Showing posts with label beauty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beauty. Show all posts

4.17.2015

broken and beautiful

Well it's been a minute or two since my last post. If I am quite honest, I just became bored with this blog.  I had run out of things to say or I didn't want to take the time to write down the things I wanted to say and do it well.  I am not really sure of the reason, but I want to get back to blogging if only for the catharsis that it is for me.  Writing these things down, or typing these things out rather, is a form of confession and healing for me.  I read James 5:16 today, and it says (in my words) that confessing our sins to others is healing for us; therefore, I am just trying to apply medicine to my wounds through this blog.

What confession must I make today?  Well today I am broken.  I am broken hearted for my cousins who are more like brothers that are mourning the loss of their mother.  My heart aches for my mother who has lost yet another sibling and for my Papaw who has buried yet another child...

For my aunt still finding her way after tragedy struck years ago...
For the family that is grieving the young boy killed in the car accident...
For my kids at school whose parents choose not to participate their child's life..

The small group that I teach is currently in the middle of a study titled, Lord, Where Are You When Bad Things Happen?  Intellectually, I can affirm that God is good and that there is a purpose to our pain, and it is to this truth that I grasp, white-knuckled when things turn tragic.  But the pain is still there, and my heart still aches.  Tears still fall.  I have never really been able to wrap my head around death - its not fathomable to me that people that were laughing on the front porch one day can be gone the next.

So tonight I am seeking healing - confessing these things to you and spending some much needed alone time on my porch in my chair my Papaw built for me.

And I am reminiscing on the past week. While it has been one of those weeks that just hurts, it has also been one of those weeks where my heart has been filled.  My cousins chose our church for the visitation and funeral for my Aunt, and I must admit I was apprehensive.  Grief and family are two things I keep private from the rest of the world, and here we were about to open an extremely private matter up to people who don't normally see that side of me.  Please don't get me wrong, I love my church dearly.  I just don't trust too many people with the big things.  But please let me tell you that I am so glad we were home at CrossPointe this past week - the entire staff and family were so incredibly giving and kind to my family.  It was a truly beautiful mixture of my family and my church family.  They ministered so beautifully to my grief-stricken family, and I am beyond grateful.

To the people who ran sound, cooked meals, cleaned up after us, made many pots of coffee, and preached the service - we are so thankful for you.  Words will never suffice for how blessed we are by CrossPointe Community Church.

It is during times of crisis, that we put pen to paper to attempt to make sense of our world.  Tonight, I am not sure if any of this makes sense, but I hope, somehow, it helps.

5.30.2012

never give up

Well, it is officially summer here in the Beaty-girl household.  We are out of school, off work which means I can finally get around to organizing my closets and doing some craft projects!

Being out of school for me means more contemplating this thing called life, and my life is not always easy.  In fact, it is rarely easy - there always seems to be someone or something absolutely bent on keeping me down and defeated.  Then I think of some of the people I find inspiring, and most of the time those people are the ones who fought a daily battle to get to accomplish their goals.  They are the people who didn't take no for an answer - do you know just how difficult that is?  To have someone tell you no, you're not good enough, you are not what we are looking for so many times you start to believe it yourself.  I am learning just how it feels to stand in the face of opposition and say I am not, I will not give up.  Giving up is easy, but it is not where you or I want to be.  I want to look around one day and find that I never gave up of my dreams and that I lived this life to the best of my ability.

There are a few things that encourage me to keep going on this journey, and I was recently reminded of one of those things.  So You Think You Can Dance is a dance competition on Fox, and it is wonderful.  The dancers are paired with a partner and a choreographer and given a genre of dance which may or may not be their area of expertise.  The choreographer teaches them a dance which they will perform for the judges.  Sometimes, these combinations produce such beautiful results even though it is certainly extremely challenging.  It is a beautiful process to watch these dancers grow week after week.  There is something about dance, like music and all art really, that can capture emotions and tell a story much more eloquently than words allow.  Needless to say, I am a little addicted.

I am sharing two videos of a couple of my favorite dances - they are amazing and inspiring and just wonderful.  Please take the time to watch them with an open mind, and you too may find yourself just a little inspired to never give up on your dreams.  The first is below, and the second I will link for you here!



Never give up because what you do matters,

Colie


4.23.2012

everyday beauty

Okay friends, it is time for another weekly installment of things that I love and provide inspiration!  And this week's feature is - 
This is our balcony on our apartment - specifically the view from inside the apartment at around 7:15 this morning!  Yes, I, Nicole Beaty, was up and taking pictures with my phone at that time in the morning!  

I must say this self-given assignment has been really good for me - I have been searching for inspiration in everything!  There are times when it just hits me, but sometimes it is nice to look for the beauty in the everyday!  Now why is this balcony inspiring?  Well, it is colorful and cheerful - full of happy colors.  Also, I love being outside, I love having the ability to open a door and be able to comfortably enjoy the outdoors, and I love that it feels like we are bringing the outside in! Being outside especially during the spring and fall are usually very inspiring to me  - I am in awe of God's masterpiece!  I sometimes feel like He paints a canvas just for me each day in the beauty of trees (you know I have this thing about trees!), flowers(hello, my grandmothers were named Daisy and Rose), and the light(sunlight is quickly becoming one of my favorite things)!

So I hope you find beauty in the everyday!

Much Love,
Colie