You are special

After a lot of thought we have decided to revive this blog. I made myself a list of things to do each day of the week and on Thursdays I will post on here. 8-) Saying that, here is my new post.

When you go to the store what do you see? Food, clothes, people, and a long stack of magazines. I am sure, as you are checking out, that you cannot help but glance at their bold words and bright covers - and what is on most of them? Well, who is going out with who, who is no longer dating who, and so forth. But there is also other things.

"Loose ten pounds by Christmas!"

"Get a beach body for the summer!"

"The kind of body guys really like!"

"How to look great in the latest fashions!"

This always makes me sad to see. The world is bombarding girls. They are saying the only thing that matters is for a girl to be skinny and look great and the guys will fall at her feet - then it tells her how to get them to do whatever she wants. Girls nowadays are supposed to be super thin, shapely, with shinning hair and bright eyes, basically models. But that isn't what God wants.

God tells us He looks on the inward appearance while man looks on the outward. God tells us it is our character that should be lovely.

Of course, there is nothing wrong in looking nice. In fact, we should as how we dress reflects who we are and who we are in Christ. But we shouldn't listen to the world. You don't have to wear the latest fashions to be pretty. Wear things you like, just make sure they are nice, in nice condition, and fit you well. In fact, if you need help in this area I know you can ask Katie. *Wink*

Also, don't worry about being thin. What is more important is to be healthy. I am not very thin and I am often discouraged by the things I see, the reminder that no one will think I am pretty unless I am thin. But it really doesn't matter what the world things, and more importantly, getting thin so the world will like you is a bad reason. If you need to loose some weight, do it, but to be healthy. And you don't have to loose as much as the world tells you.

In other words, be yourself, the special self God made you to be. Be concerned with growing closer to Him not with making the world like you. And tell your best friend or mother about how you are feeling, it helps to have someone there to encourage you. In fact, you can even make up an excersize plan and do it with someone or have someone keep you accountable - trust me, this helps a lot.

You are an original, a special design and creation that God made. Don't let the world make you like everyone else.

Love always,

About Boys

Sorry I have been gone, again, summer is busy as usual – even if there is no summery weather to enjoy. Here is my post I have been delaying for far too long, once again I apologize and thank Anna for the prompt.
As I said, I am going to talk to you about boys. Maybe some of you have close friends now who are boys, or maybe you did when you were younger. When I was nine my best friend was a boy in fact. At younger ages it is easy to be friends with boys and not worry about any romantic thoughts entering your heard. After all, in your eyes, a boy is just another kid to go and play with and dig in the dirt with. However, at this age, friendships with boys may be harder. You may find that when are around boys all you can think about is how nice he is, how handsome, and maybe even wish to court him.
There is nothing wrong with thinking a boy is nice of course, but it is easy to carry these thoughts too far and soon you will find that your friendship is ruined because you no longer view him as a friend but only in a romantic interest. I am not saying you shouldn't be friends with boys – I grew up with two brothers and think that being around boys and playing with them is a lot of fun. However, you must be careful of your thoughts when you are around them as it is easy to start thinking of them as something other then just friends.
The best advice I was ever given on this was to think of all boys as your brothers, and hopefully they are, your brothers in Christ. When you think of them in this way, all romantic thoughts will leave and you can enjoy your time together as brother and sister. And, when God is ready for you to be married, He will show you the one that you shouldn't view as a brother.
Also, as a girl, you must watch your behavior around boys. Are you acting like a girl even when you are joining in their games. When they offer to help with something do you let them or inform them you can do it alone – always remember boys like to help, it is in their nature and as a girl you should let them. There is nothing wrong in showing a little humility and letting him carry your books or whatever else he might offer to carry or let him hold the door for you if he wants. In fact, he would really like this. This same attitude should be had when you are around your real brothers. Someday your brothers will be men and it is in their nature to want to protect and help their sister – and it will help them later with their wives.
There is also the matter of dress. Boys can be easily tempted by improper dress and as their sister in Christ you need to help them to not stumble, not help them over the cliff. Make sure your shirts and paints or skirts aren't too tight. Make sure tops aren't too low and even with your make up, make sure you are not wearing too much as this also is a temptation. If you need help on modesty there is a very nice site of the Rebulution blog – the Modesty Servery – that Katie, I, and some of our friends have found to be a great help. It is especially nice as boys helped to do it and tell what tempts and what doesn't.
If you are like me then you might find thee company of boys to be fun and enjoyable. But just remember that you are a girl and they are boys and there are certain things you shouldn't do around them. Behave always like a girl and always treat them with respect even if they are younger then you.

Queries for Thee -5/8/10

Today, while I was wrapping my present for Heather, my phone buzzed to let me know that I had a message. It was not, as I had expected, from either of the friends I had been texting while working, but from FaceBook Mobil to inform me that Heather had posted on my FB wall. I took up the laptop, which had been playing my Taylor Swift music, and looked at my wall.

There I found a very sweet post by my dear big sister. It was a lovely, completely unexpected surprise, and that prompted, with the present I was wrapping, this question:

What is coolest surprise you've got from a friend?

Time Together

I'm finally posting now. I apologize for my long absence, but I have been working through some things the past few weeks. Thankfully, however, I am doing better now. :)

Heather and I have found that one very important part of our friendship is the time we spend together. If we don't spend time together often we both end up discouraged. This, of course, isn't always easy as we are both busy and have very different schedules, but we have found that we have to be willing to put the effort into finding times to do something together if we want to have a strong friendship.

