Mirror, mirror, on the wall . . . man, oh man, sometimes I hate the mirrors that I face each and every day. This past couple of years have been incredibly difficult and life has taken it's toll on me. I can see slight lines beginning to emerge and I am very aware that I am getting older . . . UGHHHHH! There are a lot of things that I don't like very much as my face stares back at me. I focus in and I look into my own eyes. They say that the "eyes are the window to the soul" and mine are no exception to that rule. In them, if one looks closely, you can see through the cloudy shades of blue a lot of joy, happiness, pain, sorrow, hurt, and perhaps even some old wounds that have now scarred over a bit reflected in them. Life is mirrored in my face, and I found myself wondering, do you "see" what I see?
Often the reflection that we see staring us in the face seems something ordinary or boring, and quite simply, nothing all that special. And I found myself thinking at what point in our personal evolutions do we lose the ability to "see" life and its incredible beauty reflected clearly in the many forms that life's mirrors take. Weird that all we are able to see is mundane . . . sigh . . .
Do you see what I see? Sometimes it feels as though we are in a "House of Mirrors" at a carnival or fair where the images of life are twisted and distorted. Life's mirrors don't lie; however, as human beings those images become distorted by our own thoughts, feelings, actions, or inactions. How and why do we lose the ability to see the incredible beauty reflected in the people that we care about and love, in strangers that leave a fingerprint for only a moment in time, or perhaps through life's experiences which are uniquely our own? How often are we like the distorted mirrors projecting a false image into life's mirrors rather than those of acceptance and love? I know that I am guilty of that . . . are you?
Do you see what I see? This holiday season my baby girl Sarah and I have decided to move from "do you hear what I hear" to "do you see what I see." Admittedly, this one is going to be a CHALLENGE because it requires us to "see" outside and then change our perception from the inside out. The goal is for us to really pay attention to what is going on around us and to "see" what image others are reflecting and allow that to spark something in our hearts. Then we need to take it one step further by allowing that person's light to be reflected in something that we do for another, and perhaps by the time Christmas arrives, the light of Christ will be shining brilliantly and the mirror image will reflect one of peace, hope and love . . . "for the greatest of these is love"--I Corinthians 13:13
Sarah Day 1: Seeing is believing, right?
“I will be the first to admit that I am a pessimist by nature. It is, after all, the wisest way to be. We pessimists have everything to gain, whereas optimists have a fifty-fifty chance of being disappointed.”
If you asked my mom, she would tell you that I possess many great qualities. She knows what my strengths are, and she knows my weaknesses. She could tell you about my personality, my emotions, my physical appearance. She could tell you all of my past injuries, the different sports I played growing up, who my best friends are, and all of my milestones in life. My mom definitely knows me. I believe with 100% of my heart, that my mother would say the one thing I do not have going for me, is my outlook on life. I would agree that my natural pessimism is not a great quality to evoke. It is the one quality that I can see and feel impact my every day life in a negative way. I find it highly unfortunate that it's so easy for me to be negative, and so incredibly challenging to be positive.
This past year has given me so many wonderful opportunities! Moving back to Fargo, living with Jesse, another adopted kitty, and my new job. Last year I told you that I would be going back to school in the fall. As it often does, life had a different road to take me on. I was fully registered to begin classes and I was only a couple of months away, but then I had a job opportunity present itself. I knew that God sent this job to me for a reason, so I took it. I embraced the change. Even the negative side of me will tell you that taking this job has been a blessing and was absolutely the right decision. One that I'll never regret. It is one of the positive moments that this past year has shown me.
Even in those positive experiences, there are negatives. There are things that are challenging, and I have definitely struggled. In my personal life, there have been challenges, and I have struggled. I find myself constantly focusing on those negative experiences and it is very tiring and emotionally draining. I need to change.
This year, with this blog, mom and I are focusing on things that we see. We are forcing ourselves to look at what is happening around us and search for the good that's still in the world. This negative Nancy, may struggle, but I am PRAYING that it will start to change my state of mind and bring true happiness to my life. That happiness that I know is deep down in my heart, but buried in all of the change this year has brought to myself and to my family. I have faith, that seeing is believing, and maybe I just haven't been looking hard enough.
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