"When you fall for someone's personality, everything about them becomes beautiful."

Douglas Molloch

    This poem by Douglas Molloch is so inspiring. It really shifts a persons perspective. It reminds that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. It reminds me not to give when I'm going through a rough time. It's a reminder the God gives his roughest battles to his toughest solider. Read it and comment what you take away from it.

"The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing...
Good timber does not grow with ease
The stronger the wind, the stronger the tree."

"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."

- Perks of Being a Wallflower

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what other think you are."

      - John Wooden

" A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success."


                                                                                                - Unknown

    I walk away from this with a new perspective on friendship. Specifically starting new friendships. The initial thought before the action of pursuing a new relationship. I've recently realized that I feel a sense of self importance when making someone else feel important.
  When you see someone thats discouraged or disheartened, go encourage them. When you someone that is alienated, pull them in. If you notice that the person at school or work is just not talkative, go talk to them. I used to be that quiet person that only spoke when spoken to. When someone finally brought me in; talked to me, listened to me, encouraged me, I felt so important. Even if it was just for a quick moment, every word exchanged meant the world.
   When you praise a victors success you are only feeding an ego fire. I'm not saying don't congratulate them on their success. I'm saying don't dwell on it. Going back to the perspective of pursuing new friendships. Don't spend more time in conversation with the successful person just because they are in fact successful.
  Try this. Try remembering a time when you were not at your peak. A time when you would give anything for a compliment, a hug, a smile, any kind of encouragement. Now think about what a difference it would have made to you. Now imagine the difference you can make in another person life that is in a similar position. A single word of encourage can change a person's life.
   When I was younger I had a camp counselor that told us this personal story:

   She was in middle school. She had a horribly terrible home life. Her best friends had just dumped her and left her for not. She walked home everyday because no one could pick her up. She had decided. After the bell had rang for school to end, she went to her locker like she did every day. She put as much as she could in her back pack and proceded to taking the rest of her stuff to carry in her arms. She then started her trip home. The weight of all the school supplies was hard to control in her small arms. Then out of the trees she heard a voice. "Do you need some help with that? Where are you headed?"
    She didn't reply. The stranger walked up to her and grabbed a hold of a sizable amount of the pile. They then walked with her all the way to her house. They talked and laughed. When they finally arrived the stranger, who was a little less strange, stayed and they continued to talk and laugh. It turned out that they went to school together. When the time came, the stranger went home. The two of them became very close friends. She told us that they were still friends at the time she was my counselor. She ended the story with a dialoge between them. Years after that walk home she confessed to them that they had saved her life. She went on to explain that she had cleaned out her locker because she had planned to commit suicide that night. She thanked them. They both shed many tears. Tears of happiness mostly.

A word of encouragement can change someone's life. It maybe even save it.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

" For our light and momentary troubles are acheiving for us an eterenal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

I've been a little lost. I'm finding my way back, one step at a time.

- Me

It's been almost a week since I've posted anything. Sometimes inspiration is lacking and reality is too real to handle. All your not yet conquered dreams become your failures. All the people around you become your enemies. All of your hopes become your nightmares. Give it three days. I heard once that it takes three days for your perspective to change. Only then can your world  flipped right side up again.

"Yes I'm wishing my life away with these things I'll never say."      -Avril Lavigne

Neil Barringham

"The grass is greener where you water it."