This is me.

I'd like to say that these 7 years were some of the most enjoyable of my life; however, a lot of it is a blur.r.r, and I have mixed emotions. I'll be honest, from 2016 - 2022, I worked away my life. You got it right, I spent seven years post college working 60+ hours a week at McAlister's. That's right.. I worked almost every weekend during that timeframe and atleast 5-6 nights per week. There were two major positions I held during those seven years.

I had the privilege to open 30 restaurants as the "Opening and Training Coordinator" for McAlister's.

I got an opportunity to be an Area Director and oversee 7 locations.

Opening & Training Coordinator - Even though I missed out on a lot by opening 30 restaurants, I was given the opportunity to receive major work experience in event management, training, and operations. I also got have a lot of fun with my co-workers during the time (one of them even became my husband, but we'll get to that at a later post).

Area Director - At the beginning, this position was fun. I really wanted to be able to take ownership in results and my team, so being an AD was the next step. It was going well for awhile... The hard part? Two Words. POST COVID.

Ohhh, the last two years of college at IWU.... those were some great times! Being almost 8 years post graduation, I'm really having to jog this memory of mine. The 2015 - 2016 school year seems the most memorable to me. It might be because it was my Senior year, or it could be because my iCloud photos only go back to 2016. Either way, the most I can remember about my last few years in college was wanting to make money and honestly rushing the time I had at school.

let me explain. . . even though I had some wonderful friendships in school, plenty to do on campus, and lots of homework to keep me occupied, I have always been money driven. My freshman and sophomore year, I made a commitment to NOT work at McAlister's during the school year. My junior and senior year, I broke that commitment. I wouldn't say that it ruined my college experience, but I do feel like I missed out on some fun friend coffee dates and probably some good conversations.

the good news? Working as much as I did planted me in my first big girl job in 2016! I actually even started it before I ever graduated (which was a part of the whole "rushing the time I had at school" statement).

I do not regret my work/school life balance back in college, because it truly did set me up for success after college. Ultimately, I got hands-on experience by working at McAlister's and still graduated with a double major in Business Administration & Leadership. All of this really plays in where I'm at today (I promise... we'll get caught up eventually).

Here are some pics to celebrate and recap IWU graduating class of 2016 and the farewell to Marion, Indiana. Those were truly a few of the best years of my life so far.

2 days ago, Facebook memories pulled a fast one on me. Out of the blue, my old Tumblr blog [this blog] popped up in my memories. You already know, I spent the next hour reading through all my old posts from 2013. Man was life D-I-F-F-E-R-E-N-T back then.

TWO MAIN TAKEAWAYS

ONE - I was way more creative in 2013 than I ever gave myself credit for. TWO - It's about time I catch you up on the last 10 years of changes.

Over the next many many days/months/years, I plan share life updates, talk about the "realness" of life, and journal my experiences. I don't know where this blog will go or who will even see it, but right now this blog is for me and I'm going to use it as a personal history log.

One of my favorite times of the year is Christmas. The atmosphere of the world is joyful, and I love giving gifts! (yeah, i like getting them too). This year we made Christmas special inside the dorm. Friday night we made a home-cooked dinner, then watched, A Christmas Vacation, and exchanged presents afterwards. Of course, it was very important to capture this Christmasy night on camera, so pictures were definitely taken! Here's a few!

Jessie, Chaise, & Me

It's important to me to capture these special moments. These pictures will forever be some of my top favorites!

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Well now that the Christmas celebrations are over, we are in "study-mode" until Wednesday afternoon. FINALS. FINALS. FINALS are all anyone can think about right now. Today we were able to have a little fun and find time to go to church, IHOP, and watch the Colts game.

Me & Jessie with some coffee at IHOP. (mmmmmmmmmmmmm)

Me & Chaisey being goofy, just because we can. 

Well, off to studying some more. Don't forget about the season. 'Tis the season to be jolly, even through the midst of stressful finals :)

Thanksgiving Day. A day to relax, get stuffed, watch movies, and think about the things we are thankful for. We started out the day with biscuits and gravy, which Jacob and Bekah came over to eat with us. They had to come over for breakfast because they couldn't be here for Thanksgiving lunch. But it was nice that they attest got to come over :) Josh, Missy, Chloe, and Cora eventually made their way over for lunch.

