Top Her Couture

We live in a world filled with uniqueness.  Each day.  Each situation.  Each person.  Each journey.  There are no two paths alike.  We make the best of it.  We overcome the cracks, bumps, mountains; and regardless of whether we can walk a mile in their shoes.  The fact is, we are not them and they are not us.  Their journey will never be like ours. I often see posts of one-sided, tunnel vision, egotistical, and rather troublesome statements of what competing should look like or how much time it should take.  I personally find it belittling and disrespectful to fellow competitors.  Who are we to judge what it should or shouldn't be.  Each of us has our strengths and weaknesses when getting ready to take stage.  Some of us it is mental.  Others it is genetics.  Sometimes it is food & dieting.  Some of us take longer that a month to get on stage for whatever reason; but that reason is theirs.  We ...

Well, it's that time of year again.  The time where we set new goals for ourselves-most call these New Years resolutions.  This year an acquaintance made a good point about these "resolutions".  The fact is, most resolutions are short lived as they are focusing on a past behavior, time, or shortcoming.  With intentions, we are looking to a future goal [whether short or long term].  This is the year of intentions! For years, I have set resolutions.  Many of the time not completely following through or finding more disappointments than goal achieving.  Resolutions often set one up for failure and we then tend to find ourselves in a downward spiral.  What I have realized is that many of the resolutions we seek or set are things that may not be something to fix.  Yes, we make mistakes.  There are times in life where we are enough.  We don't need fixing or counseling or business. . .sometimes there are NO answers!  We find ours...

Appreciation grows deeper through sharing. The most breathtaking landscape in the world is but a shadow of the light we feel when we enjoy it with people we love . Love is deepest form of mindfulness . Little brings us into the moment like giving our complete attention to others and witnessing their experience of the world. Real magic comes from caring about others’ happiness as much as we care about our own. We may not experience fairy tale happy endings, but we can create limitless happy middles by making it a priority to help others see the light . Powerful words to consider: Choose : Every moment is a choice… Love : …to choose either love or fear…  Now : …and that choice is made in the only real time there is…the present moment Broken bits can become whole when we embrace each new moment as another opportunity to return to the most loving choice, over and over again. Mantra will flow through career and into all areas of life, lighting us up as we go.. Love is abso...

"God doesn't want you to suffer unnecessarily.  Instead of leaving you to work out your life in your own way, He wants to guide you.  When you face difficult days. . .you won't stand alone.  Trouble won't blast your life but will strengthen you instead.  Your Creator can turn all trials to blessings if you just stand firm in Him. Enjoy your days in Jesus." Being able to ask the right questions and allow the unknown of God and His work to flow within us can be even more difficult.  We have to get through the walls built, the ego we are born with, and societal influences.  We must learn to be assertive in God. . .that way no matter the situation; we will be prepared to take it on.  There is nothing impossible without God.

There is a path we all must take. At one time or another which is where we do not want to trek. It is the unknown and many times seems to be the farthest from our dreams. It may even feel as though a part of us has died when diverted; but this is where faith has to take hold, and we have to let it. A fall chill was beginning in the alpine air as Chris, his father, Samantha, and I made our way into the changing trees at Kenosha Pass. The streets were flooded with cars, bicycles, hikers, photographers, and an array of families. We all had one thing in common that day-to see the trees change. The trailhead already painted with golds, oranges, and dull greens as if the mountain side was on fire. We made our way down winding paths and narrow trails to find dead end after dead end. Third time is a charm as we finally made it through all our markers. A few gates and we were within the fire of the leaves. The overlook holding a majestic calmness that could not be disrupted even by the oth...

"Faith, lived out consistently, may turn some doubting hearts to the Savior.  Then instead of being horrified by their wrong judgment, they too, will share the blessing when every knee bows to Jesus.  We who once deseved condemnation have seen it turned aside for mercy.  Let's share that with as many as we can."

"Without God's help I could never have completed an extraordinarily difficult task He honored me with.  Alone, the work He ordained would have turned into a thankless chore.  But the eternally faithful One combined the task with so many unexpected joys that thankfulness never became a problem.  Despite a host of troubles, I received all I needed." With much of life, we find ourselves being so focused on a task, situation, or chore that when it does not go our way; we tend to not see the joys in the journey.  We rarely see troubles as a teacher.  We rarely see our fall as a need.  What we should try to comprehend is we are only one small piece of the puzzle to a larger picture.  Each stumble, triumph, tear, and joy is for something greater than our ego.

"When we are told that God, who is our dwelling place, is also our fortress, it can mean one thing, and that is, that if we will but live in our dwelling place, we shall be perfectly safe and secure." Finding a sense of security seems to get harder with every waking era.  We are constantly bombarded by devistating news of robbery, terrorism, affairs, etc. even having experienced many heart shattering situations ourselves.  We then begin fighting against ourselves. . .me against myself!  We dwell in a fortress of anger, resentment, bitterness, and hate to name a few.  This fortress' halls usually lead down halls of desperation, addiction, busyness. . .a never ending path of destruction keeping us housed in a glass building which could shatter at any moment.  There is hope! Have confidence in changing the sins of yesterday for the faith of today.  Anyone has the choice to change evil and vicious cycles.  Building a fortress of stone with grace, fai...

"Love is the divine vitality that everywhere produces and restores life.  To each and every one of us, it gives the power of working miracles if we will."  ~Lydia Maria Child A life without love is no life at all.  So many of us search for some feeling of love, but in essence it is a choice.  It is an act to be selfless, unconditional, and choose to put time, effort, & sacrifice into someone or something.  It is the seed which helps us grow and recognize our conscious heart and devour fears and uncertainty.  Love has its own energy making us aware of the miracles in life.  What will you choose?  Who will you choose to love whether they deserve it or not?

