25 & up

I remember being 16 and thinking how I had everything planned out for my life.  I knew just want job I was going to have. I knew where my two-story house was going to be. I knew I was going to be married and probably have a child by the time I was 25!  I thought this planned out story line for a good little time in my life. Honestly, up until I was 24 did I realize, that things weren't going the way I planned since I was 16. In fact, nothing had gone the way I planned. I was working...but not in the job I originally thought. I definitely had no two story house, in fact I was paying rent not mortgage. Marriage and children were both so far from reality...that I realized the idea of plan was little more than a timeline of unrealistic expectations. 

I've heard that everybody goes through a time in life where you realize that God ultimately has a path for you..that is usually outside of the neat little package you have wrapped up for yourself. And ain't that the truth! 

Making it to 25 was NOT easy...and getting here hasn't been a summer picnic; but it has its advantages. While at 25 you do think about all the things you could have done differently...you get to a point where you see that all those things in the past are just that...things in the past that you cannot do one little thing about! Well you can, you can spend your present harping on everything that has already happened...or you can look ahead to all the marvelous things to come. At 25, I realize we all make mistakes, dumb moves, and foolish attempts at what we think is the best idea at the time. It's life. But as most of us know, self-forgiveness is the hardest of all. I can't even think about how many times I have beaten myself up about something I could have done differently, only to gain a headache after all that thinking and frustration. 

I am only human and know that reflection is a part of life, but we have to all try to keep that in perspective. 

The best part of 25 is however though the peace of mind and wisdom. I can't believe how much wiser I am; then again I'm human so at times I'm still a stark fool! Nonetheless, I do find myself full of much more wisdom and thought. I like to stand out, I love educated discussion, I like to be me. .all of which are things that at 16 I knew little about.

So even as I sit here without many of the things I thought I'd have at this age, I believe that I will still have these and many more blessings in my future. I can't put a time limit on them but I believe they will happen...but for now all I can do is sit on my couch, enjoy my company and hope that I will be blessed with 25 and 25 and 25 more years of life...with the people I love and nights on the couch like this one :) 

God is Peace, Life, and Love-