Women Who Inspire -- Helen Keller

I am only one, but still I am one.

I cannot do everything, 

but I still can do something;

and because I cannot do everything, 

I will not refuse to do something that I can do. 

The most beautiful things in the world

cannot be seen or even touched,

they must be felt with the heart.

It is wonderful how much time 

good people spend fighting the devil.

If they would only expend the same amount of energy 

loving their fellow men, 

the devil would die in his own tracks of ennui. 

Security is mostly a superstition. 

It does not exist in nature,

nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.

Life is either a daring adventure,

or nothing.  

Death is no more than passing from one room into another.

But there's a difference for me, you know.

Because in that other room, I shall be able to see. 

Love is like a beautiful flower

which I may not touch

but whose fragrance makes the garden 

a place of delight just the same. 

I long to accomplish a great and noble task,

but it is my chief duty to accomplish

small tasks as if they were great and noble.

So long as the memory of certain beloved friends

lives in my heart,

I shall say that life is good. 

I can see, and that is why I can be happy,

in what you call the dark, but which to me is golden.

I can see a God-made world,

not a manmade world.

Self-worth & Forgiveness

Someone recently posted an article about relying on others (and our relationships with them) for our happiness and how we view ourselves. There are many manifestations of this; among them:  Inability to establish and maintain friendships; dominate/submission relationship; needing to be loved by another to feel validated and significant; tolerating abuse or mistreatment from people while excusing their behavior (i.e. he was having a bad day); feeling personally responsible for the way others act and feel; etc., etc.

The article can be found here; if you're curious, take a look.

The fact is, I am fighting these tendencies all day long. At one point I could check off every item listed in this article. Jesse has never wanted or encouraged them, in fact, something he often says is, "What do you think?" or "What would you do?" He has struggled to help me on towards a more healthy place, mentally and emotionally.

I know so many people who are not only living in codependent relationships, they believe this is the way to pleasing God. Thus, it defines your existence. From my own experience and closely observing others who embrace these relationships, I can say that this mindset is damaging in so many ways.

But the realization of bondage didn't hit me until I had been freed. I cannot believe how blind I was, or that I couldn't see even the most basic of truths. It isn't that I have life and love figured out but there is more Truth in my existence than ever before. Gone are the holds of my past. When old habits come back for a visit, I'm able to recognize them and shut the door. It feels good.

The other part of this post is about forgiveness. Some interesting situations have beset my sister and I lately and I needed a reminder. So, I searched for quotes on the subject and found some that really caught my attention. I was also remembering acts of Jesus towards those around him, especially those closest to him. Most significant was the washing of his disciples feet. What a beautiful example of acceptance and forgiveness and humility. He accepted his disciples for who they were (unrepentant, arrogant), utterly forgave their faults (though they did not ask for it) as he washed the dirt away. I seek for such a spirit.

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. 

-- Lewis B. Smedes

He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself, for every man has need to be forgiven. 

-- Thomas Fuller

Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that crushed it.

 -- Mark Twain

Humanity is never so beautiful as when praying for forgiveness,
 or else forgiving another. 

-- Jean Paul

Forgiveness says you are given another chance to make a new beginning.

 -- Desmond Tutu

No one else can take risks for us, or face our losses on our behalf, or give us self esteem. No one can spare us from life's slings and arrows, and when death comes,

 we meet it alone.

 -- Martha Beck

Courage is grace under pressure. 

-- Ernest Hemingway

Courage is not simply one of the virtues,
 but the form of every virtue at the testing point. 

-- C. S. Lewis

The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud. 

-- Coco Chanel

Who could refrain who had a heart to love and in that heart courage
 to make that love known. 

-- William Shakespeare

And one just for fun:

I am told that I talk in shorthand and then smudge it. 

-- J.R.R Tolkien

all about The Smile

Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts. -- Paramahansa Yogananda

Look back, and smile on perils past. -- Walter Scott

Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. -- Dr. Seuss

Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray. -- Lord Byron

They  might not need me, but they might. I'll let my head be just in sight; a smile as small as mine might be precisely their necessity. -- Emily Dickinson

Laughter is day and sobriety is night; a smile is the twilight that hovers gently between both, more bewitching than either. -- Henry Ward Beecher

Quote

Heaven wheels above you, displaying to you her eternal glories, and still your eyes are on the ground.
-- Dante Alighieri

Quote

Learn to be what you are, 

and learn to resign with good grace

 all that you are not. 

