Life and Love

Life springs from deep within. Every day it begins again; fresh, as if life has given us new stems. We reach for the sun on this glorious day--to feel its warmth and to gather its rays. We breath in the fresh air, and we let it all out; knowing that love is, without a doubt...

Each morning, we awake to find a bright and shining sun, air to breath, a life to live, and people to love. Love is carried deep within us; some desire to express it, and others--to hide it. Love is not merely an emotion or a feeling....love is genuine and meaningful. Love is omnipresent. It is all around us. It is in the air we breathe, the promises we keep, the bed we sleep, the people we meet. Love is everlasting and it cares for us completely....it is LOVE....

Love has no ultimate meaning; only that it is Love, and merely Love....just as "I am that I am"; love is, that it is....

Do you love...?
I do.

We choose to live our lives the way that we do...are we happy? Are we angry? Are we sad.....

We choose whether or not living is joyous or if it is not. We decide.

When we learn to love all things; we find greater happiness, and we no longer put ourselves before all matters. We learn to put all matters before ourselves; and in the end, we find that we are at peace with the present, not worried of the future, and not dwelling in the past.
We are content with ourselves, because also, ourselves we have learned to love....

We live in the now...the present is a gift; that is why it is called the "present"...it is a gift of new life, new love, new peace, new breath...totally and completely new...

This gift is deep within you...
Let it shine and let it show you. You are capable; and you know it is true.

Even if you feel that your whole world is crashing down on you; you can still pull through. You are not alone, and you are no less than any other human being breathing on this very Earth. You are loved, and not alone....loved....and never...no not ever alone...

Just reach out and Love will carry you.... With Love, you'll make it through...This, I promise you.

"This too shall pass"

Anxiety is doubt; and doubt is the absence of faith...even if for only a moment. Trust is essential to living a good life...a life of peace, balance and harmony. We often forget what it means to trust fully and wholly. We find ourselves wrapped up in the worries of this life, but we must remember that "this too shall pass"...Even for the high points, remember: "This too shall pass"...we must remain level-headed and remain humble...

Trials are God's way of teaching. I feel that when I am suffering, that is when I feel His presence the most. I trust that I am not alone and that there is a love that carries me farther and longer than anything ever could. There is a hope that is far greater than anything I could ever imagine. There is something that comes of these trials and of the trials to be that gives us new strength and teaches us new things. The lessons never end...the trials never end...but each and every one will end when the time is right.

We are given choices in this life...we decide which path to travel. We can make it easier or harder, but in the end, we will always find ourselves in the best position we could ever possibly be.

Today, I take one more step forward, and I just keep looking ahead. I know that good things will come, and that I will be very blessed...and I already am.

Tonight I want to go to sleep remembering the things I have learned, and remembering to just believe...

Every day is a new beginning, and a new chance to start over. I do not wish to carry over the worries of today into tomorrow...for tomorrow has new worries, new trials, and new teachings. Tomorrow has not come yet, and yesterday has ended...so for now, I remember to smile, breathe, love, and to just be....

There is something so precious about this day...and that, I will hold on to. What is precious and good will carry us far and wide--we are not alone, no...never alone. We just have to understand that and let that get us through our day.

...and remember...."This too shall pass"

All my love,

Ashley

Ah, Balance...

Balance in life is essential to our health and wellbeing--balance of the social, the physical, the spiritual, the mental, the biological, and the emotional. Without balance, we may not be as healthy as we could, and can therefore cause damage to ourselves and even spread that damage to those who love us.

For those who live to work, I encourage you to take some time for yourself and with your loved ones. I know how it is...just by talking with others and experiencing "workaholism" myself with in my own life...but, I find that when I am solely working and schooling, not finding time to do fun things with my close friends or family, I'm not as happy, nor do I do as well in school or work as I could. I think that it is biologically, spiritually, emotionally, and physically important to have that connection with friends and family. When was the last time you were embraced in a true hug that meant everything to you? It's that connection that gives us more of a purpose and meaning in our lives. We need each other...people don't thrive alone forever.