All day long Josh kept yelling, "I'm a turkey, EAT ME." It was hilarious and made me laugh so much. Spending time with family is a wonderful thing. I had to stop and just look for a second because all the people I love were standing in one room, talking and laughing. It was an amazing view. 

This weekend was a rare one because I randomly drove to Indianapolis to work on Saturday. I am just THAT person who would do such a silly thing to help out. Wes & Kaylee were begging and I had no homework, so I thought "What the heck?"

It was so nice to be back on my home turf again and do my thing. I love working and normally can't get enough of it. One of my favorite parts about it was feeling good about myself. I was wearing the same work clothes I wore almost three months ago and everyone was complimenting on how they were baggy on me. It's a good feeling to have baggy clothes that used to fit! Yes, this picture is a selfie, but it was me at the beginning of my shift yesterday, and I was happy :)

This next picture was one of my favorites! Courtney had no clue that I was coming to work. She came in for the night shift, saw me, and literally jumped on me and wouldn't get off..... for like an hour! Haha. it was nice to get a goooood hug from my best friend! We ate dinner together before I headed back to school and now that I'm away from her again, I realize just how much I always miss her when I'm gone. 

Sometimes life gets hard. At times you wish it would just fly by, and it's in those times that it normally creeps by. Maybe you are unhappy just because you've had a bad day? Or maybe family life or friends life just isn't going so well? Maybe you got a bad grade on a really important test? Or maybe someone hurt you? Just like everyone, I sometimes allow my heart to form into a heart of stone. It tiring, dreary, and a very lonely state of mind. Once I get over that mood, I actually become quite an optimistic, which is why I really like the lyrics of this new song I found. I hope it can maybe relate to someone who reads this. (Sometimes I often feel that I shouldn't blog about anything negative, but I realized if all my posts were always happy [like life is great all the time], I would by lying to myself. God gave us all feelings and we can't neglect them. It's often those hard times that form us into who we are supposed to be and it's important to embrace those times.)

"Heart of Stone" by JillandKate

"Are you waiting for the time that nobody runs? Are you afraid of the nights when nobody comes? When you're screamin, you're barely breathin on your own. All the unraveling, you're coming undone. 

Is it heavy? Is it heavy, your heart of stone? Is it heavy, your heart of stone? Are you fighting yourself and losing again? Everybody's out for themselves and that's how it's been. Are you busy keeping busy so nobody asks? You gave everything you had away, now you want it all back? Is it heavy? Is it heavy, your heart of stone? Don't you want to rest easy? Aren't you tired of feeling alone? Is it heavy, your heart of stone?

You can't save yourself baby, so brace yourself. Maybe the worst is over. You can't save yourself baby, so brace yourself. Maybe the worst is over. The worst is over.

When I have a heart of stone, the biggest mistake I often make is I forget about Jesus being with me. He is the one who never changes and is sufficient for me. This is another song by JillandKate that I picture Jesus telling me. It's called, "My Love."

I will never change my mind. I will never change my mind about you. I've been crazy about you since I found you. So you can fall right to pieces on the floor tonight. You can break down if you need to cry, but I will never change my mind; I will never change my mind about you. 

So come on, take a walk with me. You can take my hand. You can scream into the darkness and tell me your plans. You can cry all night until you understand my love. Cause I'll be here in the morning when the sun is bright. And when you see it there shining, you will come to find, that it's always going to be here till the end of time, my love. 

I am never gonna leave. I am never gonna leave you stranded. Life is never gonna go; It'll never go like you planned it. So you can run yourself down, try to figure me out. You can love me later if you hate me now. But I am never gonna leave. I am never gonna leave you stranded. 

So come on, take a walk with me. You can take my hand. You can scream into the darkness and tell me your plans. You can cry all night until you understand my love. Cause I'll be here in the morning when the sun is bright. And when you see it there shining, you will come to find, that it's always going to be here till the end of time, my love. 

Don't ever forget what you mean to God. Sometimes this world can make us feel worthless, but we are far from it. 

No matter what grip life has you in right now, K-E-E-P G-O-I-N-G. 

