Lauren

Lauren,
16 years. 192 months. 834 weeks. 5844 days. 140256 hours. 8415360 minutes.
That is how long your presence has Graced the Earth.
Happy 16th birthday, sissy. I love you.

For your birthday, along with your gift and countless posts that I will dedicate to you, I am giving you 16 pieces of advice.

1. Find something you are passionate about
For the love of all things good find something you love, something you can't live without. Once you find it, never give it up.

2. Fall in love with yourself.
Just love you. It doesn't matter how many guys want to get with you, or how many girls wish they were you. As long as you can look in the mirror and love what you see, your golden.

3. Dive into God's word.
Your faith is so important, and it is something you need to establish now. Chase God with all that you are. Spend time in His presence everyday. Talk to Him. Love Him. Read His Word. Make these things a priority.

4. Listen to your mother.
I know she has crazy rules. There are a lot of girls your age who need the rules your mother puts on you. You may not see it now, but your mother's strictness is something you will be grateful for later in life.

5. Think before you post
The internet is forever, and people do see what you post. I challenge you to think before hitting send, post, tweet, etc.. Decide what to keep personal. There are some things that your followers don't need to know. The repercussions of what you post will effect you and those around you.

6. Swallow your pride
It is okay to cry. It is okay that you don't have it all together. It is okay to admit that you need help. Don't keep things bottled up inside. Swallow your pride and speak up when you need something. Know that you always have someone to confide in.

7. Run from the corner
The corner used to be your safe place. You used to hide by the wall behind your pin straight bangs. That time has long passed. Step out of your comfort zone, and embrace the unfamiliar. It will turn out better than you think.

8. Turn off your phone
I know it sounds crazy. We live in a society that is driven by cell phones. Every once and while, just turn it off. Take a break from social media, texting, or your phone in general. Unplug from the cyber world and take some time for yourself. It's nice to get a break.

9. Be safe with boys
I wouldn't be me if I didn't at least try to warn you about boys. Even though I could write an entire blog post about that subject alone, I won't. The rules for how you behave around boys, and what you expect from them have to be set by you. So, with that being said, make rules. Write down those rules, and hold yourself to them.

10. It really will buff out
In the grand scheme of all things eternal, life really will buff out. Huge problems now will be miniscule later. Of all the problems you will face at 16, maybe 2 of them will matter later in life. Things hurt now, but I promise that everything really will work  itself out.

11. Never stop loving music.
You have such a God-given talent. Never let anyone convince you to throw it away. Keep singing, learn to play every instrument you desire to play, lead worship when you get the chance. Just don't lose your love for it.

12. Take time for yourself.
Bad days are going to happen and on those days treat yourself to something special. Take a bubble bath, buy a new mascara, go to sonic, read a book, dance around your room, think about Spencer Reid,  drive with the windows down and the music up, call your brother or sister, watch Tangled, do anything that will make you smile.

13. Keep your circle small.
It is way better to have a handful true friends, than a load of phony ones. Your true friends shouldn't care what you look like, or judge you when your hangery. They are the ones you can call at any hour, day or night. They are the ones who give you advice with your best interest at heart. Find those friends, keep them close. Those are the ones you fight for.

14. Enjoy the journey
Make the most out of the life you have. Enjoy fine arts practices, never take voice lessons for granted, have fun making fun of your teacher (you know the one), act like a 6 year old, and do more of what makes your heart happy. Smile every day.

15. Wear make up to enhance, not cover up
God made you into exactly who He wanted you to be! Don't waste time in the mornings covering up  the beauty God gave you. Wear makeup, just wear it properly. Don't use it as a mask to cover up what you don't like. Use it to enhance the beauty you already have.

16. Chase your dreams.
Simple and sweet. You know the call God has on your life. Don't compromise that for anything. With every fiber of your being, wake up and make your dreams a reality.

**Surprise! A bonus one, since you are turning 16 and will be getting your license today.
 DRIVE SAFE. The text can wait, don't fight with your sister while you drive, please don't speed, just be careful. I live too far away for anything bad to happen to you. So... just drive safe so that I have one less thing to worry about. Please and thank you.



For years I wanted a little sister. I prayed that I would have a mini me to dress up, someone that would follow me around. I wanted a little sister that I could play with and love on. But I didn't hold you when you were a baby, or dress you up when you were a toddler. I wasn't there to witness your first day of kindergarten and  I never got to see you try to walk in your mothers shoes as a toddler. I have never seen you play softball, or hold pom-poms. There is an awful lot of your life that I have missed out on.

On the other side of the spectrum, there is a lot that I have been a witness too. I have seen you come out of your shell. I lived through your awkward middle school years with you. We've been together on many, many trips. We have memories in your town and in mine, as well as Orlando, Louisville, and too many others to name. I have been with you when your parents have fought. I remember going to camps together, your first real boyfriend, watching you walk across the football field on homecoming court, your first breakup, and so many fine arts memories. I have watched you fall in love with acting and music. We have laughed together (at my mothers floppy hat) and we have cried together. But most of all, we have made enough memories in the few short years of knowing one another to last us a lifetime.

