Footprints In The Sand

I was thinking today on what to write, and this poem kept coming into my mind.

Fortunately it goes right along with my thoughts, that we are never alone.

Even when life is good He is walking beside us, watching over you. And when life goes sour, He is carrying you until your strong enough to walk again on your own... This, I believe:

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

---

Mary Stevenson, 1936

Reasons

Lately I have been thinking on my past. With the people I have met and things I have, or have not done. And through it all I have realized something good that has come out of a before bad or hard experience.

There is a story of tender mercy in every experience you have in life. You may not realize it at first when it happens, or even the next day. Sometimes it’s years later while you are reminiscing on small stories of your past that you find you learned more about yourself in that one instance than you would have in five years.

There is a reason behind everything that happens, you just have to sit back for a minute and look for it.

Find the best out of every circumstance.

In this life suffering is mandatory, but misery is optional

This I believe.

Creating Our Own Happiness

This past year in english class we were reading This I Believe essays when we started reading one writen by Wayne Coyne in 2007. And I thought, this I also believe:

I believe we have the power to create our own happiness. I believe normal life is extraordinary.

I was sitting in my car at a stoplight intersection listening to the radio. I was, I guess, lost in the moment, thinking how happy I was to be inside my nice warm car. It was cold and windy outside, and I thought, "Life is good."

Now, this was a long light. As I waited, I noticed two people huddled together at the bus stop. To my eyes, they looked uncomfortable; they looked cold and they looked poor. Their coats looked like they came from a thrift store. They weren't wearing stuff from The Gap. I knew it because I'd been there.
The couple seemed to be doing their best to keep warm. They were huddled together, and I thought to myself, "Oh, those poor people in that punishing wind."

But then I saw their faces. Yes, they were huddling, but they were also laughing. They looked to be sharing a good joke, and suddenly, instead of pitying them, I envied them. I thought, "Huh, what's so funny?" They didn't notice the wind. They weren't worried about their clothes. They weren't looking at my car thinking, "I wish I had that."

You know when a single moment feels like an hour? Well, in that moment, I realized I had assumed this couple needed my pity, but they didn't. I assumed things were all bad for them, but they weren't. And I understood we all have the power to make moments of happiness happen.

Now, maybe that's easy for me to say. I feel lucky to have fans around the world, a house with a roof and a wife who puts up with me. But I felt this way even when I was working at Long John Silver's. I worked there for 11 years as a fry cook. When you work at a place that long, you see teenagers coming in on their first dates; then they're married; then they're bringing in their kids. You witness whole sections of people's lives.

In the beginning, it seemed like a dead end job. But at least I had a job. And frankly, it was easy. After two weeks, I knew all I needed to know, and it freed my mind. The job allowed me to dream about what my life could become.

The first year I worked there, we got robbed. I lay on the floor. I thought I was going to die. I didn't think I stood a chance. But everything turned out all right. A lot of people look at life as a series of miserable tasks, but after that, I didn't.

I believe this is something all of us can do: Try to be happy within the context of the life we are actually living. Happiness is not a situation to be longed for or a convergence of lucky happenstance. Through the power of our own minds, we can help ourselves. This I believe.

Perspective

There are reasons why things happen, and there are reasons to how we react. Only one we can control, and it all starts with how we view this vast ever changing world. It’s the only thing that can change a bad day into a great day, or your worst enemy into your best friend. Its called perspective.

Definition of Perspective: the state of one’s ideas, the facts known to one.

At times we think we know everything, and that we are always right until proven wrong. Maybe, you should look at things through others eyes. See how they view the world. When you do, you might find its not exactly what you thought. Your hunky-dory world is not theirs.

It is necessary we view our lives through various perspectives. When we do this we will learn so much more through one experience than we would otherwise.

We react to how we think. Perspective. It starts with our thoughts.

The Man I Want

Every man is different. And of course each stud is suited for a certain beautiful girl. The hard part is finding the perfect prince charming for you.

For me there are certain traits I want in my man. Of course they can vary, but I think he needs to fit pretty darn close to this list.

