People do the right thing...Just to do the right thing.

Sorry it's been awhile, finals are next week so it's a little stressful. I don't really have any profound thoughts, just a few comments about life as I've seen it this week.

I just started watching the tv show "What would you do". Yes, I realize that this show is in it's 5th season and I'm a little late coming in on it. But it has actually really been encouraging to me this week. For those of you who have never seen the show, the producers hide cameras at a park, in a store, etc, and stage dramatic events to see how people would really react. For example, they had an episode where they had two teenagers act as though they had been drinking and were going to drive. Every single time, someone would stop the teens from getting in the car. After these people react, the host lets them in on the secret and asks them why they reacted in the way they did. The usual answer is "because it was the right thing to do". This show highlights people doing the right thing...just because it's the right thing to do.

I really have enjoyed this show, because usually TV shows or news stations focus on the bad things happening in life, instead of the good so it's refreshing to see something good and uplifting on TV.

I would encourage you to look around you and see how people are reacting to things around them, and be one of those people who does the right thing just because it's what you should do.

Be salt and light!
~Hannah~

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

Yes, for those of you wondering about the title of my post, that is a movie. A children's movie, but possibly one of my favorite movies of all times. It follows the adventures of an eccentric toy store owner (Mr. Magorium..but is he really eccentric? more about that later), the manager of the store (Molly Mahoney), a frequent patron of the store/part time help (Eric Applebaum) and the "villian" of the story who is an accountant/sceptic (Henry Weston). Mr. Magorium decided his time on earth is up (and after 243 years of being alive, who wouldn't?) so he bequeaths his store to Molly Mahoney. Mr. Magorium has never taken inventory, so he hires an accountant to figure out the worth of the store (enter Henry Weston). When the toy store hears that Mr. Magorium is leaving, it throws a temper tantrum. Oh, have I mentioned that this is a magical toy store? It has the same characteristics of a child, hence the temper tantrum. The movie progresses as Molly tries to convince Mr. Magorium not to leave, Eric tries to make friends, and Henry tries not to be so uptight. 


I know, I know. "Ok Hannah. This is a movie about a magical toy store. Why on earth are you telling us this?" 


Well, because this movie has some of the greatest quotes from any movie I have ever seen. I'm a huge "quote fan", I guess. I love quotes that make me think, and this movie was a thinker. The substance and thought behind this movie surprised me, and since it will probably never be a really famous movie (although Dustin Hoffman stars in it, it is 5 dollars at target..a point my sister who does NOT like the movie tends to point out) I thought I would share some of the quotes with you.


Warning- There are spoilers for if you have not seen the movie. 
~~~~~~~~~~
When Mr. Magorium is in the hospital, Henry tells Molly that he is worried, because he can not find any insurance papers for Mr. Magorium. Molly gets frustrated, thinking that Henry doesn't care about Mr. Magorium. Henry replies "You know, some people... send flowers, or cards, or... give people hugs. I... make sure their paper work's all in order." This quote helped me realize that some people show that they care in different ways, so we have to be careful before jumping to the conclusion that someone doesn't care. They may just express it differently than we do. 
~~~~~~~~~~
Molly Mahoney, went Mr. Magorium tells her that he's leaving- "Are you dying?"
Mr. Magorium -"Lightbulbs die my sweet. I will depart."
~~~~~~~~~~
Eric: My hat's stuck. 
Molly: Ha... looks like you're gonna need a ladder. 
Eric: Naah. I just need to jump higher. 
Molly: Eric... that's seven feet, at least. 
Eric: Seven feet? Really? 
Molly: At least. 
Eric: You think I should get a running start? 
The film shows Eric after a bit hanging from the ledge where his hat was stuck, and we hear him say "got it". This is just one quote from the movie that emphasizes the importance of having a positive attitude, because most things thought impossible are possible if one has the right attitude. 
~~~~~~~~~~
When Molly tries to explain to Henry that it's a magical toy store, Henry Weston says that it may be special, but that it's "just" a toy store, prompting the following dialogue. 


