Absolutely Amazing!

Whew, it has been way to long since the last time I posted, but then again I sure have been busy.  Summer 2011 is here, but it feels like I have gotten more busy!  So since the summer is here that means I have completed 2 years of college!  Woooaaahhh, wait a minute, that means I am going to be a Junior in college in the fall.  Wow!!  


Summer began and I jumped head first into doing things I love.  Spent one lovely Saturday afternoon the Post Office food drive, then volunteered that next week at Yoke fellow.  (I got some good quality time with those cans). I of course have been spending many days at West Lenoir Elementary volunteering, some in the library, some in the classroom, and even one day of proctoring the Science EOG. Took some time one evening to babysit the kids that I have kept for the past seven years at least. (Man, thats a long time, and those kids are growing up way to fast). 


I kept the month of May moving along and on May 21st I had the first support group meeting for Hydrocephalus in North Carolina.  I took on the role of organizing it and joined with 12 other people that are affected by Hydrocephalus.  There were 5 of us that have hydrocephalus and got to learn more about each other. It was a very eventuful weekend.  (Skittles wanted to make sure he wasn't forgotten and decided to role off the poarch steps :o).


The next weekend, which was this past weekend was Memorial Day weekend. But if you know me well enough then you my know that Memorial Day weekend means its recital time.  I have now finished my 14th year of dancing under the instruction of Star Steps Dance Center.  I am so thankful that I am able to dance.  This year I not only danced but also worked as stage manager.  It truly was a job, but I really enjoyed it!  


So between all this, I keep reminding myself that summer is a time to relax.  While I will be taking two classes this summer, it is a break from having a heaving load of many hours of classes.  I will be volunteering, working, hanging out with friends, spending time with family, traveling a little bit, and what ever else falls into the schedule. 


The summer is amazing, and I am thankful that I am getting to enjoy it in my home town.  While there my not be much in Lenoir, it is the place I have grown up in, and I continue to find things to do.  I have discovered that doing good deeds and  helping others tied with feeling relaxed don't often go together for many people.  Well for me it sure is.  Lenoir has so much to offer that makes one feel good, you just have to take the time to find it!  


Well it's only May 31st and the high was 97 degrees.  Summer doesn't start till June 

21st, its gonna be a HOT summer!

True Companions

I found this on the internet and feel in love with it.  Dogs are truly a special part in my life.  When coming home, I look forward to seeing Emma and Skittles just as much as seeing my mom and dad.  Being an only child, my dogs are my play buddies.

The Canine Commandments

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years.  Any separation from    you will be painful for me.  Remember that before you buy me.

Cousins and cousin dogs spending time together

2. Give me time to understand what you want from me.

3. Place your trust in me. It's crucial to my well-being.

Trust put in Skittles that he can lead us to land ;)

4. Don't be angry with me for long, and don't lock me up as punishment.  You have your work, your entertainment and your friends.  I only have you.

Cousin Matthew and his dog Buddy.  

5. Talk to me sometimes.  Even if I don't understand you words, I understand your voice when it's speaking to me.

6.Be aware that however you treat me.  I'll never forget it.

7. Remember before you hit me:  I have teeth that could easily crush the bones of your hand, but I choose not to bite you.

See my teeth :)

8. Before you cold me for being un-cooperative, obstinate or lazy, ask yourself if something might be bothering me.  Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, or I've been out in the sun too long, or my hear is getting old and weak.

9. Take care of me when I get old.  You too will grow old.

10. Go with me on difficult journeys.  Never say: "I can't bear to watch it" or "Let it happen in my absence." Everything is easier for me if you are there.

Remember That I LOVE YOU.

I love my doggies!  

Every Scar has a story

Scars represent a wrinkle in time in which a person's life changed forever.  And they serve as a permanent reminder of an incident that in one way or another has made a lasting impression on one's life. So what is a scar?  Is it a mark that is left by a wound, sore or burn that has now healed?  Or is it a lasting effect of something that emotionally happened to you?  Everyone has faced having a scar, and we all have different definitions for what a scar is.  Everyone is not the same, so every scar is not going to be the same, they all have their own individual story. Each scar represents a moment in time or a passage of time when something happened to us or through us that we will never forget.  


