Plant a Seed of Friendship; Reap a Bouquet of Happiness

When you fail to see the beauty within yourself let a friend take a photo of you. They capture the truth, the loyalty, the silliness, and the love of a real beautiful friendship. In the moments in between a gut bursting laugh or sarcastic banter...there is always beauty. A friend knows that exact moment, the one when a little ray of sunshine catches your eye, or right in the midst of a giggle when your eyelashes flutter and your smile is...stunning. So, the next time you are feeling crummy grab a camera, hand it to your best friend, and snap away. The results are breath taking!

Right now, you and me here, put together entirely of atoms,

Sitting on this round rock with a core of liquid iron held down by gravity,

all the while spinning around the sun at 67 thousand miles an hour,

and whizzing through the Milky Way at 600 thousand miles an hour,

in a universe that may very well be chasing its own tail at the speed of light,

and amidst all this frantic activity,

fully aware of our own imminent demise,

We reach out to one another,

sometimes for the sake of vanity,

sometimes for reasons you are not old enough to understand yet,

but a lot of the time we reach out and expect nothing in return.

Isn't that strange?

Isn't that weird?

Isn't that weird enough...

October

I went on a scavenger hunt for fall pretties the other day. I came upon the perfect little hiding spot!

October

"O hushed October morning mild,

Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;

Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,

Should waste them all.

The crows above the forest call;

Tomorrow they may form and go.

O hushed October morning mild,

Begin the hours of this day slow.

Make the day seem to us less brief.

Hearts not averse to being beguiled,

Beguile us in the way you know.

Release one leaf at break of day;

At noon release another leaf;

One from our trees, one far away."

~Robert Frost

I've been playing with textures...what do you think?

Everything I Hope to Be...

Out of all the blessings in my life…you are one of the greatest. Although another year has passed, and we are both getting older, I will always be that sleepy little girl asking for just one more story, and you will be that very tired daddy mustering out a few more tales before both of our eyes close.

The best parts of my life involve you, and you always make your way into my favorite memories….from the teddy bear picnic to “bumble bees flying in the trees,” and from tea parties to birthday parties…even to proms. Although, out of all these memories, my favorite times spent with you were the days you drove me to school. Every second of those car rides were spent talking, laughing, crying, or learning….For me, mostly learning. I owe all that I have become to you because it is you, daddy, that laid the foundation for me to chase my dreams, to have a humble heart, to love myself and others, and to trust God with all that is in me…It is you who held my hand when I got scared, but let me walk on my own when I had to…It is you who dried up my tears and stitched my heart back together when it was broken, but rejoiced with me through every achievement.

I am so proud of you for all that you do, and for the amazing example you set for our family and our community. Everyone who knows you would say that you have been a blessing to them in some way, from the people you help with your job to the kids you coach during your free time. You work so hard for others without wanting praise or recognition, but every time you do something and think it goes unnoticed just know that you are wrong…because I notice. I am so very proud to be your daughter, my loving and humble father.

Today, on your birthday, I want you to pat yourself on the back for once, and know that who you are is everything I hope to be. I love you soo much!

Happy Birthday Dad,

Xoxo

Brittany