Well, let's be honest. It was really only a matter of time before I started a blog. I LOVE writing! Always have! I still have files on my bookshelves and in my computer, of all the unfinished short stories I started as a kid. And journaling has always been a favorite pastime. The two Webster-sized volumes I have from the 18 months I spent in Australia are pretty clear evidence of my obsession with cursive and filling blank pages. Although the underlying reason I love to record memories is probably just because I have the worst memory, and the only way I remember anything is if I write it down. Now that I am an overbooked English-major, carrying around a hardback journal is completely impractical, and just doesn't happen. So the best way to combine my love for journaling with my love for online scrapbooking is obviously to start a blog! I love how my thoughts seem to organize themselves and start to make sense once I get them down on paper, so this blog is more for me than anything else. And procrastinating writing homework by writing about my life just makes so much sense!
Choosing a name for my blog was more difficult than anticipated. I wanted something that was meaningful to me, but not too cheesy. Well, I nailed the meaningful part, even if the cheese is oozing a little.
Rain has always been one of my very favorite things. My family even calls rainy weather, "Abbey Weather". Rain for me is like sunshine for normal people. I feel rejuvenated and fresh! Don't get me wrong, I love sunshine too, but there is just something special about raindrops from heaven. In our world, I feel like rain is often stereotypically used to signify sadness and hard times....even in movies, when they show rainy scenes, it is usually just for fights, funerals, goodbyes, or walking alone...at night...in the dark....after something tragic has happened. So to put it simply, rain = trials. But I love rain, and the last few years I have been trying to learn how to love trials too. I have not had any major, catastrophic trials in my life, but I have had several that were extremely hard for me at the time, and I'm sure I'll have quite a few more. But I have learned from them! So much! And once they're over, I'm grateful they happened. At least I try really hard to be.
Now for roses. Who doesn't love roses?! For decades, red roses have symbolized love! We get them from loved ones on Valentine's Day, birthdays, anniversaries, as congratulations for an achievement, and if we are lucky we might even get a red rose just because. Roses are beautiful, delicate, and smell AHMAZING! Roses represent happy times and good memories. So to put it simply, roses = blessings. But roses cannot grow without water.....or for the purpose of this analogy, they can't grow without rain. Just as we cannot grow without trials. It is both the trials and the blessings that make life meaningful, rich, and wonderful! Every trial increases our capacity to feel both pain and joy. As frustrating as that can sometimes be, it is just a fact of life, and true for everyone. No one is immune to trials, but all of us can choose happiness through growing from those trials.
My life motto is "All things work together for our good"! At least they can if I want them to. It is definitely up to me. That is still a lesson in progress, and one that has not been the easiest to learn, but I know it is true! God is so good! Life is beautiful! We are all in this together! and can Find the Blessing in Everything because
Trials are just Hard Blessings!
Yep, there is an actual name for my condition.
Now for roses. Who doesn't love roses?! For decades, red roses have symbolized love! We get them from loved ones on Valentine's Day, birthdays, anniversaries, as congratulations for an achievement, and if we are lucky we might even get a red rose just because. Roses are beautiful, delicate, and smell AHMAZING! Roses represent happy times and good memories. So to put it simply, roses = blessings. But roses cannot grow without water.....or for the purpose of this analogy, they can't grow without rain. Just as we cannot grow without trials. It is both the trials and the blessings that make life meaningful, rich, and wonderful! Every trial increases our capacity to feel both pain and joy. As frustrating as that can sometimes be, it is just a fact of life, and true for everyone. No one is immune to trials, but all of us can choose happiness through growing from those trials.
A question I have been pondering lately: Is it possible that trials are really just hard blessings?
One of my favorite songs says it perfectly:
‘Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
My life motto is "All things work together for our good"! At least they can if I want them to. It is definitely up to me. That is still a lesson in progress, and one that has not been the easiest to learn, but I know it is true! God is so good! Life is beautiful! We are all in this together! and can Find the Blessing in Everything because
Trials are just Hard Blessings!