Molly: I knew it. As soon as I saw that suit. 
Henry: Knew what? 
Molly: You're a 'just' guy.
Henry: What's a 'just' guy? 
Molly: A guy just like you. Same hair, same suit, same shoes, walks around, no matter what, you think it's all just a store, it's just a bench, it's just a tree. It's just what it is, nothing more! 
Henry: Alright but this... is just a store.
Molly: I'm sure to you... it is. 
~~~~~~~~~~
In order to try and convince Mr. Magorium to stay on earth, Molly takes him through the "perfect day". This is one of my favorite scenes. As one of the "great things", she takes him to a clock store where they change all the clocks to a few seconds before noon, so that they will all go off at the same time. This is one of my favorite lines from the movie.


Molly: Ok. 37 seconds. Now..we wait.
Mr. Magorium: No. We breathe. We pulse. We regenerate. Our hearts race, our minds create, our souls ingest. 37 seconds well used..is a lifetime.
This quote makes me wonder how much life I have in my life. (Complicated, I know :) ) 
~~~~~~~~~~


And last quote for the day, because this post is getting rather long. I think I will get a part two up here in a day or two, because again I love the quotes from this movie. This is the scene when Mr. Magorium "departs". Molly appeals to him one last time not to go, and this is Mr. Magorium's response. This is my favorite quote from any movie...ever, and I think it is such a great line. 


Mr. Magorium:When King Lear dies in Act V, do you know what Shakespeare has written? He's written "He dies." That's all, nothing more. No fanfare, no metaphor, no brilliant final words. The culmination of the most influential work of dramatic literature is "He dies." It takes Shakespeare, a genius, to come up with "He dies." And yet every time I read those two words, I find myself overwhelmed with dysphoria. And I know it's only natural to be sad, but not because of the words "He dies." but because of the life we saw prior to the words. I've lived all five of my acts, Mahoney, and I am not asking you to be happy that I must go. I'm only asking that you turn the page, continue reading... and let the next story begin. And if anyone asks what became of me, you relate my life in all its wonder, and end it with a simple and modest "He died." 
Molly: *sniff* I love you
Mr. Magorium: I love you too. Your life is an occasion. Rise to it. 

Homecoming/Day of Thanks and Giving

"There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home."

Oh Dorothy, how right you were.

There is nothing like the feeling of coming home. Don't get me wrong, I love college and the church I'm attending there but there is something about seeing your family and attending church at your home congregation that like nothing else. This sunday I got to see so many people that I haven't seen in awhile, and it was so great to just be able to talk to them and hug them. I'm going to brag on my church for a few minutes, just because it is such an amazing place.

The atmosphere there is like nothing else I have experienced. There is a feeling of joy that you get as soon as you walk in. There are always people to talk to, even if you are a visitor. Burleson Church of Christ has the best church staff that I have ever seen. The ministers are amazing, and all work so well together. The elders truly care about the members and they always do what is best for the church-but not before praying about it. There are also so many people that do little stuff in the background that may go unnoticed, such as greeting visitors or praying for the people on the prayer list. All this to say, Burleson Church of Christ is a wonderful place that has always been such an encouragement to me. They do this awesome thing at Thanksgiving (and again at Christmas) where the members of the church donate food, which goes into baskets that go to the community. Today, I got the opportunity to help sort the food into baskets and then take them to the people's cars. During the sorting, the family minister, Kevin, had the kids line up and first get green beans and take them to the baskets, then get corn and take them, and so on and so forth. This way may take a little longer than other ways, but they do this so that the smaller children can feel as though they are helping (which they are). I really like this because the kids seem so excited to be a part and to help, and seeing an eagerness to serve in kids is so exciting to me. Kevin also encouraged and talked and joked the whole time (who gave him a mic, anyway? Just kidding, Kevin) and it was just an uplifting atmosphere, as everyone was laughing and supporting each other in the work. I also got to catch up with an old friend, which was so great. He told me about his life and his thoughts on college, and told me about other great stuff the church was doing. It is always so encouraging to talk to this friend, because he reminds me once again of how secure the future of the church is with leaders like him. I have known this guy almost my whole life, and is someone who is always there for people, no matter who they are. He is going to do so many great and wonderful things in life, and make such a difference in the world. Anyway, I digress. So after the baskets were filled people would come up to the church to pick up the baskets. The adults at the front greeting and signing people in were so amazing because they were just so warm and welcoming to everyone. There were people of all ages to help take baskets to the car, and everyone was just working so hard to help people they had never met before.

