A note for the days you feel the loneliness in your bones:

Wanting an amazing man to have & to hold all the days of your life is a beautiful aspiration that I promise you will, some day, be realized. Just make sure while you're "waiting around" you're also making yourself the kind of woman you've always wanted to be.

You wouldn't {or at least shouldn't} settle for less than you deserve in the dating world,
so why would you settle for less than the best version of yourself you can become?

Keep your head up,
L.A.

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Remember:

It’s ok to slip,

and it’s ok to fall down,
but always get up.

Daily Haiku on Love by Tyler Knott Gregson

The best people

"The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed."

- Ernest Hemingway

I believe it is the moments

Tyler Knott, my goodness, you've done it again.

Always,
L.A.

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Let us set the world on fire

{via}

There is no such thing as a useless prayer

‎"All of our prayers -- with all the limits, difficulty, poverty, aridity and imperfections they may have -- are as it were purified and reach the heart of God. We must be certain, therefore, that there are no superfluous, useless prayers; not one of them is lost. And they find a response -- even if it is oftentimes mysterious -- because God is Love and infinite Mercy. "
- Pope Benedict XVI

To be alive

Some times the words refuse to come. Some times all you can do is sit down in front of your computer with a heart full of so much to be expressed and written here for the world to see, but the words that would accurately detail the deep ache your heart and soul are experiencing are just beyond your reach.

But other times the words flow. For no reason at all. Or maybe for every reason. Sometimes a girl just gets full. Full of the feeling that you’re right where you’re supposed to be. The feeling that something wonderful is coming your way and it’s so close when you reach out your fingertips just almost brush it. The feeling that finally, despite all the stress and anxiety and uncertainty, finally you are living.

How great it truly is to be alive.

Always,
L.A.

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If you haven’t yet, I suggest you check this guy out.

…and I promise I meant that in the least creepy way possible.

A link is attached to the photo taken from tylerknott.com. My suggested plan of action??
Click. Browse. Enjoy.

 

Happy “hump day” everybody!

Always,
L.A.

P.S. I secretly {or not so secretly anymore I suppose} find the phrase “hump day” slightly revolting…

Be not ashamed of your tears

It’s okay to cry. Unfortunately, the world can be a sad place more times than not.
But no matter what, no matter how bad it hurts, you cannot let that sadness consume you.

In this world full of tragedy and unrealized potential, look for beauty in the brokenness.
In the pain find your strength. See the hope in what seems hopeless.

And never forget to keep smiling despite it all.
Keep on smiling and, as far as I’m concerned, you’ve won.

Always,
L.A.

Truth

“I choke because my every day life begins too feel small compared to the expectation. And He breathes truth that a life is not made by lives saved or bellies fed or words written. To adore the one who created the Heavens and the Earth, to give thanks for who He is and all He has given, to worship and commune with Holy God, whispering in the quiet, clinging in the noise, believing in all
circumstances – this is what makes a life large.”
— Katie Davis 

 

How true this quote is.

I dream of changing the world, of doing something that, in the grand scheme of things,
really means something. But even if I change the world, accomplish every goal I’ve ever made, and lived the life I’d always wanted to, who am I to say that I’m a success?

All the power, money, and fame in the world won’t guarantee us happiness.  Being thin, smart, or beautiful won’t either. Having an amazing career, getting the promotion you’ve been working your arse off for, being the envy of your colleagues, it’s all meaningless in the end.

The world’s measure of greatness tends to be a little skewed. It’s easy to forget that.

But we must remember the truth.

Always,
L.A.

Success

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Isn't that the truth though?

Life can be tough.

That goes with out saying.  We struggle throughout it with various things.  We struggle all the time.

But at the end of the day if we've changed just one life for the better, well in my book, that makes it all worth it.  Besides, all those struggles make us who we are.

And who'd want to be anyone else?

Always,

L.A.

When times get tough, I must remember to...

If I'm not where I want to be, living a blissfully happy life in five years,

this is exactly what I'm going to do.

If you could buy a ticket to anywhere in the world,

where would it be?

Personally, I think New York sounds rather lovely.

Always,

L.A.

Choose Happiness

Be silly

When many people I know are trying so hard to be adult and sophisticated, I've come to see the wisdom in the words Emerson left us.  Life may not be as simple as it once was, but it's also not as complicated as we often make it.

I ask that you not take life too seriously.

I ask that you sing in the shower no matter who may hear.

Laugh at yourself as you make a fool of yourself as you fall up the stairs.

And dance like an idiot when your favorite song comes on.

I ask that you smile at the cute boy you pass on your way to class.

Strike up a conversation with a stranger while you wait in the checkout line.

And shrug off the awkward moments that are ever present in life.

I ask that you treat yourself to cookie-dough ice cream.

Cry unashamed while watching your favorite movies.

And embrace the nights you don't have time for sleep.

After all, it's the little things in life that make it great.  So be silly.

Always,

L.A.

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Smile

                             

“Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love,
a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”
― Mother Teresa


I dream of living in a world where it's common courtesy for everyone to at least smile at the random people they pass on the street and through out their day.
Smile at a stranger today.
No matter how crowded the streets are.
No matter what mood you're in. 
You never know when that one smile will make all the difference.


Always,
L.A.
                                             photo courtesy of http://www.embarq.org/en/solution/walking

Shine

                            

"And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same." 
-Maryanne Williamson


Don't be afraid to let your light shine today.  It might be exactly what somebody you run into needs.  And who are you to deny anyone the privilege of walking in the sun?
Always,
L.A.
                                     photo courtesy of http://robertfinkelstein.wordpress.com/

Inspiration- In my life and yours

Lately I've been feeling very inspired.
Inspired to tell society that they're wrong about so much, and to shove off.
Inspired to rediscover my passion for life, love, and words.
Best of all, I've been inspired to be who I've always wanted to be.
(Or at least inspired to attempt to become that person.)

In the spirit of inspiration, I will leave you with a poem I recently discovered which inspired me, in hopes that it will do the same for you.

Always,
L.A.

            "Don't Quit"
"When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.


Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.


Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.


Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It might be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit."