The Ramblings of a Redhead

Life. Life is hard. Though if life wasn't hard we would have no reason to become stronger. We would never grow and flourish into all that we are capable of being. Life has a way of shaping us to fit into cookie cutter standards, but do you know what I say to that? Life is so much bigger than the cookie cutter shapes we are told we have to fit into to be worth while. I look out across this incredible world we live in, and do you know what I see? I see a kaleidoscope of so many things. I see hope. I see love. I see anger. I see dispair. I see hurt. I see heartbreak. I see joy. I see brokeness. I see adventure. I see hardships. I see loneliness. I see wholeness. I see.... This list could go on forever, right? Everyone living in this world knows how difficult living is. We know that life doesn't always give us a picture perfect reality. Real life is messy. It is a series of really high highs and unexpected drops, twists and turns, light and dark, love and hurt, joy and sorrow....

Recently I have been hearing a lot of conversation regarding the subject of finding worth in a broken world. My journey to discovering my self worth has been one that I have been on since I was a teenager. It has probably been the hardest journey I have ever taken, and I have come a long way thanks to the grace and tender love of my Almighty Prince. Due to the recent coversations I have been a part of I have felt led to share a part of my journey here. I am going to be completely vulnerable with you guys. Even though the idea of being so vulnerable and awkward terrifies me more than I can express, I know my story should be shared, and I pray that it helps maybe just one person realize that, no matter what, you are worthy of a love so far beyond human imagining that once you find it your life will never be the same again. So here we go. I was 13 years old and on a summer camp retreat with my church's youth group. It was my second summer camp of my life, and I was thrilled to spen...

The following is an original short story by me! It is a longer post, but I hope you are able to make it to the end. It was a fun creative bit to write. Let me know your thoughts, and if you'd like to see more of my creative writing stuff on here as well! She found herself on a path so familiar to her it could be home, and yet it was more foreign than some far off land. The path led to a cliff lined with windows suspended in the air. They were hanging from somewhere unseen far overhead. She looked down over the precipice, but it was shrouded in mist so thick she couldn't see how far down the drop went.  She knew that somehow she had been here before, and yet she couldn't figure out how or when that would have been. Surely no place like this could possibly exist in the real world.  a breeze blew past her drawing her towards the windows.  Some she could see into easily, while others were too far beyond her reach to steal a peek. She could smell the salty sea air that...

Life, like every great story, must move forward. Chapters must end, and new chapters must begin. No matter how great the last chapter was, in order for the story to continue, it must come to an end. Not all chapters will be as thrilling or happy as the one you find yourself in, but every chapter is necessary to the story as a whole. If we cling to past chapters new ones will never unfold, and who knows? Maybe this new chapter will be even better than the last one. Some chapters will contain dragons and storms while others bring good times with friends. It may be tempting to skip the chapters that seem too mundane to matter or too much to possibly bare, but oftentimes it is in those chapters where we find pieces of ourselves that we need in order to experience the great chapters to their full extent. Change is never easy. You would think with as commonplace as it is that we would grow accustomed to it, and yet it is always hard to move away from what is familiar. When the page is t...

A Good Book... ...will speak in a soft voice. ...will allow the reader to see the story within its pages unfold before their eyes. ...is filled with characters to admire and learn from. Characters that will lead readers on fantastical journeys through lands near and far. ...leaves a fingerprint on the reader's heart of lessons learned and new ways to see life. ...and when its story has been told, and the book is closed it is put on a shelf to await the moment when it is remembered. A Great Book... ...will scream so loudly that it is impossible to ignore it. Even when the reader has set the book aside to go do other things the story is all the reader can think about. ...allows the reader to feel, live, and breathe the story held within its pages. The reader stops seeing words on a page and sees the story come to life around them. ...is filled with characters that become best friends. Characters that make the reader laugh, cry, hurt, and rejoice along with them. It is like t...

The sound of rainfall. The smell of the pages from a book in my hands. The soft cooing of a dove in a nearby tree. There is a peace that so often accompanies the falling rain. It is a day for pondering, remembering, creating, smiling, wishing, and just being. There is something about the rain that is just good for the soul.

You feel the wind has picked up slightly, but it isn't so bad because it finally holds the warmth and promise of spring. You watch as the sky grows darker, and the darkness draws closer and closer.  You can smell the rain in the air. There is a familiarity of the smell that you can't quite put into words. You see the drops of rain starting to fall from the sky, and before you know it, it is as though the skies have opened up.  You can hear the sound of the wind in the trees as it intertwines with the sound of wind chimes, birds, and raindrops to create a soft lullaby. But oh, that sound of the rain hitting the grass and trees... Rainstorms...you have been sorely missed...welcome back my old friend...welcome back.