I have so many stories about so many people and what I saw today, but this post would be even longer than it already is. The point of it is, I saw God working in some incredible ways today, as I always do when I go to Burleson Church of Christ and interact with the people there. This congregation is the epitome of what a church should be-encouraging, warm, welcoming, prayerful, faithful... the list goes on. I miss the people here so much when I'm away-and that's how it should be.

Yes Dorothy, there is no place like home.

~Hannah~

These Things Take Time

So, my mom texted me and told me to look up a song by the group Sanctus Real called "These Things Take Time" (hence the title of this post). I love the group Sanctus Real but I hadn't heard this song. It's amazing! So first, listen to the song and pay attention to the lyrics :)

Click Here :)

The verses of these songs ask questions about contradictions. "Why does pain make me stronger?" "Why do good men die?" "Why is it that the harder we fall, the harder we try?" We can all, in some way, relate to these questions. As Christians, the world often expects us to have all the answers. Sometimes we even think that we should have all the answers and start to doubt ourselves when we can't answer some of life's tougher questions. But what we have to remember is that we are not God. It is impossible for us to answer every question in life, and God does not expect us to answer every question. King David asked the question "why" a lot and had a lot of questions of his own, but what is important to remember about David is that even while the "why's" were piling up, he leaned on God for support and trusted Him and His will.

I have heard people say that we shouldn't ask "why" or question God. I don't believe this is true. It's ok to ask questions about God or ask questions to God. No question is going to disprove God or stump Him-He is bigger than all our questions.We can ask God why something is happening, but we also have to keep in mind that He is God, and that His plan is far greater than anything our minds can comprehend.

I really like this song, as it shows that it is ok to ask questions, but that we shouldn't expect to always get an answer. I know how the writer feels when he says, " I wanna know all the answers, but I'm learning that these things take time."

So keep in mind that if you don't always have an answer, it's ok. We can't always have an answer, but God always has a plan.

Be salt and light!

~Hannah~

The Youth of Today

This morning, chapel was so uplifting. They had someone born in every decade since 1930 lead one song, and tell why it was important to them. They were all amazing and encouraging, but the one I wanted to focus on was a little 9 year old boy. When it was his turn, he jumps out of his chair and goes to get a step stool so he can see over the podium (can I get an "awwww"?). He adjusts the mike and says, "Good afternoon! Oh wait...I mean good morning!" Everyone chuckled. He proceeds to tell us that if we think our chapel is early (9 am) we should go to THEIR chapel, which is at 8 am! The little boy tells us that he is going to lead a song, and that there are hand motions he wants us to do with him for the chorus. But don't worry- if we don't know the motions, we can do them with him the second time around. (Again...aww). When it gets to the chorus, I look around and see almost every single college student doing the hand motions with him that we all learned in elementary school. When he got done, he jumped off the step and ran back to his seat with a huge grin on his face as everyone applauded him.

I had several thoughts about this morning. One, I was so impressed by how much courage it must have taken for that little boy to stand in front of thousands of college students. I would be so nervous, but it didn't seem to phase him one bit, even when he misspoke. There is a great leader in the making.

Another point was the attitude of the college students. I am 18 years old, but I still consider my peers and I "youths". We still have a lot to learn. And while it would have been easy to just sit in our seats and not do the hand motions to a song because we're "too old" I saw many, many people enthusiastically doing the motions to encourage the little boy. Afterwords, I also saw many students walking up to tell the boy what a great job he did.

Today made me think about the pressure that we, as youths, face. We are told that we are the future, that what happens is in our hands. But we also see news stories about how messed up our generation is. You always see news stories about the party that got busted or the teenage robber. You never see a news story about the students that offer free tutoring for children that may need it, or the teenager who said no when they were offered the alcohol. Granted, these may seem like small things and a story about a busted party is more interesting than a teenager making a good moral decision. But I am here to tell you this- I see our generation every day making good choices and making the world better. Granted, we could do a better job of it. But then again, couldn't everybody?

My encouragement to you is this. If you are a teenager, look for ways to make a positive change. Don't get discouraged by what you see in the media, but look around you for your peers who are making the right decisions. And if you are an adult, don't get discouraged by what you see in the media either. Actively look for ways teenagers and young adults are making the right decisions and making a difference. I promise you, it will encourage you immensely. I know people in my generation make bad decisions. But if you start giving up and talking about how hopeless our generation is, eventually those who are trying to do what is right will begin to believe it is a lost cause. So encourage, and be encouraged by what you see.

