#HiddenBeauty

Happy Saturday, friends! This is Gypsy Life and Style signing back in! Apologies for the amount of time that’s passed since the last post. As so many of you can relate, life got a little hectic the past few weeks, and I caught a bad case of writers block..BUT none the less, I am back and full of new ideas, thoughts, questions, and experiences!

I’ll start off by saying HAPPY SPRING! I don’t know what it’s like over where you are, but here in Cali it is GORGEOUS! Spring has definitely taken over, and I am soaking in every second of it. I have always thought that this was such a refreshing season. It’s such a beautiful rebirth of life and a clean start for nature. It’s as though everything was washed clean and rested and now new life can grow and flourish. It is a true reminder that our God is SO GOOD to have blessed us with such beauty around us, even in areas that may have evil upon them.

Wherever you are in the world, be it in the middle of a war zone, walking through the dessert, under a tree near a lake, or in arctic God has created and hidden beauty in nature all around. My personal favorite is the sky. It is amazing to me when I am rushing to the store or even taking the garbage out and the clouds catch my eye with such beauty as if the were painted in the sky. And at night there are stars that cover the same space with a gorgeous sunset to make the smooth transition. It is all proof and a constant reminder that this is not all man made. There is NO man that could ever make such magic happen, and so perfectly!

In the world that most of us live in we are so rushed to get through the day; phone calls, running errands, pick this person up, drop this stuff off. It can be so difficult to remember to slow down, relax, and look around. I am guilty of this myself, but I am determined to change this!

I challenge anyone reading this to take a moment this weekend and take a picture of any hidden beauty that God has created for us. A sunset, a flower, new leaves on a tree. Whatever you see beauty in, and post it with the hashtag #HiddenBeauty, and challenge 5 others to post a picture as well! Our Instagram account is @gypsylifeandstyle. Follow our page to see the pictures that are posted and share in the beauty!

It’s good to be back! Happy Saturday, Gypsies!

Safe travels. XOXO

It Was Never Random

Earlier today my husband and I were talking about all of the events that have happened since we began dating. Ok, maybe not ALL of the events, but the biggest ones. The ones that completely changed our paths and led us to where we are today. It’s almost overwhelming to think about all of the things that have happened, even in the past year. New friendships, additions and losses to our family, a couple moves under our belt, and changes in both of our jobs, yet here we are! And in one piece! Talking about it made me realize how perfectly everything came together.

Throughout the last year, and just life in general, a lot of the events that have happened have seemed very random and most are very unpredictable. Sometimes it stops you in your tracks. You feel like everything is ripped out from underneath your feet, and you have no clue where to even begin to move forward from there. Losing a loved one, losing your job, getting a rejection letter from your dream school; Whatever it is can vary by person, but we each have things had times in our life that we feel slapped with news that completely changes everything. Sometimes it will change who you are. Sometimes it will change what you do or where you go. Other times it changes everything. But all of this is in the moment.

If you think back now on times in your own life that events like this have happened to you, most of the time you are able to see things from a different vantage point; the present. Looking back on things that changed your life can make you realize that there is a reason that all of those events happened. Somehow we all managed to get through those big events in our lives, and we are a better person because of it.

We are only able to see this, however, once we are through it. With that said, it does not mean that the events that happened to us are not sad or hurtful to us even after we have made them through it. But slowly, gradually, we learn to focus on the reason that those events had to happen, and gain a more positive point of view, instead of the initial shock that we feel.

The true reason that we were all able to make it through everything and be the people that we are told is because everything that happened to us was never random. Every step that we have taken we planned by God, and it has brought us to today. Right here, right now is where we are supposed to be. What we must remember is that we life does not always happen the way that we plan it to. This is why we sometimes feel like life has “slapped” us. It’s almost like God is reminding us that we aren’t in control. It’s one way for Him to show us who holds the reigns and regardless of how much time we’ve planned or prepared for something.