So take a moment and look at yourself, and see your scars on the outside and inside.  Do you remember the story of how you got that scar, or where it came from?  Every scar has a story of their own.  


I personally have been thinking more about the physically scars.  Children that are young are proud of their skinned up knees and elbows when they were sliding into home plate, or trying to be like their big sibling, or something along those lines.  And then as we get older, scars seem to be something more that we have to hide, like they are not important.  

Kayleigh and I.
Who knows what we were into that day!

When I was about 6 or 7 years old, I spent my summers at my best friend Kayleigh's  house and let me tell you we got into everything.  She was just mastering riding her bike down the carport hill and turning down to where the basement was.  Of course, if she could do it, I knew I could do it.  Well I thought wrong, I went down the hill from the carport, and then I went down the grassy hill toward the road.  The  bike and me hitting everything on the ground including a rock and coming close to hitting the barbwire fence at the bottom.  I earned a lovely scar on my knee that day(more than likely many others)! But as I got older, the knee scar was the only one that stayed around. In my younger years, I was very proud of that scar and told people all the time, now it is fading, but when I see it, it reminds me of those days!

My mother revealed a picture to me,
after my first surgery.

While there are scars that are fun and we can go back and laugh at, there are also scars that have saved ones life.  For myself, I have two scars that are linked hand in hand.  Having Hydrocephalus, and having a VP shunt, I have two scars.  One is on the right side of my head  behind my ear and one that is now above my belly button.  The VP shunt ( a tubing with pressure sensitive valves in my head) runs from the right side of my head, down through my neck and ending in the abdominal cavity.  5 of my surgeries took place when I was a baby and a toddler, but when I was 10 I had a revision because I was getting taller and needed more tubing.  I was lucky to have all my incisions done on the same one all six times.  My mother will share the story that when I was a baby with my belly scar, was down along my bikini line--well now it is no where near it.  It is actually above my belly button.  It moved a good 3 or 4 inches :o.  After my surgery when I was 10, I often wanted to hide my scare when I was wearing a bathing suit.  Also when I surgery when I was 10, a part of my head had to be shaved, and you could sometimes tell. I didn't want my friends to stare at the incision that I had, and better yet I did not want them to be asking questions. I eventually came to a conclusion, that that scar on my belly saved my life. If it wasn't for the scar on my belly I would be here. Also when I surgery when I was 10, a part of my head had to be shaved, and you could sometimes tell.   And instantly I became proud of my scar. 

Turn your scars into stars.

 This is so true. 

 They do not have to be stars that are shared, 

but are to be stars in your life.

These are just two stories from one person about scars.  You do not have to share your stories about your own scars, but remember them and let  those scars make you who you are.  Everything that happens to us, emotional scars or rejoices, physical scars or rejoices all make us who we are.  God loves us and all of our beautiful scars.


Dear God, 
I sure do love you, you are amazing. While sometimes we look at our scars as something bad, help us remember that the scars make us who we are.  Lord you are amazing, and tonight I would pray from a friend that had surgery and will be blessed with a scar. I also know many people that have many scars, and help them see that that scar has its own story, and no one else has a story like that.  In your heavenly name I pray, Amen.

Deep powerful questions can be very meaningful to getting to know yourself.  I discovered a website that has over 100 deep powerful questions, and I have gotten really interested in a few of them, so I thought I would share. I am not answering all of them, only a few from www.lifeliteracylabs.com

6. If you could change your name, what would your new name be?

I actually choose this question, only to say that even if I was offered to change my name to anything, I would not change it.  I was given the name Elizabeth Ann, and that is what I like.  It is who I am, and I was named after amazing women, so why would I want my name to be anything else?

8.  What color dominates your wardrobe?   How do you feel when you wear that color?

Brown dominates me in everything, my wardrobe, my room, and  well yea.  It seems lately though that anything bright colored is what I enjoy wearing.  If I am having a down day, I look to bright and colorful things to wear.  

19.  As a kid, what did you dream of becoming when you grew up?

As a child, I always wanted to be a teacher.  And to me that was a teacher that worked in a school system and taught children. I am currently going to college and majoring in elementary education, but I am thinking that God has a bigger calling for me in the teaching aspect.  It may be teaching, but it may not be teaching in a school system and maybe not teaching the traditional subjects.

