Someone Always Mourns: On the Passing of Robin Williams and To Those Who Contemplate Suicide

 Someone always mourns.
You will always be missed.

You have robbed the world of your presence, and left a hole that cannot be filled.

No matter who you are. What you have done.

You cannot make the choice to exit this world 

and not open questions and sorrow in the hearts left behind.


I am deeply saddened. No. My heart aches over the lately departed Robin Williams. 

To be so appreciated, applauded, and respected, he left this world alone and hurting. 

I wish so earnestly that someone could have given him Hope. 

The Hope that could have saved his life here and eternally.

Hope and Peace...the Ultimate Hope and Peace that comes by no other name then that of Jesus. 

That name alone could have silenced Williams' demons.

I grew up with his voice, his kind and funny face. 

And though I never met him, never reached out to him...as a person that existed not to him, 

I feel a sad, gray emptiness that he has gone. 

I didn't always support every role and work that he committed himself to, but I recognized in him a genuine, compassionate person...a soul of deep waters. 

He refreshed a thirsty world, yet couldn't calm the stormy waves that raged inside. 
And I sorrow for him.

To anyone who considers ending their life, STOP.

Stop and see the ripples from Williams' death. 

The man had his demons, he had his legitimate issues...
but see the flood of well wishes, supporters, admirers and tear streaked faces he leaves in his wake. 

Those same people could have been his support system. 
You are never alone. 
Your absence will not go unnoticed. 
There is always someone who mourns. 

My children will grow up in a world without the talented, funny and kind hearted man found in Robin Williams that through the wonder of film, made himself at home in my childhood.
Now, when his name is mentioned they will say "Robin who?" and will grow up thinking of him as the dead guy who does the voice of Genie. 
There will be no personal connection...
a curtain has been drawn over time that they can never be seen through clearly. 

That is the same sort of hole you will leave if you take your life too, friend. 
You are not killing your demons, you are leaving them to haunt your loved ones.
You are not bringing to an end the loneliness you feel, you are only further and forever separating yourself further from those living and those you could have met in the future.

 
And if you have not made the choice to accept Jesus...you are not ending a life of torment and coming into peace, you are leaving the only world where an invitation of Peace has been offered to you and entering into an eternal world of torment.


And there is always someone who mourns.

When you leave this world without Christ as your Savior....God mourns. 
He mourns that you will be forever separated from Him in your eternal life because you didn't make the choice to be with Him in this present life. 
It is your choice. 
You can choose life...or you can choose death.


 "This day...I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life..."
~Deuteronomy 30:19~

These words were a challenge and an invitation issued by God Himself.
Daily, He invites us to choose life...
and the Bible says in John 14:6 that Jesus said of himself, " I am THE Life".

I pray you choose Him.

I pray you choose Peace. 

I pray you choose Hope.

I pray you take the Hand that can lift you from the stormy waves.

I pray you heed the Voice that can silence your demons.

I pray... 
you choose Life.

Summer & Ponderings

Hello my lovely, wonderful friends!

Things have been really too quiet around here,

and I knew I needed to peep my head in and check on all of you!

So... summer, right?!

It is here!

Welcome to the days of 100 degree temps, which has brought the rain, storms, hail and tornadoes.

Thankfully none of those last two have made their way to our immediate area.

Yep.

Summer is in full swing.

Happy late Fourth of the July by the way!

I'm sure there is a little curious question that has been pestering you lately....

"Where has she been?!"

I've been gone for about four months, you guys!

I wish I could tell you I was working on a book launch, a store opening, a line of my own designs, or at the least an Etsy shop...but sadly it is none of those things.

Here is the story.

 My heart and energy has been pretty wrapped up in 

mapping out and taking steps towards where I want to go with myself.

That includes searching for a consistent job to fund some classes I am 

wanting to take on the path to having a career or at least a focus for this stage of my life.

Pretty simple and straightforward.

There is also some praying and thinking going on about moving...