KEEP GOING can apply to more than one thing in life. At the beginning of fall semester, I made a promise to myself. I promised myself and my brother that I would eat healthier & work out at least three times a week. My workouts have turned into 4-5 times a week, and my fries have changed into apples. 

After weighing myself today, I have officially lost 30 pounds in a little under 3 months; &&& it's only the beginning. 

Well today was a mini adventure! After having a consistent week of the weather in the 30-40 degrees range, we were surprised to find out that today was going to be in the 60's! Well, along with the good temperature we received high winds, a lot of rain, and a tornado watch! Around 3:40ish today we heard screaming resistant assistants running down the hallway demanding that everyone go to the first floor to seek proper shelter. Well this was all good, but we left immediately, not taking any homework with us. We spent an hour and a half of our day sitting in a random hallway. For the most part, it was unfortunate; But I will say that it was probably one of the most excited Sunday's we've ever had at school! 

Here's a picture of all of us random girls sitting in the hallway. Photo credit goes to Chaisey:) (that's why she's not in it)

While I was at school, my mom, dad, and brother Jacob were all at home chilling in our living room, watching the storm. Jacob was sending me a few pictures from home, which kinda made me want to be there. . . but it's all good. (Thanksgiving break is just a week and a day away!) Here's a few pictures Jacob took at home.

Cool looking picture through the screened window in our kitchen, looking out to our back yard.

This must have been the eye of the storm. He took this during the random calm of the storm. (Definitely the best picture he's ever taken)

After the storm passed by, everyone and their mom was posting about it on Facebook and Instagram! I came across this one on Facebook, but it is so amazing. Unfortunately, because of this storm, some building did get damaged, but this is proof of God's protection over his people. This is our chapel auditorium, where we worship three times a week at school.

This is a beautiful sight.

^ Abraham Lincoln said that, so it has to be important, right? I realized today that I often write about my days, my friends, or my family. Then I decided that it's about time to start writing about me. Even though I'm only 21 years old, I feel as if I've already lived a lot of life. Don't get me wrong, I know that I have a TON of life ahead of me, but most 21 year olds haven't lived as much life as I have. 

In February of 2009 I started a job that will forever have a piece of my heart. McAlister's Deli was my very first job.

I learned how to be a leader there. It challenged me, taught me, and formed me into the person I am today. Not only did I learn responsibility, but I learned what it meant to have a good work ethic. I have never wanted to learn more and more than I did within that company. After being at the company for a year, I got promoted to a shift leader. I got to wear a cool blue shirt that stated, "Shift Leader" on it. It was definitely legit. Being a shift leader meant that I delegated things for other employees to do. I often closed the store and got lots of hours. Eventually, hard work paid off and I got chosen to be a trainer for the company. I was privileged to open two new stores: one in Greenwood & one in South Bend. Those six weeks of opening those stores were six of my favorite weeks ever! I worked SO MUCH, to the point where I had so much over time that you would have thought I was insane, but I truly learned what dedication meant. Here's a picture of me as a trainer at the South Bend location. Sorry photo is such bad quality!

Shortly after becoming a trainer, I became the catering coordinator at my home store. That was another great position. I got to be in the store early mornings, and for a short period of time we were serving breakfast, so it was just me in the store at 6:00AM getting everything going. Since my catering days began, I have also helped in management, and when I go home from school I end up finding myself in that position. I love love love it. Managing opened my eyes to the business side of life and has highly effected my direction within my studies at school. I am majoring in Business Administration in hope of becoming a corporate trainer for some sort of business someday. 

I love McAlister's so much because a lot of the people there feel like family. We've all grown together, dealt with problems together, and had some great times together. I will forever be thankful for the experience I have with this company. My days continue on at the Deli, mostly over summer and over longer school breaks. Here's a few random pictures. 

No matter where you work, it is important to do your best. I've seen so many people stoop to the level of just completing the minimal amount of work to not lose their job. That is not what life should be about. 

Some Advice: Find what you are passionate about. Make sure you choose something that you love enough to stick through with the negative things that will come with it. Believe me, I'm still learning this myself, but every day I feel as if I'm taking another step closer to God's plan for my life. 

