prone2wander

[prone2wander]

(via twloha)

#TWLOHA #suicideawareness

Above all else, we choose to stay. We choose to fight the darkness and the sadness, to fight the questions and the lies and the myth of all that’s missing. We choose to stay, because we are stories still going. Because there is still some time for things to turn around, time for surprises and for change. We stay because no one else can play our part.

- Jamie Tworkowski, “We’ll See You Tomorrow.”

[prone2wander]

There’s the path now take that step. I know you know I know it’s long, you know I know you know it’s scary, but we’ll never get to where we wish to be, if we do not start with a step or two…or three.

Follow me @TylerKnott on Twitter and Instagram. (at Gallatin National Forest)

[prone2wander]

?

Breathe in, breathe out.  Be true to yourself.

Step forward, don't look back.

Dream of the universe. Don't box yourself inside the limitations of others' expectations.

Pause. Be still. Allow that faint inner voice to yell louder than the world's.

Just jump, plunge even. Don't let "what if's" and "but maybe's" define your actions.

It's ok to be "that person". (Because really, everyone else is wishing they could be too.)

There is so much life, love, joy, adventure, laughter out there, just waiting... Waiting for you to say, "Screw it, I'm in, sign me up!"

So will you? ?

[prone2wander]

This showed up on PostSecret today. To the person who sent it, we want to say: Thank You for being so brave as to share these words. Thank You for reminding us how important it is to ask people how they’re doing. More than anything, we want you to know that it’s okay to ask for help. We’ve come to believe that people need other people. You deserve a support system. You deserve friends and love and you deserve whatever help you need. Counseling is often a great place to start, as counselors help people walk through the hardest parts of life. Please know you’re not alone. Please don’t give up. You matter very much.

[prone2wander]

I had this song on repeat on the plane ride back to the states...

[prone2wander]

Renewed.

I have been changed. I have been reminded of who I am at the core. What I am passionate about. What inspires me. What makes me jump out of bed in the morning. 

Now my charge is to hold onto that with all my might and bring it with me into my present job, relationships and life.  To be purposeful. To be respectful, yet open and honest. To intentionally be the fish constantly swimming up stream. 

I was not created to fit a mold, especially in this society. I was made with vibrant passion and unexpected purpose to charge into places and situations others shy from. I was crafted to bring light into the darkness no matter how deep or profound that darkness is. I was made to be a beacon of unmeasured hope.  I was crafted by a Creator who has no limitations so that nothing would be able to box me in.  I am supported by a God who can move mountains, control the elements, heal the sick and lame and raise the dead. The very same God who said that I would be His hands and feet to do even more than this if only I would be willing.

"All the good you will do will come not from you, but from the fact that you have allowed yourself, in the obedience of faith, to be used by God's love."

I was created, crafted, designed specifically for a holy and precious purpose: to love.  At my job- my bosses, my co-workers, my students, my patients and their families.  At home- my family, my friends, my neighbors. Wherever I am- the poor, the lonely, the broken hearted, the downcast, the crippled, the homeless, the weary, the discouraged, the hopeless, the lost the ones the rest of the world has cast aside.  

[prone2wander]

Keep walking. Keep going. Keep trying. Keep fighting. Keep believing. Keep hoping. Keep noticing. Keep waking. Keep seeing. Keep helping. Keep surviving. Keep.

[prone2wander]

30 is NOT the new 20 - Dr. Meg Jay

[prone2wander]

Yes, I am going to quote Grey's Anatomy...

We're all going to die. We don't get much say over how or when. But we do get to decide how we are going to live.

So do it. Decide.

Is this the life you want to live? Is this the person you want to love? Is this the best you can be? Can you be stronger, kinder, more compassionate?

Decide. Breathe in, breathe out and decide.

  ...because it's just that good. 

[prone2wander]

I have been struggling with my attitude lately- a friend of mine posted this on their facebook wall and it has some interesting points...

[prone2wander]

You cannot be replaced.

So I started today with a project.  I have this random list of questions I have been answering in my journals on days when I really feel like writing but don't have any words.  Today was Question #9: List 10 people who have inspired you and describe how.

And at first I sat there and still did not have words.  What does it mean to be "inspired" or to "inspire"? Are we talking Ghandi and Mother Teresa level here or what? How does one stand out in a crowd to be "that" person?

And then as I continued to sit there, names slowly started popping into my head of people who have impacted my life in some way...from close friends to family members to coworkers to even old high school friends, name after name started coming to me of people who have molded, changed, encouraged and inspired my heart and my life over the past 25 years. Suddenly I went from not knowing where to start to a list of 10 not being anywhere near enough. So then I spent some time looking at my list and the more I looked at it, the more in awe of God I became. It is insane how much He has blessed my life by giving me relationships with each of these people. I know I would not be who I am today without every single one of those interactions. Certain people sparked my passion for mission work, others gave me a love for dance and teaching, some encouraged me to pursue a career in physical therapy while a few showed me I had a heart for youth ministry and then don't even get me started on how many where instrumental in my personal faith journey... 

So if we go back to the original question, "What does it mean to 'inspire' or be 'inspired'?", I have decided it actually comes down to the everyday, mundane things more than the grand gestures. I think it is more about building a relationship and sharing life with another person that is inspiring. And I also think this turned out to be a very appropriate question for me to ponder today, as it is the last day of national suicide prevention week. See, the theme this year was you cannot be replaced. And in pausing and looking back on my life and all the people that influenced and inspired me, that concept becomes so incredibly apparent to me. If even just one person had not been there for me to cross paths with, no matter for how long our time together may have been, I would not be who I am today. 

Tonight, I pray that each of these people know how much they matter.  (I actually plan to spend time in the coming days telling them all that in some way.) But even more so, tonight, I pray that this concept of being irreplaceable becomes real to those who might be thinking the world would be better off without them because it wouldn't. You matter. You were placed on this earth at a specific time and place for a purpose that is unique to you.

YOU CANNOT BE REPLACED.

*For more information on the organization To Write Love On Her Arms, click here.  *For someone to talk to right now, call 1.800.273.TALK (273-8255) to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.  *For other places to reach out to for help click here.

[prone2wander]

Something God has been trying to teach me during this busy wedding season...

[prone2wander]

Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to You, were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. [Psalm 40:5]

[prone2wander]

Passion is the degree of difficulty we're willing to go to achieve the goal.

Matt Redman - 10,000 Reasons Devotional

[prone2wander]

Pause.

“For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end.” (Psalm 48:14) Take heart from this today. You are being guided, held and provided for by the Lord of all eternity.

[prone2wander]

Happy Tuesday! Whether you’ve already gained some momentum through your morning or need some inspiration, this little guy, created by Chibird.com, should motivate you to keep going through the rest of your day.