you are beautiful...

today i want to share something very important with you. it has a lot to do with God's creations and how we treat them. so let me ask you a question. would you intentionally bash your car into a tree? would you intentionally yell at your pet just because? the answer should be no. so why do we intentionally degrade ourselves? God created trees, pets, AND you. all things God creates are wonderful, magnificent, beautiful creations. including you. open your eyes and look around! would God create something ugly? who decided that women need makeup, lots of jewelry, and skimpy clothing to be beautiful? God says you are beautiful and worthy. believe it.

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, because God says so.

have a good day! smiles!

the importance of you

hey all, i have some news!

YOU ARE IMPORTANT.

end of story.

just kidding, i have more. ever think about how small you are compared to everything else? ever wonder if you matter to anyone? well, you do. you matter to God. why would He have created someone who didn't  matter...? also you matter to me. i don't know some of you, but because i can put this out there, have people read it, it makes me feel like i can reach out. you don't just matter, you are important. you are the lead actor/actress in your life...and God wanted you there. He picked you for you. you are the best version of you, because God said so.

take a break from your computer. go look outside, but first, if you are a MN resident, put on some extra layers. :) see the sun? that is God's smile. He loves you!

take a chance today, go out and change someone's life. the next stranger you encounter, smile at them. then comment, and tell me what happened...please?

continue smiling my friends, life is a beautiful thing! :)

answering machine...

hello friends! it has been way too long! i confess to letting life get in the way of my twice weekly goal to post something to make you smile, or keep you smiling...but don't we all have a problem of being too busy? i digress...

how often do you check your mail? voicemail, email, texts, etc...

i have this insane worry that i will be needed urgently at the very time there is no way to contact me, so i compulsively check my various types of mail and messaging services to make sure everyone is okay, and that i am not needed. crazy, huh?

what about when you need someone desperately and cannot contact them? does it make you more upset, or do you worry about them? or, like me, do you sometimes have a niggling feeling that there is a reason they did not answer or reply immediately? perhaps, they didn't want to talk to you, they are hurt, they can't help you...the list continues. it is a tough place to be in, especially when you really really really really really need someone.

want to know something absolutely awesome? God does not have an answering machine.  He is ALWAYS there, exactly when you need Him, and if you don't get a reply immediately it isn't because He is ignoring you. He is replying! He says 'wait, and see what else I have in store for you...'

so, when you really really need someone to talk to, let your someone be Him. He will be listening.

hugs, love, smiles, and laughter!

the lyrics of life

what is your favorite song? when you first learned that song, was it the individual verse lyrics you were able to memorize first or the chorus lyrics that repeat constantly? for most people, the lyrics in the chorus are the words that initially stick in their brains. as you listen to the song more and more you start to hone in on the words in the individual verses and they each begin to mean something to you, or turn the song into one that you no longer love all that much. but as soon as the song cycles back to those chorus lyrics that make the song, you love it all over again. life is a song. each verse is different, some amazing, some mediocre, and some absolutely terrible, but the chorus is the stability in your life. for many its church, family, friends, and/or a food item. (once you have been through college, you will understand the food item reference...mine was/is nutella) no matter how tough that verse of your life is, the chorus that follows it is the glue that keeps you together. so remember when the verse is tough, the chorus is coming! stay strong, my friends, and smile! :)

in the absence of light...

there is no such thing as darkness. what we refer to as dark is really just an absence of light. think to the last time you sat in complete 'darkness'...how did you feel? and i don't mean that wonderful feeling right before you fall asleep. is there a sense of fear or uncertainty in the dark? a lot of people hesitate to sit in completely darkened areas without a legitimate reason. not all people, i had a roommate in college that held a strong dislike for light...i do believe our curtains were always closed and the overhead lights only on if they were absolutely necessary. back to the point...in that absence of light you are remembering, do you think how you were feeling could have been different? the next time you have a spare five minutes, go to a quiet place and make it very dark. sit calmly and think about sad things, or frown. how do you think you will feel? i am quite sure that your feelings will not be positive. now try again, only this time, smile, laugh, and think about happy things. did the darkness disappear? in the absence of light, it does not take physical light to correct the absence, it only takes a positive outlook. from now on, any time you are feeling blue, or like you are sitting in a dark area: smile. you will feel better.

love, love, love! (and smiles) :):)

the key to life...

