Our Refuge

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

    will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,

    my God, in whom I trust.”

 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

    and from the deadly pestilence.

 He will cover you with his pinions,

    and under his wings you will find refuge;

    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

 You will not fear the terror of the night,

    nor the arrow that flies by day,

 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

    nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

 A thousand may fall at your side,

    ten thousand at your right hand,

    but it will not come near you.

 You will only look with your eyes

    and see the recompense of the wicked.

 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—

    the Most High, who is my refuge—

 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,

    no plague come near your tent. "

Psalm 91:1-10

We are but dust-

The grass withers, the flower fades,

But the word of our God will stand forever.

isaiah 40:8

never to be forgotten.

There are some people out there that though time and life may throw everything it can and will at you, you know deep in your heart that their friendship and their impact on your life--short or as long as it may be--will remain with you until your dying day.

It is my wish to be that person to just one other.

can't wait to meet you.

one day, perhaps.

Perfection is a dream, a wish, a broken fallacy.
It cannot be; not here, not there, not anywhere.

Thus the hope of heaven becomes all the more real.

TOO OLD TOO OLD

It's my last day of being a minor. Tomorrow I'll be a legal adult...

:|

Everything's been such a blur; my memory's been shot. I wish I could capture every single moment and treasure it, 'cause I know I don't have much longer to keep them.

OH WELL. LIFE, HERE I COME.

Kony 2012...?

http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/post/18890947431/we-got-trouble
http://www.wrongingrights.com/2009/03/worst-idea-ever.html/

do the research before blindly advocating something. one video tends to not hold all the right information.

mreow.

Calm your pretty little face down.

Fear brings out the worst of us: anger, lies, greed, lust. We become twisted monsters because of what we fear. We become monsters in anticipation of the fears we expect to come to life- yet even when they don't, our paranoia controls us, turns us inside out, and dissolves our humanity. We either lash out at others or become withdrawn, fearing and expecting the worst.

Why be afraid? We will never know the unknown of our future. 

smile.

life is too short to keep your smile hidden away. 

life is too short to waste on petty disputes, grudges, and hatreds. 

life is too short to not enjoy it. 

smile. live. laugh. love. 

run.

the beginning of the end...of the beginning

My body is a daily reminder of my impending death. I feel it every morning as I pull myself from the bed, and even more so as I throw myself back onto the bed at night. I feel it as I walk up a flight of stairs; I feel it as I sit down in a chair. I was meant for death. I was born to die. 

I have rheumatoid arthritis, meaning that my body feels far older than it should. My back, joints, and muscles ache constantly, making extraneous physical exertion a major struggle, though I often hide it. I was meant for death. I was born to die.

But life is not all about death. Life is an adventure. Life is a race. Life is a beautiful journey in which we think and sing and dream and dance... Life is a gift. A marvelous gift. Yet it's a gift not even recognized by some. And though you could continue on and on about the beauty of life, you cannot get past the end. We were meant for death. We were meant to die. 

But what if someone said there was a solution? That it was not death to die, but that in actuality, death meant life? What if you had the chance to take eternal life? Would you take it? Would you hold allegiance to the one who gave his son so that you could have everlasting life? 

This pain in my body helps to remind me of life--and furthermore, and more prominently, the promises of a painless eternity- an eternity of joy before God, rejoicing in his steadfast love, forever grateful for his bountiful grace; forever praising his beautiful face. Yes, I may be dying physically, emotionally, and mentally day by day, but my soul is being refreshed and renewed even more so every hour. 

Lord haste the day when my faith shall be sight!

close your eyes

i won’t forget that moment ever,

just us, dreaming and gazing into the sea.

i tried everything i could to make it last forever,

i held my breath, hoping that it wasn’t just a dream.

but a moment is but a moment, and a moment passes by.

and no, i couldn’t hold it, i couldn’t make it stop in time;

it simply slips through your fingers, no matter how hard you try.

and you’re left only to wonder, afraid to open your eyes.

There are some incredible things that just cannot be put into words, but I'll never stop trying to describe you. 

not simply a failure

I don't like to lose. And that's why losing is a much more powerful teacher than winning. 

to the north, to the north

colors dance along the sky, 

weaving and jumping as if alive. 

but what if they spoke?

what would they say?

if their silence they broke,

and laughed till the day?

so carefree they seem,

as they sparkle and gleam.

they play up above 

where no hand can reach

and maybe speak of love,

in some lost foreign speech

look up now and then if you happen to be

in the cold, darkened north, and maybe you'll see

Aurora Borealis

Your Online Persona

We invest our time into building our online identity in the form of social media sites, online games, blogs, vlogs, personal websites, all sorts of things. People spend years connecting with others over the internet, allowing for others to see them as something tangible online, perhaps not even presenting their real identity behind their persona.

But what happens when you die? Everything you put on the internet is out there for someone to see. Everything you put on the internet becomes something for people to remember you by. Knowing that, will that change what you post on Facebook, tweet, or blog about?

Here's a really interesting video about this topic. Feel free to share your thoughts!

HI HO!

I woke up this morning to my mother telling me to put on a Kermit onesie she had bought. It is, in short, amazing.
I foresee many wonderful days of dancing in this thing.

Memories

I wish I had some sort of bank to store all of my memories. Something more than just a flashback. Something more than a journal or a video, because those only capture the appearances of those memories. The exact feelings, emotions, and thoughts are what make a memory so much more than an action. To live that moment of pure joy or happiness once more, to live that moment with that one person again, to live that moment of unashamed sorrow... that--that is what I wish for.

For what are we without our memories?

the informed electorate

Many of you who read this are probably Americans under the voting age. However, that doesn't change the fact that you are still a citizen of the United States of America under the power of a democracy. I know I'm not really 'fit' to talk on this topic, but I think it's especially important to raise some sort of awareness about this.

What is the informed electorate? One definition describes it as the following:

Citizens who, when they exercise their right to vote, have the necessary information to protect their own interests.

I think there are three things to take away from this definition: 

1. Citizens of a democracy have the right to vote, a right to have their voice heard on issues of different governing policies of the land. In America, however, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 report, only 41.8% of the voting-age population voted. Less than half of our country's citizens have let their voices be heard. 58.8% of citizens from ages 18-24 years of age have not voted. The young people of the U.S. have the potential to guide how their generation is governed. How can you continually say what you want when you don't do anything about it? You can start by voting. But how shall I vote? Whom do I vote for? Take a look at the next point:

2. Citizens of a democracy have a duty to be informed with the necessary information. How do you expect to vote for someone when you have no idea what they stand for or support? Learning the policies and issues that are crucial to each candidate is vital for understanding what you or others may elect into office. There are very real issues being argued for and against across our nation. You have the right and ability to vote for a person who represents your values and views on different policies and issues. I challenge you, the reader, to take time to learn what's going on right now in the different levels of government in our country. Knowledge is truly power. 

3. Citizens of a democracy have the right to protect their own interests. In a democracy, the power (ideally) belongs to the people. The people have the ability, the right--the duty--to vote for a government that suits their needs most appropriately. It is about the people, whether they vote Democrat or Republican (or something else). The fact that we can vote for what we feel is best for us is an amazing reality and privilege. Use it. It's there to protect our liberties and freedoms set in the Constitution. 

The recent SOPA and PIPA bills and the controversy surrounding them are good examples of an informed public. Many Americans feared that these bills would take away their rights of free-speech on the internet and lead to a loss of internet anonymity. They feared censorship. And although the people didn't necessarily vote on these bills, they had the power to help sway the decision of these bills. 

The People have the power to help stop things in Congress. The public opinion in a democracy should win over that of a larger-than-life governmental system.