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. –Mark Twain

I'm glad we got through this, because future posts from me will now make sense. IWU isn't the only life I live. I actually have quite a HUGE life outside of school. Both are great :)

Off in the middle of nowhere sits a little town called Cardington. It's about three and a half hours away from Marion, Indiana and contains potholes, fields, farms, and most importantly, a beautiful white house on a hill that happens to be my sweet roommate Chaise's home. Can you guess where I am going with this? Yep, you are probably right. Me, Chaise, Madison, and Jessie took a mini road trip to this little town to enjoy a weekend getaway from the four walls of our dorm to a cozy, warm house with lots of good food and some sweet, funny people (Chaise's parents). 

Country life it where it's at. I love love love the country. Farms, machinery, and fields are a few of my favorite things about life. One of the coolest things about visiting Cardington was that Chaise's whole family has their own road (aka; Mosher Road). 

Of course, school didn't just go away just because we got off campus. We unfortunately had to take some western civilization, spanish, art, and chemistry with us; But, it was so nice to sit next to a fire and do homework or study.

Saturday was the BEST. After sleeping in, I woke up to some delicious monkey bread for breakfast. Homework had to happen, but for the other parts of the day we had a mini photo shoot on a lovely walk, ate some delicious food made by mama Mosher, went to Starbucks to study some more, and ended the night with a mini marathon of Prison Break on Netflix.

The weekend was great because of our environment, but there is something special about spending time with the people you love in a comfortable environment. It's always a pleasure to see a little bit of the people I love homes. Knowing where they live day in and day out away from school is essential in understanding who they are.

College has brought some of the most precious people in my life to me. I will forever be thankful for that.

"I've learned that your college friends become kind of family. You eat together, take naps together, fight, laugh, cry, and do absolutely nothing together until you can't remember how you ever lived your life without them in the first place."

Unfortunately, the weekend did eventually come to an end. Early Sunday afternoon, around 3:30 we departing from little Cardington back to the 'WU.   I am very thankful for such great friends and such great times. 

I got to see one of my favorite people ever tonight; my boss, Wes!! He became my boss about three years ago and has completely changed my life within the work environment. He's believed in me, trusted me, taught me, and made me a better person and worker. Through the stressful work environment, we managed to create a great friendship. I found this quote today online & it seems to make perfect sense of our relationship. 

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.”

When you work with someone every day, day in and day out, you create a special bond. After months of working together, you find that you've completely shared your life story with another person. You know them and they know you. Wes has become that person. We often tell each other about our struggles through life and rejoice in the positive times as well. But having a friend who will listen when they don't necessarily know what to say is a special thing. Our friends can't always fix the bad things that are happening in our lives, but it means so much when they stand by our side while we go through them.

Wesley so kindly stepped up to help me out with a class assignment, which is the main reason we got together tonight. I had to interview someone within a professional work environment, so we made a dinner out of it and went to one of our favorites, Texas Roadhouse! Here's a few pictures of tonight! 

After dinner!

Wes knew I often have withdraw from my sweet tea while at school so he surprised me with a gallon!!

Well the night is about to come to a close. Jessie is writing her 12 page paper, while Chaise is studying for her Spanish quiz. I'm having fun bugging both of them while they are being productive. Ya know, it's what I do! 

Ahhh. It's such a great feeling when I get out of my last class on Friday and have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to do whatever I need to do! Normally my weekends consist of sleeping in, working out, doing homework, cleaning, and studying. Friday night Chaise and I went to McAlister's for dinner. We had great conversation, ate good food, and got a little bit of homework done. Here's a picture of pretty Chaisey that night. 

After we got back from McAlister's, Shelby, Madison, and I played candy blackjack. It was hilarious & a great time of fun. Then Jessie led me and Madz into a stretching routine, which was yet again another hilarious moment of the night!

Today has been pretty mellow. We just got back from the ladies' basketball game awhile ago and have settled down to watch The Great Gatsby. I love Saturday nights. It's a good feeling to go to bed and know that tomorrow isn't Monday!

