C&C: Social Approval

This week's question is:  "How Important is Social Approval to You?"  I felt like this was the perfect week to get started on the C&C posts again. Kalyn is always so faithful to read my blog, and I love reading through everyone's C&C posts, but this one in particular is something that I have been dealing with lately.  You can read here about my Facebook rant.  Before you do that, I should share this... I have read through several of these posts, and many of them begin with "I'd love to say that I don't care, but I do!" I'm so glad that we are being honest about that because I believe that it's human nature for us to care about what others think. However, we also have to draw a line when it comes to other {or social} approval.  In high school, I had many friends whom I still love dearly to this day. I had some whom I haven't seen since we graduated, and I have some that I dread seeing since we graduated. As awful as that may sound, I feel like it is my fault. I allowed those people to "sway my opinion" about things and ultimately brainwash me about things as well.  With that being said, there were many things that I stood firm about - and most all of them were the things in life that really matter. Yes, I have made decisions that I would chalk up as mistakes now, but I have also stood firm in beliefs of mine when others did not.  Do I think differently of them now?  Can/Would I judge them for choosing something other than what I have chosen?  Absolutely not.  I believe that a ton of bad decisions stem from social approval. It's so easy to get lost in what others are doing, saying, and posting online that we loose sight of the person that we, as individuals, are and how we are raised, but most importantly the way that we should really be acting. I was the class president from the time I was a freshman in high school until I graduated, and while I made some silly mistakes in high school, I usually tried my best to set a good example for others.  My daddy has always told me that you may FEEL a certain way, and you may BE a certain way, but the way that you show yourself to others is ultimately how they view you. If you mess up once, their opinion of you has been made. I am aware that not everyone may have a wonderful opinion of me. I'm sure that I've hurt feelings or disappointed people along the way, but I have learned within the last two years that the people who stand beside you throughout your mistakes and bad decisions are the ones who have loved you all along. They are the ones who can't be swayed by popular belief, and I believe that they should be commended for that.  Social networking is one of our most powerful platforms nowadays. We have the world at our fingertips, and we are free to say and post anything we want.  Unless it is for the good, why say it? I'm not innocent in having a rant on Twitter every now and then, but I choose not to discuss many things that are controversial and could point back negatively towards me. What I'm saying is, since we all have some sort of social media that we maintain, why not use it for the good? Post fun, encouraging, funny, inspirational, interesting things - but don't flood your new feeds with negativity, and in that same aspect - free yourselves of those who do.  I promise that you will feel better about it. 

Coffee & Conversation: Who has influenced you the most in your life?

Linking up today with Kalyn & Lauren!
As you read in the title, today's question is: 
Who has influenced you the most in your life, personally or professionally?
This question is a tough one!  I have had many influences, and two of them are definitely my parents.

 They have always displayed a genuine love towards my brother and I, and they have taught us to love the Lord as well.  I know I wouldn't be the person that I am today without them, but there's someone else that has influenced me as well. 
My Mimi. 

I have always been Mimi's "baby girl". I am the only granddaughter that she has, and I was the youngest grandchild for quite some time, so needless to say - I have been spoiled! 

I can remember getting "tummy aches" at school (read: I usually only got a "tummy ache" when the clouds got dark because I am was terrified of bad weather, so I needed a legit excuse to go home), and she would pick me up, take me by the dollar store, let me spend 5 dollars, and come home for the rest of the day. Sometimes when she would pick me up, she would have already gone by the dollar store and picked me up something. She always had Sugar Waffers and a Sprite with her when she would get me from school - because those "cure a hurting tummy". 

As I grew older, in high school I started to appreciate Mimi in a different way. She was no longer just someone to pick me up from school or babysit me while I was too young to stay alone. She was becoming my FRIEND. Of course, she had always been my friend, but she was like a "best friend". Someone I called in a state of panic, excitement, disappointment, questioning, or need. She always had the right words to say, and by the time we hung up the phone I felt 110% better. She never led me astray or made me believe in something that wasn't true.

Mimi is a true woman of God. She can always back up her beliefs about things with Words from The Bible, and she believes them without a shadow of a doubt. She encourages me by the faith she has, and she has been such a Godly influence in my life. 

