Day 7: G is for Gratitude

   Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love seeing all of my family, eating lots of good food, and laughing and sharing stories at the dinner table. I love acknowledging the many blessings in my life. I love the atmosphere. It puts a smile on my face just thinking about it. So why can't every day be like Thanksgiving? There's no reason it shouldn't be.
   Did you know that gratitude not only improves your happiness, but also raises your self-esteem, improves your immune system, helps you overcome trauma, lowers depression, aggression, and anxiety, and improves your heart health.
   Even with all of its benefits, people still refuse to practice gratitude. You know who I'm talking about. The people who never seem to stop complaining about the tiniest things, the people who constantly talk bad about others, the people you try to avoid because of the bad vibes they're giving off. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be one of those people. I want to be so full of gratitude that people walk away from me feeling happier. I know that in an imperfect world, there are many things that can make you want to wallow in negativity. But it's so worth it to focus on the good in your life, rather than the bad.
   How exactly does one practice gratitude? There are many different ways, but I will share some of my favorites.


1. Saying thank you for the simple things. Your parents taught you manners, right? Say thank you when someone holds the door for you, when you order food, when someone compliments you. Not only are you building your gratitude skills, but you could also be making someone else's day.

2. Keep a gratitude journal. List 5, 10, or 20 things, moments or people that you are thankful for today. Ending your night in gratitude can actually help you sleep better.

3. Thanking God. One of my favorite quotes is, "What if you woke up today with only the things that you thanked God for yesterday?" Wow. What if that actually happened? I would start thanking God a lot more. After all, everything good in our lives comes from Him.


Dear Lord, thank You for waking me up today. Thank You for my beating heart, my breathing lungs. Thank You for my health. Thank You for my beautiful home, my safe neighborhood, my wonderful family and friends. Thank You also for my burdens and crosses, because I know they are leading me to You. Thank You for giving me another opportunity to show others Your love today. Amen.

Day 6: F is for Firework

   There are many different kinds of people in this world. Some are amiable and friendly, others are hostile and bitter. Some love talking and being around people, others are more shy and reclusive. Some are daring and bold, others are quiet and timid.
   But there is one very special group of people, called the Fireworks. Though all Firework People are different from one another, they all have one thing in common: they are world changers.
   Firework People have earth-shattering plans. They have mind-blowing ideas. They don't settle for okay, and they won't be satisfied until they make a difference. Like the real fireworks that you see in the night sky on July fourth, Firework People are beautiful. They explode into magical colors and take your breath away. They turn your head, and make you smile. They make lots of noise, and are impossible to ignore. They stir things up. Even after they leave, you can still see their smoke in the sky; you can still see their lights burn underneath your eyelids. And, like real fireworks, they work a lot better together.

  I'm so proud to be a part of a gorgeous community of women who are so intent on changing the world. Check out #fireworkpeople here: http://www.wearefireworkpeople.com/

Day 5: E is for Elegance

   You hear it all the time. Spiteful, bitter girls complaining and venting. In the school bathrooms, at parties, after seeing a particularly romantic movie. Where are all the gentlemen?
   Many girls so desperately want to be loved that they go from one catastrophic relationship to the next, always eventually being abandoned, broken and empty, wondering if there are any good guys left. After a while, when no prince charming comes to sweep them off their feet, they may lose hope and write all men off as being jerks (or other words that I would get yelled at by my mom for saying).
   Here's the thing: my favorite (fictional) English teacher once said, "We accept the love we think we deserve." Girls, you have to know your worth. You are radiant daughters of God! You are royal; you are princesses who deserve your prince. Often when we forget to whom we belong, we forget how precious we are.
   Every girl deserves a gentleman, but in order to attract a gentleman, you must first be a lady.
  Whatever happened to class? Sophistication? Elegance? Where are the Audrey Hepburns and Grace Kellys of this generation? I know that it's not realistic to ask teenage girls to wear shin-length dresses and have tea parties everyday, but that's not all that elegance is.
   According to Google, elegance is
the quality of being graceful and stylish in both appearance and manner. Dressing nicely and looking your best is important, but none of that matters if your attitude isn't ladylike.
  