 I've made some progress in charting a course, laying down some goals, and getting a direction,

 but nothing has been decided in any certain manner about the move, where or when that would be.

So don't worry about that one yet friends!

Anyway...that is where I've been lately.

All this other stuff kind of zapped my sewing and creative mojo...

even though I have a stack of projects, many of which I have a vision for already!

It will all return in time, I know this for sure.

But I've just had some bigger things that were too concerning to allow me to give much 

(ok, any) thought or energy to being creative.

Aside from not blogging myself,

I haven't even been keeping up with my regular blog reads either!

Sorry about that ladies.

I hope you have all been having a great summer so far!

I do have some upcoming posts to share with you a little bit
of what has been keeping me occupied...sharing some fuzzy new arrivals,
a wedding and trip, and a recent foray into the wonderful world of cakes and cake decorating!
Be sure to check back!
Oh, and thanks so much for not up and leaving my little following of readers.
It means a lot. :)

Day 28: Unshrinking

Today is the last day of the Blog Everyday in February Challenge!

Can you believe it?

My last post in this series, is to share one, little, meaningful word.

And I have just the one.

U N S H R I N K I N G

" Not shrinking from danger, unflinching, unhesitating, unintimidated, unblinking,

fearless, resolute in facing fears and danger."

This is my word for the year...my theme, my goal.

Naturally, I tend to be a shy person at first.
One of my ever-present faults is that I over analyze everything...to death.
I'll analyze something to the point that I practically cripple myself,
and usually decide against it, simply because it is the easiest route.












 That is why I've chosen this word.

unshrinking

In my life, I have hemmed myself in....
I come upon a cross roads and after analyzing the risks,
decide, no, I don't want to go that way; only to turn around and be
faced with another frightening cross road.

In all honesty,
I've no were else to turn now.
In too many areas I've turned around hoping for an easier, clearer path.
But my heart can't live in the 'easy'...it really longs for the grand adventures.
I have to choose the risks, and face them unshrinkingly.





To live the life I desire and be the person I want,
I must choose to be...

unshrinking.


If you could choose one word to live by this year,
what would it be?

 ~~~~

I'm linking up at Anchored in Love Divine
for the Blog Everyday in February Challenge!

Day 23: The Joys of Blogging!

Why do people blog?

Why spend hours taking pictures, laboring over grammar and sentence structure
to complete one little post, only to do it all over again the next day?

We all have our reasons,
but most of them come down to this...
we enjoy it.

Have you ever wanted to start a blog?

Today I'm going let you in on a little secret...or two,
about why I enjoy blogging, and maybe you'll be encouraged to start your own.

1. I finish things

I have a habit of starting projects and not finished them, can I hear an amen?!

Blogging can be a great motivator to finish projects,

because it provides a place to share them and get feddback!

2. Expression
No secret here, I love writing,
and this little blog gives me an arena to practice my craft, and share my words.
Whatever it is that makes you tick, blogging is a means to express that.

3. A Challenge
Not only was it a challenge creating my blog, getting all of the technical
aspects to come together, but it continues to push me on to new challenges.
Whether it be with my projects, a particularly intimate post, or just blogging in general,
being involved in the world of blogging challenges you to step it up.

4. Growth Chart
Each time you do overcome a challenge, it is right there in your archives as proof.
Looking back on older blog posts is a great way to measure
the strides you have taken and see the progress of your efforts,
as well as shortcomings you may need to work on.

5. Get organized
Running a blog is a great way to teach you organization and time management skills!
I've learned to keep a journal of all my blogging and post ideas as well
as a calender just for my blog. This way I can see when I have posts
scheduled and when I need to spend a day preparing more.

6. Community!
Last but most important and rewarding,
is the community of blogging!

I get to meet wonderful new people,
who slowly over time, become my friends, and share more and more of their stories.
For me, blogging and the people I connect with through it, are inseparable...
they are one and the same.

So thank you each and every single one of your who stops by to 'see' me.
I read every comment and do my best to reply.
And to all of you 'shadow readers', the ones lurking unseen in cyber space, reading but holding your peace.
I understand.
I used to be just like you.
I look forward to the day when you decide to pop out of the wood work and say 'hi'.

Blogging connects people.
There are blogs that I follow who's writers I have never met,
but I feel as if they are my real friends because I have been
so drawn in by their stories and allowed their little life to become a part of mine.

It is impossible that we could ever meet all of the great people living in this world,
but through blogging, I think we can connect with some of those great people and know their beauty
through a small, glowing screen.


That is what I enjoy most.The greatness, the beauty, and the community of blogging.