So how do we do it? Well we are both usually free in the evenings so that's when we get together. We get away from other distractions like the TV (for me, at least) and we talk, and giggle and work on the books we are writing together, or do something else fun instead.

Like most things I post about, it wasn't easy at first - Heather would have to remind me before I would remember to get away from the TV, but it is easier now, and I enjoy the time more once I get away from distractions and can give Heather all my attention.

Spending quality time with your friends is a very important part of friendships - whether you take a walk with them, go on a bike ride, or do something online with them doesn't really matter as long as you are both paying attention to the other.

About children

My boy post is on hold by a brainwave!

I thought it would be a good thing to talk about friendships with younger kids. I suppose that may sound a little odd to some, maybe. Maybe some think it would be hard if not impossible to be real friends with little kids - and I am meaning little not just a year or so younger. I am thinking babysitting age, you know, those little three-year-olds you take care of after school and nights every now and then.

Do any of you think you can be REAL friends with these little kids? After all, what can say a fifteen-year-old have in common with a three-year-old?

When I was a little girl my best friend was my babysitter. She had to have been about ten or so years older then I was but I loved her to pieces and would readily have declared her my friend, and she called me hers and I knew she met it.

Even though she was so much older then I was, my babysitter would play with me and my brothers. She would get down on the floor and play legos and Lincoln logs, building huge barns and houses all across the living room.

It is not hard to be friendly to little kids. The best way to do this is to play with them, you know, all those childish games were you crawl around on the floor and let them climb all over you and do all these embarrassing things - eating mud pies and jumping in puddles like a little kid.

This may be hard at first but it is important to remember that as older girls we are looked up to by younger ones and they can tell when you are doing something because you have to or when you are doing it because you like them and want to be their friend. Also keep in mind that there is no age difference between friends, one can easily be friendly to someone ten years younger or older then they are if they really try. And these little kids will remember your friendship all through their lives and will be reminded of it when they are faced with situations of whether they should be friendly to those younger or older then them.

Never forget that your are an example and there is no harm in acting like a little kid every now and then and eating a mud pie or two with your little companions. 8-D

A Matter of Judging

I have debated long over the passed two weeks, or week, on what I should post about. I have had many ideas, two of the main ones being boys and judging. I think I shall do judging first.

Now, I know that somewhere in every human beings nature there is a part of us that judges others. This usually comes about when we first meet a person and once we have judge them it usually takes awhile for us to change opinions of them even once we get to know them.

When you met someone for the first time what do you find yourself thinking? Do you look at their outward appearance - dress, hair, make up, and so forth - and get an idea from that as to what kind of person they are? If they are dressed in a very fine dress that looks like it should born at a first class dinner but they are at some small gathering where everyone is wearing every day cloths do you think they are stuck up? What if it is the opposite?

Let's face it, you make your own opinion of someone right when you see them and that could easily be a wrong opinion. You do not know the person, the kind of day they've had. For all you know they did not get the memo on how to dress -or they got off work late, or they had to go somewhere else right after this one gathering. All this is to say you cannot judge a person on their outward appearance alone.

Maybe you can make some pretty safe guesses as to what this person is like but you cannot say for certain. A girl dressed in the latest fashion does not make her someone who spends to much time and concern on her clothing. For all you know she was simply dressing up in such a way for a friend.

All of this is to say that judging a person before you get to know them may ruin your chance at making a new friend. If you are a ladylike girl who likes things neat and orderly and you see a girl arriving at a party in blue jeans and a tee shirt wherein everyone else is wearing party dresses and right off think she is wild and unruly and does not bother dressing nice for a special occasion you may have just jumped to a conclusion and ruined your chance at meeting someone who may be like you in more ways then you know.

Always keep in mind that you do not know the heart of a person until you really get to know them. Yes, I will admit that you must be careful in picking friends, but don't be so judgemental that you loose a friend before you even make one.

Best Friends - It's Not a Label, It's a Promise

I found this Flair on FaceBook and it reminded me of something I once told Heather. We've both been known to get upset at times and worry that the other will leave us, and it was at one of these times that I told her that I wanted to be her friend forever and I was going to do everything in my power to make sure that she had neither reason nor desire do leave me.

It isn't always easy - keeping a strong friendship rarely is, I think. A lot of times it means making sacrifices and doing things you don't always enjoy, but I think this is the main part of friendships. It doesn't matter how much you have in common, or how close you live if you are really willing to make it work.

If you love your friend and really, truly want to be a good friend to her it won't matter if you enjoy writing - you'll do it with her because you know it is important to her and you'll be willing to make that sacrifice. If you love your friend and want to have a strong friendship it won't matter if it is hard for you to open up when she hurts you - you'll do it because you know that if you don't your friendship will suffer.

I know that I Promise You by Selena Gomez is actually about a couple dating, but some of the lyrics could apply to this very well I think:

But I'm sure heart and soul
That I am never letting you go

I know, I know, I know, I know,
We're gonna make it
'Cause no one else can
Make me feel the way that you do
I promise you
I know, I know, I know, I know,
We're gonna get there
Today, tomorrow,
And forever we will stay true
I Promise you

I'll never let you down
I'll always hear you out
There is nothing you cannot confide.
You listen when I speak
...
And I just want you by my side

Friendship is about more than just having someone who enjoys the same things as you do - it's about loving the person enough to do hard things, and to make sacrifices for them. If Heather and I did not, we would not still be friends.

So the next time a friend wants to do something you don't, or the next time a friend hurts you and you think "oh, I don't want to mention it" think of this: "best friends - it's not a label - it's a promise."