Henri Frederic Amiel

That Kind of Day

Over 1000 pictures held under close scrutiny in the period of a month. A single photograph consists of many things: texture, color, shapes, lines, happy, sad, laughter, anger... A thousand captured moments. You see the subjects over and over; you study their eyes, their mouths, hands, feet, legs, personalities. You do not judge because what is so, is so. The emotions flow over you, leaving little trace behind. You accept the cleansing because you must understand the picture before accepting it as a photograph.

After hours studying my own photographs, I have become more familiar with the persons in them. But the familiarity extends beyond the subjects: I have seen myself. In each picture, there I am; behind the veneer of the sweet flower girl or the happy couple; my selfdom, that force of me, glows distinct. The pictures are not about me; they are about someone else. Yet, I am part of them; I cannot help being here. 

There is certain amount of power in that. It is both ridiculously frightening and exhilarating to realize something in us is so significant; how we can change the lives of so many people with a single word or action:  such as... taking a picture. Yet, we forget we possess it: we grow accustomed to it, or perhaps we abuse it or maybe we never realized our potential. We are humans; we exist. That alone is mind blowing. When you add to it the fact that we are created in God's image, it becomes further astounding. 

I am told that I over think  insignificant, small things that should sometimes stay that way. I see the logic in this mindset. When I become angry over something small, my tendency is to feel very guilty for a very long time. Guilt is good... until you crown it king and allow it to rule. C.S. Lewis once said, "I sometimes think that shame, mere awkward, senseless shame, does as much toward preventing good acts and straightforward happiness as our vices can do." Pondering something is good until it takes the joy and spontaneity out of life. We need balance: knowledge of the power that exists in our souls plus the realization of how small we are in comparison to the Universe. 

It brings a question to mind: if my essence is so blended with all I touch, is not God here with us as well? He exists but we do not fully understand how or where. We catch glimpses in nature, in people, in situations: "Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me." Matthew 25:44-45

 ::inserts another C.S. Lewis quote which inspired me today:: "The essential meaning of all things came down from the 'heaven' of myth to the 'earth' of history. In so doing, it partly emptied itself of its glory, as Christ emptied Himself of His glory to be Man.... That is the humiliation of myth into fact, of God into Man; what is everywhere and always, imageless and ineffable...becomes small, solid—no bigger than a man who can lie asleep in a rowing boat on the Lake of Galilee." 

What is my conclusion then? I am sincerely happy to be done editing Carole-Lyne's wedding photographs. Haha. I shall continue on doing my best; trying to help people see that life is more about just existing. To stop when I begin just existing and to begin living. That way today is a tea and C.S. Lewis type of day. :-) 

in regards to the End of the world

first of all nothing will happen
and a little later
nothing will happen again.
-- Leonard Cohen

and if it does,

even damnation is poisoned with rainbows.
-- Leonard Cohen

To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so.
Robert Orben 

Courage my friends, it is not too late to make a better world. 

Tommy Douglas

May Your Day Be Full of Pie

When you judge another,

 you do not define them,

 you define yourself as someone who needs to judge. 

--Wayne Dyer

Today I am thankful for people and the world. 

(And awesome quotes shared by the generous people in my wonderful life!!)

Happy Thanksgiving.

P.S. Banana Cream Pie and me do not agree.

Post 500 -- Of Fall & C.S. Lewis

Fall: colorful leaves that crisp under one's feet; wind shaking the trees until they are left barren, sans their clothes; hot apple cider stirred with cinnamon sticks; cloudless skies brimming with startling blue; the moon so bright against the black night sky, one wishes to touch it; fresh squash, corn and potatoes gracing our dinner table; pulling the blankets up to my chin and curling up next to my lover at night, listening to him breathe deeply in sleep; calling students and their mothers in preparation for music lessons; wearing a coat out in the early morning and not zipping it up; worrying about the cat wanting to be out all night (but knowing he would be a pain if you left him in when he wanted out); thanking God for my path and my life.

