Lovelies.

[instagram: theplaidsparrow]

Well, this week flew by for me.

I'm so happy it is the weekend & I am off of work!

Though, next week will be a different story, I'm afraid.

Anyhoo, I have plans to run to town this afternoon and get my momma her Mother's Day gift! 

Yay! So fun.

Before I get ready to jet off & do that, I wanted to leave you all with some posts that have inspired, encouraged, and gave me few laughs this past week!

So, without further ado:

When Lauren plays matchmaker to the stars you better believe your in for treat ... & a bunch of laughs!


Haley is so lovely. She is someone I would love to know more. This post brought a sweet smile to my face.


Please do yourself a favor & check out Gentri Lee's trip to the Breathing Blogger Retreat here and here. Plus, more fun with instagram photos here.

Before stopping in Amsterdam, Nicole shares a few snapshots of Seville! So gorgeous!!


Katie never fails at bringing a smile to my face, and this post was no different. :)


Do you remember?


For someone who has struggled on and off her whole life with her weight, this post was most encouraging!!


When the girls shared photos of their Bali trip I just swooned over them all!
(Part 1 & 2 can be found here and here)


Molly & her mom are as cute as buttons, I tell ya! :)


I adore this lady & I love this outfit post! -- I hope she does more of them. ;)


If you haven't heard about The Influence Conference, then please do yourself a favor and read about it on Casey's blog!! 

Happy weekend, friends!! 

& Happy Mother's Day to all the lovely momma's or soon-to-be. 

much love.

xoxo

Tuesdays with Colie, Week 1

feel free to purchase a copy for yourself. it is wonderful! :)

Do you know that feeling you get after reading a novel, that feeling of never wanting to let go of it. You want to hold onto the story, the characters, the emotions.
Yes? Good.
No? I hope you do someday.

Morrie is about to die.
He is in the last few months of his life when Mitch hears about his old professors illness.
And just as it would be, Mitch has one last class with Morrie.
In his home, by the window in his study.
With only a short time, Morrie shares the lessons about life and how to truly LIVE.

So, over the course of the next fourteen weeks, I have decided to take that journey.
I hope that you all do as well.

"Dying is only one thing to be sad over. Living unhappily is something else." -Morrie Schwartz

**taken from 'tuesdays with morrie' page 48**

Sometimes I just stop and think about how small we all are in comparison to the world, the universe.

We are the size of ants, smaller even.

I am not sure if we are even a speck.

In a sense, we barely exist to the world around us.

Yet, we do in fact exist.

We all desire to be happy and live a life filled with love.

However, sometimes we are constantly striving for things that in the end ... as Morrie talks about ... won't matter. 

We also forget to show compassion and love to others because we spend so much time thinking about what we need for ourselves. We never have enough, right?

We keep looking for what this world can offer us to make us momentarily happy.

I feel that many times we get so caught up in having more, that we let our dreams slip away.
I hope we can find them again. 

Morrie spoke of how something changed in him once he became ill. 

He began to feel closer to people when he began to suffer.

He felt their pain and hurt.

People he didn't even know ... that his heart ached for them and instantly he would come to tears. 

During one of Mitch's classes he had with his professor in college, Morrie showed up one day and just stood in front of the class.

He just starred ... and waited.

No sound.

Everyone fidgeting, nervous, awkward.

When the silence finally broke, Morrie got what he wanted all along.

A discussion about the effect of silence on human relations.

Why are we constantly moving?

We live in a time where silence rarely exists.

Who has the time, right?

I have to say that it is something that I have to remind myself daily to do.

I do not always succeed. 

Silence is very important, I feel.

I believe that in the silence we are able to really stop and reflect on what we really NEED in our lives, not just what we WANT. 

Silence allows us to slow down and enjoy life.

When we finally do that, I think that the pursuit of living begins again.

Morrie once said, "The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in. Love is the only rational act."

always love. always.

my heart is hurting tonight. 

my family & i just found out that a boy, who attended the local high school with my sister, shot himself earlier tonight.

-- in the head.

he had just turned 15 a few days ago. 

:'(

all i want to do is cry.

my heart literally aches for him.

both my sisters knew him.

he had a HUGE crush on my sister, amber.

they said he was a nice kid.

always trying to make others laugh.

the only thing i can think is "what?"

what made this young boy, with so many years ahead of him, feel so hopeless?

i promise you that i am not brave enough to ever take my own life.

i know this for sure.

& yet he did.

what must he have felt to do take his own life?

hurt? 

pain?

unloved?

unwanted?

unworthy?

helpless?

we are all a story.

a living story. 

& no one's story is the same.

we never truly know what someone is going through.

unless they so courageously decide to share it.

so i ask this of you all:

remember not to judge a book by it's cover.

remember to speak kind words.

remember to smile.

remember to show grace. 

remember to be compassionate.

& please, PLEASE ....

remember to LOVE. 

-colie

www.twloha.com