For the last six years, my sisters and I have taken my Dad on the annual color tour he always took with my Mom.  We created more memories and laughter every single year.  This year, while a long trip isn’t in the cards, short trips for ice cream and lunch bring moments that bring a whole new level of joy.  They remind me that life isn’t about the breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away.

Today, Jack and I grabbed our ice cream cones and just drove, until we “found” the beauty … as the colors are not peaking yet.  It made me reflect on all the times in my life I needed the BIG things to bring me joy.  With every situation, I was always looking for more.  More was better…or so it seemed.

I realized in the quiet moments in the car today – experiencing the simplest of joys with my Dad – that less is more.  In the past, the trees were like fireworks, exploding before our eyes.  They would be SO colorful that after many miles, I’d take them for granted.  But today was different.  Today God let me see the rare beauty – the beauty hidden so deeply it requires effort to see.  The kind that fuels my soul.

What do you take for granted?  What surrounds you that you no longer see, appreciate and treasure?

If it’s your kids, trust me when I say you’ll miss the sweet moments of their childhood when they’re no longer under your feet.  You will yearn to hear their voices asking you to play.

If its’ your parents, I can tell you with 100% certainty that when they’re gone, you will never be the same.  Treasure every sweet moment.

If it’s your spouse, trust me when I say that without “doing the work” to feed and nurture your relationship, you run the risk of losing him/her forever.  Once the flame goes out for good, nothing will make it flicker again.

If it’s your job, you will waste precious moments of your life.  If you hate everything about it, search for an environment you can be used in a way that fulfills you.

Most importantly, maybe you’ve lost the ability to see the beauty within YOU.  You’ve allowed your relationships, circumstances and/or heartaches to chip away at you – carving you into someone you no longer recognize.  Don’t be embarrassed.  It’s O.K.

I learned a couple weeks ago, from an amazing friend, that you’re either “GROWING” or “DECAYING”.  It rocked me to the core.  It’s as if I had been looking at life through blurry binoculars that finally came into focus.  It allowed me to accept what “is” and refocus my attention on what “could be”.  I realized I’ve spent far too long looking back – wishing I could change the past.  SHIT.  Life doesn’t work that way.   That’s why your windshield is so large, and the rear view mirror so small.

Maybe your life has gotten away from you.  Perhaps you’ve lost your self-esteem…you don’t like what you see in the mirror.  You’ve lost your way.  You want to shut yourself off from the world until you come back to yourself.  Beautiful girl, if it were only that easy.  It’s NOT.  In fact it’s scary as hell, but it’s a blessing from God.  HE reveals the truth to us, only when we’re prepared to see.  HE will never give you more than you can handle.  EVER.

I promise, if you take just ONE simple step, experience one little joy at a time, searching it out, savoring it, and thanking Him for it, you will slowly see that life is so much more than the little world in which you hid.

You weren’t created to settle.  You weren’t born to play small.  You are so much stronger than you think and far more capable than you believe.  Only time will bring you the self-awareness you so desperately crave.

Make a decision, today, to search for the joy in every moment.  CREATE your own happiness and don’t you DARE apologize to anyone.  No one has walked in your shoes or felt the pain in your feet when you finally tire from the heavy weight of your life.

Keep going, even if it means driving through the rain until you see a blue sky this beautiful.

“Be brave, be kind, be bold, be fierce, be YOU”

-Jules-