love people

Wow I am clearly behind on keeping this updated seeing as this will be my first post for 2011..well here goes nothing.

So far this year doesnt seem to have any transition to it. There werent any resolutions, any promises, or any new life choices. At this point 2011 will be just like 2010 except with new possibilites and a chance to strengthen what I already had.

Not gunna lie I was watching Princess and the Frog the other day and I swear the best part of that movie has to do with the frogs trying to become human. They seek the help of a blind, old voodoo lady who lives in the middle of the bayou. They expect her to have some profound remedy (flip 3 times, drink this, do that, hold your breath, etc..). When it came down to it all they had to do was get their priorities right and look to see what they truly were searching for and determined to find and accomplish in life.

So many times in life we search for successful jobs or accomplished dreams. Do we ever search for strong relationships?

The bible talks about how Jesus was questioned on which of the commandments was the greatest. He quickly responded by saying Love God and Love people. Its this simple. To achieve in life we have to keep God first and love him always as if its the first moment we meet him truly. And secondly love people. There are nearly 7 billion people in this world. What if every one of them felt loved by just one person? If you have a chance to love someone LOVE THEM! relationships matter.

I want my life to touch others in the way others have touched mine.

If the life of nataley marquass were to be made into a book would your name be in the pages? If that book were filled with anything I want it to be filled with as many people and as many memorable moments with them as possible.

MY RELATIONSHIPS MATTER!!

Christmas Gifts

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas! I know I did. All the family and friends always make this time of year amazing but just having knowledge of what the true meaning of Christmas is, is more than to keep my heart warm during such a chilly winter season.

I know when I think of Christmas and all the memories I have of the twenty December 25th's I have lived through, besides the nativity scenes and christmas trees, the gifts are where my mind lingers. Gosh have I gotten some great stuff :). But lets be honest. If I were to look back on all the years my true gifts come in bigger sizes.
*parents that have loved me no matter who I look like or act like
*a brother who will always be there for me no matter where in the world we end up
*a work family that will always have my back no matter my age or size
*a church family that welcomes me and all my craziness
*great friends at a great school that always make any bad day better
*and so many more people that I cannot explain how much they mean to me

to each an every person in my life I give a gift

To my enemy....forgiveness
To my opponent...tolerance
To a customer...service
To all men...charity
To every child...a good example
To a friend...my heart
To myself...respect
--Author unknown

Merry Christmas to everyone in my life and in my heart!

filter

What if for one day whatever you thought you said out loud?

Would your thoughts break hearts or fill them?

Sometimes I find myself thinking things that, yes, the person may need to hear and what I think for a second may truly change their situation or who they are but honestly am I the one who they should turn to for the truth? Our minds are still a battlefield. The thoughts flowing freely are not all truth in any way. Yes a filter free world would be easier but would it be better? If it were up to me, everyone would have a filter and would use it constantly. Sometimes checking your words can be the hardest but most rewarding thing in the entire world. I know I am thankful for a filter that helps me build bridges and not create canyons between friendships.

Make sure you check yourself before you need a bucket for all your word vomit..

growing up

Isn't it scary to think how when we were 11 years old we couldnt wait to grow up and have a "big girl job" and drive a "big girl car" and wear "big girl clothes"....

Lets be honest, when do we truly grow up?

For me hitting 20 I always thought would be such an important milestone. I am no longer a teenager, I'm on my second year in college, I've traveled the world by myself (somewhat). I've successfully achieved things by this point I thought would make me a grown up..

Truthfully...I am nowhere close to being grown up..

The best part about feeling young is sometimes overlooked. Feeling/being young comes with an innocence. Many people claim "ignorance is bliss" but I truly think it should be "innocence is bliss". By making decisions as a grown up but living life daily with an innocence like a child there lies a breif moment of peace.

I hope I never get to that point where every aspect of my life is of a grown up...hopefully somewhere deep inside lies a little girl that just wants to explore and fly like a bird :)

Small Stones Make Big Bricks

I recently was talking with a friend and she was telling me all about how a friend of hers was so great because of the little things he did even if they were so little others wouldnt notice.

Later I was talking to someone who was telling me all about how little things her family did were slowly driving her away.

just the little things..

We all learned when we were young how just a little fib could end up being a huge lie that would tear us up inside.

That's when I began to think how small things build on each other to make something so large that the true appearance shows.

So the only way to explain this is by using stones and bricks. When mixing the ingredients to make a brick a carpenter would use stones so small taht you wouldn't notice unless they pointed out the small pebbles. The result, however, once the stones were completely mixed and built up, were so large and obvious that everyone could tell the stones became something huge in the end.

Sometimes the "stones" in our lives will grow into "bricks". Make a choice to build something great with your "bricks" and not throw them at other people.

Build on your bricks. We all need a foundation somewhere.

expectations

Why do we assume that every question comes with an answer? That every beginning comes with an end? Every entrance an exit?

We as humans have come to an understanding that there will always be a completion of what we expect. If I have learned anything from my life so far, is that expectations are sometimes held with false hope. A hope that comes with disappointment. Too many times have my expectations run my life and become my downfall.

Every mountain we climb daily has to come with hope. A hope, however, that comes from something other than the people we look to. There is no way hope can be fulfilled if we constantly place it in our friends, family, classmates, coworkers, teachers, bosses, etc..

There is a man who can hold our hope. A man who has been the only constant in my life and the lives of so many. He can fill a void and keep it overflowing. He shows love because he is love.

In him my expectations are constantly blown away. My God is all I need and all I want. Everything else is a bonus and will always be a blessing.


My life has become a constant expectation taken care of by the one who holds my life in his hands and calls me his favorite.