Solitude is also important for all human beings. Alone time is often time to think, pray, plan, clear the clutter from our heads, and even more. Alone time gives us the time and space to get to know ourselves better, and to reconnect with ourselves after possibly having a time of no connection whatsoever.

I see it this way--that one will never find time for anything in life...and because of this, he or she must MAKE time...this crucial balance is essential for us to live a life of joy and vitality.

Make your goal be to make more room in your lives to do more of the things that you love, so that you can find that inner sense of balance that may have possibly been lost for...well...a very long time or even a very short time. Whatever the case may be, just remember the importance of a life of balance.

Thank you,

Ashley :)

PS> Please follow my friend's blog as he bikes across the US for Children's Heart(WA to ME). Follow this link to see what he's doing now! Thank you :)
http://www.petey4kids.blogspot.com

Scorpions STING!

Hey there, to those of you who read my blog :)

This isn't my typical blog, but I just thought I'd share a funny(ish) story with all of you.
A couple nights ago, I was just laying down in bed to go to sleep...when all of a sudden, I feel this sharp pain in the back of my right thigh. I jumped out of bed like a crazy person, turned on the light, nothing was on me...but I had 4 red circles of PAIN where I felt the sting.

So, I thought, "Okay...there is SOMETHING in my bed. Whether it is a spider or a scorpion, I am finding it...NOW. Well, I found it rather quickly as I looked through my sheets. The Arizona Bark Scorpion crawled anything but peacefully across the top of the bed.
"OH MY GOSH!" I exclaimed...I was the only one home...as always, but that meant I had to take care of this scorpion problem all by myself, like the big girl I am. So, what do I do...?

"Oh, a tea cup...." I dumped out the tea and trapped the scorpion inside the cup rather quickly. It drowned in a little of the liquid I left inside the cup, and I flushed it down the toilet.
Normally, if I catch a scorpion, I let it outside...but since the menacing thing stung me, not once but 4 times, I decided to just get rid of it.

After that whole ordeal, I finally could pay attention to my leg. By that time, my entire leg had started going numb. I called my mother, who got me to take Benadryl (sp?) and she also called my dad, a nurse, at work and he asked the doctor in the ER what to do. So I had also taken acetametophen (aleve), as well has had an ice compress where I was bit. I checked my bed for more creatures, and when I found none, I elevated my leg and stayed on the phone with mom for a while, who had to calm me down from an aparent panic attack. My whole body just went limp, That venom is strong. The neurotoxins can really mess you up.

It was hard to fall asleep with the pain and numbness, but I finally did. When I woke up, I felt incredibly weak, and my muscles and joints were extremely sore. I had to work later in the day, and almost called in sick...BUT I didn't. And for those of you who don't know, I ride my bike 6.5 miles to and from work (total: 13miles)...but after the ride to work, on the nice and cool day, I felt a bit refreshed, but still a little icky. I told my boss, and he told me I was awesome...so that made me feel better too. As the work day went on, I forgot all about the sting and ended up having a very FUN TASTIC day. My boss has also seen my artistic abilities with food, especially desserts, and he sometimes has me make the decorations on the plates, as well as plate the desserts and take them out. It is rather enjoyable :)

Anyhow, after getting home, taking a shower, and getting dressed, my grandpa from Oklahoma came and picked me up to go see the rest of the family. I went out to dinner with my brother Kyle, sister in-law (to be) Stacy, Cousins Joe, Lucinda, and their son Kevin. It was quite a good day.

Well, anyway, the moral of the story is: No matter how much life hurts, we have to toughen up and LIVE...because life doesn't wait for any one person. Positivity always makes things better, so get happy ;) and I mean it!!

I still have some body pain, but I think I'll survive. It will probably be gone by the end of the day or by tomorrow.

Have a great day everyone! and SMILE!!!

