The last year or so of my life has been an adventure. I've learned many, many lessons. Lessons about love, about loss, about myself, my strengths, my weaknesses. I'm a dreamer. A creative. My mind can spin beautiful and terrifying scenarios at 100 miles an hour.
Through it all I've fought for myself. Fought off bitterness, anger, hopelessness. Despite the pain and disappointment. Despite being mistreated, used and discarded by those who people who were hurting and selfish. I've fought for my dreams. I almost gave up on them several times but rest assured they are firmly in tact at this moment. I'm Aly and to be me means to hope and dream and love with my whole heart. It's a risky business to tear through life the way I do. My heart gets involved in everything. But God sustains it. He's always got His hands on me. So, for better or for worse I choose to LOVE recklessly, HOPE endlessly and DREAM BIG! Because I made a commitment to be true to myself ....
“One word, Ma'am," he said, coming back from the fire; limping, because of the pain. "One word. All you've been saying is quite right, I shouldn't wonder. I'm a chap who always liked to know the worst and then put the best face I can on it. So I won't deny any of what you said. But there's one more thing to be said, even so. Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things-trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that's a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We're just babies making up a game, if you're right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That's why I'm going to stand by the play world. I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia. So, thanking you kindly for our supper, if these two gentlemen and the young lady are ready, we're leaving your court at once and setting out in the dark to spend our lives looking for Overland. Not that our lives will be very long, I should think; but that's a small loss if the world's as dull a place as you say.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair
2 comments:
Dear Fellow Blogger and Sibling in Christ,
This was such a beautiful post, and it really inspired me. Everyone struggles, and hurts, and wishes things were better. However, we are given the situations and experiences we have for a reason, and you show the attitude we are called to have towards them - one of hope and perseverance. You have an impeccable way of putting things. God works and speaks through you in your blog. I just wanted to encourage you to keep on with what you are doing. "Well done good and faithful servant!"
~Annaliese Gillette
P.S. The Silver Chair is my favorite out of the Narnia series, and one of my favorite books. Great choice! :)
Annaliese,
My apologies for the delayed reply. The holidays in the life of a single mother and photographer can be insanely busy and let me reassure you it was just that!
Thank you... Thank you for taking the time to comment and encourage. It's a rare and kind person that will do that these days. And if I may say it's well needed in this world!
Also, my most favorite quote from the bible is "Well done good and faithful servant" Thank you for blessing me with that reminder. :)
~Aly
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