Not only does she have a strong Faith, but she also has a strong will. In the late months of 2011, Mimi was diagnosed with Lymphoma. Basically, cancer of the lymph nodes. I can remember the day I found out something was wrong, eventually finding out the diagnosis, and then having to figure out how to move forward. I felt like I abandoned Mimi for a few weeks because I didn't quite know what to say. It was a somewhat dark time in our family, each day was spent almost holding our breath. 

Finally, one day it seemed to click. Mimi was flying through chemo, and she was doing great. We were in constant prayer for her, and so were many others. We knew we had to rejoice in the Lord for having His hand of protection on her, and thank Him for being by our sides instead of allowing this to overcome us. 

Some days were hard.

Some days it was tough to be thankful.

But Mimi just kept telling us how she was "okay", and "going to be fine", and I think eventually she had said it enough to make us believe it. 

While it was hard for me to go through, I had to remind myself how hard it had to be for her as well. I spent a lot of the first weeks after her diagnosis feeling sorry for myself. 

"What if something happens to her?"

"Why did THIS have to happen to her?"

I had to stop that.

I began trying to discipline myself to THANK GOD for what He had already accomplished thus far in her journey each time I had a negative thought.

& sooner rather than later, it was over. 

In May, they declared Mimi "cancer free", and she has been in remission for almost a year. 

She is still the person I call when something great has happened, when something goes wrong, or simply when I need to talk. She is my anchor in this life, and I don't know what I would do without her. I have spent days crying on her shoulder and nights laughing in my room with her. We have spent hours talking on the floor in my room, and have traveled near and far away together, and there's no one in this world who knows (and keeps) my secrets the way she does. 

She is one of my most favorite people, always supporting me no matter what I do - even when I don't believe in myself, she does.

She loves the ones I love, and she takes up for me when need be. 

She's almost like an older, wiser sister that I never had.

The person that I am has always been enough for her.

I hope that one day my grandchildren feel the same way about me as I do about my grandmother. I hope that as I age, I will grow to be as wise, kind, smart, level-headed, and genuine as she is today. I wouldn't trade her for anyone in this world, and God couldn't have picked a better "Mimi" for me!

I am grateful for all the time I have to spend with her, even if it's only an hour on a Sunday afternoon, or a 15 minute talk on my way to class. 

Whatever it is, it's always so refreshing to hear her point of view, and I will always heed her advice to be the best. 

 Truthfully, I believe with all my heart that even when she may have felt like she falling apart, she was (and is) the glue that held (and holds) our family together.

.."What children need the most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life, and most importantly - cookies."

- Rudolph Giuliani  

Coffee and Conversation: What's the most valuable lesson you've learned this year?

I am linking up again with Kalyn and Lauren for Coffee and Conversation! Last week's post really allowed me to think about things that I am thankful for this week. I know I should think about it every week - even every day - but I fall short of that. If you'd like to read that post, click here.  This week the question is:  What is the most valuable lesson you've learned this year so far?  I'd like to say that's an EASY question, and the answer (for me) is easy, but I believe that a LESSON is also learned, and I'm not quite sure I've learned the lesson I have been taught this year.  It is that -- PROCRASTINATION IS NOT THE KEY!

I am the world's worst about waiting until crunch time to get started on things. Since starting at a 4-year college, I have learned that it is NOT always the greatest idea to wait until the last minute, and since I have gotten in the habit of doing things sooner rather than later - I find myself a lot less stressed out (and SO relieved) when the time comes for things that I don't procrastinate. 

Disclaimer:

This does not mean I never procrastinate. 

I am still fairly good at it! 

I have, however, started making notecards weeks before tests, done homework two nights in advance, and even tried to make sure I'm early (rather than RIGHT ON time) for class each morning. 

I find that I am a lot less stressed out when I plan ahead, and I always want to kick myself when I DON'T plan ahead. 

Now, among other lessons like

- making sure I lock my car, 

- wood stain under your nail beds is NOT attractive,

- smashing your thumb can delay life indefinitely,

- NEVER go to a "sit down" restaurant if you're famished,

and lastly...

- while it's fun to do nothing on Sunday's, it's also great to get things accomplished, 

I have learned a few things this week year. 

Tell us what you've learned! 

Go link up!

Coffee and Conversation Link Up: What are You Thankful For This Year?