Just like we’ve looked back on things that we thought we could never get through and here we are, we can also look ahead and think that whatever God brings our way next, we will be able to get through as well. God will never give us something that we can’t handle, and He will never abandon us. Some of us may be dealing with a life changing event right now. We may be in the midst thinking there’s no way that I can live or survive. I hope that you read this and have faith that God will bring you through it. Sometimes we all need a good reminder that God knows your plan and some day soon you will look back and understand why all of this had to happen.

Have faith, pray and remember that none of this is random, Gypsies.

Safe Travels!

Who were you before society got to you?

We all remember sitting in our classroom in elementary school and being asked to draw a picture of what we want to be when we are older. A teacher, doctor, police man, pilot. We all had our own image of what we wanted to do. For me it was being a whale trainer! This, of course, stemmed from my love for the ocean and a recent trip that I had taken to Marine World with my family. I remember watching how fast and powerful the Orcas were, and wondering how something so large could move so gracefully in the water. I remember telling my mom that I wanted to be a whale trainer and work there when I was an adult. She, being the supportive mom that she always was, said, “Ok, that would be fun.” As I got older we had to do school projects that were focused on researching what you wanted to when you grew up? And where you wanted to go to college? Towards the end of high school they became how would you pay for college? And how long until you could get a degree? What was the annual salary for the job you would get? Was it reliable and acceptable?

I remember my senior year feeling like more and more doors were closing based on the answers to these questions. It came to a point where I had to simply try to get any degree I could because of cost, impaction, location, time. It wasn’t a matter of what would you like to be when you grow up, but now a matter of what can you make work? I remember having hundreds of conversations with my dad about this. I couldn’t grasp the concept of paying such high prices for schools because we lived in California, or the fact that we were required to take extra classes than our major required to meet the unit requirements. Or the one thing that confused and bothered both of us was the financial aid that was offered. My parents were both employed full time and were middle class home owners in California. I also worked part time as a server. While they certainly helped me where they could, they weren’t able to afford thousands of dollars every semester for tuition and books. But because of how the financial aid was set up they made literally a couple HUNDRED dollars over the annual limit, which meant that I didn’t qualify for any aid. I got nothing. Not only was this hard on me to try and continue to pursue a degree, but it was very hard on my parents. They worked so hard to get everything that they had, but couldn’t afford to pay for me schooling. They made too much to qualify, but not enough to afford college. They felt so helpless, and wanted nothing more than to help and support me. What’s worse is that there are thousands of families just like this.

But where I’m going with this is not to complain about the school systems or finances, but to get people to stop and think about how our society is set up now a days. We start out by telling our children that they can be whatever they want to be, whoever they want to be, but as they get older we put limits and constraints from letting them do that. Our society is built to create molds now, not support dreams.  Can you imagine what an incredible place we would live in if we stayed who we were before we were tainted by society? All of the dreamers. All of the creativity. What if our world supported artists more than they support the tobacco industries? Or architects were able to create buildings based on designs and not budgets or time lines? What if teachers were able to base lessons on what the class was interested in and have time to carry on conversations about hot topics instead of having to cut everything short to meet the state requirements?

We live in a world that prohibits growth and individuality, and we allow it. This is not how we were designed to be. We were each uniquely made, and we should not all follow the same mold. Who were you before society got to you? Be that person!

Safe travels, Gypsies!

Don’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover

Many people are very quick to judge people before even getting to know who they are. The first and most used form of judgement is purely based on appearance. How someone dress, the color of their skin, whether they have tattoos or not; the list goes on and on. Simply by looking at someone, many of us tend to make a quick judgement and categorize them. Can you really tell if someone is rude or polite based on looks? Does the hair color of someone truly mark them as a “druggy”? Can the amount of makeup someone wears determine if they are “slutty”? What about piercings and tattoos?! And how does it suddenly become “safe” to talk to someone because they are wearing a suit?

