the end where I begin

one thing ends, one thing begins. This life is a constant chain of successes and mistakes, joy and pain, beginnings and endings. Things have to end before something new and better can begin. We have to change and grow or we'll never learn all we can be. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes we don't want to forget the past, but looking back blinds us to possibilities. Remembering and looking back are different. We can remember all we learned or how an experience helped us, but looking back carries heavier consequences. We can't live in the past; we can't look back longingly wishing to be back at that time. Everyday is a new beginning, a new chance to learn.

"Now I'm alive
and my ghosts are gone
I've shed all the pain
I've been holding on
The cure for a heart
Is to move along, is to move along
So move along"

We all have the ability to liberate ourselves from the past, from what holds us back. All we have to do is move along and begin again. All we have to do is look forward. Look forward and find joy in the new adventures waiting for us.

just in time

timing is everything. We may not understand the timing of everything, but we have to make decisions regardless. We can't just think time will make the decision for us, it may not turn out as we planned, but at least we can say the decision was ours. Take control of your own life, take the reins and live the life you want to live. Who knows the opportunities you could miss if you wait too long. Make your decisions and own them, don't hesitate because things might not work out. Whatever happens, happens.

testing the strong ones

The hardest part was letting go

It's hard to think about the things you've put so much time into and realize it's the end. It's time to let go. Letting go means that you're done, you've begun to understand the futility of trying to catch whatever it is you're chasing. No one likes giving up, no one likes to admit they've been in the wrong, it's human nature to want to be right. Letting go undercuts all of that because you're acknowledging your mistakes and admitting defeat. That's why letting go takes courage, strength, and determination. It's easy to say you just won't think about something, but it doesn't become reality until you consciously decide to set yourself free. You don't need to think this means life is ending. When you've lived with something for so long it's hard to think that it may not be there any more, that there's a part of your life you won't have anymore. It's at times like this when you learn who you are, what you're made of. We're all capable of doing amazing things, you just have to believe in yourself. It's the good ones who come under fire, the strong ones who get tested. We didn't come here to waltz through life with no challenges. It may be hard, but take life as it comes, show the world that you know who you are.

Its testing the strong ones
Scarring the beautiful ones
It's holding the loved ones
One last time

what do i know of holy

it's easy to get into autopilot when our lives are going well, but it's at those times when we need to remember the most why it's going well. It's not out of our own good luck or skill, it's because we're not alone. Because we've been blessed with a network of friends and family ultimately backed up by the Lord Jesus Christ. We don't always know or understand how He affects our lives, but He is always there.

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame,
And a God who gave life its name?
What do I know of Holy,
Of the One who the angels praise?
All creation knows your name
On earth and heaven above.
What do I know of this love?

It's amazing how much our lives depend on those around us, and it's ok if we don't always understand it. The only thing we need to understand is that there is a God above who loves us and is always there when we need help.

all i wanted

When you look at it, we really only want simple things. We want someone to hold, someone to turn to, someone who understands us. Too often we complicate life and make mountains out of molehills. We could learn a lot of we just sat and watched a child for a few hours. They know what they want and they don't complicate it with over-analysis or second guesses.

I could follow you to the beginning
Just to relive the start
Maybe then we'd remember to slow down
At all of our favorite parts.

If we look back at all that we've experienced in life, there are always good things. We learn from everything and in the end, we get what we want. It might not be exactly how we envisioned, but we get what we put in. Take some time to sit back, remember those times, and simplify. Remember the simple things. Remember how it feels to just smile for no apparent reason, or to go frolic in the rain. Remember what it feels like to let your heart be open and not guarded. Remember your favorite parts.

do you feel

a lot of the time we live our lives only for ourselves. We get so caught up in our own things that we don't see all that is going on in the world around us. Life isn't easy for anyone, everyone has problems and trials. Every time we feel alone and hopeless, there is someone feeling that exact same way somewhere else in this world. It's easy to get caught up in our problems and not see how very minuscule they are in comparison to all that happens around us. We can do so much to change that though, it's not that hard to go past ourselves and make a difference. Smile at people on the street, do something for your roommates or family, volunteer wherever you can. Forget about yourself for one minute and look around to see how much needs to change in our world. We can make a difference, no matter how small we think it may be.

Do you feel
the weight of the world singin' sorrow
or to you is it just not real
cause you got your own things
and we all have our things, I guess

all again for you

sometimes we do dumb things, we say things we don't mean, we act very human. Even though we make those stupid decisions, we shouldn't look back and regret them. At the time we made those decisions, we probably didn't think they were dumb. We saw them as necessary or beneficial. We didn't think them through all the way and ended up doing something a little unintelligent. The one thing we can't do is look back on our life and wish we hadn't had those experiences. Everything we experience is for our good, we have to keep that in mind when we remember every little thing we've gone through. It's easy to look back and see those decisions as totally irrational, but hindsight is 20/20. We have to look at the past and remember that we learned from that time, that's how we grow.