Be salt and light!

~Hannah~

It's America

In honor of Veteran's day, I would encourage you to listen to the song "It's America". This is one of my favorite songs, and it shows how amazing our country really is. Sometimes I think we tend to take for granted the freedom we have and skip over the little things that make our country so great. 



My friend Jacob posted this video on his facebook. It was never released to the public due to "political incorrectness", but it is a touching song so I have put it here for you. Well, a link anyway.

Video

Don't forget to thank the men and women who have or are serving our country, not just today but every day.

Be salt and light!

~Hannah~

Friends

Sometimes, you look back on a time in your life and say, "I didn't notice how blessed I was then". You may have been too busy to notice, it might have been something too small to notice at the time, or you may just have not known enough to notice the really great things, until they were gone.

Well...

In the case of friendship, this was not the case for me. Last year, I had a group of AMAZING friends. At both church and school, I was blessed to be around some of the most amazing girls and guys anyone could ever know. These were people who were always there to encourage me, to pray with me, or to just listen when I needed them. They were spiritually uplifting, and I think this is the most important aspect of a friendship. One of the most difficult things for me when I was leaving for college was having to face leaving these people behind. I realized how rare the friendships I had were, and I tried to treasure every minute of it. The time passed too quickly, and we all either went to different colleges or stayed back home.

And thus ended these wonderful friendships.

...Ok. Not really.

We all still keep in touch. I was talking to one of my more...how shall I put this delicately... -cynical- friends *ps, if you're reading this, don't deny it, you know it's true :)* the other day about the friendships I had in high school, and he told me about how they wouldn't last. I got depressed for about two seconds at the thought of losing my old friends. But then I realized that while a lot of friendships don't last, we had a strong bond holding us together. We are not only friends, but we are brothers and sisters in Christ, and that is the strongest bond.

When we start new phases in our lives, we are often told that we should move on, make new friends, make a new start.

I have met many amazing people here so far, and I know I will continue to do so. But I also know that I don't have to lose my old friends, because "friends are friends forever, if the Lord's the Lord of them." (Friends, Michael W. Smith)

So look at the friends you have now. Treasure them, and tell them you treasure them. To hear that someone really values your friendship is one of the most encouraging things you can hear. And the beauty of friendships is that you don't have to take away friends when you add new ones- you can just keep adding more.

Be Salt and Light!

~Hannah~

Thankful

I realized I'm bad at this whole blogging regularly thing, but I'm trying! Anyway, I was going through old songs that I hadn't listened to in awhile. I came across this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2M0GQOgYGg

This song is really uplifting to me, as it reminds me that even though we may have bad days and things may not go our way, there is SO much to be thankful for. It's a phrase that may seem a bit cliche, but my encouragement to you would be to make a list. And keep it, and add to it. It's amazing how fast that list will grow, and how many things you'll see that you didn't see before, simply because now you are looking. And try to go deeper than the everyday, "family, friends, a house". Go into detail. "I am thankful for the kindness of the guy who said I looked nice, even though I didn't think I did." "I am thankful for the closeness of my friends, so that I know I can go to them for anything."
On a dreary day, this can be a wonderful blessing.

Be salt and light!!

~Hannah~

Encouragement

Yesterday I attended worship at Downtown Church of Christ. Every Sunday that I worship there I am uplifted and encouraged by something or someone, and this was no different. It was the Sunday where they announced the new shepherds of the church. They have the shepherds and their wives up on stage to present them and pray over them. They had a little boy pray who had been baptized the past Sunday, and after him one of the oldest members (if not the oldest) prayed. I thought this was such a cool thing, as they had both young and old praying for the future and the leadership of the church. The little boy did a remarkable job praying. As the service progressed, I noticed him moving through the crowd. I craned my neck to see what he was doing, and realized he was hugging the members. I watched him as he moved through the crowd, hugging every single person, young and old, boy and girl. He didn't miss a single person out of the approximate 800 members that were there. This was so amazing to me, and I can't help but wonder how many people he touched that day by his simple act of service. It also reminded me that even the smallest act of service can make a huge difference of people. I can't describe how uplifting it was to see all the smiles that this little boy brought out of the members of this church. So this is my challenge for you this week. Find a way, big or small, to encourage someone. It can be a hug, a note of encouragement, or simply keeping your head up when you're walking and make eye contact with someone and smile as you pass them. Remember that your age or gender does not affect the difference you can make, than anyone can brighten someone's day. So make that your goal- brighten someone's day.