~~~~
I'm linking up at Anchored in Love Divine
for the Blog Everyday in February Challenge!

It's Not About You: Single on Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day.

I'm going to be honest and straightforward in this post.

This subject has been nagging at me for a few weeks now,

and I just can't keep quiet about it.

I want to address how single women are handling Valentine's Day.

Let me start by saying...

Valentine's Day is not about you.

Did you know that Valentine's Day was established in remembrance

of a man who was executed for his beliefs?

He wrote sweet notes to those he cared about because he knew he was going to die.

This man was willing to die for something he believed in,

but today this fact gets glazed over with chocolate and roses.

Something else different in the approach to modern Valentine's is that

single women everywhere use this day to bemoan their relationship status.

If we don't have that special someone,
we tend to congregate in groups and celebrate our friends instead.

Sure we have a good time.

But you know what? We all sit at the table as hypocrites.

 We try to pretend this is good enough, that we are happy to be with our friends,

when really, it is all a great big facade we use to drown out our woe-is-me pity party.

I've celebrated a few Valentine's with girlfriends, and genuinely had a good time!
But this year something shifted and I saw things differently.

Imagine your best friends are getting married,

but instead of letting them have their day, you and and your girlfriends

decide to have your own party because none of you are getting married.

Do you see how petty, childish and self centered that sounds?

"I just wish I had someone to give me flowers and take me out."

Let's be honest with each other, what we are really saying is,
"I wish I had someone to celebrate me."

Women have made Valentine's Day all about them!

It is all about your man celebrating you and showing you just how special you are.

Not only is that selfish, it sounds dangerously akin to idolatry.

Valentine's Day is not about you.

Did you know that you have chosen to be single?

Yes.

Your singleness is a choice.

You may look at is from the perspective that the right guy just hasn't come along.

 But pay attention to a set of words in that sentence...right guy.

This implies that there has been a wrong guy.

This implies at one point you made a choice...'I don't want him, he isn't right.'

At that moment you chose to be single.

Singleness is not something that is thrust upon you, it isn't a disease... it is a choice.

If you were given the chance to go with someone on a trip, but decided not to,
then spent the rest of your time bemoaning the fact that you weren't going on a trip somewhere,
wouldn't that seem a little foolish and fickle?

As silly as that may sound in the that context,
that is how many single women approach Valentine's Day.

There are plenty of fellas out there who would snatch you up,
you could probably pick one up at Wal-Mart!

While they may not be what you want, you are still making that choice to be single.

If you have a hard time with being single on Valentine's Day,

I would challenge you to scrutinize yourself.

Just because you are single doesn't mean you have no purpose...

it doesn't mean you can't live a life of joy and meaning now...

and it doesn't mean you are an incomplete person.

If you are an incomplete person without a relationship,

then that is your own shortcoming, and you need to work through

some issues because no relationship is ever going to complete you.

Another point I would like to make.

Stop for a moment and look around.
You live in a point of history that is truly amazing.

If one stops to listen to what the men of God and prophets are saying,
it doesn't take a theologian to know we are living in extraordinary times.

And those times are growing short.

Jesus is coming back...and it may be very soon.

The world has grown cold,

and we are in the winter seasons of the world's time.
Things are shifting, changes coming that may
forever alter the comfortable world we live in.

