Changes explained

If you read my blog very often, then you've already noticed the changes that I've made to the appearance of my blog. I didn't want to change the look of my blog because I like the way it was. The only thing I didn't like was the margins (I wanted them wider so that I can show a larger picture) so I tried to make them wider. Easier said than done, but I finally figured it out. However, somewhere in the process of doing that I messed up my blog title, and I couldn't figure out how to get it back to the way I had it. Well, after messing with things for couple hours I decided to give up and just do something new. This is what I came up with. I don't like it as well (except for the wider margins) but it will do for now.

Talents

I've never been the kind of person that's really good at one thing, like playing an instrument, singing, dancing or art. When I was a little girl I took piano lessons from my mom for a couple of summers, but I wasn't all that motivated to practice and I eventually quit. I wish I would've stuck with it because as I grew older, playing the piano was always something I wished I could do. (Although it wouldn't do me any good now that I'm paralyzed!) *Note to parents: NEVER let your child quit something just because they are frustrated and don't want to do it anymore. One day they will thank you!

I've been thinking about writing about talents for several weeks now, but I wanted to think about it for a while so that I could come up with a few things that I do feel I'm good at.

• Number one is twofold . First, I have an amazing memory and second, I'm thoughtful. My great memory isn't the useful kind of memory where I can recall the things I learned in high school, or the plot lines of different movies I've watched or books I've read, but I have a great memory of the things that have happened in my life, my interactions with people, etc. I love talking to people, finding out who they are, what they think, what their life has been like, their likes and dislikes, etc. When people talk, I listen and I remember the things they say.

• I'm generous. For some reason I've always had a strong desire to give things to people. I love picking out things I think that person would like, or doing things that I think would make them happy, especially when it's a surprise.

• I'm good at accepting the Lord's will and being okay with it, even if I don't particularly like it. I have complete trust in the Lord and I know that He has a plan for me/my life. His plan for me definitely makes my life more physically difficult, but knowing that all things happen for a reason makes living a challenging life easier.

• I'm happy and positive. This might not seem like much of a talent, but it is to me. There are so many miserable people in the world who struggle with this, but it comes easy for me. I'm happy 99% of the time, even though I've had to face a lot of disappointment. (This is where number three comes into play again.)

• I think I'm a "real" writer. (As in honest, not special.) I have a humble writing style. I'm not gifted when it comes to knowing big words, or things like that, but I do think I have the ability to write in such a way as to touch the hearts of others. I think it helps that I'm always really honest with my feelings, so that makes me relatable to people.

A good memory, being thoughtful and generous, accepting the Lord's will and being happy and positive definitely aren't the traditional responses you'd expect to hear if you asked, "What are your talents?" but these are the talents that I've been blessed with.

Like nails on a chalk board…

Like nails on a chalk board, so are the words "that sucks."

One of my pet-peeves is when people say "sucks." When I hear the expression, I cringe inside because it just sounds so awful to me! This is something that SO many people do, so please don't get offended; this is just my personal opinion!

I have to admit that I unfortunately used to say it when I was a teenager. I remember my mom telling me I wasn't allowed to say it around her, so I stopped. I thought she was crazy, but I never said it around her again. I wish I could say I stopped saying it altogether, but that didn't happen until later in my life.

Now that I'm a little older and a little wiser, I see what my mom meant! She was completely right, and if I had kids I would expect them to not say it, too, at least around me. In my opinion, it just makes people sound juvenile. I guess I can understand teenagers saying it, but when adults do I feel like they should know better and have the maturity to come up with something better to say, like "that stinks" or "that's unfortunate."

I know there are going to be plenty of people who say it and don't see anything wrong with it, but this is MY blog so I can say what I think!

Regrets

Sometimes people say that they don't regret anything about their life. They don't regret any of the choices they've made, things they've done, etc. I'm not one of those people, because the truth is that I do regret some of the things I've done in my life. Some of my regrets are bigger than others and I could definitely make a list of the things I regret since it's hard to forget the things you've done wrong and feel badly about. Instead I try to use those things as a reminder to do better and be better. (Usually easier said than done!)

Sometimes I wonder why it's so hard for us to forgive ourselves, but I think that's one of the tactics that Satan tries to get us to feel badly about ourselves/our efforts and give up. I know I'm not perfect and will continue to make mistakes, but if I keep trying to improve and be the best person I can be, that's what matters.

Blog I love

A friend of mine recently introduced me to a new blog that I love reading. I usually only read the blogs of my family and friends, but this one is great, so I wanted to write about it on my blog. It's called "71 Toes" and here's a brief bit about it:



Shawni is the writer of the blog, and she and her husband have five kids. The youngest child, Lucy, has a syndrome called "bardet-biedl syndrome." BBS is a rare genetic disorder that affects the brain and can cause multiple physical problems including slower learning, weight issues, extra digits and the majority of kids with BBS lose their vision. Most of them become legally blind by the time they are teenagers, but sometimes as early as age 8 or 9.



Shawni writes about a variety of things, some light-hearted and some more serious, and she has such a beautiful family. (She's a photographer and she has the BEST pictures on her blog.) I always find it so refreshing when people thrive despite facing a challenging situation, especially one that's lifelong.



To find out more about Lucy, check out I Love Lucy Project