August 2021 Songs Fix You August 16th ~ Broken & Beautiful by Kelly Clarkson   ~ Fix You by Coldplay First Day August 22nd ~ A New Day Has Come  by Celine Dion ~ Have It All  by Jason Mraz Do It Today August 29th ~ I Just Wanna Shine  by Fitz and the Tantrums

 My family really enjoys Ninjago. If you are familiar with Ninjago you will recall that the old man in charge of training the Ninja is called Sensei Wu. Wu is similar to Yoda if you have never seen the show before. This is one of my favorite quotes from Wu.  "Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today." ~Ninjago    I would say one of the biggest challenges people face is finding how to balance their time. It's so easy to spend the day lounging and playing games. However, it is quite harder to complete a to-do list in a timely manner and all on the same day. (Eventually, there is a limit to what we can do in twenty-four hours.) Wu's point though, was not that we should make life completely packed and overwhelming. His point was, let's not waste the time we have been given. Every day of our lives is a gift because tomorrow is not promised.   I will admit that sometimes I don't feel like doing something. And then I waste the time I have been give...

The First Day of School. There are only a few of those that I will have in my lifetime. This year I find myself torn between excited and not excited. Half of me is excited for a new start, a schedule, and working hard. The other half longs for more free time and wishes to have the Summer back. I'm afraid the latter part is winning.  The last time I went to school was not last school year. In fact, I really didn't go to school last year. I was virtual the entire year. And... I loved it. More free time, self-paced, easier than in-person school. It was nice, except for the non-social part but that's a story for another time. Anyway, the last time I actually went to school for a normal day was March 13th, 2020.  (I talk about this day more in-depth in this blog post if you are interested.) This year I'm considering myself a Freshman in my Sophomore year because I haven't really experienced high school yet.  So... here is my first quote for the new school year: "Th...

 "It is not your job to fix other people. You can't fix them. You can only change the way you live and the way you respond to life..." ~Lisa Prosen "When you are no longer able to change a situation, you are challenged to change yourself. And that changes everything." ~Marcandangel Notice how both of these quotes say that you can't change other people or situations but you can change yourself. Since we have no control over others the only thing we really can change is ourselves.  I think this can be hard to remember especially when other people's lives are falling apart. We can be examples to others, we can help others and we can uplift others but we can't change them. They have to choose to change.  All of us have free agency in order to choose. Unfortunately, that means those we love can make bad decisions that hurt them. It is very hard to watch loved ones make bad choices and live with the consequences afterward. Sometimes I wish a good speech wa...

 It's easy to recognize what we lack or have trouble with, however, when it comes to our strengths we have a harder time naming them.  All of us don't like it when we mess up. No one really does. However, we tend to hyper-focus on what we have done wrong. In fact, I even admit to doing that myself.  Please remember that your weaknesses don't define you. You are so much more than your mistakes. You are a child of God. That means everything.  I have found that others have a way of recognizing my strengths and talents. If you have a hard time seeing this, ask a trusted friend or loved one to tell you what they see in you. You might even be surprised by what they tell you. Sometimes we can beat ourselves up for what we did wrong. Please remember that you are human. We all make mistakes. And making mistakes is part of this life. Next time you make a mistake instead of beating yourself up over it, think about what you learned from it and how it will make you a better perso...

 This combines both June and July.  Please enjoy. June 2021 Songs Friends Are The Best June 3rd You'll Always Be My Best Friend  by Relient K ~Short but sweet!!! We're Going To Be Friends  by Jack Johnson  Trust Him June 8th Listen  by Colton Avery ~I really love this song. It's a great reminder for our day-to-day lives.  July 2021 Songs Expect Sad To Happen July 11th Say Something  by A Great Big World Life Is Like A Book July 18th Set It All Free  by Scarlett Johansson