Yet we focus so much on temporal things.

Yes, we all long for companionship, myself included!
But I'm convinced God knows our needs (Matt. 6:8)
and He longs to meet them. (Is. 30:18; Phil. 4:19).
If we know this to be true, we can likewise be assured that
if we haven't been given a significant other,
it must be that God does not see that as our most pressing need.


~~~~
I'm linking up at Anchored in Love Divine
for the Blog Everyday in February Challenge!

You're Going to Be Okay...{Coffee for Your Heart}

“No matter what happens, you’re going to be okay because..."

 

 Okay is a relative term.

 It could mean different things to different people.

Okay in America, means you will keep your nice house, your cars,

and be able to afford eating out once in a while.

Okay in a third world country

means you will have a hut roof over your head,

water for your needs and enough food to eat one ample meal a day.

Okay is a relative term.

When I think "it is going to be okay",

it might mean I can't make that car payment and my vehicle gets repossessed.

But God is on His throne.

I might have to turn down the heat to 58 degrees and wear Eskimo layers because I can't afford the bill.

BUT God is on His throne.

It might mean I eat mostly beans and rice,

But GOD is on His throne.
It might mean I live in a country that persecutes me for my faith,
But God IS on His throne. 

Okay to me means, God is still God, He is still there, no matter what happens on this earth.

And no matter what happens, which side of okay I end up on, He will always be there.

He gives me the grace for each day,

and even if worst comes to worst, God is still God, 

and I will get to see Him on that throne. 

 

Everything is going to be okay because God is on His throne.

~~~~
Linking up Wednesdays with Holley Gerth and many other wonderful ladies, with Coffee For Your Heart.

Day #8: Moving Music

Ahh...music.

That word is...well...music to my ears.

It sends exultant flutters and warm ribbons of deep contentment through my being!

 As with most areas in my life, I have very eclectic taste when it comes to music.
I listen from anything to Christian Worship, Big Band, Classic, Instrumental and Opera
to Christian Pop, Oldies Hits, Flamenco, World/Folk music, and some Techno.
A lot depends on the song and the musicians.

Music is very powerful,
and that being the case, I believe we need to be very careful what music we listen to.
Music goes far beyond sound and words, effecting us to the very center of how we think and feel.
You can completely change your mood, perspective on life, and feelings with a song.

Even within the genres which I like to listen to,
there are songs, but more especially artists, that I won't listen to because
of the spirit behind their music.

When I was young my dad taught me the importance of this lesson.
He would play a song for me, then ask me what the spirit was behind that song.
If you listen intently, not to the words, but to the song- was is the predominant feeling you get?
Is it worship? Serenity? Joy?
Or it is anger? Rebellion? Sorrow?

There is a message in music that is deeper than words and notes,
it is what the song makes you feel, where it wants to take you.
Be careful what you feed yourself with.
Always analyze whether what you are 'hearing' is truthful and healthy.

Sure, I listen to some secular music just for fun,
and I like listening to some Christian rap-ish music every now and again.
But it is just like junk food, you shouldn't make a consistent diet of empty, hallow, self-focused music.
All in moderation.


"Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. 
"Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive.
 1 Corinthians 10:23


Anyways.

Getting down from my little soap box,

I'll share just a few of my favorite musical selections with you.
By clicking the links, you will taken to YouTube where you can listen to these amazing songs.



Instrumental and Vocal

Le Onde by Ludovico Einaudi

Summer Rain by Hayley Westenra



Worship and Uplifting 
 
Strong God by Meredith Andrews 
(her entire Worth it All Album is mind blowing!)

Safe by Phil Wickham

Here Goes by Bebo Norman



 Christian Contemporary

He Said by Group1Crew

Something in Your Eyes by Shonlock

 All For You by Ty Tribbett
This one will get your groove on!
I love this one when you need some energy!



