Resolutions For A Better Year

As the new year slowly approaches I just want to say that this has been a pretty long ear, but I can't wait to see what God has in store for me for next year and the years after that. I've learned so much about myself and just about the world in general. I'm so glad know the people that I do and I am so appreciative for what they have done for me. I know that this wasn't the best year, but I also know that with the beginning of the new year there are so many opportunities to have an amazing year, and I plan on making that happen.

I don't usually make a resolution because I suck at keeping them, but I want to this year. And that resolution is this.

I want to be happier and I want to be as fearless as possible. Say yes as much as I can and to also not be afraid to say no. I want to be proud of the things I accomplish and I want to let everyone around me know how much they mean to me. 

This is what I want out of this new year, and I'm going to try my hardest to make it happen. Here's to a new start.

Love,
Natalie

New Year, New Thoughts

I've been sick the last two day and it's given me time to think about everything that's been going on this year. And as the year is coming to an end soon, I wanted to write a couple of things I've realized this year.

I guess the major thing is that growing up is terrifying. But, it's also exciting. I've never been so conflicted about something before and I'm slowly beginning to realize just maybe this i a good thing and that not knowing everything is sort of the point and that I don't have to have life figured out at sixteen. And thats made me feel a little better.

Bad things happen in life and the way people respond to tragedy differs, but we should always be respectful. And that's hard for a lot of people to remember, especially adults.

Maybe being happy is a lot easier than what it seems.

Don't be afraid to take time to be alone for a while. Being lonely and being alone are two different things.

Best friends are hard to come by and there are few that stay. But the thing about the good ones are that they will stick by you no mater what. And I'm lucky to have a few of the good ones.

Being proud of yourself is definitely something that should happen more often.

Spending time with your family is important. At some point you might not be able to get together like you see to, so always take any opportunity to hang out with them and get to know them better. The thing about family is that they're never going to leave you and you've got  pretty great one.     

Don't overlook the small things. They're usually the things you remember the most as time goes on.

Don't worry about finding the right guy, when it's the right time God will put you two together.

These are just a few of the things I could think of off the top of my head and they're mainly for me to remember as I get older. They're bits of advice that I find important to my life and they're things that have shape me into the person I am. So, these are the things I've learned this year. What about you?

An Amazing Day

Some days are like today and it just makes everything seem so much better. I don't even know why, but today has just been amazing. And I haven't felt like this in a long time.

I had to work today and truthfully I was tired and didn't really want to, but I went and I'm so glad I did. I had a party for a five year old little boy and it was about dinosaurs. Now, if you know anything about five year old boys, it's that they love dinosaurs. This was an adorable little boy and he kind of just made my day. It wasn't even that different from mist days at work, but it was just so nice to see such an innocent and kind kid who hasn't been jaded by the world.

I don't know why this was such a different day, but it was and I'm really thankful for it. It was what I needed to get into the Christmas spirit.

But, it may have started last night too. I went to my youth leaders house and we played some games and had pizza and we put together treat bags for our church. It was a really fun night and I think it started the whole feeling, but today just made it even better.

So, all in all I feel so blessed to have a job that I love and to be able to work with amazing people. And that the people I have in my life are so loving and care so much about me.

Love,
Natalie

25 Things You Should Know About Love | Thought Catalog

25 Things You Should Know About Love | Thought Catalog

What Do I Stand For?

"What do I stand for? What do I stand for? Some nights I don't know anymore."-Fun.

This is a hard question and it's something that everyone struggles with at some point. So, how do you decide what you stand for? How do you decide what is important and what your belief is? That's a lot of responsibility for one person to have.

To some people it's what you're willing to die for. To others it's not having a belief in a "higher power." But we have to figure out the answer at some point. Having something to stand for is what we're here for. We are made to live a passionate and caring life.

I thought I'd try to make a list of five things I stand for.

1. Personal Freedoms--I stand for the rights of others and that no one should be treated differently just because they are different.

2. My Family--I stand for my family. They mean so much to me and I will always stand for them.

3. My Friends--I stand for my friends because they will stand for me.

4. Love--I stand for love because it's something everyone deserves to feel in their lifetime.

5. Faith--I stand for faith, in whatever you may believe. I stand for the freedom to share that faith and to be able to discuss it freely and to be open to other people's faith.

I'm sure there are more things that I stand for, but that's the five major ones. They are the ones I think are most important.

But, knowing what you stand for and actually being willing to stand up for it are completely different and it takes a lot of courage to stand up for things. Especially if you're standing alone. But it's still important, and you should never change what you believe just to fit in.

So, stand for what you care about. It might just make a difference in someone's life one day. Or change the world. But you'll never know if you don't try.

Love,
Natalie

Lifetimes

Sometimes life has a way of bringing things to fruition when they are most needed. Sometimes though, they seem like there's someone out there who is just trying to destroy your life. This was one of those times.

It hadn't been something she was expecting, it just happened. But, then again maybe it didn't just happen. Maybe there was a greater reason, but at this point she was pretty sure something was out to get her.

She didn't know what to do now that her mother was gone. She had consumed her life taking care of her mother and even though she had been sick, she had never expected this to be the outcome. She was left in a town where she barely knew anyone and she felt lost.

As she continued through her daily life, she met this person. It wasn't something that seemed special to begin with. It was just someone to take her mind off her mother's death. Someone that she began to think of as a friend and someone she could confide in that she never really had before. And this made her feel a little better.

But something was still missing. She wasn't sure what and she tried to ignore it and just blame it on the fact she was missing he mother, but that didn't seem right. So, she finally talked to her new friend about it and he listened.

She sat and talked for hours about how lost she felt and how she was afraid that she wasn't doing what she was supposed to be. And he just sat and listened and occasionally let hi opinion be heard when he felt it was needed. As she came to and end with her fears and her anxieties she realized this had been what she had needed all along. She just needed someone to talk to. Someone who would listen and not judge.

How he had known that, she wasn't sure. But what she did know was that she had been blessed by him and that he had been sent to come into her life at the time he was needed.

She didn't know how to thank him for what he had done for her, so she wrote him a letter and this is what it said:

Thank you for helping me find beauty in the pain I've felt. You will forever be in my heart. You came into my life at a time where I was lost and needed someone to guide me though a painful time and you did that for me. I am so grateful for you and your friendship. I hope that you never forget how important and amazing you are and how rare it is to have the ability to listen to someone like you do. So, thank you for your love and your patience. I can only hope that I will be able to help you one day as much as you have helped me.

Love,
Mariah

(This is a story I've been working on. I hope you guys like it.)