Dictionary

Baby paws- Footprints on the bath mat

Nora's Dictionary

Ear ponks- earrings

Birthday horns - noise makers

There are more I don't remember from the last month but stay tuned for more.

Affirmation

I was using my phone as a mirror to touch up my lipstick before conferences and in the background I could see all these Roses for Teachers notes from former students.   It was a pretty cool moment. 

As I listen to the bluster ringing my windchimes

I just realized that I will not be able to go for any winter walks in the snow this year unless winter lasts beyond late March.

Sad trombone sound...

Failure.

Today I kinda feel like looking the whole world in the face and saying:

"Get over yourself!  It's okay if you fail."

Here's what's not okay:

Quitting

Letting someone else clean up your mess

Hating yourself

Living in fear.

My friends, I hope we can all be BRAVE enough to FAIL.

If anyone judges you or abandons you for failing, they may be dealing with a whole host of other insecurities.  Surely they have failed before!  If you aren't enough for them, maybe they are too much for you.  Let them go, forgive, and notice that now there is more room in your life for people who will love you anyway and be with you through the failures.  

If you do it right, you aren't less because of your failures; you're more. 

More wise.

More compassionate.

More gritty.

More tenacious.

More humble.

And you probably have a better sense of humor, too.  And if you think you haven't ever failed at something before, well, you're probably wrong about that.  So it's okay.  You didn't die then and you won't die after the next failure either (Unless you're skydiving. Then you might die.  These are not hard and fast rules here.  I am no prophet.).  And notice, as you stand on the brink of failure again, that you have failed before and yet you are here breathing, heart beating, with the gumption to try something failable again.  You are a badass.  

Just don't quit, and clean up your own messes.

But the biggest thing, the really BIG biggest thing is this:  no matter what your failure is, your God loves you and has redeemed you.  The only way you could fail is by rejecting that love and redemption because it's eternal.  So take it easy on yourself.  Be able to receive God's love. He wants you to abide in it, so quit rolling around in your fear of failure and abide.  You're more worthy of it thank you will ever know.  You are treasured.

However huge the potential failure you face is, you can deflate it.  Bring that failure down and stare it in the eyes.  Here's how:

Love yourself, failures, limitations and all.

Accept God's unconditional love.

(these two things are linked)

And don't hide from your failures.

Instead, turn your experiences with failure into a way to reach out to other people.  Help them through their fears, share your mess, and give them a chance to love you anyway.  Show them that your failure isn't tied to your worth as a person.  It'll reassure them that neither is theirs.  And when they fail, love them anyway.  Can you imagine how different things would be if we knew we would be loved anyway?  

Then we can all keep trying, in the good company of really excellent failures.

And then keep failing.

And then keep loving.

Moments

Four

Brothers

Teenager?

My co-photographer admiring his work.

Baklava sneak

Daddy + baby

Gatsby

The older I get the more I love Gatsby and feel for him.  I feel with and for his naivete, his drive, and his disappointment.  

....sheesh.  He was only 32.  That was me last year.