now to start this off let me begin by saying I’ve been sitting at my laptop trying to think of a title for this post for a good 50 minutes now. I’m not quite sure what I just typed (yes, i’m inserting this after writing the post, not time traveling ;)) really deserves as a name. so whatever i end up deciding on, bare with me.

i had pictures taken and crafts made, outfits shot and fingers ready to type up some Valentine’s Day fun for all of you when I realized what I was truly wanting to write about tonight.

 That God is really really cool.

Now I know I’m only 16 and have only begun to endure the wonders this world has to offer, nor have I left the state of Nebraska enough times to fill up my two hands worth of fingers but I do know that what I’m writing means a whole lot to me, and i would more than love to share it with all of you.

As a quick disclaimer and to set off where I stand with all of this, I have been raised in a Catholic family since birth and my family has lovingly been a sign of that my entire life; something i am forever grateful for. My parents support and encourage everything I do and are my mediators and role models for right and wrong. My sisters are my physical sign of the role i need to play in being a role model for them and my little brother is the constant reminder to relax and have fun when there seems to be endless amounts of stress in my life. All in all, they all mean the world to me and have played a huge role in my life and my relationship with God.

As i grow older i overcome more daily problems and are faced with more and more bigger and more life-altering issues that can be a little more than a hassle to handle. i won’t deny that i’ve for sure felt alone. for sure had days where literally nothing went right and for sure have had moments where i’m completely ashamed of what i’ve done. but i’m also more than overjoyed to say that the more problems i face, the more i’ve learned to tackle them.

For the past few years i’ve strived to get to know God as my friend. i try to pray every night and every morning, talk to Him when i feel the slightest bit of doubt or confusion, and make sure to remember all the good things that come into my life are thanks to Him. ever since i have truly taken an interest to getting to know God on a personal level i’ve seen insane changes in my life. little problems in my day tend not to annoy me as much. before, getting a bad grade was the worst thing in the world to me and I would punish myself and pout about it for hours instead of working to improve it. a fight with my parents used to cause me to blame them instead of realizing maybe they just had a bad day or maybe (shocker) it was my fault too.

I saw a quote on Pinterest (it’s good for literally EVERYTHING) the other day that talked about the “ten top things we should and should not do” so of course i was intrigued. To-do lists and Pinterest count me in. i read through the list and was stuck when i came to the last one. #10 GOD first, the rest will follow. man. is it really that easy? because in that case i’ve been missing out. i’m one for to-do lists and structure in my life complete with schedules and tasks to accomplish and goals to meet. i think sometimes (a lot of the time) i forget that setting my heart on these material goals can be important, but nothing is more important than setting your heart on God and trusting in what He says. because whether we know it or not at the time, it always leads us in the right direction.

for me, the easiest thing is trying to be happier. starting off connecting with God in the morning doesn’t have to be as “attending 6 am mass and silently praying for an hour” as you think it does. for me its John Mayer pandora and alone time in my bed with coffee before getting up and greeting the world (or my dance team, same thing). this start to my day allows me to focus on me for a bit of time, and telling myself it’s gonna be a good day, usually leads to a pretty darn good day. it’s all in your hands, you make the final choices on whether or not your happiness will occur that day. don’t let stupid little things break your happiness, after all, they’re stupid little things.

for me it’s also being who you are. i know this is a commonly preached thing on my blog but it is SO important to me. DO NOT LET ANYONE EVER CHANGE YOU. people are in your life for a reason and they are different than you for a reason. God WANTS you to shine, that’s why he makes you different from everyone else. he wants you to do your own thing. and if doing me means putting a smile on the big guy’s face, you betcha that’s exactly what i’m gonna do.

trust me though, it’s not by any means perfect nor do i by any means try to come off as saying that i have a perfect relationship with God. because i don’t, i still get angry when things don’t go my way and i’m for sure not always on cloud nine. but i’ve been loving my life recently and who i’m becoming because of it. so make sure you can love your life and love yourself too, it does wonders.

sorry this was the most ramble-y and scatter brained thing on the planet, it felt really really good to type out and share with you. remember, give it to God and go to sleep. because that’s exactly what i’m about to do.

xoxo, Allison