Or there’s another form of judgment, whether people want to admit it or not, which is hearsay. It has become so common for judgments to be made about someone based on what another person has said of them. As I hope we all know, many rumors that are spread are not true. But when it comes to judging someone, suddenly those rumors have become the very basis of your reasoning. Why is that? Maybe it’s a way to defer people from thinking about personal problems you are dealing with. The whole “if they’re talking about her, they aren’t talking about me” thing. Or could it be a way of trying to build your own self esteem? Maybe it’s a defense mechanism to try and not let someone in to your life in fear of actually LIKING them?! Or possibly a fear of change? That if you actually get to know that person it might change how your life is going at that moment?

Truthfully, I don’t think that your answer to those questions is really what needs to be focused on, but more the cause for why those questions were even asked. We’ve all heard the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” yet that is exactly what most of us do when meeting people. Have you ever thought about how much work goes in to making a book? First the author has to chose a topic or storyline that they want to pursue. Then they have to work at several outlines, followed by multiple drafts that have been poured over for weeks upon weeks. The very writing process can take months or even years some times. At this point the book is much more than a story to the author; it’s a part of them. It’s a part of their imagination and their dreams. It’s cover is carefully designed to depict the entire essence of that dream, and in every way describes the author. It’s then (hopefully) picked up by a publisher that has to market the book and skipping through all of the politics of it, it ends up on a bookshelf somewhere for you to see. Now imagine looking at that book and not even touching it simply because the cover was “too boring” or “not what you’re into”. You just completely shut down something that you never gave a chance.

Can you ever imagine doing that to the Bible? Many people have. They don’t believe in it. They’ve heard , “It’s full of rubbish stories made up by people that want to believe there’s something after life because their scared of the idea of death and eternal emptiness. It’s for people that can’t handle the harsh truth that there is no purpose to life. You are born, you live and you die. Something made up to calm their anxiety and fears simply to get through their day.” What do you have to say to those people? The ones that have judged the Bible by it’s cover. The people that never gave it a chance because of what others think about it.

For myself I think that it is very saddening and sickening to think that there are people that think this way. My heart hurts for them because they are shutting themselves off to the idea of God without even giving Him a chance. It hurts just as much to think that people judge each other in the same kind of way. God would never judge someone based on appearance. God judges based on the heart that the person has, not their outfit or haircut. He looks past that and sees their soul. Are they Christ-like? Do they do as Jesus would do? Do they live every moment with God in their heart and use every day to spread His love and message? Ultimately, God views us as our souls. As Christians, shouldn’t we do the same?

I challenge you all to get to know someone that you have already pre-judged. Have conversations with them. Hang out a few times. And have an open heart to the idea that you might have been wrong. It’s not going to be immediate. It will take time to get to know someone. But they might be your future best friend, a fellow Christian to learn from, a non believer that you introduce God to. You never know what can happen. I have been told by many people that I was not who they thought that I was. Based on what they had heard about me or the way I look, they had me pinned as a completely different person. The picture at the top of this post is me. Yes, I have tattoos, piercings, and dyed hair. But more than that, I have a true, unique heart. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters!

On our Instagram account (@gypsylifeandstyle) tag a picture of what you look like and caption the kind of person that you truly are! Lets put some faces to these follows!

Safe travels, Gypsies!

A bowl of cereal can change a life.

As the weekend comes to an end and Monday rolls around, many of you are getting ready for the week ahead. Whether it’s making lunches for the little ones or doing laundry for work, I’d bet that most of us have a routine that gets us through our days and weeks. Between soccer practice, homework, dinner and baths, life would so much more complicated if it wasn’t for your routine. But this week I challenge you all to take a step back. By this I’m not saying to stop what you have going on and let the kids decide their bedtimes or skip out on work for a few days. I challenge everyone to step out of their daily schedule and look around.

While I completely understand the efficiency and importance of a routine (to a certain extent), I also understand that it can be like having tunnel vision. Many of us are so caught up on what time it is and what the next thing on the list will be that we don’t recognize what’s passing right by us. We all seem to forget that these moments that we are speeding through is our life. Those mornings of cereal before school aren’t always going to be there, and those practices you complain about being a hassle are going to end. But what won’t go away is the memories that all of those small moments bring.

