Enjoy true beauty!

I’m always busy. Interviewing this person. Watching a movie. Researching. Relaxing.

Did I just say I am busy relaxing? Wow!

I am beginning to realize I need to slow down and enjoy the real beauty of life. Chasing things that are not eternal such as money, possessions, fame or whatever will never fulfill me. However, spending time with my loved ones, attending church, stopping to help someone… those are the things I will remember.

The satisfaction I receive when I see that smile on someone’s face knowing I helped it appear. The inner peace I have when I’m in the comfort of my loved ones. The joy that overcomes me when I am willing to go out of my comfort zone to help someone. The strength I obtain when I progress in my relationship with Christ. Those are the nuggets in life, the real golden nuggets. Some nuggets you can toss to the side, and forget about. But certain nuggets, you want to keep in your “sacred box.”

When I was younger I had a “sacred box” and if anyone touched it I would go nuts. I rarely took out my possessions in their and when I did I would go around the house saying to everyone, “this is sacred and you better not touch it.” I wrote that to say those were my real golden nuggets in that “sacred box” and I cherished them. What are your real golden nuggets? Are you cherishing them or tossing them to the side haphazardly?

Slow down! Recognize your real golden nuggets in life. Once you recognize them, go retrieve them and begin to cherish them. Life is too fast for us to wallow around ignoring the things that truly have meaning. I have to remind myself, everyday to enjoy the real beauty of life. Notice I said real, I will no longer acknowledge the phony. I hope you too will sit back, kick up your feet, and enjoy the real beauty that surrounds you everyday.

AK

Why don’t you just admit it?!

The American culture has brainwashed many people to embrace their faults and not to deal with them. Go ahead and curse someone out, if you feel like it. Go ahead and kill someone, if you feel like it. Get the pattern? Instead of someone telling you, girl you have an issue. Or admitting it to yourself, people now want us to sugarcoat everything.

The moment someone is called out they shout, “Don’t judge me!”

How about I’m not judging you. You’re actions are speaking clear enough for me to make a prediction about your character. Here are my thoughts after encountering countless people who say with their mouths “I am sorry,” but their heart is far from it. Believe me, there is a difference. Enjoy…

Have you ever asked yourself, “How’d I get here… again?” Ever made a mistake over and over and repeatedly repented? Then before you know it, you are in a dark room sobbing uncontrollably looking into the darkness feeling hopeless.

Your hopelessness turning into doubt. Your doubt turning into content.

Content that has you now believing it’s okay to shrug it off, and just continue to drink until you’ve neglected your wife and children. Have sex until you end up with an STD or end up having yet again, another abortion. Continue to hurt people countlessly while failing to realize you are hurting yourself as well.

Once again you shrug it off, wipe off your tears, and reapply your mask.

Lipstick to hide the sting of your words. Mascara to open your lifeless eyes. Blush to appear sweet, though you sting like a bee. Foundation to smooth out your rough edges. You apply your mask as you do every single day. Hoping no one will be able to unravel your true self. Instead of cleaning up your actions you cover the blemishes. You continually sweep it under the carpet and proclaim, “I’ll deal with it later.”

The time comes for you to unravel your sins and you ignore them once again. When will the pleading end? When will anxiety loose its hold? Or is it there to stay?

Are you truly sorry, if you continually repeat your mistakes? Does applying your makeup cause you to feel better about yourself? I believe you may be hiding something, something now bigger than yourself.

Watch your actions they become your habits.

Watch your habits they become your character.

Watch your character it becomes your destiny.

So glance in the mirror once again. Barefaced with tears running down your delicate skin, look yourself in your penetrating eyes, and proclaim… “I have faults and I’m dealing with them, before it’s too late.”

AK

I need YOUR help?!

I love my blog and I’m so surprised it’ll be one year this summer!

