oh, to be a child...

It's funny...looking at a child and thinking "Wow. Her world is so...small." It's an odd feeling to be in a room with your 8-year old sister, tears streaming down both your faces: hers as a result of being forced to go sit at a "boring" mother-daughter banquet for 3 hours; yours as a result of reading the comments on a friend's Facebook page, each one saying "I'm so sorry for your loss." How very different are the sources of tears between an 8-year old and a 17-year old...While the main thought on her mind is "I don't wanna!!", the one stuck with me is "Why? Why them?". She's seeing the image of herself sitting angrily at a table for 3 hours; I'm seeing a father have his first and last dance with his baby girl. She's hearing the sounds of old women singing terrible music all night; I'm hearing the sound of a mother sing one last song to her child. She's angry at my parents for making her go, while I'm finding myself completely confused. A tiny bit angry...but completely unable to understand. I'm just unable to see what good could come out of taking a child away from her parents: parents who love and live for God, and would've raised their little girl to love and live for Him. I'm just failing to understand at this moment in time, and perhaps never will. I just know that my heart has never been this broken, not for myself, and not for anyone else...but for now, I'm doing what I've learned to do: praising God, and trusting Him; trusting that He will bring beauty from ashes.

just a few of the things that make life better :D

~Rainbows after a spring rain
~Giggling!!
~Gazing at the awesomeness of the night sky
~Christian concerts!
~Thoughts of graduation…mmm
~The feeling of getting into a heated car in the middle of winter
~Sitting on the beach listening to the waves crash onto the sand
~Super-late night conversations
~Laughing so hard it hurts
~The little moments of warmth from the sunshine on a breezy day
~Sitting in a hammock swing with a good book on a sunny afternoon ;)
~The sound of waterfalls
~Inside jokes!
~MR PERSCH!! (refer to last)
~When someone plays with your hair :D
~Cotton candy skies
~Finding money in your pockets
~Packing your bags to go somewhere exciting
~Jesus music!
~Singing insanely loud and ridiculously in the car
~Cherished memories that you wouldn’t trade for anything
~Bare feet on grass :)
~That nervy “I’m gonna puke” feeling. The good version!! Hahha
~Laying on the trampoline (safe, away from bugs), looking at the stars
~Pugs!
~British accents. Awe yeah.
~Screaming and laughing hysterically when bats decide to take a sip of the pool at night
~Dreams you don’t want to wake up from
~Making forts out of blankets and pillows :D
~The way Forrest says "Jenny"
~“As you wish”
~Chocolate cereal! Duh
~Pushing the little buttons on a soft drink lid
~Orange Tic-Tacs…
~Biting the heads off of animal-shaped food. Heh heh
~Popping bubble-wrap!
~That feeling of accomplishment you get when you’ve just carried something really heavy (despite the immense physical pain you’re now in)
~Boys with blue eyes ;)
~Blue eyes in general…
~Putting olives on your fingers and eating them one by one!
~Disney princes :D
~When someone gives you a nickname you actually like
~Waking up in a good mood
~Google!
~The 24-pack of Sharpies :D
~Fireworks
~Knowing you’ll see him again someday
~Blankets that just came out of the dryer!
~“If you’re a bird, I’m a bird…”
~Seeing someone you’ve missed
~Making shapes out of clouds
~Mark Hall’s voice. Don’t know what it sounds like? Look it up :D
~LAUGHTER!!!
~Love songs :)
~Big brothers; both biological and not ;)
~Watching the world come back to life after a long winter
~Handwritten letters
~Crayons!
~Newborn puppies. Newborn babies. Newborn kittens. Newborn anything! But not bugs. No, never bugs.
~Harmonizing
~Guys that will sing to you!! ;)
~Blowing bubbles
~The smell of fresh cut grass
~Catching lightning bugs
~The moment you realize you’re OLDER than some of the American Idol contestants?!?!
~Thunderstorms
~Talking animals. Heh heh
~Irish accents
~“Don’t let the balloon touch the ground!!”
~Seeing an old couple holding hands
~That feeling when you wake up, and the horrible, horrible sunburn you had doesn’t hurt anymore. Ah.
~The feel of a really smooth pen on paper
~Discovering new music
~Getting woken up in spring by birds singing :)
~Getting to know another person’s tones of voice, facial expressions, mannerisms…
~Burnt marshmallows!!
~Songs that tell a story
~Being home alone and belting out random songs as you walk throughout the house
~Chocolate-covered strawberries
~Singing for Jesus :D
~Cuddlecoon! ;)
~Spontaneously, yet casually, jumping into the pool at night when you’re already in your pj’s :D
~Purple pen ink
~Competitive Easter egg hunting. Heh heh
~The smell of books!
~Laughter through tears
~The way the sky is a million colors when the sun is setting
~The one-eyebrow lift :D
~Those moments in the middle of the night when EVERYTHING is hysterically funny
~Holding a newborn baby
~Those nights when the moon is so bright, you can literally see everything
~Happy endings ;)

(This list is mostly my own with a little help from some friends here and there. Enjoy!)