Holly and Kelly: This will most likely be our last post of the year 2013, and my how fast it has gone! We would like to take this opportunity to reflect on what we have learned in this past year and how we have grown as humans, sisters, and Christians.
Question God: Really. In a culture that is so bent upon NOT doing such, one thing we have learned is that it is ok to have a healthy questioning of God. We remember talking to each other and asking God "is this really what you want from us?" "Do you really have our best interests at heart?" "How much longer?" Trust me; He can handle it.
Don't be afraid to say no: No is no is no is no. It is a complete sentence, thus should not require explanation. Nobody's going to hate you. Seriously.
Nothing is permanent: This is both a good thing and a bad thing.
Be open-minded to new possibilities and/or challenges: If this were not so, we would have never gotten into Doctor Who. Give things a chance; you never know what you might find. Sometimes things get rough along the way. You can either let them knock you down or you can learn from them. As a result of this, we learned how to forgive loved ones (see below) and be our own people.
The people who are with you through it all are the ones to hold onto: You may think you have known someone your whole life, but when you need them the most they are nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, we learned this truth the hard way. But we're better because of it. We've gained and lost friends along the way, but there have been those few who have been there with us for a long time. Granted we don't get to see them that often, but they have still been there. We are thankful for those people; you know who you are.
Good things come to those who do wait: And they happen in His time, not ours. Right after Kelly graduated, we found ourselves unsure of what road was next. It was a very trying and unsettling time for us, but now things are good. Really good. That doesn't mean though we still need God, because we do.
Get angry: You would be amazed how easy it is to bottle those emotions up. Sometimes a healthy session of venting is ok. Cry out; to God, a friend, someone you trust. We too, like most of these lessons, learned this the hard way. Often times we would both be so angry or frustrated with the circumstances and just blow up at each other for no reason. The moment we stopped running (or trying to run) from what we were angry and frustrated with, the easier it was to deal with it. It wasn't easy at first, but over time it did get easier. It just takes time.
Remember to have fun: Call your friends and plan random get-togethers, just for the sake of doing in. When we first got our new jobs, we would just work and work and work and work, but didn't leave a lot of room for play time. Now random get togethers, even if it's just the two of us, happen at least once a month. Don't misunderstand us; we love our jobs, but sometimes it's nice to just take a break and have fun!
Sometimes letting go is the only way to move forward: Actually, this is a direct quote from an episode of "Smallville". But in all seriousness, we learned this the hard way: earlier in the year we had a falling out from a friend that we were friends with for a long time. Normally we would have run back and tried to fix everything, but this time, we decided enough was enough. And that's that. I think we held on for so long, even though we knew things had gone wrong a while back, because we thought we could fix things. But sometimes people don't want to be fixed, and you have to accept that and move on. So we did. Of course we still think about her and, as always, we wish the best for her.
The ones we lose never really leave us. On our 23rd birthday, we learned that our grandpa had passed away. We did somewhat see it coming, but it nevertheless still saddened us. Still, to this day, we see things, hear things, say things, that remind us of him. He is with us, always, and he is with Jesus and his family, and we can't be sad about that.
Forgiveness doesn't happen overnight. We've had some pretty rough family issues this year, and it's safe to say that things will never be the same. Things have gotten better, yes, but we are still working on the forgiving aspect. We always will, I suppose. Forgiveness takes time.
You have to make time for the things that are important to you. Pretty self-explanatory. But even if it's just for five minutes, take time for yourself. In a culture that is so fast-paced, we ought to.
Goals for the next year:
Give back to God. This is something that Holly has felt on her heart for a while now, and eventually you have to put it into action. We'll see what happens, but God blesses those who give all to Him, including their finances.
Read. We've both enjoyed reading for FUN this year. Yes, an actual book. We anticipate to do more reading in the new year.
Reach out. It's amazing how quickly the time passes and it turns into months and months without hearing from friends and family. Even though it's a lame excuse, we really do get caught up in our busyness. We're hoping that our reaching out will inspire others to reach out to their own loved ones as well.
Jump in. Ever see someone do something/say something but they just keep waiting and waiting? Ever asked yourself "what am I waiting for?" Well....just do it! Don't wait; the opportunity may not come again.
Remember that we're not alone. And neither are you. God is with us, and you, and so are so many others out there. Call upon Him, your family or your friends if you're hurting or struggling. We are going to do our best to do the same.
It's been an up and down year, 2013 has. Let's all do our best in making 2014 a little bit better!
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