I realized something today. I have been blogging for a little over a month and have yet to mention some of the most important people in my life. My FAMILY! Family. They are the people who are there for you even when you don't want them to be. They have seen your bad days and your good days. They have seen you at your worst and still love you. My family and I have had a roller coaster of a life. It's sometimes hard to see how much you really care for your family when it's not the holiday season of Thanksgiving or Christmas. But year after year, I get together with these special people to celebrate the most important things in life. The best part about family is that God chose them for you. Growing up I was the youngest of five children and the only girl! Time for you to meet my family.

The ones who made it all happen, Mom & Dad:

My dad, Don is a small business owner of Buck Creek Grounds Maintenance, a landscaping and snow-plowing company. He also spends a lot of time farming and fixing broken equipment. My mom, Gail is a registered nurse who works in the cardiac unit. Twenty-four years ago they decided to start a legacy by bringing together three children (Josh, Brandon, & Adam) when they got married and allowing two more to come into the world (Jacob & me [Amber]). That's how we got our lovely family :)

Josh, Missy, Chloe, & Cora:

Josh is my oldest brother. He married my sister-in-law Missy several years back in 2008, and brought my second niece, Chloe into the picture! Shortly after, my adventurous niece, Cora was born. They are seriously the cutest family I know. So precious. I love them. 

Jacob and Bekah:

I guess we can still consider Jacob and Bekah the newlyweds of the family. They got married in the summer of 2012, and have added three dogs to the family. They are both wonderful people, and we will definitely be expecting some more nieces and maybe some nephews in the far future! :)

Adam, Jacob, Dad, Mom, Me, and Josh:

It's kind of crazy that we are all grown up now. I am the ONLY KID IN THE HOUSE. Yeah, it has it's benefits, but it can definitely get boring and lonely too. 

Tuesday's are normally great. It's an easy class day, work out day, & homework day. Today was extra special considering Jess Bruni & I officially went on our second "date." Oh yeah... we went to my favorite place ever, McAlister's Deli!!!!! It was nice to get off campus and eat some great food. We had good convo talking about life, Jesus, majors, and classes. Thanks to Jess, I learned about this new worship song, "Kingdom Come" and I've been listening to it on repeat since I got back. Here some of the lyrics:

Only You can take this brokenness and make me come alive. Only You can build Your kingdom from the wreckage of my life. So Lord we join as one & we will run till your great kingdom comes... Arising glory, come tell Your story. Let Your love reign down. As Your sons & daughters bring You all the honor, let Your love reign down. Lord we join as one & we will run till Your great kingdom comes. 

POWERFUL lyrics. 

I love Sundays, especially chilly, beautiful Sundays that require a nice jacket & scarf.

Reason one: it's the great day of rest and I don't mean just leisure rest; I mean spiritual rest. Sundays make a great day to stop in the tracks of life and praise the one who gave us life. We sang the song, None But Jesus today, & the words can be a great prayer,

In the quiet, in the stillness I know that You are God In the secret of Your presence I know there I am restored When You call I won't refuse Each new day again I'll choose There is no one else for me None but Jesus Crucified to set me free Now I live to bring Him praise In the chaos, in confusion I know You're Sovereign still In the moment of my weakness You give me grace to do Your will When You call I won't delay This my song through all my days All my delight is in You Lord All of my hope, all of my strength All my delight is in You Lord Forevermore

Reason Two: It's my FREE DAY! When my brother & I made my fitness plan, we decided that I could have one free day of the week in which I don't count calories or work out. I, of course don't overdo it, but I drink the sweet tea rather than water. So, because it was my free day, Jessie & I went to Starbucks and I didn't have to get a Skinny Vanilla Latte! I got a White Chocolate Mocha (mmmmmmm) & it was soooo good. Well, after we got our Starbucks we had to go take pictures.

(yes, I know my are basically closed.... but you know, it is what it is.)

So a little story about taking pictures. . . I thought it would be a good idea to find a pretty tree with lots of fallen leaves and take a picture. We were driving around the random, city roads of Marion & found this beautiful tree that was right beside the road. There was a house a good ways a way from the tree, but I thought, "What's one picture in front a tree that's basically on the road?" Well, to my surprise, a woman who lived in that house came out and said rather rudely, "Don't you guys have your own yard?" Actually, no. We live in a dorm is what should have said but I didn't. Jessie & I got back into the car quickly & drove off. Here's a classic Jessie look while getting back into the car after the woman yelling at us. 

