Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Thanksgiving is already turning into one of my favorite holidays. It’s that time of the year when the trees are still colored with shades of autumn, and the air is crisp and punctuated with the smell of roast turkey and fresh apples.

I woke up this morning, thanking God for another lovely day. 

Thanksgiving is the perfect reason to get reunited with family. 

Well, my family’s 9,500 miles away in Malaysia, so I spent Thanksgiving with my American family – the Neals.

They sort of “adopted” me. ;) I’m so thankful to have met the Neals. They’re a crazy, hilarious, loving family who support each other in every way possible. They welcomed me into their home with so much warmth and introduced me to the Southern culture. They even taught me how to speak with an Arkansan twang: "Get yer country fried chickin'!"

Here’s a brief update about my first Thanksgiving with the Neals and their extended families. 

I got there an hour before everyone else started arriving and met Molly, Taylor’s kitten. Molly’s a feisty little thing. She’s really cute, but she hates being held. Whenever someone picks her up to snuggle, she growls and starts whining like a tortured soul. I have never met a kitten who hates being picked up. But then again, I’m more of a dog person than a cat person, so who am I to talk about kittens’ behaviors? Lol. 

One of the best things about Thanksgiving is the food. Oh, gosh. It's like Christmas, when people exercise their inner cook and whip up all sorts of yummilicious treats.

Deviled eggs

My plate of ham, country green beans, deviled egg, butter roll, chicken stuffing and mashed potatoes.

That wasn't even all the food we had. There was buttered corn, pudding, cheese balls and salted crackers, pink salad, banana pudding, carrot cake, chocolate cake, chocolate-coated balls of peanut butter and cream cheese and cupcakes with dark chocolate frosting.

I might have left one or two more things out of the list, but you get the picture. :) We stuffed ourselves with so much food that when the banana pudding was brought out, someone exclaimed, "Get that thing away from me. I am going to puke if I take one more bite because I am about to explode."

When you actually get to the heart of Thanksgiving, you realize that it's not all about the food. Thanksgiving is about the people.

Taylor, my "sister" from another mother. :) She's awesome! 

Meet Gracie! She's pretty much like a human being.

Cathy (Taylor's mom) and mamaw, Taylor's grandmother.

Sue Ellyn, Jason and LaDonna

Being around them was great, but it also made me miss my family a whole lot more. 

I'm thankful for my family back in Malaysia, for their unconditional love, support and encouragement throughout every step of my life. I couldn't have asked God for a better family. Every single day, I miss them even more. But the thought of seeing them in less than a month (because they're attending my graduation!) is exciting. :)

I am thankful for the Neals, for their generosity and warmth and for treating me like their own. They welcomed me into their lives, took me places, cooked me delicious Southern meals, helped me through some of the craziest moments of my college semesters, and offered me the sense of a warm, Southern family.

I am thankful for a loving boyfriend who has been there for me through the thick and thin of our almost 4-year long distance relationship. Thanks to the advancement of technology, we've been able to stay in touch through Skype and Whatsapp. It's really, really tough. But he makes all of this worth it.

I am thankful for friends who have my back - friends who love me for who I am, friends who encourage me, friends who build me up, friends who are able to laugh with me and share silly moments with me. They mean the world to me! True friends are hard to come by, so I thank God for each and every one of these special people He's placed in my life.

On top of everything else, I'm thankful for where I am today, for the circumstances I've had to endure to get here, for the people who made all of this possible, and for God's unfailing strength and grace that bolstered me through all 22 years of my life. Everything originated from Him, and without Him, there would be no Thanksgiving. :)

I'm also thankful to the lady who sold me the African hair clip last weekend.

Thanksgiving shouldn't be limited to just one day. Each day is Thanksgiving, a chance to celebrate the good things in life and to be grateful for everything you have. 

What are you thankful for? :)

Journey

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” 
― Ernest Hemingway

Moments

"It is the sense in every moment, that excitements fade, that everything moves on, that even the epiphanies and discoveries that seemed so exhilarating yesterday will soon be forgotten as the world flows on. You can't hold on to anything." -Peter Matthiessen, author of The Snow Leopard-

Memories are moments, moments are fragments of time, and time is fleeting.

The joy you experience today may decline into a strange sense of void the next day. It's really hard to hang on to the best moments in life. Even pictures and videos - the most powerful tools to capture special moments - fail to bring back the exact emotions you felt at the time the photo/video was taken. You may experience a slight tinge of happiness or nostalgia, but you won't feel the excitement from blowing off the candles on your 12th birthday, or the adrenaline rush when you passed your driver's test.

This is exactly why people say, "Cherish the good times." It's like a tape on replay; reminding you to constantly live in the present and enjoy the good moments because "good moments are hard to come by."

But no matter how hard we try to hold on to a good moment, it always manages to slip right out of our grip as time passes. Just as quickly as it happened, the moment fades into a memory, pocketed in our mind to be retrieved for future flashbacks.

