It's Sunday afternoon about 5pm. I'm sitting by the blow up pool in my backyard listening to "Toes" by the Zac Brown Band. Yes, it's a slightly inappropriate song to play around the kids. Yes, my children do sing along. No, I don't care. Instead, I enjoy it. My only wish at this point were that two weeks would have past and my husband would be sitting here next to me. He with a beer and I with a margarita. Ah, that sounds like bliss.
Speaking of bliss...we went to church this morning where a new sermon series was started..."30 Days to Live." Wow, was it powerful. It got me thinking. That deep kind of thinking where I really started thinking about my life, where it stands now and where I'd like to see it. There's a lot that I can't change, a lot that I don't want to change and some of what I consider to be the more important things that I do want to change or simply things I need to do. In typical Linda fashion, I need to make a list. Whether or not, I'm willing to open myself up and be that vulnerable on the Internet, I don't yet know. Some of these things (i.e. apologies, letting go of grudges, etc) involve other people and I feel it's best if I share my thoughts with them first. My hope is that I can make some really powerful changes that with transform not only my life but those lives around me. Deep, huh?
At the beginning of each year I come up with a word. Kind of a goal for the year. This year my word is resolve. For which reasons you can read here. Today I feel like I'm in need of adopting a phrase, "Live Intentionally." I need to figure out what mark I want to leave on the world. What am I doing that when I'm gone will say, "I was here and my life mattered." Off the top of my head, I think I do a lot that say my life matters. However, I think there is more I can do or ways I can do things differently that will affect more lives, more deeply. For instance, I bet many of you (even those of you who know me rather well) didn't know my best friend in college died from AIDS related complications my senior year. She was HIV positive throughout college and in our senior year was diagnosed with AIDS. With her I went to several HIV/AIDS speeches, walks, awareness events, etc. that have I done since she passed? Not much. HIV/AIDS education and awareness used to be a huge passion of mine. Why isn't it anymore? I'm positive there is still the need, so what's changed...me! I think it's time for me to revisit my "passions." I want to live passionately.
So why was a sermon on dying bliss to me? Well, it got me to take a much needed step back and put things into perspective. It got me to put away the welcome home banner that still needs to be finished and just sit down, relax, and enjoy my children (other wise known as bliss).