Girls, throwing yourselves at guys in the hopes of being fulfilled isn't elegant.

Dressing inappropriately in order to get attention from guys isn't elegant (trust me, you will get attention. But not the kind you deserve).

Laughing off sexual harassment and rude jokes because you don't want to "look like a prude" isn't elegant.

Making fun of other girls girl definitely isn't elegant.

You know what is always elegant?

Kindness.
Goodness.
Charity.
Patience.
Generosity.
Humility
Strength.
Joy.
Love.

   Ladies, become the woman of your dreams, and you will attract the man of your dreams.

Day 4: D is for Delightful

A list of delightful things:

1. Campfires
2. Art
3. Coffee
4. Flowers
5. Cookies
7. Fireworks
8. Books
9. Music
10. Dancing
11. Sunshine
12. Pajamas
13. Cats
14. Tea
15. Pillows
16. Smiles
17. Libraries
18. Candles
19. Rain
20. Friends

"Teach us to delight in simple things."

Day 3: C is for Courage

   Nelson Mandela once said, "I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."
   I know a man who perfectly lived out the truths professed in this quote. He is the most wonderful person I've ever known. He is kind, loving, generous, intelligent, perfect, and beautiful in every way that word can be used. But I have treated him terribly, and because of many things I've done, he was unjustly punished.
   He was terrified when he learned he would be the one to pay for my wrongdoings. He was full of fear and anxiety and dread. He fell to his knees, and wept, and prayed, but in the end he fully understood that the difficult way was the only way.
   This man was brutally tortured and killed because of me, and he was afraid the whole time. But he understood that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. He conquered his fear through radical love, and because of his courage, I am now victorious. 

Day 2: B is for Beauty

   Earlier today, I typed a single word into the Pinterest search bar: beauty. The very first Pin to come up was a Cosmopolitan article entitled "100 Mascaras Tested On One Eye." The second Pin was another article called "10 Tips for Perfect Skin," and the third was called "101 Beauty Tips Every Girl Should Know."
   Cosmo, Teen Vogue, and Seventeen will tell us that the definition of "beautiful" is having a Kim Kardashian body, an Angelina Jolie face, Blake Lively hair, and a Miley Cyrus "I-don't-care-what-you-think" attitude. They'll teach us how to achieve those thigh gaps, plump up our lips, and how to keep guys interested, while at the same time insisting that we should never change ourselves for a man.
   The double standard that society has been professing is confusing and frustrating, and has many women wondering what beauty really is. Instead of letting flawed human beings define beauty for us, we should turn to our Maker, who is beauty incarnate.
   Song of Solomon says, "You are altogether beautiful my love; there is no flaw in you." Though of course all human beings are flawed, God (speaking through Solomon) is telling us we were all perfectly made. The God of the Universe does not make mistakes, and that means that you are not a mistake.
   Though the longing for physical beauty is not only natural, but given to us by God, we must not let it take control of our desires. Imagine how different the world would be if women spent as much time doing random acts of kindness as they did doing their makeup in the morning.
   Ladies, and gents too, I'm going to challenge you. Look in the mirror right now. Tell yourself, sincerely, three things that you see in the mirror that you love. Say it. Repeat it. Believe it. Now that that's out of the way, go change the world. Smile at strangers. Buy someone flowers. Offer to pray for someone. Clean your house without looking for a reward. Write a love letter. Pay for someone's parking. Play with your siblings. Just make a difference. No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. And guess what? Kindness is freaking beautiful.

A-Z Writing Challenge Day 1: A is for Alive

Hearts beating.
Lungs breathing.
Eyes squinting.
Cheeks smiling.
Hands holding.
Lips touching.
Feet dancing.
Arms hugging.
Souls loving.
Alive.