31.  If you could be  a fictional character from a movie or a novel, who would you want to be?  Why?

As odd as it may seem, I think I would want to be Ariel from the Little Mermaid.  Even though all Ariel wanted to do was to get on the land and away from the sea and ocean, she had a great amount of imagination and wonder.  I think it is amazing to be able to wonder and have the amount of imagination that Ariel has.

45.  Who never fails to make you feel good about yourself?

My best friend, also known as my little brother always has a way of making me feel great being the person I am.  If I am ever down, I know that he will find a way to cheer me up and not in a way that suggests I should be someone else, but rather cheer me up wearing the shoes that I wear all the time.  Being who you are in very important, and sometimes I forget that, but Brandon always helps me get back on track.

54.  What is the first thought that usually crosses your mind the second you open your eyes in the morning?

First thought is what bed am I in.  Am I two feet off the ground or am I five feet off the ground.  It is a very important thought so that I don't die getting up in the morning.

These are just a few of the questions, the less intense ones that I choose to share.  But I challenge you to get to know yourself.

We are God's children

"Each one of us has a body with many parts, and these parts all have different uses.  In the same way, we are many, but in Christ we are all one body.  Each one is a part of that body, and each part belongs to all the other parts.  We all have different girts, each of which came because of the grace God gave us.  The person who has the gift of prophecy should use that gift in agreement with the faith.  Anyone who has the gift of serving should serve.  Anyone who has the gift of teaching should teach.  Whoever has the gift of encouraging others should encourage.  Whoever has the gift of giving to others should give freely.  Anyone who has the fist of being leader should try hard when he heads.  Whoever has the gift of showing mercy to others should so with joy." --Romans 11:4-8

We all have our own way of adding to the body of Christ, and while sometimes it feels we do not fit in or know where we are going, God does have a plan.  For myself, while I am in college, I am trying to figure out what I want to major in, and lately have decided that I am working to hard to try to figure out what I want to do with my life, rather than doing something that I would enjoy to do with my life.  I have decided that I am going to major in Elementary Education, but I think I have a bigger picture that I am headed toward.  I am interested in working in Social work in the schools, but my heart is always with non-profits. The biggest thing for me, is I love helping people, and helping a community.  

Recently, I am taking a Philosophy of Human Nature class, and in the last week we talked about why do we go to school and why do we do anything.  Most of the things that we do, is because it is what society tells us we should do.  I for myself think, I look at society and see what I want to do to help.  I believe that I am not someone that has to see a fix to the problem, but rather a start in the right direction.  I think it is important that if you are unsure about what you want to do with you life, that you focus on now.  What is it now that you enjoy?  Not meaning a certain major, but looking deeper and finding out why you are interested in that.. and whatever that is..!  That is what you will be content with.  

I often wonder what people think about when they look at me.  I wonder if they think only bad things and negative things of me, or rather they think of good and positive things.  I would hope that there is positive things.  But then I also know that since I do not do a lot on campus, there is a lot that is unknown of me.  The one thing that is very important to me, is not connected with my schooling or really my church, unless I am informing.  The Hydrocephalus Association has my heart and always will.  Most recently I have become a new HA partner :D  This is exciting news for myself.

I am starting the first support group for the HA in North Carolina.  Planning on having the first meeting this summer, and it excites me inside and out.  And I sometimes cannot seem to contain my joy from it, but since many people do not know about it, then it makes it hard to explain why I am so happy.  And then sometimes when I say Hydrocephalus, and then say it is water head babies, or water on the brain.. they laugh.  And it stabs a part of my heart.  

Dear Heavenly Father, 

I would pray that anyone that is unsure of what they want to do with their life, look at what they enjoy doing right this moment.  What is it that makes you happy.  I pray that for everyone that is facing struggles and the hard times of their life and that you GOD, sit by their side and be their leaning shoulder.  Lord, I pray for everyone including those that think they are good and don't need pray.  Lord, I want to strengthen to pray for those that are sick but also everyone on this earth!  GOD i love you, and I am so thankful to be one of yours.  In your holy name, Amen.

