Nothing too exciting has been going on. We’ve been busy 🙂 but it’s the normal every day stuff that keeps us occupied.
It’s the little things like Storm chasing, catching a short glimpse of the desert flowers, and splashing in puddles.
Arizona is really beautiful. We’ve been stopping and taking a moment to appreciate the beauty.
It’s everywhere! I used to think that nothing would match the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. However, the more time I spend in the southwest… The more beautiful it becomes.
“To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark. In admitting my shadow side I learn who I am and what God’s grace means. As Thomas Merton put it, “A saint is not someone who is good but who experiences the goodness of God” -Brennan Manning
I can really see God’s workmanship here. He’s really opened my eyes to something that I was blind to before. This place is majestic.
Drives through the country are breathtaking and lush and awe-inspiring.
Learning to be content where you are is a beautiful gift. A couple years ago I would whine and complain about the summers. I would drag my feet and wouldn’t admit that there was anything good about the southwest. To be honest I had hardened my heart to the point I could only see useless dirt and a big ugly city. I chose to see those things because I so strongly missed “home”.
Needless to say that things have changed… Drastically. I really fell in love with this land. I rarely miss the Pacific Northwest. This feels like home now. I’ve learned to live without longing to be elsewhere. I’ve learned to not be in competition with anyone but myself. I’ve learned to let go of what is in the rear view mirror and to look forward.
” When I get honest, I admit I am a bundle of paradoxes”. – Brennan Manning
There is no more pretending to be fulfilled. No more putting on a mask and acting like I have to prove myself or be what other people think I should be. I don’t have to pretend like everything is okay when it’s not… Because things really are okay. Imperfection doesn’t mean incomplete. It means being alive and experiencing all that life has to offer. Imperfection is beautiful.
I have no desire to be perfect. It’s not attainable. I’m not perfect. I’ve made big mistakes. My only desire is to be a better person than I was the previous week.
I do not consider myself a “saint” by any means. I’m just a human trying to live life to the best of my ability. It helps to have a place of worship that challenges me, a place that forces me to think about what it means to be truly alive.
A place where I can meet people who have such different stories than my own… Who I can still learn from. People who have open wounds and open hearts. People who inspire others to be better by exposing their own imperfections.
A place that teaches me to look at my life and realize that it’s okay to make mistakes but shows me how I can get back up and make better choices.
A place doesn’t makene feel guilty when I fail but inspires me to keep going. To keep searching. To keep examining.
A place that softens my heart so that I can see the beauty that is around me.
