Taking a look at photos taken by various people on travels around the globe, I just can’t help dropping a quick note here and vocalizing the same sentiment subconsciously riddled through the visual masterpieces: travel is unparalleled. I’m so blessed that I can count it as one of my favorite things to do (or, I will very soon! But travel through photographs is the name of my game, currently) and that I enjoy it to the fullest. I can’t wait to see even more of the world!
Tag Archives: thoughts
2.22
Today is my 20th birthday. It still feels weird to say that, to have a number that begins with a 2. This might be the first birthday I can remember where I actually feel different. Maybe it’s just that this is unexplored territory. I still feel like saying I’m 19 when people ask my age. But overall, I’m so incredibly grateful for another new year of life. That’s the ultimate blessing.
Below are photos from the past three birthdays when I’ve celebrated with friends from school. This is the first year since high school that I get to celebrate with friends and family on my actual birthday!
Lots of love to all those who share February birthdays.
Pull and Push
February here in Houston has been absolutely beautiful so far, and one that I’m so very blessed to witness everyday. As I draw closer and closer to my spring break (read: winter break, part II) and consequently my birthday, I’ve been reflecting on this past year of my life, on the end of my teens, and what this new decade will bring. I don’t know what I feel yet about turning 20…(the taste of the word “twenty” still feels weird in my mouth) but I do know that I’m incredibly grateful for another year of life, and to be delving into a new stage, so to speak.
Emptying Tomorrow of Its Sorrow
Looking at a friend’s blog a week or so ago, I was struck by the sheer simplicity and truth emanating from a quote she posted by Corrie ten Boom: “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”
So poignant and true. Worry serves to take away our time from accomplishing what we should be doing now. We spend that time thinking of what we can’t do at the moment, rather than what we can do. Before you know it, you look at the clock, and somehow, time’s already passed by and more worry sets in as you realize that now, you really really must buckle down or be sorry. It’s a great reminder to me during these last two weeks of school and finals. Anytime I start to panic and think of the massive amounts of work due, I pray first to myself, “Jesus, help me. I need You.” And then I remember this quote and release any worries from my mind and get down to business. A sure way to release worries is in busying myself with what needs to be done. Accomplishing a long night of studying is exhausting, yet rewarding, because I know I’ve done my best to finish what is required of me.
It’s a blessing to know that on Friday, I will look back on this week and know without a shadow of doubt that releasing my worries to God and trusting Him was the only way I made it through.
Plus, worrying isn’t fun! It keeps one from enjoying life’s spontaneity because constant thoughts of “what if” cloud clear, thoughtful judgement and decisions.
And that just dumps sorrow on one’s tomorrow instead.
Eighteen Was Simply a Teaser
I’ve come to understand just how young we are when in college, and how the ranges of maturity definitely vary amongst the people here. When I came to Rice at 16, I don’t think I’d ever heard so many people tout their ages: “Oh yeah, I’m 18, almost 19..”, “I’m finally 20…” The college set (perhaps the later high-school set too) seems to always be the first to talk about their ages, chucking out their late-teens/early-20s age with pride, as often as possible. Continue reading