I Am A Star

The sky.

It's big.

Vast.

Eternal.

Vast....the vastness of the sky is like the deepness of the darkest seas.

Who knows what's down there?

Out there?

Up there?

It's a mystery...

But guess what.

I know.

There's stars.

More stars than I can count.

More stars than I can even begin to imagine counting.

They fill the universe.

Forever is full of stars.

Shining brightly, they are stunning everyone who greets them with a fiery brilliance that can only be achieved by those elite.

And greet them I shall.

Twinkling back at them, I will proclaim,

"I am a star. I have a name. There is a light inside of me that none of you could ever bear to gaze at for a moment. That light shines in me when all else is dark. I am my own star."

The stars will talk back. They will reply, and their voices will sound a mix of tinkling bells and the deep grumble of a volcano, for each and every burning ball of gas has its own voice, its own personality.

They will all say, all together...

"I am a star. God placed me here in this sky. He knows me by name and he knows all of my brothers and sisters by name and there are tens of thousands of us. See me? Yes, imagine that inside of me, yet farther back in space, yes, if you zoom in, are billions upon millions more stars. And then, inside of them, are billions more. And surrounding me are simply billions of stars. You can't count is, but He has. He named us."

All you have to say back is this.

"The God who came up with all this beauty and glory and foreverness is the same God who loves me and breathes life into me. This huge God, who is forever, who never ends and never started, loves me in a way that a father loves his children. I am blessed.”

Fellow Writers

Being a writer, I enjoy conversing with other writers about the pains, joys, and frustrations of writing. There is something about writing, something special, and it's always a blast to get together with someone who sees that "specialness" and is willing to discuss it. A good friend of mine, McKenzie, is one of these people. We could sit down for hours to talk about our books, discussing characters and plot twists, romances and hatreds, beginnings and endings. If you ever see us running together...well, you can almost always depend on us to have mentioned the concept of writing at least once. People love to talk about their passions, and if you get them going, it's really enjoyable to listen to. As a writer, I love it when people write about their passions, even if they wouldn't call themselves writers. One friend of mine is a poet in the making. Another is not a writer, but a biker. He recently wrote a short article for a magazine contest. Even though he didn't win the contest, he still created an inspiring masterpiece. You can find it here!
Honestly, I would take the time to check out all the blogs in my "Blogs I Follow" list. They are all extremely worth the read!
Thanks for taking the time to read this little post!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

There are oh so many things I am thankful for. Thanksgiving...well it just makes me remember every little thing I'm blessed with.
I'm thankful for....
parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, youth group, Sunday school, leaders, my life group leader, libraries, books, imagination, friends, hugs, running, sweet notes, long hugs, cross country, texting, my XC team, family, friends, friends who are family and family who are friends, fandoms, warm beds, hot showers, photography, phone calls, skype, windows, fun, happiness...true happiness, words, stories, blogs, chocolate, time, LCHS, LCMS, LCES, MVCS, teachers, early mornings, Jesus as my big brother, little sisters, little girls, little boys, older "siblings", Best friends, movies, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, silent conversations, eye contact, English, Spanish, the Bible, Isaiah 40:31, State XC, Olive Garden, pranking tents, Birch Bay, floating lanterns, kayaks, stars, the sun, freedom, opinion, California, Disneyland, Prince Charming's and Princesses, "Once Upon a Time" beginnings with "Happily ever after" endings, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, the Lord of the Rings, Dragons in our Midst, Rising Shadows, my hero named "Daddy", my sanity named "Mommy", venting, smiles, vacation, pretty dresses, jeans, sweaters, American girl, Narnia, The White Giraffe, Paint the Wind, Les Miserables, The Hunger Games, colors, witnessing, seventh place, His strength as my strength, love...true love, fantasy, I am a Child of Light, Microsoft Office Word, music, the flute, my voice, the piano, the organ, creativity, encouragement, butterfly wings, the "undo" button, God becoming a man to save us, and...YOU. You all know who you are...I'm so very thankful to all of you who are reading this, even if you have no idea who I am. I'm simply thankful that you took the time to read this silly little post from my silly big heart. And to everyone else...all of you who think, "I totally know what she is referring to" you are so right, and to those of who you think, "She's thankful for me?" then be assured that YES, I am thankful for you.
God loves you all, and I hope you have a very wonderful Thanksgiving! Tell someone that you're thankful for them today. It's the perfect time of year. :)
P.S. After today, YES, we can listen to Christmas music. I like my fall before my winter, though I love winter dearly.

Letter from God: to all the daughters He so dearly loves

Letters from God to His children...I know a few books with this purpose in mind; using the artistic license of writing to depict a letter from God to His children. These short masterpieces always go straight to my heart, for it helps me remember that God is there, He is my father, my King up in heaven.
I decided to try my hand at it...this is what flowed from my fingers.