Going to a school concert or sitting in the sun through football games may not be ideal, but to your child that’s a moment in life that they will always remember. That’s a moment in life that shows that you were present and you supported them. Maybe it’s not a huge event, but they can always look back on and remember. I always think about the Cheerios commercial awhile back that shows a dad having a bowl of cereal with his son and remembering when he himself was a child doing the same thing with his father. It’s a sweet reminder that the things that your parents did for you, whether big or small, can affect how you yourself parent your children.  Would you rather your child think, “I remember when I was young having a bowl of Cheerios with my mom every morning. I don’t know how she managed to make time for that with the craziness of the morning, but she did it. She always started our day off better” or “I know my mom went to my baseball games, but she was always her phone”? What kind of a memory do you want your child to reflect on?

For those of you that don’t have children, take a look at the people around you. As you get older it feels like life pulls so many friends in opposite directions, and sometimes we regret not spending more time together while you could have. Stop that from happening again. Go grab coffee or give them a quick call just to say hello. Everybody has something going on in their life; some kind of schedule. But what matters more? What matters most? Some may say money, work, school, partying,etc. Are people going to remember you when you pass for the amount of time that you spent in the office or library? Can money buy back time that you weren’t there? Is being intoxicated the image that you want to leave on this world? The answer to all of these questions should be “NO”.

We all have a routine, and that’s fine. But we all need to make time in our schedule to appreciate who we have around us. Moments matter more than time, and that can be hard for people to grasp sometimes. I challenge all of you to work on this aspect of your life this week. Work on creating memories and focusing on moments, not what the next step is going to be. And also, take a minute to reflect on how far you have come and why that means so much to you. Is everything that you’ve accomplished based around superficial things? If so, then maybe you need to start to refocus your time and energy in a more meaningful direction.

It is so easy for us to get caught up in routines and schedules, but we have to take a step back and focus on moments and memories. It’s amazing that something as simple as a bowl of cereal can have such a big impact it can have on a life. It’s just one of a million small things that shows others that you are there; you are present.

Be present, Gypsies. It’s a challenge!

Hell of an Amen

As some of you may know, I am a country music fan, particularly a fan of Brantley Gilbert. I may have just lost some of you readers simply by admitting I love that genre of music, but don’t worry! I’m not here to gloat about Brantley or any other star for that matter. I just wanted to share with you a song that really hit home for me.

I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from you all about a couple posts I’ve made in the past about loss and death. Most of you shared how you, too, have gone or are going through losing someone close to you and how you felt a similar way as I have. Just this last November I was at Brantley Gilbert’s concert with Shane and he played a song from his new album. The song that he played is called “Hell of an Amen”. Before reading any further, I recommend you all go listen to (or at least read) the lyrics of this song.

On May 1, 2014 my husband and I got married. We had a very intimate wedding with about 15 people in a small church near our house. We were so incredibly excited and hopeful for the future and everything positive that was coming soon. Just a couple months prior we found out that we were expecting our first child. Exactly one week after we wed we had our “Big” ultrasound to find out the gender of our little one. It was a girl! The first person we called was Shane’s dad, my new father-in-law, Dave. He excitedly answered the phone asking, “What’s the make and model?!” To some of you that might seem strange, but because he was a truck guy it made perfect sense. We told him it was a girl and he was so elated! He said that he couldn’t wait to meet her and wished Shane good luck when she becomes a teenager! We were happier than either of us had ever been and couldn’t wait for what the future was bringing us!

Fast forwarding a couple days, Shane and I were talking with Dave and we found out that he had gotten another call just before ours on May 8th. He had been feeling sick and uncomfortable for a few months so he had gone to the doctor to have himself checked out. That morning, just before we had called him, his doctor had called with the results of the tests they had done. Dave was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. I’d imagine that for most people they would be overwhelmed with several emotions: fear, anger, sadness, confusion. I’m not exactly sure what was going through Dave’s mind during and after that phone call, but I couldn’t help but think about the joy and excitement he showed for his new granddaughter when he talked to us a couple days earlier. And sitting with us then he was in pain, but he was so hopeful. He looked at us with a look in his eyes that said “let do this”. He was so determined to not let his diagnosis define the person that he was. It wasn’t going to take away his joy and faith.

