Summer Love List (guest post)

I have a special surprise for all of you! Here is a guest post from Ann (author of the blog http://livinnlovinn.blogspot.com/) Hope you all enjoy! And thanks very much to Ann!

As school begins to let out, we are finally able to take in the wonderfulness that is summer: warm sunshine, no dreaded homework lingering to be done, and freedom to spend days however we wish.

But with so much extra time, I often find myself bored and unproductive. It is so easy to waste time.

One of my teachers mentioned the phrase, "love God and love others." It's such a simple little phrase, but rings so much truth. With this in mind, I've made this summer "love" list. It's all about loving God, loving others, and being intentional.

I hope that God may be glorified through our thoughts and actions this summer. May He remain our first love and may a love for others out pour from the love we have in Him.

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." 1 John 4:10-12

le rêveur.

           It means "the dreamer." In history they've always been here, the dreamers. In my last post I questioned, "Where are the dreamers?" but as I've taken the time to look around, I've actually come face to face with some people who embody this visionary-type persona. I've realized dreamers don't just simply come out saying, "I'm a dreamer, here me roar," but rather they leave the mystery up to their audience. In history, if we take the time to do some research, dreamers are everywhere. Walt Disney is a classic example of one. He envisioned dreams coming true and eventually planned to make a "land" where he could help other's dreams come true. Farther back we see people like Jane Austen, who led a very romantically sad life, yet expressed her longings for true love in her writing and fantasized her deepest desires the through the written word. Then there's the ambitious souls, the founding fathers, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock - all dreamed of an ideal state where men and women could find freedom and liberty. And Martin Luther King, who stated quite blatantly stated, "I have dream." He desired equality for all.

             So, I guess, I've made a huge mistake. I've admitted to you all that I'm a dreamer. Real dreamers never do that, they leave that up for you to choose. Oops, so the the essence of wonder is gone, but I'll still let you decide that. However, there are different types of dreamers, so I guess there's still a bit of mystery to me, which type of dreamer am I? There's the idealist, someone who dreams of perfection in different aspects of everyday life. Then there's the visionary, the one who starts revolutions to fight for what they believe in. And then there's the romanticists, those who dream of love and beauty in nature, you know, those who blog about sunsets and rainbows and "all things beautiful and bright." I think I know some of those... 

              But unfortunately, we dreamers sometimes have a huge problem. We dream. However sometimes, forget to act. Your dreams will never come true if you don't do anything about them. Maybe you'll get lucky here and there, but its time to act, as Taylor Swift says, its time to "Speak Now!" Act upon your dreams, and lift them up to God, He can help you accomplish them.Take delight Him, and he'll place dreams in your heart and help you make them come true.

      "Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)

Where are the dreamers?

           
                   I feel like through my writing and through blogs I've been opened up to a whole new world of people just like me. Dreamers. Writers. Sweet and Fragrant thinkers. I and my fellow bloggers sound so alike. Our thoughts. Our love for all things beautiful and bright. Our views on Christianity. I've read the deep thoughts. And I love it, because its a rare find people today who actually still think this way. I search for those who actually communicate their thoughts like this and its really hard to find them. In fact, in my life I have yet to meet a dreamer face to face quite like myself. This isn't pride speaking, quite the contrary actually. I just feel like a loner sometimes. I wonder if I'm strange for thinking too deeply and provoking more thoughts than words.
            Am I the only one who feels this way? Aren't there other dreamers out there? I have amazing friends, but sometimes they just view my blog as a "cute" site. When in actuality, its my outpourings. My dreams. My love. My inspired thoughts. More than a "cute" little blog. Aren't there others who dream about living in a world without buildings only perfect grasses and caves. The trees and sky as our only canopy? Aren't there others who dream about how sweet and pure love should be? How we've sadly left our first Love? Aren't there others who dream of being a bird, so that we could fly away into the azure enveloping sky? Aren't there others who wish they were children again? Rid of the duties and disciplines sprung upon us as we grow in age? Am I the only one who dreams these thoughts?

Only God.

With everything that's been going on lately, this song reminds me who's in control. God.

My Fairy-Godmother Moment

         Today I realized my sister is sort of like my fairy-godmother. She comes in to make days brighter even when things have been dull. Today for instance, I took my last A.P. exam. It was long and tiring and last night was a bit rough so I was a bit wounded and ready to break down and give up. After a lunch with friends and a calming talk with my mom today began to look brighter. And then. To top it all off, my sister away in Africa leaves me a beautiful note.

Now if you didn't read the full note, at the end she told me to look in the bottom drawer of her desk and what did I find?