LOL. YOLO is all I have to say to that. (it means you only live once, mom)

Well, just had a miniature dance party in our room. Madison loves dancing & was blaring music through our speakers, bouncing around our floor dancing to pop, lock, and drop it, while poor Chaisey was trying to write her paper. It's so funny how different they are even though their sisters. I love them.

Keeping on is an important thing do in life, especially in college. You can't let one bad grade or one bad day keep you from moving forward. It's important to remember that having one bad day doesn't mean you have a bad life. From me talking about this you probably are assuming I had a bad day. Well, you assumed wrong :) Today was actually pretty o-k-a-y.

Classes were classes. After my last class I got to take a little nap. (yes, i love naps.) A little later on Madison and Shelby came up to our room and were ready for dinner, so we went to Panera in Kokomo. We hit up Target and TJ Max and came back to school for some coffee from McConn. It's definitely been a simple Friday, but it's always nice to get off campus every once in a while. I imagine this weekend will consist of relaxing, homework, working out, and food. Unfortunately the Colts have a bye this weekend, so Sunday won't be as entertaining. 

When we were at McConn, we snapped a roomie picture for the night. (I truly believe I will never have enough pictures of us.)

“But in Friendship, we think we have chosen our peers. In reality, a few years' difference in the dates of our births, or a few more miles between certain houses. . . —any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret Master of the Ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," can truly say to every group of Christian friends "You have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another." The Friendship is not a reward for our discrimination and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of all the others. They are no greater than the beauties of a thousand other men; by Friendship God opens our eyes to them. They are, like all beauties, derived from Him, and then, in a good Friendship, increased by Him through the Friendship itself, so that it is His instrument for creating as well as for revealing.”

C.S. Lewis

Well today was a good day that consisted of going to class, working out, eating lunch & dinner with the roomies, homework, and doing some laundry for work. Now I'm sitting on my bed, drinking a chocolate turtle from McConn, and filling you all in!

So funny little story- Jessie & I decide that going to get McConn a little bit ago would be a good idea, so she puts on her shoes, we both throw on our north face jackets and make our way downstairs of our dorm so we can go to the student center. As we are walking out, this girl that lives on our floor says, "Awe, how you cute. You guys match!" Jessie and I knew she was talking about our north face jackets (because everyone always comments on them when me, chaise, and jessie all have them on.) So we make our way to the door, somewhat ignoring the comment and at the exact same time we both realize we are wearing the same color pants, same color shoes, and our north face jackets! We were literally matching our whole outfit! It was a good laugh :) I was happy cause we were twinning (which Jessie never likes to do.) Here's our pic.

Well, I think I can speak for all my friends and myself when I say, thank goodness tomorrow's Friday. Sometimes weeks just drag on. . I personally feel like this week went by rather fast, but at the same time going to class everyday gets old. 

I was looking at Instagram today and saw this intriguing quote.

"Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket---safe, dark, motionless, airless----it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation."

- C.S. Lewis

This quote has some powerful words. I have a dear friend of mine who believes that you can call no one a friend. Sometimes it's tough for me to hear, because I love that person as a friend, but from their experiences, they completely believe in keeping distance between other people. Their reasoning is because at some point in your life every person you know will turn against you in one form or another. A person will never be 100% for you at all times. While this may or may not be true, I think the example of Jesus showing grace to everyone comes into play here. Once someone has been hurt or felt as if their heart has been torn apart or betrayed by someone they trust and love, it is hard to lend your heart out again, whether it is to the same person or someone else.  But choosing to become hard-hearted in order to not be broken or hurt brings a abominable and lonely life. As a Christian, we have to choose to forgive and move on. Leave the past in the past. Forgiveness is a concept that is spoken about so clearly in the Bible but is so incredibly hard to put into action. We all need to daily be praying for the strength to forgive others, especially the one's which we are deeply connected with. God put those people into our lives and blessed us by doing so. We could have not gotten through some of our darkest moments of life without them, but it is so important to mend those broken relationships or hurting hearts. (Not sure why I decided to preach tonight, but I guess it's what was on my heart.) I only talk about this because it's something I struggle with. I don't have this 100% down, and it takes me awhile to get over petty things, but I do know the importance of doing so.