Maybe it's true that we can't really hold on to anything. And maybe it's true that excitements fade as we endure new things. But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy life to its fullest. It doesn't reduce us the ability to be happy, to be proud of ourselves, to honestly announce that we've lived a productive, blessed life. And if you think about it, time carries the weight of a new adventure beneath its wings, just waiting to be experienced.
So when one moment passes, another one is on its way. :)

Be ready.

Amazed

Beautiful One

God loves you.
You mean everything to Him.
He cares about you.

Isn't it amazing how you can hear the same thing over and over again and never tire of it?

Those words carry the weight of heaven and earth in their tiny frames. The limitless breadth of His everlasting, unconditional love still manages to touch my soul and I'm taken back to the cross once again, overwhelmed.

Every time I pay attention to those words, I'm brought to a new place, even if it's one I've been to before. It still feels like a totally new experience.

It doesn't matter that I've heard it a million times in my lifetime. I can't help but be completely amazed at how lyrics can speak to me, even if I've heard the song a thousand times. Maybe it's because the lyrics are about His love, and that's something I can never tire of.

It's like reading your favorite book, with His love flowing lyrically across the pages in the form of words. But unlike the book, His love has no end.

Lift Me Up

When I feel like giving up
You're reminding me
That we all fall down sometimes
When I hit the ground
You lift me up when I am weak
Your arms wrap around me
Your love catches me so I'm letting go
You lift me up when I can't see
Your heart's all that I need
Your love carries me so I'm letting go

- The Afters -

Once a student, always a student

Photo credit: weheartit.com

Whether you're in high school, college, the work field, or anywhere else, you're always a student. When life takes you under its wings, it takes you through different phases. That's how you learn and grow.

Learning doesn't stop after college. It's a lifelong process until your last breath. When you travel, you see the world through a different set of eyes as you try to understand new cultures and places. When you meet new people, you learn about them. When you make mistakes, you learn more about yourself.

I don't think we will ever truly understand the world or ourselves. I think finding out who we are is never going to result in a definite answer because we are never the same person we were yesterday. Our thoughts, feelings and perceptions change all the time.

The more we learn about ourselves, the more we mature.


If things don't make sense now, they might in several years. And if they don't, maybe they aren't meant to. Everything happens for a reason, but not every reason is up to us to comprehend. We don't hold the answer to every event in our lives. The answer always lies in a bigger, more profound being.


The journey of life is a rewarding one, because one day you'll pause and look at the long trail you left behind. And you'll see yourself from a different angle; a refined, polished angle. Just know that this journey of self discovery is worth it.

You've so learned so much about yourself, your relationships, and your beliefs. There is so much more to learn about. So approach everything with an open heart and mind, and let time teach you the rest.

Thank you

Photo credit: weheartit.com

I love mornings like this. Beautiful mornings with prisms of sunlight streaming in through the blinds, bathing my bedroom in golden glory. As I sat up in my cozy bed of various blankets, soft toys and pillows, I closed my eyes and prayed, thanking God for another day filled with grace.

It's been two days since I came back to my quiet apartment in Conway. My roomies are still enjoying their winter break elsewhere, and one of them is returning tonight. Yesterday, I spent all afternoon unpacking my bags and spring cleaning my bedroom. As I went through the contents of my drawers, I found handwritten  cards and letters from my loved ones and I sat on the floor for a good hour or so, reading each and every letter and card written months and years ago.

I love handwritten cards and letters because they are tangible evidence that no matter the distance, love and friendship will always find a way.

Emails and Facebook messages are sweet too, but I personally prefer writing someone a postcard or letter so they can physically hold it in their hands and feel the way I feel when I receive a letter or card in the mail. That joyous feeling when you hold an envelope addressed to you from someone you care about. Yeah, I'm old school like that ;)

So, to the various people who've taken the time to send me postcards, cards, letters and lovely little notes over the years, I want you to know that I'm keeping all of them in my little black box :) I look at them from time to time and I can't keep myself from smiling, thanks to you. Your sweet notes of encouragement, your gentle words of kindness and your loving thoughts never fail to amaze me.

This one goes out to all of you who've kept me going, be it through letters, notes, cards, texts or emails.

THANK YOU.

You cheered me on every time, reminding me that I'd always have your back. 
You laughed along with me even though I'd just cracked the lamest joke on the planet.
You supported me and gave me the confidence I needed to make some of the toughest decisions in my life.
You were there to listen, to understand, to be there as a friend.
You loved me for who I am, even when at times when I couldn't love myself.
You showed me the power of love and friendship, and I knew I was truly blessed.
How could I ask for more, when I have some of the finest friends anyone could ask for?


So, thank you for your time, for your faith in me, and for loving me all the same. 

I love you all and I'm so blessed to have you in my life. :)

Sincerely,
Carissa.