I may not agree with C.S. Lewis completely but that's a healthy thing, is it not? I do, in fact, find him to be source of wisdom and great thought. I sincerely consider him to be one of the greatest writers in the last century. I hope you will read these quotes, go away and think for awhile. 

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”  

“You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” 

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” 

“A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.” 

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” 

“We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.” 

“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” 

“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.” 


“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” 

“I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia.” 

“Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning...” 

“What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it.” 

“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.”

“If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.” 

“I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice?” 

Some Random Thoughts

Recently, I've been brain storming, reading, etc. It's funny that I've even had the time to think since I have been so busy. Apparently, my head is never allowed to be empty. ;-) Some of these quotes are from the internet, some from the radio and some from my many years of memorization of the Bible. They are all connected in some ways and completely random in others.

There is one reason I am posting these: to give you something to think about. That's all.

  And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. -- Ephesians 6:4

Resolve to serve no more, and you are at once freed. I do not ask that you place hands upon the tyrant to topple him over, but simply that you support him no longer; then you will behold him, like a great Colossus whose pedestal has been pulled away, fall of his own weight and break into pieces.

- Etienne de la Boetie, "The Politics of Obedience" (1553)

"Sometimes we see evil in the closed eyes of a recklessly naive wife.." --Lydia Lovric

A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves. -- Bertrand de Jouvenel

Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;  ... To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people.. -- Isaiah 10

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. -- Ephesians 5

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. -- 1 Peter 3:7

Odds and Ends

I love those who yearn for the impossible. -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Today, I weeded part of the garden. It feels so good to finally be able to get my fingers in the dirt and to clean the unwanted weeds away from the peppers, tomatoes, garlic, corn and onions. And I didn't even get to the potatoes or lettuce yet. I had been wanting to get into the garden for a few weeks now but the rain kept coming down. A day would begin with the sun but by noon, the clouds were rolling in. Finally, after a few days of heat, the ground was dry enough for me to get out there.

Last weekend was The Boogie Fest in Carlyle. At one point, there were over 50 motorcycles on Main Street... all painted in different colors and designs. Such fun! Also, all of the Pharmasave Chicks were supposed to dress up as bikers, so Lydia and I obliged them. It was a lot of fun and rather nice not to have to worry about looking nice for a couple days. Lol.

The one who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The one who walks alone, is likely to find himself in the places no one has ever been before. -- Albert Einstein

Saturday evening, I called to ask about a couple things and Zeke answered the phone. I can't believe how old he is: this February, he turned 13. It seems like just yesterday he was in diapers, spitting up milk.We talked for about an hour about a lot of stuff. He has a keen mind that never stops. I hope he will never be satisfied with what he thinks. He is very skilled in several areas... music has always been a gift to him.

I was always fascinated by people who are considered completely normal, because I find them the weirdest of all. -- Johnny Depp

Jesse and I are getting ready to leave on our belated honeymoon. Actually, this might be considered our 3rd honeymoon. (The first two were spent in Regina.) We're excited about the trip as a whole, of course... but there are a couple things I am really pumped about: seeing my relatives and having them meet Jesse for the first time. Especially my uncles and aunts and cousins. I'm also excited about San Franscisco: I want to eat the famous sourdough and clam chowder. While we were living in Melville, Dad was against eating yeast for a few months. So, we made sour dough bread. In the books, they would say stuff like, "This is similar to the famous San Francisco Sour Dough, etc., etc." Allow me to assure you that our sour dough was nothing like San Francisco sour dough. In fact, I'm not even sure our attempts deserve the title of sour dough. More like "sour rocks" or "break-your-teeth-sour-dough". Lol. Those months of no yeast diet were veryyyy long. However, even with that experience under my belt, I am still very happy to finally have a chance to eat real San Francisco Sour Dough. :-)

Pictures will be posted periodically as I take them and get internet access. It's going to be a really intense trip, with many sights to see. When I discovered that Jesse's family were overseas travelers, I was overjoyed because I have always wanted to travel. This trip is going to be a beginning; a simply marvelous beginning! And California is always a good place to begin anything!

