I consider myself to be a very lucky girl. Lucky and blessed beyond measure. The people I am able to know—the close friends I have, those I, unfortunately, haven’t had the chance to grow all that close to over the years, as well as the new people I’m meeting daily—are some of the most incredible people (whether they’re aware of it or not). Absolutely incredible.
Since the beginning of this year, I’ve been receiving a lot of feedback on my Facebook status updates by wonderful people in my Facebook community. Since this fall semester started, so over the last two and half-ish months, the number of “random” words of kindness (I say “random” only in regards to the unexpectedness of the comments! Not the comments themselves!) has very much increased. I’ve been overwhelmed—in a great way!—with such encouraging thoughts and positive messages, honestly I don’t even know where or how to begin my list of thanks. I always feel bad, too, because posting a reply comment or sending a thank-you email just doesn’t suffice! Really, it’s the best I can do most of the time, given the distance factor and the fact that I don’t have most peoples’ phone numbers, but I really find myself wishing I could fully express the gratitude in my heart for all the unselfish, genuine displays of kindness from friends, family, and strangers alike!
Here’s why I’m in as thankful a state as I am. I feel like the credit I receive from my community may be a little off. Because really, this is an example of one of those cyclical systems—it’s the definition of a “give-and-take” scenario. Without one, the other will suffer. Every thought and view I post online is developed because of the experiences I have and is influenced by the people I know. As people, we’re not designed to walk through this life completely alone; we’ve been given the gift of relationships in order to build solid communities on which to lean, and I’ve got to say, the growing community I’ve been blessed with is such an amazing, amazing support system…I honestly couldn’t ask for a better group of people to know! The things I write have been received by a lot of people these days, which is something I’m thankful for! It’s so encouraging to me to know that the thoughts that I’m having are shared by those around me! The only reason I’m able to be thankful, though, is because the awesome people whose lives I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of in some way or another have vocalized their reactions to what I’ve shared. They constantly refuel my well of energy with their honest faith, and because of that I’m able to have the confidence to keep saying what I do. Again, it’s that cycle—the people I know allow me to experience such joy every single day, thus leading to positive status updates and blog posts. The encouraging responses and more times of shared laughter then cause more happy thoughts, resulting in more posts! So really, it’s only a small portion my doing! When you’re giving me the credit that you do, PLEASE take a minute to thank yourself!
If you’re reading this, I want to extend a huge, huge thank you in your direction for this very reason. If I’m able to know you, to whatever extent, know that you are a piece of this girl’s life. Even if we’ve only met once or twice, or only exchanged one or two words, we’ve still established a relationship and you’ve still impacted my life more than you know! Whether or not you all realize this, as encouraging I may be to you, every single one of you serves as a constant source of inspiration and encouragement, every single one of you brings something different to the table, and every one of you has so many admirable traits that I look up to and value with all my heart! So please, on this beautiful Saturday, I ask that you remember to give YOURSELVES the credit you deserve. If it weren’t for you and all that you give—yes, you are giving at all times…Just by living, breathing, acting, speaking, you’re giving—I would not be the same person I am today. Every one of you is beautiful. Every one of you is beautiful. Every one of you has a heart that I’m so glad I’m able to know. And for everything…EVERYTHING…I thank you with all the love I have!! Let’s keep this cycle going…and see how far we can spread it, how many people we can include, how much love we can give :)
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