Smile with a Grateful Heart

I think that sometimes, we fall into this trap where we want to live up to the expectations of others--and if we do not, we feel that we have failed. Sometimes, even we have expectations for ourselves that may be a little bit overboard. It is something that I think every human being deals with at certain times in their lives.
One thing I have learned is that you can't expect to be like anyone other than yourself; and you shouldn't be. We are all individual people with individual talents and dreams. We all have our own ways with dealing with certain situations or with life in general.
It is not good to envy the talents of another person, because what they have, you may never have...but you will always have something just as good, even if it is something very different. God gives us each our own gifts, and we must use those gifts in the way that he has intended. I read in a book that 'he who has only one gift and takes it for granted, wishing he had someone else's gift, shall not be blessed...but he who has one gift and accepts and uses it shall be blessed with many other gifts as he lives his life with a grateful heart.'
Gratitude...it is something that many people do not give. In this world, in these times, the 'self' has such a high importance to most people living today. Gratitude is something 'of the past' that is not given much thought anymore. Gratitude is something special...and when it is given, it shines brightly throughout the world.
Just a simple thank you to someone can make that person smile with their heart, and want to spread that gratitude to other people they may meet. Like laughter, like love--gratitude is contagious...and the more that goes around, the more peace and harmony there exists within us...

With much gratitude to you and others, I leave my thoughts here.

Thank you,

Ashley

Light

Sometimes, I wonder what life would have been like if I had become an artist--like my uncle Tim, or my Cousin Lucy, or my friend Parker...

Would I be the same person I am today, or would I be someone completely different?

I do not know; but all I know is that where I am today is the best possible place that I could ever be; and that God has a plan for me in the here and now, as well as in the future.

I see it as this: He sends us on little journeys or missions to accomplish something--either to better ourselves or to benefit others...or maybe sometimes both.

Every year of my life, it seems as though it's all a little clearer. Things aren't so foggy anymore; and the "why me, why now?" questions begin to subside.

This time around, I feel as though I'm being followed around by a little light of hope and sunshine that warms both my heart and maybe even the hearts I interact with. People are such delicate and fragile creatures. One bad day can turn in to many, and it can seem as though nothing will ever be good again. It can feel this way, especially when our interactions with others become sour or bitter...either us being the sour or bitter one, or the target of sour and bitterness. Either way...

What I want more than anything now, is to just give--at least a little bit of hope--to those I cross paths with in this life. I know that when it was done for me when I was at my worst, it helped me to move on and to keep moving forward. I will always be grateful for the people who shined the brightest light on my troubled and tormented soul as I was growing from adolescence into adulthood. Now, I want to return that light; not only to those who gave it to me, but to the whole world.

Let your light shine on those you come in contact with; no matter who it may be. Just remember that out of all the people you meet and greet, one may really need that little piece of hope today...

Love and Blessings,

Ashley

Bad Day?

Bad days...they happen to all of us. This post does not pertain to me at the moment, but to the people I have interacted with in my most recent days.
I guess maybe it is just that "Finals" are in the air right now, therefore everyone is stressing and cramming to get the grades that they want so badly...projects, papers, exams...they are endless, I know--but what I have come to realize this semester is that, since I worked my absolute hardest in the beginning, my end is fairly un-stressful. Of course, I do know that there are others who have more going on in their lives, and here is what I have for them: Just smile, laugh, stay positive, and just believe that whatever you need to accomplish or want to accomplish, YOU CAN! You are AMAZING! Just look at yourself! :) Look at that amazing person called "YOU" in the mirror, and say, "Dude, Man, Girl, Honey, Mr./Ms./Mrs. AMAZING: You ARE awesome! You CAN succeed. You WILL NOT FAIL." :) Hey, I'm just saying.... :)

Another thing to bring up is that, if you are feeling alone or as if no one else really cares, think again--you are among MILLIONS who are in the same boat, and there are those who think of you often: maybe your family, your friends, your students, your teachers, etc. who look up to you for even just the smallest and least of reasons. Don't fret, and be strong. This is the time for you to really shine and to put your dreams into action! So here I am, giving you this much needed pep talk. YOU CAN DO IT! You just HAVE to believe in yourself and know that anything you desire to become or do in this life is absolutely possible. Just believe that. Trust yourself. I believe in you! Now, GO GET EM TIGER!!!

Best,

Ashley