#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

Lose the Selfish Lifestyle!

Sitting here on this gorgeous, sunny day in California (yes, it is in the 70s in winter here) I can’t help but think about how truly blessed I am. I have a loving husband, amazing daughter, and supportive friends and family. God has blessed me with so much already, and I sometimes wonder what I did to deserve all of this. It’s truly refreshes my spirit and resets my mind to just think and focus on all that I have been surrounded by.

It’s times like these when I find myself wishing for loved ones that I have lost to be back here with me, enjoying all of this. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends. I wish so many of these people would have been able to meet my husband and hold my daughter. I know how happy she would make them feel. I wish they could be at family BBQs with everyone or go on vacations that never happened. I would feel so complete if only they were here, but they aren’t. And they won’t be. And what I’ve come to understand is that it doesn’t matter how many times I pray or cry out in sadness. No amount of anger or want is ever going to bring them back here. But I wish so deeply that they could be, even if it was for a moment.

The truth is, though, that this is my own selfishness. Everything that I have just said or think is based on “I”. “I wish…I want…I know…” Truthfully, all of those that I have lost were sick. They were in pain or unhealthy. They weren’t their true selves towards the end. So to wish for them to be here still would not be a blessing for them. It’s a selfish thing for me to want because it is not what they need. I know in my heart that they are where they are supposed to be now, today. And even though I wish they could be here to see all of the blessings happening, I need to realize that maybe it was a hidden blessing that those loved ones aren’t here anymore. They may not be in my presence here, but it’s because they are in the presence of God. They have experienced the ultimate blessing, and honestly, they are waiting for me to join them up there, not the other way around.

I truly don’t think that I am the only one that is selfish like I have been. It’s a natural human thing to wish for loved ones to be back. But we aren’t just humans; we’re Christians. And as Christians we must remember and focus on all of the blessings around us. We must be selfless and enjoy all that we have in this moment. We must remember that we all have blessings every moment, even if it’s a simple heart beat. Selfishness is not a way of life, it’s the opposite. It prevents us from living now. But it is a difficult habit to break, and I believe that it is something that we will fight until the day we join our loved ones Heaven. We will always have moments that we wish someone was there, but in those moments we must remember that they are blessed with something even greater than here. I hope that some of you can take something from this, and maybe even spread the message.

We’re all Chistians and we’re all brothers and sisters. Have a wonderful weekend, and safe travels, Gypsies!

XOXOX