Precious Moments

Today was easily one of the most incredible days of my entire 19 years of life. Being this young, most of my friends haven't quite entered into the marriage/baby-makin' stage of life. However, two of my closest friends spent the day in the hospital and gave birth to a beautiful, healthy and rather huge (9 pounds, 1 ounce - 21 inches long) baby boy. I spent hours waiting with two of my best guy friends and we were so obnoxiously antsy while waiting to see the baby. But let me tell you, when Kelly was wheeled out with Hunter in her arms, I melted instantly, and so did the boys. There is something about witnessing new life that changes something in your heart. The boys and I went to Skyline for dinner afterwards and ended up in a pretty deep discussion about life and such. First of all, life is an awesome and beautiful thing taken for granted way too often. We are each placed here on earth with a purpose in mind, and to get a hold of the fact that the three of us will be helping shape Hunter's life is pretty crazy. It doesn't make us want to grow up faster, but it made us take into account the seriousness of our relationships with each other, but more importantly, our relationship with God. We know we were created first to love God, and second to love others, and we agree that we want this boy to experience an insane amount of love and we want to see him grow up to be a mighty servant of the Lord. In all of this though, I couldn't help but remember my sweet friend Sally and how she would have been the brightest face in that room (other than Cory & Kelly's). Sally Jo Varney was the sole greatest person I have ever had the privilege of meeting, and she went home to be with the Lord just a little over a year ago. Sally knew what it meant to live life to the fullest, not only in the sense of doing adventurous things because she loved them, but in the sense that she saw every single moment as a chance to love others into a relationship with God. Love is a choice and Sal made it every second of every day. She wasn't perfect, but hey, nobody is or was or ever will be except Jesus. But Sally strove towards Christ-like perfection in her actions, thoughts and words. I want to leave that kind of legacy behind. Maybe it's selfish, but I want baby Hunter to grow up knowing me not as his aunt who will always spoil the mess out of him, but as a woman of Christ. A woman who made it a priority to reflect God in all the ways that I can. I want to leave a legacy that shows the great work of the Lord. I don't want people to know who I am, but who God is in me.

Welcome to my Life.

It's crazy to think that the first time I made an attempt to become a blogger was nearly three years ago this month. To say that these past few years have flown by would be an absolute understatement. I am literally losing track of time, and considering the fact that I'm in my sophomore year of college, I should probably get a hold of that here soon. Even more than that though is the amount of change that has happened in my life. I've essentially been forced to grow up in ways that most people my age don't have to experience, and I'm so grateful for that. It's made me eager to begin my life as an independent, young adult; as someone who gets to create exactly what I hope for my future to look like. That's what I most look forward to. Constructing my family, my life, my home and my faith from something built off a foundation of what I believe in, not what I have lived among for so many years. Freedom is a lesson I've been learning for quite a long time now. I'm coming to understand that I'm not bound by a single thing here on this earth. My sole purpose in this life is to love God and love others and as long as I'm doing that, I believe that I have the freedom to make my own decisions in accordance to the ways I feel the Holy Spirit moving in my heart. That's an incredibly beautiful thing to understand. I believe that the most beautiful things arise from what once was broken. Therefore, I am hopeful for the adventures that are to come in my lifetime. As cliche as it is, I've made a promise to myself to live my life to the fullest. To embrace the greatest opportunities placed in my path and enjoy every second of every minute that I'm given. This life isn't meant to be watched callously from the sidelines; it's meant to be taken in stride with a joyful spirit. Each day is a gift, that's why it is called the present.