Through the next month he endured a few rounds of chemo, and physically grew weaker. There were periods of time where he was sick and very uncomfortable. But he kept going, and most importantly, he kept believing. Because of the situation Shane and I moved in with him to help take care for and spend time with him. Every day we would read the daily  devotions he had and talk about God. My husband and I learned so much from Dave about God and I learned even more about the kind of man that Dave was. I had never seen such a faithful and hopeful Christian before.

As July began to come to a close the doctors informed us that Dave wouldn’t have much longer with us. Maybe a week, they said. When the doctor left the room, we sat there in silence; disbelief. After awhile Dave looked at us and said, “I can’t believe that Lord’s calling me home. I can’t believe that I am worthy of being with Him. I don’t know what I have done to be worthy of that. The Lord’s waiting for me.”

Being seven months pregnant and feeling my daughter kick around in my belly, I was devastated that Dave wouldn’t get to see or hold her. After hearing what Dave had said I knew I had it all wrong. He was right. God was ready for Dave to go home. He wasn’t going to be in pain anymore. He wasn’t going to have cancer any more. He was going to better than we could ever imagine. And he was going to see our daughter from the best view possible. He would be able to look down on her and us and smile.

Dave passed away on July 26, 2014. On November 21, my birthday, we heard the song “Hell of an Amen”. For us, that song completely depicts who Dave was in those last few months, and it’s an inspiring reminder of who we strive to be every day that we live. That truly was one hell of an Amen to Dave’s life!

I haven’t posted in awhile because I’ve been trying to write a post that would do justice to everything that Dave did for me. In all honest, nothing I write would be enough. I only knew him for about two years, but I truly learned who he was in those last two months. He inspired me to lean on God and seek His love in everything that I do in my life. He inspired me to think from a different perspective, a Christian one, and to focus on the ultimate reason we are all here. Dave spread God’s love and message to everyone he met and he accomplished what God’s mission for him was.

I pray that all of you can experience a peace and faith like Dave had, and that when you do, you share it with the world. It’s contagious!

Safe travels, Gypsies!

God prepares leaders in a slow-cooker.

For those of you with busy schedules, especially parents, have you ever been in such a rush that you didn’t have time to cook a nice dinner? You quickly scramble through the freezer for something you can pop in the microwave and throw on plates before your kids “starve to death”. It might not taste nearly as delicious as something you might have prepared, but it will suffice. (Unless you’re in my house like mine where I lack cooking skills). I think it’s safe to say that we have all experienced times like this! To this group of people I ask you a question: do you prefer to eat a home cooked meal that has been prepared and worked on nearly all day long, or a frozen dinner that took a few minutes to defrost? I think that most everyone would say that the home cooked meal is much more desirable for its taste alone, not to mention the additional benefits of nutrients and no preservatives. I won’t go in to that though.

But my point in asking this question is to demonstrate that the things that are prepared and cooked by hand, even though it takes longer, is very much worth the wait! This can apply to us in our life as well! Have you ever thought that maybe things take longer to “fall into place” for you because God is slowing preparing you for what is to come? Maybe He is putting you through trials and tribulations to build your faith or open up your perspective? Perhaps He is testing your patiences and setting you up to be ready for when your big break occurs. For when your chance is revealed.

We’ve all heard the expression “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. Nether are we. Contrary to what some of you may think, we all have a lot of growing and learning to doing and we will never stop. We will never be perfect, but instead always evolving. At least that’s what I wish for all of you. I believe that once you reach a point of complacency you stop living. If you look at any world leader or mentor you can see that they never stopped. They never reached a point where they believed they had no more growing that needed to happen. Perhaps they outgrew a project or position, but they never stopped growing as a person.

Have you ever thought that maybe God is creating you to be a leader? Maybe He is sculpting you to because a mentor to other people and other generations? Maybe He is preparing you to change history as we know it? Have you ever thought that maybe He is “holding back” on you right now because He is preparing the world for what you are capable of?

