Sometimes when you REALLY open your eyes...

... you see a lot of things around you that you never saw before.

For instance.

(stars)
 I can still see them when I walk outside, even though I live downtown in the largest city in TN. Yes I may not be in "Nature" like I often wish I could be, but God's creation is EVERYWHERE.

(introvert)
Until I went to Oxford, had few people to distract me and then came back to Memphis, I forgot that I do, in fact, draw most of my energy from being by myself. Not that I don't love being around people, but there is something soothing about taking the time to examine yourself and the things that are important to you that just cannot be fulfilled when there are people around you constantly.

(home)
I live in an apartment, spent a month in someone else's house and haven't slept in my bed in Nashville in longer than I can remember, but I have really started to realize that home is wherever you are loved. And I am loved in a lot of ways by a lot of people and it is people like y'all who are home to me.

(photos)
Looking at life through a camera lens can severely limit your view of the world, but I'd hate to miss out on taking a snapshot of the present because I want to remember these moment forever. They say "A picture is worth a thousand words" but honestly some of the memories that supply an occasional picture or two could never be sufficiently described in just a thousand words. Looking back and remembering brings me indescribable joy.

(music)
There is hardly any moment when you watch movies where there is complete silence. There is almost always some kind of musical score happening in the background. It made me think about what would be playing in the background of my life if mine was made into a movie. So, I decided that the current soundtracks of my life are...
everything Needtobreathe (LOVE running to them... better than any rap I used to run to)
Young Love, Mat Kearney
Watching Time Run, Steve Moakler
The Muscle Shoals, Mockingbird Sun
The Way it Was, Parachute
She Remains the Same, Andrew Ripp
and, as of today, Own the Night, Lady Antebellum

(letters)
Old fashioned, pen and paper letters are so beautiful. I found a letter in an old book I inherited from my grandparents and it made me realize how much I love the formality and intentionality that come with writing out a personal letter to someone. SO, if you agree with me (or just want to humor me), send me your snail mail address.

(love)
Loving other people sometimes means that you aren't going to feel that love in return. BUT, ultimately I would never ask for that love back because that is basically like asking God for a gift receipt. He gave us this love to share and who are we to trade it in for something else?