Be salt and light!

~Hannah~

Here I Go Again - Casting Crowns

First, please watch this video :)


Here I Go Again

Well, it's been a bit sine I last posted. Had a lot of homework and school stuff to do this week, but I'm back! This song has really been on my mind lately, and today the lesson in chapel was about a man who ignored an opportunity to talk to his friend about God. How many times have we done this? Been too afraid, embarrassed, busy, (insert excuse here) to talk to someone that we know about the gift of salvation we have been given? This is a command we are given, but it's often easier to brush it aside than to go out and follow that command. Sometimes, we may even have the intention of doing it. But, we say to ourselves, we'll do it tomorrow. Tomorrow is a good day. One of my favorite movies, the Music Man, has a quote that has always been one of my favorites. When the con man, Harold Hill, asks the librarian, Marian, on a date, she replies with, "Well how about we do that tomorrow?" His reply is "My dear little librarian, if you pile up enough tomorrows you will find yourself left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays." That quote rings so true, and I believe it applies to our faith. If we keep putting it off until tomorrow, we will wake up one day and realize there is no tomorrow. If we really think about and appreciate the wonderful gift we have received, the gift of living eternally with the God who created everything, I don't think we will be able to help but tell everyone we know. Imagine how many new brothers and sisters we would have if we were as ambitious as the first church at spreading the gospel. Do you think we would have thousands added to our number...daily? My encouragement to you would be to think about who you know that needs God's Word in their life, and not let anything stop you. Because nothing in this world is worth keeping the Word to ourselves. Don't let yourself wake up one morning and realize that you've missed your chance.

"What's the point of all of this if you're not going to let it change you?"

-To Save A Life

Be salt and light!!

~Hannah~

What a Night

Sometimes, you can go for awhile without anything uneventful happening, and then all of a sudden, everything happens. I have always known this, but it was made very real to me today.

It started out as a typical car ride back to college. It should be between 6-6 1/2 hours, without stops. A friend and I left at 3:30, figuring this would get us back to college at an opportune time. Funny....funny.

Little did we know, there were a lot of storms in the area that we happened to be when we were about 4 hours into the trip. It started hailing terribly, so we had to pull into a gas station to park under an awning because it had gotten to where we couldn't see the road. Well, we sit there for, oh, about an hour and a half I would say. I got to read a lot of Atlas Shrugged though, so it wasn't a total waste of time. It was still pretty boring though. We had barely missed a tornado or two, but we were stuck. At the time, the tornadoes were supposedly moving in our direction, but we couldn't drive because of the hail. It was a very tense time. Thankfully, the storms started turning away from us and the storm lessened, so we decided to get back on the road just in case it was to get worse later. We drive for awhile, but then we get to where we have to get off of the freeway we stay on for most of the trip and go to a different freeway. I had forgotten my GPS at home, so we made several wrong turns before FINALLY getting onto the right freeway. Exhausted, we arrived on campus. We had been hailed on, we were still wet from when we had gotten out of the car at the gas station to walk inside for a bit, we had gotten lost, and to top it all of, there were no parking spots in the parking lot close to our dorms. Or even a close parking spot in the NEXT lot. We trek the mile (ok not really, but with a heavy suitcase and as tired as we were, it felt like it) to the place in between our two dorms and as we part ways my friend says, "Well hey, it can't get any worse right? Goodnight!" I walk into my dorm, so glad to be back and ready to take the elevator upstairs. I see a sign on the elevator, "The elevator will not go to the third floor. If you try this, you will get stuck." Oh, by the way, I live on the third floor. So I lug my heavy backpack and GIANT suitcase up three flights of stairs. As I collapse into my chair, I realize that I could have taken the elevator to the second floor, and only walked up one flight of stairs. Good thinking Hannah, good thinking.

So here I sit, tired beyond belief typing about my very eventful day. I wanted to get it all down though before I forgot the details. Anyway, hopefully this was slightly amusing. There is not point to it except to lament about my exhausting day. At least we made it safely. And hey, nothing else can happen, right? I'm safe in my dorm.