However, I am thinking of ways to enhance YOUR experience. I’m happy with the subjects I have covered so far and I’m looking to broaden the topics more. The ideas I have are to begin to write articles such as features, Q&A’s, and reviews. I’ll be interviewing people locally and maybe once in awhile people outside of Indy. Of course I will continue to write my regular blog posts as well, which includes writing more then just weekly. I will be changing the categories and everything except the layout since that recently took place. You will still have access to my old posts as well. If my job was to solely blog I would love to do only this, I am moving into that direction gradually along with other fun projects.

What do you think? What better way to recreate my blog than by asking the people that read it. These changes will be positive, interesting, and will cause more traffic to the site as well-which continues to increase.

I want you to continue to peek into my world so please give me YOUR feedback. This is not just about me, it’s about YOU too. Let me know what you like or dislike? All these changes are currently in the works and I can’t wait to reveal my first article to you all. I will continue to live up to my mission as well, which is to be Stimulating, Relatable, and Inspiring in everything I write. I believe I have done this so far, please let me know if I have not.

I appreciate you all reading my post and peeking into my world. Thank you!

Can’t wait to hear YOUR feedback! 🙂

AK

Who are you stepping on?!

It’s funny how you can invest so much into a person only to see the seed shrivel up and die, as if it were never alive.

It’s heartbreaking to give your all and find out in the end your all was just not enough this time.

It’s troubling to realize the one you love will never walk back into your life, because this time they are gone forever.

How many times do you look inside yourself and evaluate who you have offended? It’s always easy to point the finger and slander someone else’s name. However, when was the last time you clearly evaluated yourself and realized, “I was wrong, and they were right?”

Sad to say most people never come to that realization, and once they do sometimes it‘s just too late. It’s easy to shed a tear because someone has did you wrong. However, can you remember the last time you cried because you offended someone else?

Where’s the remorse?

The biggest form of deception is self-deception. Our own arrogance can cause us to dig our own grave. A grave filled with denial, self-pity, and pride.

Your wounded body lying their hoping someone will come and rescue you from the grave and overlook your faults. They stand in faith hoping that you will change your ways, not just for a day but also for eternity. If only you’ll be spared another day of restoration, and grace.

Who will come and lift you up out the grave? The person you kicked the most? The person you slandered? Or will it be the person you didn’t appreciate?

Just be careful who you mistreat and take advantage of. They can be the very ones passing your grave as you are slipping down into the abyss. Will they reach out to grab you or reach out to push you?

Once again, be careful.

AK

Unintentional goodbyes!

Have you ever held a conversation with someone dear to you knowing that would be your last conversation?

Have you ever interacted with someone and thought it would be your last time intermingling?

Have you ever put forth your helping hand to someone and realized that was the last time you would lend your services?

It hurts when it’s someone you love. Someone you invested your time into. Someone you can recall fond memories of. Nevertheless that’s the way life goes, huh? We send that last text not knowing it would be the last time that person name pops up in our inbox. We give that last hug. We give that last wave.

Life is full of “lasts.”

Whether we want to admit it or not, those last moments leave an imprint on our hearts. A print so deep that we begin to build walls in an effort to keep people out, so they also won’t be apart of our “lasts.” We go through life with these spectacles on, sizing everyone up and seeing if they have certain qualities or not to become worth our precious time. Seeing if they are worth our laughter, tears, or words. Will everyone measure up? Of course not. That is why so many people end up on our “last list” unintentionally. Because no one seems to make the effort anymore. It seems as if people don’t realize relationships are two sided. Relationships are a team effort.

You cannot continue to pour out into people and not be replenished yourself-you will drain yourself. Sometimes goodbyes are needed and sometimes all you have to do is express the situation and things change. Some people are in your life for a season, a specific purpose, then they are gone. Others are in our lives for a lifetime.

There is a quote that says, “There comes a point in your life when you realize who matters, who never did, who won’t anymore, and who always will. So don’t worry about the people from your past, there’s a reason they didn’t make it into your future.”

Life has twists and turns that are often unexpected. An effort for us to reach out and control them often leads us to make a complete U-turn. That U-turn is not the place we want to be. We have to begin to let people take their proper place in our life and stop trying to make things happen.

I will try where effort is necessary and let go when the time is right.

I hope you do the same.

AK