Coffee and Conversation is a new link-up that my new blog-friend, Kalyn, and a blog friend of hers, Lauren, started co-hosting JUST this week! I am so excited to be participating because as much as I love to free write, I also love having a set topic to write about.The aim of Coffee and Conversation is to allow bloggers to meet up on Monday's, grab a button, and get to typing about things that are on their hearts. As many of you know, and as Kalyn explained last week - coffee is sometimes what brings us together. It's so easy to tell a friend, "Hey, let's grab a coffee and chat!" I know for me personally it is the glue that has held 4 generations together in my family. On Saturdays or Sundays, you can often find us curled up on the couch in one of our living rooms, grasping tightly to a cup of coffee, chatting about everything girls chat about. Needless to say, I think this is a fantastic idea, and I am so excited to be a part of it. I hope you will too!This weeks topic: What are you most thankful for this year?What an exciting question! Where do I begin? I am thankful for the things that most people would probably mention: God's love and faithfulness, family, friends, love, a roof over my head, and all of the other things that I haven't mentioned that we all take for granted, but here are the reasons why...

Without the love of Christ, I don't know how on earth I would make it through each week day. He has shown Himself more to me over the course of the last two semesters than ever before, and I promise I would have thrown in the towel if it hadn't been for Him speaking through my everyday life. Every morning before class, I read through my devotion "Jesus Calling", and I am always reminded of His love for us. Not only does He love us, but He loved us enough to send His only son to DIE for our sins. Our sins that are far deeper and rooted than anyone could imagine, but He forgives us and buries those sins as far as the east is from the west. Not only does He love us, but He loved us enough to leave behind a book of reminders, examples, encouragement, and guidelines for us to have. This Book is a survival guide to making it through this life, and even though there is no guarantee that it will be easy - it's far more tolerable when The Lord is on your side, and I am thankful for that. 

I am thankful for my family because I have learned since graduating high school and junior college that they are the ones who remain faithful even when friends you've had your whole life do not. I am proud to come from a close knit family, and I am even more proud to say that during the storms of our lives, we just hold on tighter to each other and brave them out. Family has never been something that I would say I have taken for granted, but I believe that as I grow older I realize how short life really is, and how much time I will wish I had spent with them here on this earth, so I am thankful for the time we DO spend together. I am particularly thankful this year for the relationship that I have grown to have with my brother. He and I were never close growing up, and now he is one of my closest companions. It is such a blessing {and equally NEAT} to have a sibling as a best friend, and it is something I have prayed about since I recognized it in other people - I am so THANKFUL that God heard my cry and has allowed my relationship with Matt to flourish over the course of the last year. 

I am thankful for David, my sole reason for creating this blog. I am thankful that God allowed our paths  to cross at just the right time and not a second before. I am thankful for his kind spirit, his patience, and his over-pouring love that he has for me. It has brought me through some tough times over the last year and a half, and I love being by his side through his struggles and triumphs. His quiet example has taught me a lot about myself and the person that I am. His humble spirit has made me appreciate him more every single day, and I look forward to the time we will spend together in the future. I absolutely love "dating with the intent to marry". I feel as if we learn something new about each other each day, things we didn't know even six months ago, and I am so glad that we have these next couple of years to continue to grow and learn in our relationship together as well as our relationship with The Lord.

Lastly, I am thankful for {some of} the things we have here in America that aren't present elsewhere. In 2011, I was given the opportunity to travel to Honduras with our church and minister to the Honduran People. What an eye opener! We take the smallest things, like having clean sheets before we go to bed, for granted. God showed me how important meals, roofs, and even shoes were while I was there - and even now, almost exactly two years later, I still take these things for granted. Life isn't about materialistic things, sure, but when we do have them - we should remember those things and be thankful for them. There are people all over, not just in Honduras, who are way less fortunate than we are, and sometimes I believe we get carried away with "junk" we don't always need. 

With all of that "thankfulness" being told, 

I have to say that it is reminding myself of these things that gets me through times when I feel like I don't know which way to turn. I have to remind myself that I have an unfailing God who's love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me. A family who will also have my back no matter what, my best friend - David, whom I love and adore, to talk me through those hard times, as well as the home, transportation, and other materialistic things that I sometimes take for granted. 

Now, don't you want to join in and tell me what you're thankful for? How bout you grab that button and link up yourself! Can't wait to see what you have to say!*all photos are my own.