the gift of experience

 "I want you to get into the deep beautiful melancholy of everything that's happened."

-Elizabethtown

"So you failed. Alright you really failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed... You wanna be really great? Then have the courage to fail big and stick around. Make them wonder why you're still smiling."

-Elizabethtown

Remember all the sadness and frustration, then let it go.

Instead of looking at life as good and bad situations, maybe a better way to look at it would be everything as experiences. Life is the gift of experience. And oftentimes after the failure or "bad", something better can come along.

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choose to love

I received a text yesterday which said, "When we carry unforgiveness, it's as if we move about dragging an anchor never getting anywhere. Let it go. It just isn't worth it.

Choose to love
                                   and experience love."

I thought it was a nice reminder and something that should be shared. I don't think we can love fully if we harbor unforgiveness, which applies to any kind of love, whether brotherly, motherly, or the "at 

  first sight" kind of love. No matter what kind, choosing to love means

                                   bearing all things and defending and holding others up.                                                                                      

           believing all things,                                               

               hoping all things and never giving up.           

                                      enduring all things, persevering and remaining loyal. 

And experiencing love....well that is just something that you'll have to do yourself!

And since it's almost Valentine's day AND I finally found one of my favorite photo shoots of all time (bookmarked this time so I don't lose it!), I just had to post these even though they've been around a while (from Shannon Nicole Smith). You've probably seen these, but either way, pretty much the cutest thing ever.

Show Love

 "The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time. If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the world a better place."

Doing a good deed and showing love doesn't have to always be extravagant. Good can be in the details.

 love can be a pie

 or even cupcakes ;)

love because you were shown love...

even if that means baking someone a pie.

real love exists

I meant to post this last week, but I have had no time at all! Even though this is late, I wanted to make a post for my grandparents, who celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary.

The stories they tell and the love they show are priceless. They are such a wonderful example to everyone around them of true love. They mean the world to me.

If you doubt love at all, it is not necessary, for I have seen that real love exists.

"True love begins when nothing is looked for in return."

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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a new chapter

Today start

the beginning of a new chapter.

paint a picture.

make a fashion statement.

travel somewhere new.

be brave.

try a new recipe.

love.

 find out where you came from

 ...and where you are going.

And sometimes it only takes making some small changes in your normal routine to get out of the same rut and start a new path...

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Love is the Honey

"Life is the flower for which love is the honey."

-Victor Hugo

Life really is not much without love. I hope your life is filled with love surrounding you. If it's not, you may want to cut those things which are not out of your life. Today is too precious to keep on living with those things that don't add sweetness, gentleness, and love to your life.

One thing that I think can physically represents this is the beauty of petals...

gentle

sweet

soft

beautiful

"Love is the answer, and you know that for sure; Love is a flower, you've got to let it grow."

-John Lennon

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