Things may be going on in your life that feel like one struggle or challenge after another. Like you can’t catch a break or have your big break. You know where you are supposed to go, but you just can’t get there yet. Just know that God is in control, and He will reveal your plan when it is supposed to happen.

We all know that homemade meals are more enjoyable than frozen ones. But we don’t all know that God uses the same mind set with us. He prepares leaders in a slow-cooker, not a microwave. Remember that!

Safe travels, Gypsies!

The definition of afraid has two translations!

A few days ago I was scrolling through Pinterest trying to find some quotes for inspiration. Not for blogging necessarily, but for things going on in my life. (I highly recommend it!). I found Psalm 56:3 and instantly connected with it. “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Not only is this a perfect quote to live by, but it is also very relatable to many situations that you encounter in life.

According to the dictionary the definition of afraid is feeling fear or anxiety. A relatively simple definition none the less, but one that can be translated two ways: Christian and not!

For each of us what may cause us fear or anxiety will vary. From a fear of spiders to fear of death and everything in between, as humans, fear is part of our world. And the same goes for anxiety. Being in a state of extreme worry and uneasiness can truly inhibit ones lifestyle. Lucky for us, however, there is a cure! It’s called God and it’s prescribed every and any time that fear or anxiety overcomes us! You can take it in the form of prayer at any time of day in as many doses as desired. Results are proven to work quickly! This product has been tested on Christians for thousands of years!

Okay, I may have taken that a little too far, but I thought it was creative! Anyways, it’s true! When we feel anxiety about work, rejection, the unknown, whatever it may be, God will bring you through it! Some of you may have heard the quote, “If He brings you to it, He will bring you through it.” That applies here! God will not hand you more than you are ready for, nor will He withhold the strength that you need to get through it. As long as you have faith and lead a Christian lifestyle, He will guide you.

With that said, this doesn’t apply to every situation. For example, if you have anxiety that you will be caught cheating by your girlfriend/boyfriend, God will not protect that. If you fear that you might lose your job because you’re conducting illegal work, He won’t help you out of that. These are non-Christian fears and sins. The only way to end those fears is through confession and forgiveness. And when I say forgiveness, I don’t mean from the person that you affected. Sure, that may be nice. Maybe you can move past what happened, depending on what it was. After all, the Christian thing to do is to forgive. But what truly matters is forgiveness from God for your sin. You may have been unfaithful in your relationship or job, but you were also unfaithful to God. Ultimately, betrayal of God is what is most important to ask forgiveness of. And once forgiveness is granted, you must try your absolute best to not repeat the offense. You must try your best to live the most Christian life you can.

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Do you have faith that God is good? That He will see you through every fear, worry, stress, and problem that you encounter? Do you trust that God will protect you and take care of you? If so, then fear should not affect you. Being afraid will not happen. All that you must do is trust in God.

“If he brings you to it, He will bring you through it.” Remember that!

Cheers, Gypsies!

What is your gift?

I think that all of us have heard the expression, “He’s/She’s got a gift” at some point in our life. It’s used to express that whatever action or ability someone is expressing is something that they were born with. It was “gifted” or “given” to them, and it is something that may come easy to them and is done significantly well compared to others that attempt the same action. They have an uncanny ability at what they do.

Now, what that gift may be can vary: sports, writing, drawing, building, etc. But one thing that I know for sure is that we all have a gift. So if we all have one, why is it referred to as “gift” instead of trait or ability. There’s a couple of reasons. The first is that it was given to us specifically by God when He created us. We were born with the ability to do something extraordinarily better than most other people at SOMETHING. The second reason it is called a gift is because it was given to YOU. Not everyone has the gift that you have, which makes us all different.

So if we all have a specific gift that was given to each of us by God, why do we not know what it is? Well, as Picasso said, that is the “meaning of life”. It is our job to find out what our gift is. Whether it be working with children or riding a motorcycle, or as my husband calls it a dirt scooter, we have to seek out what we have been given that not everyone else has. For some people this is very obvious. Maybe it’s something that they’ve been doing all of their life. For others, it may be a difficult thing to discover. Maybe even something that you’ve never heard of before. But even though it is difficult, it can also be a very rewarding journey.

