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You know what I was reminded of today? That is it GOOD and life giving to talk about what God has done in my life; to be reminded in concrete terms, talking out loud, sharing with another in Christ, of the ways He has taken care of me, provided for me, comforted me, spoken to me, and led me. Which makes me think of Psalm 23 . . . 

"He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake." vs.3

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil (why?) because you are with me. Your rod and staff (used for protection), they comfort me (to know you are in control and looking out for me)." (parentheses commentary, mine) vs.4

Shortly after I woke up this morning, this first day of 2016(!), I got to spent some quiet time with the Lord, the cloudy sky, some hot coffee, and a new devotional. "New Morning Mercies" has been a somewhat regular source of encouragement in my life this past year, as one of my besties has been great to take and send pics of random pages from her copy that seemed to hit me just where I needed it. Well, for Christmas, I got my very own copy! 

Thinking on what the Lord has been teaching me and on the new year ahead, these thoughts below are where I landed today in my hopes for life going forward. Instead of a New Years Resolution, I'm calling it my New Years Declaration :) I posted it earlier on my personal Instagram feed, but felt like it'd be a great way to start 2016 on parapalla too . . .  

It may sound cliché or a little childish, but for years, I've "wished on a star" pretty much every night :) 

With the first star I see . . . I close my eyes . . . and I think of this nursery rhyme . . . then I think very intentionally about what I want to wish for that night. Sometimes friends kinda giggle and/or look at me in confusion when I tell them I do this . . . their faces seeming to wonder why I would do something so superstitious, I guess.

But in my mind, when I make this "wish," I'm not assigning power to the stars themselves to grant my wish, rather, my thoughts go to the One who created those oh-so-beautiful and seemingly magical stars. My "wishes" are essentially quick mini-prayers, and the first star of the night I see serves as a simple reminder to me to hope and dream and let my requests be known. 

So here's a fun and procrastinating, let's not think about the fact that I still haven't filed my taxes, (or even filed the extension yet -- UGH), tax day post . . .

I've often thought that if I could only ever look at one thing for the rest of my life . . . I think I would pick the sky. You may have heard the famous quote by Vincent Van Gogh, "Looking at the stars always makes me dream." Well, I kinda feel the same! 

Whether it's filled with twinkly stars or is a deep, solid blue (or pours rain, as my friends know is a favorite), the sky and all that is in it, just makes me dream. It often catches me off guard with its magnificence, and I could, and do many times, just stop and gaze, in thankful wonder.  

. . . It's just so ever-stretching, awe-inspiring, BEE-U-ti-full!! :) 

I considered keeping a random fact friday post/theme this month, but decided to hit pause in July, exercise a little creative writing freedom, and pick it back up in August. 

On this site, whether through a design or my blog, I like to recognize and celebrate the small and large parts of life -- the things that go into making us, "us." I kept thinking this month about "freedom." Of course it was spurred with our country's fourth of July celebrations -- which are so much fun! I mean, who doesn't love a good hot dog with a beautiful fireworks backdrop?? :) 

I got to sit with my dear friend, Mattye, this week and catch up on life. And you know, it's amazing how our friendships really can add such rich value to our lives! I'd found myself this month somewhat distracted and feeling kind of frustrated, anxious, and floundery (my word), when it came to working on designs and sharing from parapalla. Being able to talk and share these thoughts out loud really helped bring clarity and a prayer request for direction. It also inspired a verse to keep in front of me on a regular basis for this site and beyond.