Shine before others

Reading the bible is not something that I do often, rather I pick it up when I am looking for something, or am in bible study or church.  Reading the bible gives comfort and knowledge, and that is what I am working hard to get from the bible.  So instead of participating in read the bible in a year, or read straight through, or something in some other form, I am doing it in my own way.  I have missed a few mornings and a few nights, but what I do, is I randomly open to a page and then random choice something on the page to read.  Sometimes it encourages me to read on, or to look  something else up, but no matter what it is getting me in the bible.

This past weekend I served as a YARP (young adult resource person) for a lock in at my church.  It was a combination of the 30 hour famine and Souper Bowl of Caring with 5 churches. The attendance was around 50 of youth and adults.  I enjoyed spending time doing crazy games, and bible memorization with the youth, along with bonding with the adults.  One of my duties was to make sure everyone went to bed, so in the midst of that, I picked up my bible, flipped open to a page and began to read. 

"You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify you Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)

In the closing of the Lock-in worship service to break our fasting with shared communion with one another and closed off the service with singing "this little light of mine".  While sitting with the youth (some of which I was in youth with), I thought about this song.  The song is one that I learned when I was little bitty and knew the hand motions to, but yet it was just a song to me, and now after what I read the night before it is connected with the scriptures.

What I did not realize was that reading was part of the Sunday scripture and is what my pastor preached on.  I think it is interesting how I simply turned open the bible and began reading something and it became part of my weekend.



Continuing on, one of my homework assignments this week was to take five minutes and look at the stars and think about what is there, and take time to wonder.  I have now already done my blog, but will writing this, I begin to think of the stars and shining together.  I see the stars like individual  human beings.  Each star is different, in its brightness, location, distance and much more, just like every person on this earth has their own uniqueness.  (Snowflakes are like this as well.  Not one snowflake is like another snowflake.)


I feel like everyone is a star in the sky, just as everyone is a snowflake that falls to the ground and we are unique.  It is sometimes hard to pick the stars out of the sky, just like it hard to pick an individual out of the crowd. Have you ever taken time to let the snowflakes fall on you and then look at what they really look like.. It really is amazing how a million can fall at once, but yet there are all different.  And to me that is the same with the stars, they may look similar, but they all have their own unique qualities.  While some people my be a twin, there are no two people that are exactly the same and like the exact same things.  So take some time to learn the unique you, and find the unique star in the sky that is like you and the unique snowflake that falls.

I am a snowflake, and I am that one!

I am a star, and I am that one!

Reflections

"As Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and his brother Andrew.  They were throwing a net into the lake because they were fishermen.  Jesus said, ' come and follow me, and I will make you fish for people'.  So Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed them. --Matthew 4: 18-20

 Simon and Andrew were simply just going fishing for fish, and instead where directed to gather their things and follow Jesus to be made into fisherman of people.  There are no qualifications to be a follower of Jesus.  Simon and Andrew were uneducated fishermen. They were simple men.  Jesus did also not ask them for their skill, for he was going to redefine the meaning of fishermen to them.  Though we think that asking someone to come to church, or sharing a bible story with a random person is what we must do because we are Christian.  It can be much simpler than that.  It can be a simple act as carrying someone's grocery's to the car, or sharing a high five with someone that passed a test.  Being a friend to someone that may not have many friends, or handing a homeless man a piece of bread.  The actions of a Christian are so broad and has many varieties that open doors so that anyone has the ability to show their Christian love.

Christian love is something that I feel moving around my church family.  I have a connection with each person and a home feeling is always there.  Today at church, it felt more like a family then it has in a while.  I love my church, and that is why I drive home every Sunday for church.  St. Stephens is a very loving church and it is always been my home, it is a family.  But for someone reason today, it was even more family like.  


Something that is not common at other churches (at least ones I have gone to).  When its time for the children's sermon all young disciples go up.  The Timothy's and Ruth's (the younger children) along with the Naomi's and Paul's (the youth group).  It is fantastic to see so many children of God.  I stopped going up last year, only because I decided that now in my 2nd year of college, it was time to let someone else be there.  Each time the youth, children gather they recite this bible verse.  It is a connection that has been made with the youth and the young people.  It is fantastic for everyone to come together to grow together in the name of the Lord Jesus  "For whatever you do in word or deed do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."  --Colossians 3:17