A List

From a girl with a thankful, full heart:

1. We talked about evil {natural and human} at Bible study tonight. It was difficult. At moments, depressing. Then again, it confirmed a lot of the things I have always believed in. God's with us... ALWAYS. It was a great reminder of His constant, abiding love. Have I ever mentioned how grateful I am for His grace and all it encompasses? Because I am! Whole-heartedly. So grateful. Free will? God as our puppeteer? LOVE those conversations.

2. Based on some happenings tonight, I have re-discovered the idea that no matter how life confuses me I DO KNOW exactly what I want. How to get there? Not a clue. But it's a start. It's been a long time coming, too. Clarity is... it's a breath of fresh air. Leigh= 1 point!

3. Laughter is exactly what my soul needs. It's exactly what I got some of tonight.

4. I should be writing and studying my heart out, right now! But I'm too focused on how God gives me these moments of fulfillment when I feel my heart's had a void. And it's too big for me to contain. So, there you go. Another piece of my heart.

5. I had an interview with a friend today {Stephanie} who has her own blog. She interviewed ME about, well, blogging for a huge class project and presentation she is working on. Some of the questions she asked forced me to think about all the personal things I have blogged about lately. In turn, got me thinking about the community blogging creates. I have a fear of sounding like a complete idiot. And I'm sure I have succeeded a time, or 20, in my {short} lifetime. Today, was the first day I thought about how much of my HEART and SOUL I have laid bare here in Blogland! I found myself suddenly overwhelmed. Some of you may be thinking you need to make a trip to Barnes & Noble to buy me a journal for Christmas! I've wondered the same thing, too! Yet, the transparency I have been exposed to by reading other blogs and blogging myself is like NO OTHER! It warms my heart. Learned much more about life, love, growth, living intentionally, what's to come, Faith, and the list could go on through blogs than I ever imagined. You don't always get those lessons within the academic world. So you ask, why am I here? Don't fret any longer, it's not to air my dirty laundry, for sure. Nor do I blog to send readers into a depressed state when I write about heartbreak, evil, sin...or well... you get the point. It's to reflect transparency! It's an effort to relate to the 20-something girl who stumbled across my blog. You know, the one who doesn't have it all together either!? It's for the 30-something year old mom who might be able to give me insight and assurance. It's for ME, for the people who are in my life and the people who may come along! It's to chronicle my 20-something thoughts. I've had many changes of heart since I began EmbraceIt {my old Wordpress blog} back in 2008. We learn by processing, reaching out to others, and having others reach out to us. Although blogging may be overwhelming, at times, it's undoubtedly transparent. Just like a southern girl, I wear my heart on my sleeve.