Natural Talent

Connie Talbot is a great singer and her voice is absolutely beautiful.  This cover is one of my favorites for this song. I'm not impressed of her singing just because she's only 12 years old, but you must admit, for her age her skill is simply beyond words -- one of the finest examples of natural, God-given talent I've ever witnessed.

Eyes

Have you ever looked into the eyes of a person who's fighting against all the odds? Eyes filled with pain and suffering and sadness, tired eyes... yet eyes with an unfaltering determination and perseverance.  You can begin to see, by the way those eyes reflect in the light, a glimpse of how much that person has gone through hell and back.  And the look of those eyes leave an impression.  And you will remember them for the rest of your life.

A Breeze

In the midst of all the salt water

comes a slight and powerful breeze

cooling the senses, cooling the pain

A simple reminder of the Holy Spirit

of the love that never left, and will never leave

of the safety I've been blessed with

And a simple smile curves my face

So much could have gone wrong, so much

Oh the power of a simple breeze

Twenty Two

22...

This year, less worry, more thankfulness, less stress, more faith.  Less having a vice-like grip on life, more of doing my best and letting go.

All thanks to God above. :)

Can you accept love?

Well, I think it depends on what kind of "love" you expect.  It is certainly correlated to how you view yourself.  If you view of yourself as a diamond, then you perhaps expect love with respect to your view of yourself as a diamond.  If you view yourself as a pebble, then you perhaps expect love with respect to your view of yourself as a pebble.  If the former is you, then you understand and respect your God-given worth, rightfully so.  If the latter is you, then you understand your human imperfections, rightfully so.

The key, I think, is to realize we're both a diamond and a pebble.

But I'll tell you this, I know the latter very much so true to me and how I expect love from others is based mostly, although not solely, on this half of the amalgamation. How I view myself is mostly, although not solely, on the former half of the amalgamation. And so, when I receive love from others, I feel so undeserving and extremely thankful.  And when I view myself, I know I'm worth more than a self-deprecating evaluation.

 In harmony, love, from others and the way I love myself, nourishes my entirety to the point of sublime joy.