Enemies are so stimulating. -- Katherine Hepburn

Why yes, they are, Miz Katherine. Did you have anyone in particular in mind? ;-) 

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone. -- Audrey Hepburn 

Lydia has been sick the past couple of days. When I first began work at Pharmasave, I got really sick a couple weeks into it. Lydia is probably having a similar experience. We`re around sick people 5 days a week and one's immune system must build up to resisting everything you're in contact with. So we're taking good care of her and making her rest and drink lots of fluids. She's pretty pleasant for being sick so I can't complain! I do wish she would feel better soon. She is simply feeling awful.

Well, cheers. I'll try to write more later. Apologies for the very boring blog post. But I do love sharing my little odds and ends... I hope you'll derive some joy from them. :-)

P.S. I do adore Audrey Hepburn.

Quotes

Love is a friendship set to music. -- Joseph Campbell

We have the capacity to receive messages from the stars and the songs of the night winds. -- Ruth St. Denis

None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free. -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not a truth. -- Marcus Aurelius

Because of great love, one is courageous. -- Lao Tzu

Beautiful Me

 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. -- Isaiah 61:3

Calm self-confidence is as far from conceit as is the desire to earn a decent living is remote from greed. -- Channing Pollock 

There is a trend that has settled so long on the Church that it has become a core belief of religious peoples. It goes something like this:

To think any positive or flattering thing about oneself is pride and, therefore, is a sin in the eyes of God.

There are so many examples of this, but one that I will always remember was some advice given in a girls magazine: "If you look in the mirror and have trouble with prideful thoughts about your appearance, you should get rid of the mirror." And what about the many women who dress in unflattering clothing and cover their head? No form is shown; no beautiful hair is let down; any desire other than a neat, tidy appearance is frowned upon. Men are to guard their thoughts about themselves just as sharply: no thoughts about attractiveness and definitely no thoughts about sexuality. The Amish are especially infamous for their strict guard upon their members; are the buggies too shiny? Could there be a smidgen of pride in the heart of the buggy owner? What about that apron or that hair cut or the roofline of that barn? Is it too different from the others? Could there be pride involved? Some Mennonite groups are also very similar in concept. The examples could go on.

And there is the other side of the coin: people never being content with how they look. People going through surgery to make themselves more attractive. People killing themselves because they are bullied or feel that they are too imperfect for this world. And what about people saying, "I am ugly" or other degrading statements about themselves. One thing all of these groups or individuals have in common is this: they believe they are acting in a meek and humble manner or that it's better/safer/more attractive spiritually to feel negative emotions about ourselves.

Before going on, I feel I must point something out: my thoughts are rarely conclusive these days. My current state is that I seem to always be searching for more answers and deepest truths. That being said, through the years I have seen a disturbing amount of unnatural thoughts and actions resulting from these beliefs and mindsets. I think it's time someone said something about it. Also I wish to digress by stating that I do not wish to judge others for their beliefs. All peoples are free to believe as they will, as long as their beliefs are not harming others. I simply seek to bring love and contentment to this world and I believe part of the change must come through seeing ourselves through the eyes of God.

I am writing from personal experience. Each day I struggle through loathing, self pity, doubt, frustrations, depression, pain... Lately, especially so. My dearest Jesse and my God have been very close to comfort and hold me. But I am learning! I am learning about my humanness and God's omnipotence. I am learning about forgiveness and love. I am learning about what it means for a broken heart to heal. I am learning that it is wrong not to acknowledge the truth. God created you and me uniquely with beauty in mind. When you look at yourself in the mirror and think, "I am attractive," it doesn't mean you suffer from a pride filled heart. It can be as innocent as a simple nod to the Creator that he didn't make a mistake when he made you.

I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. -- Psalm 139: 14

 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. -- Psalm 27: 4

The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head. -- Proverbs 20: 29

There are as many verses in the Bible promoting beauty as there are verses warning against it. Where is the balance? There are verses that proclaim God's beauty and many more that tell us of his desire to create humans in his image. What does the Bible say about the image of God? In Ephesians, it refers to the glory of it. Colossians refers to the invisibility of the image of God. Other verses, as quoted above, refer to the marvelous beauty of the Lord. Scholars have discussed this concept a great deal. Most believe that this reference includes the creation of our spirits, souls and personalities, "the mirror image of God's essential nature." My personal belief is that it must be a balance of all: God created us, a human species, to have a certain type of appearance and He created us to have his personality, understanding and wisdom. Of course, all of these attributes work together to create something wonderfully rich in each of us.