I can't say that I have known you your entire life, but I can say that you are the closest thing to a sister that I have ever had. As far as I am concerned, you are my sister. Though distance and age difference are great, we have too much in common not to consider each other family. I couldn't be more proud of the young lady God gave me to fulfill my silent childhood prayers for a little sister. Thank you for being my friend, my human dictionary, my mirror, my secret keeper, my shrink, my mini-me, my walking calculator, my truth-teller, my partner in crime, my support, my little, my shoulder to cry on, my sing along partner, and more than anything else my sister.

Happy Birthday! I love you, Sister. I hope you have the best SurmfDay you could ever imagine. Make this year count.


xoxo
-B

To My Best Friend

Today marks me knowing my very best friend for exactly six months. This past summer I started a summer job, and never in a million years did I imagine leaving that job with such a great friend. In 184 days my friend and I went from complete strangers to the best of friends. We had an instantaneous friendship that has been inseparable since the day we met. Marking half a year of friendship I decided to dedicate a blog post to my sweetest friend. Six months of friendship; six reasons why I love our friendship!

 

 1. I love that we don't have to act our age. Can you say blanket forts? On multiple occasions. There is something so sweet about having a friend that you can act like a child with. When we are together we don't have to be grown ups, or face the reality of adulthood, we can just let all of our worries fall to the side. From juice boxes to little kid voices. Thank you for bringing out my inner child.

 2. I love that you inspire me in the best way. You have singlehandedly pushed me further than anybody else in my life has been able to in such a short time. You have been such a light. The life you live and the example you set honestly make me want to be a better person.

 3. I love (well, love/hate) that we don't always get to see each other. Don't get me wrong, I do not in any way enjoy not getting to see you any time that I want.  But living further apart makes our hellos even sweeter. I actually like having a friend that is so hard to say goodbye to. And I certainly enjoy always having a reunion to look forward to, even if I don't always know when that time will come.

 4. I love that you walk the talk. You know how hard it has been for me to make and keep friends in the past. And after you're promise to be best friends forever it wasn't all that much for scenarios of the opposite to creep into my head. Luckily, God blessed me with a friend who doesn't just talk the talk. Girl can walk it out (I sure hope you laugh at that as much as I did.)

 5. I love that we love to laugh together. I think it's quiet possible that we can laugh at anything and everything. From the way someone holds their hands on their hips to how a counselor dives into a pool to the same Facebook posts. We don't even have to say a word; one look and we are rolling. It brings me so much joy that I have to say "stop, or I'm gonna pee from laughing so hard" way more than the average person.

 6. I love you. Simple and sweet. I just love the absolute mess out of you. And I am beyond thankful for the 6 months that I've had you in my life.

 

 

I could say so much more, but I will leave it at that. Thank you for six months of laughs, tears, smiles, and memories. I cannot wait to see what the rest of our lives hold for us and our friendship.

 

xoxo

Love That Crosses Galaxies

I went through a stage in my life where I sincerely lived with a "don't cross oceans for someone who wouldn't jump puddles for you" mentality. I thought it made me all the better to dish out to other people what they were serving me. I justified my actions based on a skewed view of the "Golden Rule". I convinced myself that "do unto others as you would like done unto you" really ment "give other people back what they give you." So for months I was hateful to hateful people, and acted out of spite towards people because of their own attitudes. If someone didn't go out of their way to spark a conversation with me, I wouldn't dare go out of my way for them.

 Living with that attitude was detrimental to how I viewed people, and ultimately how other people viewed me. Now the last thing I want is for someone to assume I am a malicious, hateful human being. I like to think I am a little better than that. But that attitude was causing me to live a life that was opposite of my calling. As a Christian, we are called to be (literally) "little christs". Meaning that we need to have his attitude toward ALL people. Young and old, rich and poor, greedy and giving, everyone. No exceptions. When we decide to pick up the cross and follow Christ we sign up for two (seemingly) simple tasks:

• Love God
• Love People

I don't struggle as much with the first one much as I do the second. I am notorious for letting other people actions and attitudes effect my own. Now, Luke 6:31-36 says this: "Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.  And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.  But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

 

To sum this up; I've been living my life with the completely wrong attitude. Opposed to dishing out what I've received in the past, I need to begin giving out what I would want given to me. If God himself lived with my attitude, he would have never sent his Son to die for all of us. He knew when he sent Jesus that there would be many, many people who didn't believe in him, and who would act out of spite towards him. Yet he was still driven by love, and sent the One he loved the most for people who would still deny his name. Now what I have gotten out of Luke 6:31-36 is this: Love like Jesus. Jesus not only saw past racial, social, and gender differences, he also saw past people's attitudes and emotions. Jesus knew people would hurt him mentally, physically, and emotionally for all of his life, yet he still loved  them with the same love of his Heavenly Father.

 

Jesus didn't just cross oceans for people who wouldn't jump over puddles for him. He crossed the galaxies for people who would hurt him, hate him, and hang him on a cross. Jesus walked on water to someone he knew would ultimately deny him three times.

 

So my question is this: What kind of example is that for me? If I am called to love like Jesus does, then puddle jumping versus ocean crossing should be least of my worries. I'm not just called to do to others as I would have them do to me, but I am called to show them a love that they haven't experienced before. This love doesn't just cross oceans, it crosses galaxies. It goes from holding stars to clenching the finger of Mary: from the throne room of God, to a stable in a dusty village. What does your love do?