"May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind always be at your back, the sun shine warm upon your face. . .and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand."

"From far beyond our world of trouble and care and change, our Lord shines with undimmed light, a radiant, guiding Star to all who will follow Him. . . ."  ~Charles E. Hurlburt & T.C. Horton The closer we come to Him, the closer we are to ourselves.  There is a cohesive bond which grows stronger, more enlightened, and more selfless as we walk with Him instead of against Him.  Let us not be in the dark wandering aimlessly and will selfish patterns.  Recognize the essence and power we each hold when we allow the universe to guide and offer us new teachings with every joy, pain, laugh, tear, etc .

"Caught up in their own independence, unbelievers have missed out on the truth that they aren't really free at all: They can't seem to do good.  They'll never know otherwise unless they see someone who is free indeed.  Who knows what simple act could help another understand your freedom to do right, not just do what you want?" Free will is a delusion society has created to help us find a way to ease our human brain.  It is hard for humans to comprehend we have no control of our life.  Our ego often wins the battle by giving in to addictions, temptations, and doing whatever it takes to get to the top no matter who we hurt.  Often we hear, "Do what makes you happy."  The problem in doing what makes you happy often lacks conviction, effort, sacrifice, or the task of doing good-only doing for ourselves.  The vicious cycle only continues to push us farther from God and true freedom.  Accepting our fate and looking at each situation as a...

"Everything which relates to God is infinite.  We must therefore, while we keep our hearts humble, keep our aims high.  Our highest sevices are indeed but finite, imperfect.  But as God is unlimited in goodness, He should have our unlimited love."  ~Hannah More Being human also means being imperfect.  This is no excuse to continue down pathes of temptation, sin, and destruction.  It is no excuse to stop our growth, close our inner most doors, or feed a vicious cycle.  Instead, through humble love and imperfections, we should seek growth, open new doors, and feed our souls-see every situation and person as a teacher.  We should hold the key of unconditional love & respect as it opens the boundaries of our wounds to allow us to heal.

"A great many people do everything but trust.  As if to attempt to fly with one wing, they try vigorously and wonder why it is that they do not mount up, never dreaming that it is because all the while the wing of trust is hanging idle by their sides." Trust is delicate in nature.  It can take a life time to build and can be broken in an instant.  Trust often requires taking a risk. . .a leap of faith if you will!  It is one of life's greatest efforts and selfless acts.  It forces us to open our wings to vulnerability and lead us to other great efforts like love, honesty, faith, God, and loyalty to name a few.  Are you ready to soar?

"Life is what we are alive to.  It is not length but breadth. . . .Be alive to . . .goodness, purity, love, history, poetry, music, flowers, stars, God, and eternal hope."  ~Maltbie D. Babcock Being alive is allowing some of the simplest and most profound things to be a part of our lives.  While fame, money, addictions, sex, etc. may offer a quick jolt; they seldom bring positivity.  These things weigh on the side of high risk probability.  They are not like a coin whose weight is mostly even on both sides.  Sway towards those things that have a high probability of bringing you closer to God. . .if one is going to risk-risk for a pleasant outcome! 

"Into our lives, in many simple, familiar, homely ways, God infuses the element of joy from the surprises of life, which unexpectedly brighten our days, and fill our eyes with light."   ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow It all comes down to taking time to notice even the smallest delights in life.  God always finds a way to bring you home no matter the chaos going on.  Listen-sometimes the softest whisper is the most profound.

"This bright, new day complete with twenty-four hours of opportunities, choices, and attitudes comes with a perfectly matched set of 1,440 minutes.  This unique gift, this one day, cannot be exchanged, replaced, or refunded.  Handle with care.  Make the most of it." Life is based on the choices we make.  It is those choices which can make or break our character in an instant.  Make choices for the better.  Bring an attitude that positively enhances.  Each opportunity should be done with no false motivation or selfish tendencies.

"As we look at God's greatness and experience His love, awe fills our beings.  Our scant ability to appreciate His personality and power lay bare our own smallness.  Yet when the Creator points out our frailities, He's not belitting us.  He reminds us that He wants to share all He has and all He is with us." Our vulnerability is the key to becoming closer to God.  Our troubles usually force us to grow our relationship with Him-through prayer, hope, faith, and trust.  Our wounds can only be touched by His grace.

"Everyone looks for satisfaction in many ways and in many areas of their lives.  We all want to feel fulfilled.  But the person who experiences satisfaction on the job, in a marriage, and in other areas can remain empty if the soul is ignored.  Christians have learned that soul satisfaction is an unsurpassed delight, and it comes only from one place: Jesus." This is to say that nothing upon nothing can ever fulfill you like your relationship with Jesus.  Certainly, a job, marriage, or other areas can add to the fulfillment but never quench the souls desire to have a relationship with Him.  We only have one soul, one body, one mind-fill it with Him!

"We might like to think Christianity has more hours of sitting on our laurels than of battle.  None of us prefers hard work to the blessings of peace, yet we can't have one without the other.  God's sanctification is worked out in our lives with effort, and no one achieves spiritual growth only singing psalms.  That restful part of our lives blesses us between the battles that put sin in its proper place behind us." Just like any relationship, God needs our time.  He needs us to fight for Him each and every day.  This takes a lot of effort and battling for what is right.  It is important to lead our hearts not follow them as following can be deceiving.  The relationships and people we are willing to battle for and with are those that are truely precious.