31 Days :: {1} :: October Goals & Pre-Intro

yep. you read that right. 'pre-intro'. because I'm not organized enough nor do I have enough time today to edit and post my full intro to this series... so this is the pre-intro, as well as wrapping up my September Goals, and posting my October ones :)

So here they were:
-run at least once a week, hopefully more like two or maybe even three times. it doesn't have to be fast, and it doesn't have to be long, it's more about getting out there.
// yep! yayy!! I've been running at least once a week, often twice, once three times! :) I found a super-awesome running buddy {a friend from church who lives in my neighbourhood who I only just found out runs}, so we have been running together every week and that has spurred me on in my own running!
-get my room organized being gone so much at the end of August pretty much led my room to be a dumping ground of my stuff. need I say more?
// did this too! and not only that, but I actually reorganized all of my furniture and I really like the way it is now :)
-spend {at least} 20 minutes in prayer every day praying is something that so often gets pushed to the back burner I find. And I can totally tell the difference between periods of my life when I pray a lot, and a little. I believe that prayer can truly bring us closer to God. and I want that.
//ha. I started off with 20 minutes a day. and then it wasn't 20 but it was still something. and now I'm lucky for more than five. still something to work on. :P

October Goals:
-post {something} every day of October, except Sundays. I already decided I'm taking Sundays off and it won't be a large post every day {I will guarantee you that lol!} but I'm hoping there will be something. 
-run twice a week. once a week outside of my Wednesday runs with running-buddy :)
-make dinner at least once a week. this is something that I know helps my mom out a lot and it really gives me great practice :)
-and uh, yes. keep working on that prayer thing.

And now for that pre-intro. Which is pretty much just a quote from Shauna's book. yup. come back tomorrow to hear more ;)

"To choose to celebrate in the world we live in right now might seem irresponsible. It might seem frivolous, like cotton candy and charm bracelets. But I believe it is a serious undertaking, and one that has the potential to return us to our best selves, to deliver us back to the men and women God created us to be, people who choose to see the best, believe the best, yearn for the best. Through that longing to be our best selves, we are changed and inspired and ennobled, able to see the handwriting of a holy God where another person just sees the same old tired streets and sidewalks."

"The world is alive, blinking and clicking, winking at us slyly, inviting us to get up and dance to the music that's been playing since the beginning of time, if you bend all the way down and put your ear to the ground to listen for it."

Join me? :)

Blessings, friends!
love Emma

Here is the list {& links} of each day's posts:
{2} :: introduction 
{3} :: beautiful 
{4} :: tangible beauty 
{5} :: today... 
{6} :: Tunes Tuesday :: 10,000 Reasons 
{7} :: we need it 
{8} :: hidden beauty 
{9} :: don't wait
{10} :: sleeping in 
{11} :: laughter 
{12} :: Tunes Tuesday :: Carrie Underwood
{13} :: 31 Days love
{14} :: in which I sort of tell you a story
{15} :: intention 
{16} :: intention, part 2
{17} :: Today...
{18} :: Tunes Tuesday :: Something Beautiful 
{19} :: intention, part 3 
{20} :: the root of celebration
{21} :: believing it 
{22} :: link love 
{23} :: family {beautiful people}
{24} :: Tunes Tuesday 
{25} :: celebrating when it's hard
{26} :: Today... 
{27} :: quotes 
{28} :: wrap-up/conclusion
 

Linking up with the Nester :) also Chantel and Elizabeth

Everything for a Reason

I just finished reading The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom, again. This time as I was reading I noticed that there were a whole bunch of really profound things that they said. My personal favourite at this point in time; "Every experience God gives us...is the perfect preparation for the future only He can see.” Doesn't that just blow your mind? Nothing that you go through on this earth is futile, for no reason! Everything that you go through has a higher purpose! Sometimes when tragedy happens, we will say "God must have had a reason for this." And it is true. Even if it is 'just' to give you preparation for what lies ahead. 

I would also like to mention that for those of you who don't know it (although I'm assuming you pretty much all do) that today, April 22, is Cassidy's birthday! As I'm sure you also already know she is such an awesome, sweet, Godly gal! I have known her for just a wee bit under 12 years! So Happy Birthday dear friend!

Now you're wondering how I am going to tie those two pretty much completely-unrelated subjects together. And I will show you. 

When Cassidy and the McCardles moved out west to Calgary (I know it isn't actually Calgary, and we do know where it really is, but we always just say Calgary anyways... :P) two years ago, that was probably one of the two hardest things that had ever happened to me in my life. I lost my Grandma to leukemia in 2007, which is the other of my 'two hard things'. Cassidy was my best friend, we were almost neighbours, all of our parents and siblings liked to hang out; it was like a dream friendship! But then when they moved away, it was really really hard! Sometimes it hurt so bad that it was really hard to see how God could have a reason for it. But we just had to keep trusting that He, the Sovereign LORD, did. 

Looking at it now, I am going to say that I really do wish with all my heart that they could move back. But I don't know what God has in store, either for me, or for them. If He still has more work to do in me, in them, in those around them, who am I to begrudge God's master plan? I just gotta trust that He knows best, and that every experience God gives us IS the perfect preparation for the future only He can see! I don't know what's coming up ahead! I don't know why a lot of things happen to me! Even small things, like a bad day with the sibs, broken glass, God uses those things to prepare you for your future. Doesn't that just awe you?! 

I would like to say, just before I close, that I also do believe that being sinful people with free will, that we can most definitely make stupid choices, leading us to have experiences that were not in God's original plan for us. But I also believe that our God is an awesome God and that like it says in Romans 8, He can work for our good in ALL things: not only the good, but the bad. 

So be encouraged. I don't know what you're going through today. Be it something big like losing someone who was close to you, be it something small like a long day at work, or kids who just. won't. stop. fighting. But whatever it is, God is using it. It is NOT in vain! 

May God bless you today!
Em