Crooning Oldies

Beyond the Sea by Robbie Williams 
(or Frank Sinatra or Kevin Spacey)

If you like that song, you will love any of these...I love this genre of music!
Especially Michael Buble.

A Kiss to Build a Dream On
The Way You Look Tonight
 Almost Like Being In Love
La Vie En Rose


Other

New Soul by Yael Naim

 Say by John Mayer


Enjoy!
If you still didn't get your music fix,
you can search through some of my older posts titled Monday Melodies,
where I used to share some of my favorite selections.

~~~~
I'm linking up at Anchored in Love Divine
for the Blog Everyday in February Challenge!

Day #2: There's a Fire in My Soul!

Today is my first post in the Blog Everyday in February Challenge!
You can read about it here.

I'm supposed to share with you something that fires me up!

Something?!

 Sorry, that just isn't possible.

There are just too many things, I can't choose just one!

A post like this could be potentially very word heavy,

so I decided to express that which fires me up through the medium of images.

Worship and Music

There is nothing so amazing as a worship service where the Spirit
is moving! Worship is healing and freeing on such a deep level,
and I believe there is more power in worship than we give credit for.





Music originated in heaven, and sometimes, it can take us back.


Words

“A man with a scant vocabulary will almost certainly be a weak thinker.
The richer and more copious one's vocabulary and the greater one's awareness of fine distinctions
and subtle nuances of meaning, the more fertile and precise is likely to be one's thinking.
Knowledge of things and knowledge of the words for them grow together.
If you do not know the words, you can hardly know the thing.” 
-Henry Hazlitt 

Towards the end of this post, you can read more about how I feel on the subject and power of words.




Culture and World Peoples

Someday I'll meet these people and see these places with my own eyes.
I feel as if I have a worldwide family... I just haven't met them yet.


 
Spiritual Healing and Freedom

 
When Christ comes in and heals those wounded, bound up parts of your soul,
there is no greater feeling of newness and true freedom.

Read this book.
It will change your life.
Seriously.


Because I have experienced spiritual healing and freedom,
I long to be a guiding hand to others who need the same!
Especially young girls and women.

Truth

I decided long ago that I desired truth above all else...
above ease, pleasure, or blissful ignorance.
I look for the deepest truth in everything...I'm curious, always asking questions, always digging.
After all, you won't find diamonds and gold on the surface.

Creating

I come alive when my hands are working at creating...

in that way I love to copy my Creator and experience just
a touch of the joy He must have felt when He made this glorious world!
Whether I'm working with the medium of yarn, thread, food, or ink,
I love to create a thing of beauty!

Natural Health

Honestly,
I haven't been a traditional doctor in about 15 years.
I believe God gave us everything our bodies need for health
in the world around us through herbs.
It excited me that He is concerned for our health
and has provided a means to attain it through simple, inexpensive ways!
I believe in treating the problem and not the symptoms.
Through herbs and natural means, I've witnessed the iridication
of issues the modern medical movement claim to be untreatable.
Sure, if I break my arm or need surgery, I appreciate the hospital,
but on a whole I don't support their methods and treatment.


Life,
relationships,
dancing,
adventure,
new experiences...
these are the sort of things that ignite a flame of excitement inside me!


What sort of things are you passionate about?
Leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

~~~~
I'm linking up at Anchored in Love Divine
for the Blog Everyday in February Challenge!

Top 5 of 2013 Inspirations

I know this post is a bit tardy,
but it was such a great idea to share what inspired me last year,
that I just had to bend the rules and bit and share this post.
 

Inspirations

5. My dear friend, Allyson

I hope she doesn't mind me gushing about her on my blog,
but I couldn't exclude her from my list of what inspired me this past year.
We are kindred spirits, her and I, so honestly,
I have a happiness gauge that is directly related to how she is doing!
This year she made a big step in pursuing a dream, and honestly, a God-given talent.
She leaves me speechless at times, with the pure beauty emanating from her person,
and that beauty comes through all of most when we are functioning in what we do best.
It made my heart so happy, and has inspired me to try and the do the same...
ever pursuing God's best.
I love you Ally!

