Life Lesson # 1

Good evening online world…I pray this finds you well!

It has been one hell of a week. But I am not here to vent, not to an online audience at least…you will have to sit down with a cup of coffee to get that storyJ. I want to share with you how beautiful life truly is when you step back and look at what the bigger picture. It is not about the momentary pain, or a glimmer of happiness. Life isn’t always beautiful, however it is never ugly. Pain lasts for but a moment and I would like to believe that 100% of the time we learn something from it. We learn who to trust and who not to, we are taught strength is only half of the equation; we understand that the people around us will at some point always fail to come through. However we also lean that the most important thing is getting back up, that while words may hurt, they also heal (you should want to make yours heal). We grasp the concept that often times when people let us down, they gave it their best shot and forgiveness is the greatest answer! We understand that while others have let us down, we have let others down too and if we seek forgiveness we MUST be willing to present it also. I cannot begin to explain how many times I have let the people I love and hold dear down. I am sure if they would be willing to share even just a 1/16 of incidences with you, we could fill up a book of experiences. But I know in my heart if you sit down and ask my loved ones if I ever let them down or hurt them they would give the same answer  I would…”yes, but let me begin to tell you how they have changed my life for the better.” My mom loves me even though I have failed to always show her how much I love her, my sister adores me even though there are times when it is difficult to tolerate one another. My father would never speak an ill word about me, because he has never spoken an ill word about anyone. My family loves me and that is enough to get though my toughest moment. I wake up every morning knowing that even if I fail miserably, my mom, dad, and sister will be right there beside me telling me that I am loved. And that my friend is what makes life never ugly! The fact that someone will always be there to tell you it is ok; be it your parents, grandparents, coworkers, boss, cousins, brother or sisters, aunts or uncles, husband, wife, kids, or even friends, someone will always be there to tell you the mess you made is beautiful. Someone will always be there with open arms. And that concept alone is the stunning!

If you are on the other end of this tonight, take the time to let someone know that the mess they made today is one day doing to be beautiful!

Happily Ever After!

It has been almost a year since I have actually blogged anything and I have no followers so I feel little to no remorse.

I spent a few hours with some good friends this afternoon talking about our academic strengths. While I spend me evenings struggling through my statistics class, because numbers have never been my friend, they are biochemistry majors and work alongside doctors. However, I can write my way out of almost any situation, and am proud of that skill. With their motivation I sit back down at my blog and begin to express myself in the way I know best…through simple, yet beautiful words. Tonight I speak to all of the girls out there, both young and old.  

You see ladies; we grow up reading tales of happily ever after and beauty. At a young age we are taught that Prince Charming is only a white horse and a fire-breathing dragon away. Even in the Cinderella story, where life is hard and ugly, a happy ending is only as far away as the turn of a page. Some would argue that these stories are misleading and harmful to our beautiful young ladies out there today, I however beg to disagree.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I believe if you are reading this now, you are absolutely stunning! You may not be the skinniest or most in shape person, or even have received the winning ticket to the genetic lottery, but you are loved by many. I say this with extreme confidence, because someone out there somewhere loves you enough for you have made it this far in life. Beauty is not about your appearance to the outward looking world; nevertheless beauty is lost within your spirit and soul.

My Prince Charming isn’t coming on a white horse or fighting a fire-breathing dragon (in part because I am aware that such creatures are only alive in fairy tales). My Price Charming is not going to arrive with impeccable grace because I am aware that expecting a man to be faultlessly poised is an unrealistic as demanding that a woman look dazzling upon waking from a restful nights sleep. I am looking for my prince to merely tell me that I am someone worth fighting for, someone they will never give up on!

I grew up in a home rich with love, and there was never a shortage of endearing things to be said. I was raised with such a wealth of love that was invested into me and my sister that the return is unfathomable.  Sadly, not all of us were blessed in such a vast way.

My point is even Cinderella had some bad spells in life, but she too got her happily ever after. That is the focus point that our little ladies need to be looking at. Not that Prince Charming is coming, because the fact is, chances are very high he is going to get lost along the way or better yet we are going to get stuck at home scrubbing floors and picking up after someone else’s mess. The point is at just the right time; at the turn of the next page, happiness will arrive. Whether it is Prince Charming or even our fairy godmother with just a moment of relief, happiness is near if not already here!

“Never mind the silver lining 'cause the clouds are fine!”

            - Nichole Nordeman