          My darling daughter,
     You are my princess, my precious treasure. I love you from the bottom of my heart, for I am your Abba, your Daddy up here in heaven. I'm watching you, loving you, protecting you. I've counted every hair on your head and know every tear you've cried. I can feel your pain, my daughter. I know your pain, I've seen it.
     But, my daughter, know this. 
     I've given you strength. You have strength in you to get through whatever battles I give you. I only give my hardest battles to my strongest warrior maidens, and you are a warrior maiden. Everything you need in the moment I will provide. Yes, you may feel like you're drowning. You may think that I am not there, but, my daughter, I am. I'm there, holding you, carrying you, walking for you.
     For at the end of your life, when you turn around and look at the footprints in the sand, you will see that I have walked alongside you all this time. I have carried you through the hardest moments. It's because I love you. I will always love you.
     You're my daughter, my princess, my warrior maiden. 
     I made you and I love you. You're my treasured possession. 
          ~Your loving Daddy

A Voice

Sometimes...my writing gets carried away. I begin a short story or poem with a pretty good idea of how it's going to turn out. But by the end...it's usually not how I expected it to go. That's what happened with this particular poem.

Softly.
Peacefully.
It begins.
A symphony orchestra.
You sit in the wings, waiting.
Watching.
On the edge of your seat you perch as the curtain slowly...
Slowly...
Eases open.
A gasp fills the audience.
One of your own can be felt rising within you as everyone stares as one being.
The stage is empty.
But then...
From the back.
Comes a voice.
A beautiful, pure, luscious voice.
It sings...
River deep and river wide
By the shoreline hear my cry
Let time slow down and rain subside
River deep and river wide
Love me now; forever be
Simply singing harmony
River deep and river wide
Kindly hear my humble cry.
A smooth wave of indescribable emotion surges through the audience.
Everyone breathes in as one, letting the music cleanse their souls.
The song is repeated as more sing along, the vocals becoming louder and louder, purer and purer as the choir of voices glide down the aisles.
Women, heads tucked, gowns touching the floor, hair cascading around shoulders...
The white shimmer of their dresses in the darkness.
The intoxicating glow flows through everyone's vision.
All the people...at peace.
Except for one man.
Rising in his seat, he begins to chant.
First softly, then louder and louder, his low voice sounds.
Ocean thick and ocean dark
Bring me back your smart remark
Join the chorus of the seas
Let it be the death of me
Ocean thick and ocean red
Red with anger, death and fear
Dripping crashing scarlet waves
Crushing melting killing ways.
The voices clash and mingle, minor and major, sharp and flat, mystery and doubt competing with love and hope.
The voices blend.
The audience stirs.
For one has rose up
To seize the world.

My Mind Conquers.

Running.

It's long.

Hard. 

I can't see the finish.

At least...not yet. 

From the second I begin my warm up to the second I crouch at the starting line, I know it's gonna hurt. I know I have to give it my all, despite the hurt. It's all or nothing.

But sometimes...sometimes the brain doesn't work like that. 

Sometimes you crouch at the starting line with a feeling of dread sitting like a stone in your stomach, and all the stone wants to do is fall to the ground and roll. Your body... it only wants to follow. You beg the ground to give way from beneath your feet so that you don't have to do this, even though you know you don't. You could stand up, say that you quit, and walk away, and everyone knows that. But you can't.

Your team needs you.

You need you.

So, you get into your starting position, eyes focused on the path ahead. Your mind...it could be anywhere.

But it's not. 

Your mind is on the race ahead, and you can't get it off. It's like a fly, buzzing around your vision. It's not going away anytime soon. Unless you kill it. Get it over with. Stop being a coward. 

Stop trying to be strong on your own. You can't. You need God's strength to get you through this. 

Just as you tell yourself this...it's too late. The gun has gone off and you are running, knowing that God is your strength, He's running this race, not you. 

Your legs are moving, and your mind is completely focused on the race, on picking up the pace, reeling in the pain of the best pace. The best pace is suicide, and today is a good day to die. You're not ready to die. You're too young. 

But you're never too young to stand on the podium. To get a place, to go to state, to give God the glory, to win. So you run faster. You run harder, you make your arms pump at a speed you never thought they could. You mind is in control now, and you are in charge of your mind. Pain is nothing. Your body is nothing. It's all your mind.

It's your mind when you see the finish line. That's why your legs start turning faster, your breath comes in harder. Your mind is why you relax your face, tense the rest of your body, and sprint towards the finish line like you're in the line of fire. 

But you're still getting hit. 

Bullets are raining down on you, pelting your calves, your thighs, your head. There's blood. It's clear blood, running in sticky, shiny, smelly rivers down your arms and legs. But the pain is nothing. Your body knows nothing. It's all your mind.

Your mind is the one who conquers when you cross the finish line like spaghetti. You fall, you wobble, you lose all of the protein you worked so hare to obtain. Your body is completely shot down. 

But your mine--your mind has conquered your body. And that is the best won battle of all. 

Thunder and Lightning and Rain and Sky

Thunder and Lightning and Sea and Sky. 

Strength and Hope when the river runs dry. 

A sleepless night in a starless dream

When Hope and Love are more than they seem.

An embracing arm, a ticking clock.

A love so deep it stirs your heart. 

Loving mothers, caring fathers,

Protective brothers and beautiful lovers.

A flash of light, the break of day,

Green meadow pastures where tired sheep lay.

Wells that run deep, rockets sky high,

Poets and writers and dreamers who fly.

The filled-empty morning, the touch of a hand, 

The shout of a sailor upon reaching dry land.

Life is so short--live it all out. 

Dreaming and Living and Loving the Sky.