4. Kristina from Eccentric Owl

I found Kristina's blog while working my way through The Thriftaholics Directory.
There she was, number 191...yes, actually, I checked out all previous 190 listings...it is a long list...I'm still working my way through it when I have time.



At first it was her vintage charm and cute outfits that caught my eye,
but I've come to value her quirky and darling posts,
with her relatable ramblings more than anything else.
She has a beautiful heart and a much needed honestly to her words that I so appreciate.
She is real, funny, sweet and just weeks away from having her first baby!
Who wouldn't want to be friends with a person like that?
And then there is the fact that she can pull off colored tights splendidly...and I hate tights,
so I live vicariously through her. :)



3. The Renegade Seamstress & The Refashionista
I know, I know, these are two separate blogs, shouldn't they have their own number?
Yes and no.
If you do your math you will see that I would more than five points,
and that just won't do, but I couldn't possibly leave either of them out.

 Besides, these ladies took an equal share towards inspiring me to enter the world of refashioning!
They were the two very first blogs I found when looking for a way to refashion some
bulky sweaters left over from my northern wardrobe.
Exactly a year ago, I found and started following their blogs,
and have been a faithful reader ever since.

Furthermore, it was my supreme honor to be selected by Beth (aka Renegade Seamstress)
to participate in her second installment of Refashion Runway!
She was kind of like, oh you know, a hero...
so that most certainly made my year!
 

2. Kristi Yamaguchi

"Why should a dream have some part of it that was so scary?
Why would I have to do something I feared in pursuing something I loved?"
 -Kristi Yamaguchi-


I used to have a fear of sewing,
but it was this very quote from Kristi, childhood hero and my absolute favorite female figure skater
(I have a Christmas ornament of her, for Pete's sake!),
that lit the fuse to my explosive year of sewing.
She really played a pivotal role in the outcome of my year
and continues to inspire me.
You can read all about it in this post.

Now, one of the most recent sources of inspiration for me,
which I know will carry into the new year, has been..

1. Tom Hiddleston

 

“We all have two lives. 
The second one starts when we realize that we only have one”  

-Tom Hiddleston-

 Like millions of other women the world over,
I have to admit I'm quite star struck with Mr. Hiddleston.
Aside from being a great actor,
I'm captivated by his classic Hollywood charm, gentlemanly conduct,
deep intense personality, and the way he speaks...honestly, have you listened to this man?
His sentence structure and vocabulary has me swooning...no one talks that beautifully
in this modern era, and it comes from a cultivated, refined place in a person.
And, sop my puddled self off the floor, he can dance.
*sigh*
All that aside,
much of what he utters is poetically quote worthy,
 the above quote being one that has been reverberating in my head since first I read it.
I think this year marks the beginning of my second life.
Or at any rate, at least the awakening of it.

So really, I discovered that words are what inspire me most.

I have always been drawn to them, and my heart speaks best and deepest when

flowing through ink and pen...or keys and screens, as it were.

I'm not much for resolutions,
but I have determined this year to indulge more in words...
not just any words, mind you,
but strong words...
deep words...
rich words.


Words are such a beautifully powerful tool of expression,
yet we use the same few hundred over and over,
and those which we do use often aren't the clearest or most expressive.

It is my aim to read more classic literature and poems
this year-- something I have always enjoyed, but
stopped doing once out of school.
I always feel much smarter and richer for having read
Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, or a well crafted poem.

If I could only do one thing great,
I believe I would choose to be a master of words.
An all encompassing medium with can reach out and touch people everywhere.
They can be the the steely sword delivering the fatal blow to an army of lies
or a healing balm which brings life to fractured, shriveled souls.

Yes,
I think I shall aim to be a master of words.

What about you?
I would love to know what inspired you this past year,
and what is propelling you into the new one.