hello! if a random stranger were to walk up to you and ask you what the key to life is, what would you say? on average, i am pretty positive realistic people would say breathing. i agree actually, for obvious reasons...but what about non-obvious answers. take a look in a mirror. what do you see? look past your physical characteristics and view your person. are you alive? or merely existing? you see, it takes things like breathing, eating, and sleeping to exist. but to live, it takes more. so today, i challenge you: live! smile more, love freely, and choose to live every day like it is your last. cliche or not, there is much truth to the phrase...today may be your last, so take advantage of the unknown and live! the key to life is life. in order to truly live, you must have life in you. don't just exist, live!
and smile... :)
peace, hope, smiles, hugs, and glittery laughter... :)

no matter what...

hello all! i hope today was as happy as sunshine for you! today's post is something of a cheer up therapy session for those of you who didn't have good days. open another tab and go to YouTube. search the song No Matter What by Kerrie Roberts. when i titled this post the first thing that popped into my mind was that song. to me, the song is a reminder that no matter what happens, what we have done, where we have been, or who we associate with, God sent Jesus to die for you also, and that alone, right there is a reason to rejoice, take joy, smile, and be happy. and if that doesn't make you smile or cheer up, then think on this: be you! you are allowed to have days that aren't stellar because that is part of you. and remember, you are a masterpiece created by the best Artist ever. smiling yet? i am cheering myself up by writing this! :) so go forth and smile at random, make the rest of your day sunshine-y happy, and don't forget...SMILE. :):)
peace, hope, and smiles... :)

humbly awesome... :)

hey friends!
while talking with some friends yesterday, we had this interesting thought about humility and awesomeness. we have an awesome God, right? (correct answer: yes) :):) and our God delights when we are humble, yet He created us, which makes us awesome children of an awesome God. that makes us humbly awesome! so smile about that. :) here is a thought about humility that i heard during a talk with the band Big Daddy Weave. being humble is not about degrading yourself or being cruel, but true humbleness is accepting the way God created you and LOVING YOU. give yourself another smile. :) now for a final thought, what do you think when you hear the word creation? i usually think of masterpieces, or things not easily recreated except by the original artist. my friends, God is that Artist, and you are His masterpiece. smile! :)
hugs, smiles, and hope... :)

in love with today...

what were some good things about your today? maybe a family meal, a compliment from a stranger, a cute outfit that makes you feel good, a sparkling lake, the sunshine...? those are some of my good things from today. but what about letting the fact you had today make your day good? this morning (or afternoon) when you woke up, did you thank God for allowing you to have today?  that is one thing we all forget is a blessing. so even if your day was terrible, remember...at least you had today.

a reason to smile

hello hello hello! :) what did you smile about today? i smiled about quite a few things today. i have a thought for you: think of how many blessings you have and smile for each one. now ask yourself...would you ever stop smiling? today i thought about blessings. as humans, we are blessed. that enough is a reason to smile. did you wake up today? obviously ;) that is a reason to smile. in the twenty four hours of today, you have had 31,536,000 seconds in which to smile. logically, if every second of life is a blessing, and you should smile at every blessing, then today, in 24 hours, you didn't have a reason to not be smiling. so, smile. :) on my way home from work today, i drove past a lake that is full of icky algae due to the tremendous amounts of rain followed by ridiculous heat this gorgeous state of Minnesota has been blessed with. while the lake smells, and the shores look murky, out in the center was a huge sea of sparkles. (love, love, LOVE sparkles) those sparkles were individual waves reflecting the sun. each of those sparkles was a reason to smile. so as you can see, there are infinite reasons to smile...so tomorrow, later today, or even right now, smile at a random person. start a chain. make someone's day. give the world a reason to smile!

hugs, hope, laughter, sparkles, and

...smiles! :)

smile, smile, smile

hey all! this is new, and it will probably take me awhile to make it pretty, but i wanted to start my ministry today! i would like to invite you to smile, right now, at no one in particular. how did that feel? are you still smiling? this blog is all about smiling. my goal is to post tidbits that made me smile to give you a smile. when i was younger a family moved to my small town with a few kids around my age. we quickly became friends, spent countless hours together, and thankfully are still friends. one day while we were hanging out we listened to this old music machine song called 'smile'. i don't remember many of the lyrics, however, part of it goes like this: 'smile, smile, smile! i love to smile!...' here are a few things for you...
-- smile, because no matter how many clouds there are, your smile is a ray of sunshine.
-- smile, because it is good for you, as in healthy
-- smile, because it gives you a freedom for your mind
-- smile, because it creates more smiles
now, have a good evening! and don't forget...

smile! :)