Each day that I live and the more people I meet brings me more strongly to a certain realization: every person in the world has fears and insecurities. It might be about their appearance or their personality or people not liking them. There are some who struggle with their imperfections, because they can never be as good as they think they should be. These thoughts lead to depression and frustration; ultimately, unhappiness. All people in the world come from different walks of life: Atheist, Christian, Islamic, Mormon, Seventh Day Adventist, agnostic, Hindu... the list goes on. But the fact of the matter is: we all think we're not good enough.

It is true. We aren't good enough. We aren't nearly good enough. We will never be good enough. But we are perfect. We each have a unique mix of qualities and different opinions. We all have the beauty of true unique perfection. We all deserve to be loved and accepted for who we are. That love and acceptance must start in each heart: God loves you; God thinks you are perfect and beautiful; God wants you to be lifted out of your frustrations and realize your potential.

"Do exactly what you would do if you felt most secure." Meister Eckhart

The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. -- Ephesians 5:22

I'm talking about you. How are you going to walk your path today? Are you going to look in the mirror and think how ugly you are? Are you going to miss an opportunity to bring the oil of joy to someone who needs it because you feel insecure? Are you going to selflessly love others? Or will you not be able to do that because you can't love yourself as God loves you?

There is the danger of sin in every aspect of life. We all fall into sin through our humanness. We could concentrate on that and mourn over our foolishness. I know people who can only talk about how sinful they are; they think this attitude is one of meekness. But I personally know others who have risen above the ashes of their pain and confusion to embrace whom God created them to be. You know what the Bible says? God loves a cheerful heart and that we are to rejoice and be glad.

Be happy today. Embrace the beauty that is you. You see, it is a choice.

Winebibbers Inc.

Just a couple of random thoughts that have been first in my mind all day...

Every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. (Matthew 9:10) 

The son of man is come eating and drinking; and  ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. (Luke 7:34) 

The older I get the more I realize that holding ourselves apart from the world and "sinners" is not the way to spiritual enlightenment or becoming Christlike.

My greatest desire is to become more like Jesus. I want to have the same attitude and feelings towards the entire world. I want to learn to love like He did.

A Post of the Tired Mind

I was just sitting here, thinking about how tired I am. Two of my students transfered their lessons to Thursday so I have an hour to sit and relax. And I think I need it. My only wish is that Jesse were home from work. Soon, though. :-)

I am thankful I have something to be tired from. And of course,

If you must have motivation, think of your pay check on Friday. -- Noel Coward 

(My inspirational quote of the day.)

Here's another one:

We can only learn to love by loving. -- Iris Murdoch

Btw, if you hadn't noticed already, my sister Hannah is getting married on June 2nd. It's going to be a red letter day!

Michelangelo

If we have been pleased with life, we should not be displeased with death, since it comes from the hand of the same master.

My soul can find no staircase to Heaven unless it be 
 through Earth's loveliness.

Treasuries of Joy

To my husband:  All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full... 

Ecclesiastes 1:7

My love, may you never stop seeking for Truth. May you always search. May your heart yearn for greater understanding.

To my sisters and brothers: I love you.

To life: Be truthful, nature only sides with Truth. -- Adolf Loos


You have thrown and landed some vicious blows but you didn't know something that God did. When you tried to crush me, I found strength. When you left me for dead, Something breathed life into me. When you pumped me full of bitterness, somehow Love crept in through the cracks. There was Truth... I could pull the plug on hate.  

To Marriage: Happiness is like a kiss: you have to share it to enjoy it. -- Bernard Meltzer


All the waiting, the uncertainty, the frustration... yes. But worth it. Worth every lonely night, every longing for someone's arms, each moment aching for true love, all the battles with doubt. Yes! Worth it. I cannot express my gratitude. 

To The Flu I Have Right Now: God employs several translators; some pieces are translated by age, some by sickness, some by war, some by justice.  -- John Donnes

Sometimes it's so hard to look past when we're not feeling well or are in an impossible situation. The light is there, though. It might be faint or impossible to see but it's there. Let it strengthen you for better things.

To God: But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. Psalm 71:14 

I do hope continually. Fear is my greatest fault. I want to live my life in joy without bowing to anxiety. Slowly, I learn. Always, I hope.