Friday Five.

Friday, May 31, 2013

Random highlights of this week:
IMG_4807Bath time — Reunited with my two pups. (: Meet Bori and Lucky.
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During prayer meeting, one of my favorite little girls, Ana, came up to me and slid me a note. I turned it over and it said "pray" with a little drawing to accompany it. Preshhhhhhh. She only 8 and she so HOLY, that's pastor kids for you. 

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(Lovingly) forced the boyfriend to do all these random things that he didn't want to do. Like bake!
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Back in the good ol' Nissan Altima again. I've been popping in old mix CD's that I made in high school. Definitely a throwback.

photo 2Catching up with good friends over breakfast and coffee!

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Happy Friday! May your weekend be filled with good people and good conversations that encourage you, and carry well into the week. XO.

Pay it forward.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Pay it forward.

Lately, God has been revealing that there is greater joy in loving others than there is in loving myself. I realize how much time and energy I spend on protecting myself — my image, emotions, reputation, pride, comfort level, etc. And the more time I spend on looking at myself, the less I can see others around me. But if I have faith and believe that my God is a God who protects and provides for me, then there is no need to be worrying about myself at all. Now suddenly I have so much more time to see others, help others, love others...

God said HE IS LOVE. And so if love is the language he understands and embodies, the more I love, the more I understand and know that God, too. Thank you, God, for loving me first, so that I can accept, feel, share, and learn more about love a little bit more each day.

Back in the USA.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

I left Italy on May 4th and have been back home in Naperville relaxing since. I know I was completely absent on this blog but I wanted to spend my last days in Italy really soaking in the moment — without a looming reminder to record everything down. 
I quickly glanced through some of my last posts and it feels surreal that that was life as I knew it. What does life look like these days? Not so glamorous, but completely mine.
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