I want a man who constantly cares.
Who can tell when I’m down.
Who wont settle.
Who will go out of his way to help someone in need.
Who fulfills his callings.
Who chases after his dreams.

I want a man who will enjoy the ride and maybe get a little dirty along the way.
Who knows how to laugh.
Who can look me in the eyes and tell me everything by saying nothing.
Who will listen.
Who is not different when around other people.
Who will take courage.
Who stays true to what he believes.

I want a man who wont shy away from fear, and will walk up to a challenge.
Who isn’t afraid to do any seemingly crazy thing we can think up.
Who isn’t afraid to cry.
Who can take on my sometimes bratty and sarcastic personality. And maybe even give some back.

I want a man who can walk to the temple with me. One hand in the other.
I want a man who wont look back, wont regret, and wont give up.

All in good time

Life is full of decisions and experiences. Bottom line, that’s what life is and its not going to change.
Sometimes what happens in life doesn’t happen when you want it to, and doesn’t go the way you planned. It could turn out that you are constantly being thrown decisions, choices, experiences, and trials without a seconds breath in-between. Your given almost no time to think. You keep asking yourself when is it all going to end? Is it ever going to be easy again? Am I making the right decisions?

You want to know the answers now but just cant seem to

find them.

　

What’s my advice?

Patience.

Things don’t happen when you want them to happen, but they happen when they are supposed to. Because its not always up to you. We would go nowhere if we got to choose every trial we were given.

Life is not supposed to be easy. that’s not the point of it. There is a reason for everything. You may not know what that reason is at the moment, but in the end it will all make
perfect sense.
　



**Definition of Patience: Hope for the best but expect the worst.

If you do, everything you had waited for will live up to your expectations.

The Worlds a Playground

People in the world today are so worried about their day to day schedules that they are to afraid to adventure.

And they don’t quite understand all they are missing out on just by opening their window, looking up at the sky, and following their dreams.

The worlds a playground ready to be played with and enjoyed.

Its time we discover. To transcend into the world of the unknown.

Why follow on the trails of others? Mark your own. Take a chance. Don’t be afraid to mess up.

Why read about the adventures of the world? Go write your own! There is so much to see and do even in your own back yard.

This life was meant to be enjoyed. Boundaries need to be crossed. How will you know you can do the monkey bars until you try?

Where do I find peace?

I love sunsets. Some could say I’m obsessed. But how glorious it is even in the bitter of winter. And as you watch that sun set, as you see all the colors hit every corner of the sky and feel the warmth penetrate deep into your soul you realize it’s the most beautiful thing in the world.

And the moment the last ray of sun disappears behind the mountains, leaving sparkling diamonds in the sky, you are always left with a sense of peace and awe at what you barely witnessed.

It leaves you wishing everyone could have seen and felt that same sunset. Same sense of peace in their lives.

But not many look.

The suns always shinning. Not many people notice it though. There is always peace to be found out there. But not many look. They keep themselves in the shadows, filling themselves with discouragement, frustration, and anger.

I found a quote once that says, “keep your face in the sunshine and all the shadows will fall behind.”

What does the sunshine represent?

For me it’s the light of Christ. It’s my family. It’s when I’m doing what needs to be done. Its peace.

We all need to find our own sense of peace.

And, as that sun hides away behind the mountains, you know that if you look, tomorrow it will be here again, shinning brightly as ever.

Back to Simplicity

Everyday we are  running, rushing, trying to get everything done that can't possibly be completed in a normal day. maybe superman could. but, to bad I'm just me. Trying to find my way to sunshine in a world of rain. But, sometimes you just got to learn to dance in it.

I have learned that sometimes we just need to go back to the basics. Start again. everyday I have to remind myself to just sit, think, smell the roses and listen. Thats where inspiration and learning comes from.

It's time to stop ourselves and remember. Remember why we are even here. Remember the plan. Remember Our goals. Remember who we really are.

How long will it take us to do this one simple thing for ourselves?

well, your the one to start

Sometimes we just need to stop and smell the roses.