         The makings of a perfect evening! A candle, tea, a mug from anthro, a journal, a facial scrub, goggles for summer, The best cookies and icing on the planet, and one of my favorite movies of all time. She is such a doll! I miss her even more now, but I'm so thankful to have a sister that blesses me even when she's not here. She came in and was a magical fairy-godmother today! <3

Sounds Like Country.

           Last night I sat with the sky expanding overhead and the soft green grass between my toes. The smell of smoke and beer was wafting through the air. We laid out on the lawn on a patchwork blanket beneath us and sat at the back of the amphitheater near my home and listened to the sweet sounds of country music. Slowly the sun set and air cooled. Stars began to peak through the velvety blanket of sky. I sat among hundreds of country lovers all excited to hear the sweetly sung words of Lady Antebellum.

         With summertime on the verge and the balmy Floridian breeze beginning to pick up I can only pray what  lies ahead this summer is better than the last. That means late nights and evening rains, summer sun and bike rides, long restful days and more time with God. "Oh nothing's sweeter than summer time and American honey..."    

My dear, future love.

Dear Lover,          
            Prom's this week and no. I don't have a date. Part of me wishes that I'd still be asked, but let's be honest... its too late now. So here I am, going single to prom. And after some prayer and thinking... I'm honestly okay with it. Although, yes I'm a romantic at heart, I understand that sometimes in life we go through a "single season." And this season is right now for me. I haven't met you my love but I miss you dearly even so. I miss the way you'll laugh, your hand on the small of my back, the way your lips will brush mine. I miss you even though I have yet to meet you.
           So. Somewhere far out there in the huge fathomless world I know you're there. And hopefully you're waiting expectantly too. I don't expect you to be blogging out your feelings for me, but I do hope there a spirit of patience within you that allows you to wait for my heart. I pray that God is guiding you to be a courageous young leader and that by the time you come into my life He will have already worked greatly within you.
           So where does that leave us? Once again waiting. I heard recently that the value of what you're waiting for is defined by how willing you are to wait for it. So, because I value you so very much. I'll wait for you my love. I'll patiently watch sunsets and new moons rise and set, expectantly live through seasons and years while they come and go, and continue with persistence through every phase in life until I see your face. And while I wait, I'll continually abide in the One who is my full true love. My heart's safe. No need to worry. I'm praying for you darling. See you soon?
Love your wife,
Audrey <3

Absence Makes the ❤ Grow Fonder...

         
           Many have said, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." I now know this is true. My sister is gone for the month serving the Lord in a foreign country. Although I'm so glad she's out serving God with all her heart, I would be lying if I said I didn't miss her.
          Throughout my life, my sister and I have been absolutely inseparable. We do everything together. We go shopping, watch movies, get our nails done, go canoeing, basically anything and everything we do is always together. There are times during the week when she comes into my room and we both do homework. Not talking but simply enjoying each other's presence. I miss her. We're best friends, I love her more than any other person in this world. So, its really different that she's gone.
           In her absence I guess you could say my heart has grown more fond of her. Suddenly I appreciate her more. I realize where all my time goes. I finish homework sooner and go to  bed early because I have nothing to do. I now fully grasp why God didn't make me an only child. He knew before the beginning of time that I'd need an older sister to balance me out and keep my strong in my faith. My sister is one of the best gifts He he has ever given me. I will truly love her all the way until the ends of the ages and into all eternity.

Dashing and Adventurous

I'm not superstitious, but when I saw this in my fortune cookie I smiled to myself. So. Is my life a dashing and bold adventure? I think we can sometimes only hope to have such a dashing and adventurous life. And as a dreamer myself, I really do hope for this.

Thoughts.

            The human has approximately 70,000 thoughts in a single day. I think I've got several thousand more than that. I think all day long. Or dream? I'm such a dreamer. When God created me, I'm sure he said. "This is Audrey. She'll be a dreamer and a romantic. She'll try to make life a fairy-tale." And therefore here I am today. A dreamer and romantic at heart. I feel like this post may be kind of self-centered simply because its pouring out all all the things I love. Things I dream about. But I guess that what blogs are for. Rambling about yourself and your own thoughts.

           I love. Sunshine and windy skies. Purple shaded sunsets. The color red. Butterflies. Daisies. Getting messy. Painting. Lacey dresses. Bicycles. Coffee shop atmospheres. Little vintage boutiques. Fancy cupcakes. Cinderella. Islands in the sun. Old movies. Venice waterways. Floating lanterns. Fireflies. Sparkles in the sky. Lilly pads on lakes. Polaroid cameras. Audrey Hepburn. Ella Fitzgerald. Frank Sinatra.