Well, time to climb onto my tall bed, which can only be accomplished by standing on my swivel chair that is also on wheels. Goodnight all!

Be salt and light!

~Hannah~

Yet Another View on Inner Beauty

Every girl has probably heard at least 15 lessons on inner beauty and how she shouldn't change for anyone. I don't know what guys talk about when girls are having the inner beauty talks, but I'm sure at some point guys have also heard lessons or speeches on how they are unique and special just they way they are. I assume the term "inner  beauty" isn't used, but hey- I could be wrong. My point is, everyone always hears how they are unique and how they are special. This is an especially popular topics in youth groups. I believe that our view should shift a little on this topic. Don't get me wrong, I fully believe that people should always remember and be reminded that they are unique, one of a kind. This is a biblical principle, that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139) and that we are made in God's image. But I think that it is just as important to remember that everyone else is just as unique and special as we are, and everyone else is made in God's image, too.

Something to think about. If you go to a museum or an art gallery and start critiquing a painting or sculpture, you are insulting the artist. You are saying that the artist didn't do a good enough job. How many times have we done this to God? When we gossip about someone or laugh or talk about someone who is different than us, we are saying that one of God's creations is not good enough, that God didn't do a good enough job. This was a really tough lesson for me to learn, because it calls for change. But if you think about gossiping as insulting the Artist, it can really make you think twice.

Something my mom reminds me of is that God spent just as much time making you as he did making your neighbor, Moses, your brother or sister, Esther...the list goes on.

How awesome is that?

You're special and loved. Be salt and light!

~Hannah~

What I'm For....

I'm for wildflowers in the window, mechanics you can trust.
I'm for crackers in my chili and leaving grudges in the dust.

I'm for drive-thru order takers who can muster up a smile
I'm for taking in that stray dog that's been hangin 'round a while

I'm for turning off the TV, and getting off the internet
I'm for learning all the words to the Gettysburg Address.

I'm for dusty Pawn Shop guitars, and Boxers past their prime
I'm for soaking up the wisdom when an old man speaks his mind.

I'm for laid off factory workers when the wolf is at the door.
You don't have to guess what I'm against if you know what I'm for.

I'm for Texas margaritas and getting of debt.
I'm for having faith in something that hasn't happened yet.

I'm for the shy kid in the corner 'Fraid to ask the girl to dance.
I'm for the ex-con outta prison who just wants a second chance.

I'm for the inner-city teacher with a heart stuck in her throat.
Who can still see God in every child, who never gives up hope.

I'm for dusty Pawn Shop guitars and Boxers past their prime.
I'm for soaking up the wisdom when an old man speaks his mind

I'm for Detroit factory workers when the wolf is at the door
You don't have to guess what I'm against if you know what I'm for

I'm a-counting all my blessings when the world is at my door.
You don't have to ask what I'm against if you know what I'm for.




- What I'm For-Pat Green


I think we spend a lot of time thinking about everything that is wrong in the world, everything that we wish would change. This song reminds me every time I hear it that if we show people what we support, what we stand for and what our beliefs are, we won't have to tell them what we don't agree with. They will just know, because they will know where we stand. I think this goes for everything in life. 

This is also important to our faith. If we let people know what we believe and what we stand for by our actions, they will be drawn to us because they will be able to see God reflected in our lives. So this week I would encourage you to think about the good stuff going on in the world, focus not on what you're against, but what you are for, and show people what you stand for, because your actions are your best testimony.


"Preach the gospel at all times- if necessary, use words." - Saint Francis

Be salt and light!

~Hannah~

Making a Difference

If you ask anyone who is close to me what my main life goal is, they would probably say to make a difference. This is my life goal that I am most vocal about. What is so frustrating to me is that I don't feel like I have made a difference yet. I know, I'm just 18. But I struggle with feeling like I should have already done something big, something monumental. So I get into my "determined mode". I sit down and decide I am going to figure out how to change the world. Well, about ten minutes into my brainstorming session I get distracted. Later, I start thinking about how I haven't changed the world yet, and I get discouraged.

And the viscous cycle begins again.