How do you discover it? That is something that requires time, patiences and curiosity. You have to get out there and try new things, learn new things. For this to work you have to be open to the idea that you might or might not like it, and you have to dedicate yourself to it while you are trying it. Give it more than one shot and then make a judgement on whether it’s for you or not. Along the way you could find plenty of new things that you enjoy, as well as make new friends.

Once you find out what your gift is, put it to use in a Christian way. Maybe you can teach others or create something to help your community. Whatever it is, share it with the world. We all have a gift, we just have to find it and use it.

Safe travels, Gypsies!

Let Go and Let God.

Earlier today I caught myself stressing about various things around me, and I quickly got overwhelmed. Between bills, birthdays, sickness and relationships it was simply too much to think about at once, and definitely beyond my limit to even begin to solve. Typically I am someone that can manage well when under stress, but these topics were different. Since we’ve had our daughter I have been staying home to take care of her. I am truly blessed to be able to raise her and be there for everything that she learns and does. I would not trade it for anything, but it has been a hard transition for me to stop working and making money. Thankfully, my husband’s job allows him to be able to support our household, but the fact that I’m not contributing financially has taken a toll on me, even though I know I am contributing in a way far greater than money.

In the midst of thinking about that, I remembered that today was my grandpa’s birthday. While this is a good thing, I realized that it wasn’t completely happy for me. My grandpa is in good health, and at a young age considering he’s my grandpa, but because of the number of people that I have lost, birthdays have become a day of fear for me. Fear that they may not celebrate another year, and fear that we may not get to celebrate with them again and how hard that would be to go through. I know that this is an awful way to look at birthdays, but it is something that I have been struggling with for awhile. It seems that on that subject I can’t stop the negative thoughts from flowing. Needless to say, we celebrated with him and had a good night visiting!

Sadly, however, there are a few people (family and friends) that have been dealing with those they love fighting sickness. Some of them have reached out to me for help in prayer and advice, and others have just kept me updated with what they are going through. While I gladly pray for them and their families, I can’t help but feel like I’m not doing enough; like there’s something more I should be saying or doing for them. I’ve been in similar times as they are in now, and I don’t wish that upon anyone. For me, it’s hard to know that I can’t fix what is wrong. I can’t heal someone that is ill, or mend the heart of those that have lost someone.

As I was thinking about that I began to think about what I could fix. There were a few friendships that I had lost over the past year, each for different reasons, but all that I wished hadn’t ended. Those were something that I could possibly mend, or try to at least. Maybe I could apologize for things that I did or said. I could extend the olive branch and try to rebuild the relationship. It may or may not work, but I could at least try. That is, if it meant enough to me.

All of these thoughts were running through my head earlier today. A chain that lead from one stress to the next to the next. In a matter of 5 minutes I had managed to jump from bills to relationships and felt slapped with a wall of fears and worries. But I caught myself! I recognized the thoughts while I was having them and I stopped! Just then the television show that had been on in the background stood out to me, as if it had gotten loader, and the lady on tv said, “Let go and let God.” I froze for a minute, and I’m my head screamed “YES!”. That was my solution to everything I had been thinking about. There was no way I could feel better about any of the things I had spent the last 5 minutes focusing on because I wasn’t putting my stress into God’s hands. All of the fears and negativity I had dwelled on up until now has absolutely NO benefit! It prohibited me from being productive with my day and myself. All I needed to do was to let go of the fear, worries, stress, negativity and LET GOD TAKE CONTROL!

I’m not perfect, and there’s a lot that I worry about and doubt. But if I want to change that I need to let go of all of it, and let God! Maybe some on you can relate to me on this. Maybe we can be on this journey together because I know that I am not the only one that needs practice at this!

So next time you catch yourself stressing out, scared, or doubtful stop.

Let go and let God, Gypsies!