Why is it that society has convinced us that to change the world we have to end world hunger or cure cancer? Those would both be GREAT things to solve, obviously. But something I have come to realize is that you don't always have to do something big to make a big difference. One of my favorite songs is a song by Lady Antebellum called "I Was Here". I would encourage you to go listen to it, it has become my life "theme song", if you will. The chorus of the song is "I wanna do something that matters, say something different, something that sets the whole world on its ear. I wanna do something better with the time I've been given. And I wanna try to touch a few hearts in this life and leave nothing less than something that says 'I was here'". I love this, especially the last line of the chorus. You can do big and great things, because the world needs people willing to step up and bring about great change, such as changing the struggle with hunger or poverty in the world. But the world also needs people who just want to touch people's lives. I am learning to believe that if I touch just one person's life, I have made a difference. If God wants to use me to solve a great world problem,  here I am. But I think that for now, the plan is to take it one person at a time. It's harder than it sounds though. I've found I have to constantly be looking for people to encourage or talk to, because I don't want to miss someone. I believe that being a good friend, sending a random note of encouragement or just listening to someone who just needs someone to talk to is changing the world. I just have to take smaller steps than I expected.

So look for ways to be the change, in big ways or small, and keep being salt and light!

~Hannah~

A Matter of Perspective

I've recently started noticing the nice things people do. I mean, actively looking for people reaching out or just doing a random act of kindness. Why, you may ask? Let me tell you.

The other day, I was walking with an armful of books. I was approaching a door and started to wonder how I was going to get the door open, but I saw with relief that there was a guy in front of me who would get to the door first. I tried to hurry because I didn't want to keep the gentleman who was going to hold the door open for me waiting. I reached the door just in time for it to close in my face. To say I was frustrated would definitely be an understatement. The rest of the day, I kept getting more and more frustrated at the lack of niceness I saw. By the end of the day, I was fed up. I decided the next day to try and do the opposite. I was tired of being frustrated- maybe if I looked for nice things the next day, I would feel better.

Begin next day. A guy jogged a little to get in front of a group so he could open the door for all of them. I saw a group of people pray at lunch. I saw a girl invite another guy (who I usually saw sitting by himself) to join her and her friends at their table at dinner. My friend was carrying a huge box and dropped a pen, and a guy walked over to pick it up and put it on the box for her. And the list goes on. These may seem like small things, but it was so encouraging to me how much kindness you could see in one day if you actually looked! I realized it wasn't that one day everyone was rude and the next day everyone was nice. It was just a matter of perspective. It was what I was looking for. I find that I am so much more happy and encouraged if I make a conscious effort to look for the good around me, as opposed to letting the bad get me down. This is my challenge for the week. Get a notebook and if you see someone do something nice for someone, write it down. You'll be surprised how quickly the list grows.

Be Salt and Light!
~Hannah~

I Want...

Well, this is my first blog post. I decided this would be a good time to give some of my goals for life, give you a little glimpse into the person behind the keyboard. This blog will be my reflections on life and what I see. I'm really big into music and reading, so I may talk about a song I heard or a new book that I read. Well, this is my first little blog post.


I want to laugh a lot. I want to love people no matter what. I want to be kissed in the rain. I want to stand where nobody has stood. I want to make a small difference. I want to make a big difference. I want to do something I'm afraid of. I want to get married and have kids. I want to adopt. I want to light up a room when I walk in. I want to write a book. I want to dance in the rain. I want to live for God, no matter what. I want to always be ME. I want to lead someone to God. Then lead another person. Then another person. I want to pay it forward. I want to spend full days in the Word, with no distractions. I want to lead. I want to follow. I want to get in shape and stay in shape. I want to motivate people. I want to be an example. I want to snow ski. I want to spend time with people in nursing homes. I want to work with kids. I want to sing and not care if someone is listening. I want to have Disney movie marathons no matter how old I am. I want to laugh off the small worries. I want to be the best friend I can be. I want to speak up more in class. I want to be the best daughter and sister that I can be. I want to be more confident. I want to be more patient. I want to listen more and talk less. I want to learn as much as I can about as many topics as I can. I want to go on a long bike rides. I want to play tennis more.  I want to be more passionate. I want to love people with more passion, live with more passion, and spread the Word of God with more passion. I want to encourage people more. And I want to be happy with my life, with who I've been and who I will become.

I want to be the best person I can be.


Be Salt and Light!!
~Hannah~