Happy 1st Anniversary, Inspiration Today!

 Hello everyone!

 I can't believe that it will be a year ago next Thursday, May 30, since I got the inspiration to start this blog. In one year we have impacted so many lives with nearly 500 pageviews, 30 posts, and visitors from around the world! (Check out some more of our stats on the Christmas post! ) I thank God for giving me the gifts necessary to make this blog a success! And I thank all of you for being so faithful in the process!

Help me celebrate Inspiration Today by commenting on this post with the name of your favorite post this year and how it inspired you. Also, share ideas for the year ahead! Is there something special you'd like me to reflect on? Is there something you'd like to see added to Inspiration Today? Ideas so far include adding images of landscapes and simple living, writing lots more book and movie reviews, and improving the use of Livebits! 

 Thanks for all of your support! Blessings to you all!

 Inspired, 
 Emelie

Discovering joy in times of sorrow

      I recently came across this quote by Khalil Gibran: "When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight." Joy is such a challenging feeling to embody, partly because much of what makes us sorrowful brings us joy, and much of what makes us joyful brings us sorrow. 
     How many times have you heard a confused child ask his weeping mother at a special occasion, "Why are you crying?", only to hear her respond, "These aren't sad tears, but rather, tears of joy"? And what a gift and a joy children are. But do they bring us pain and sorrow, sometimes even disappointment? I always think of those parents that have a child with a severe illness or disability. As much happiness as it has given them to see their child grow and develop, they still experience the grief of having to constantly maintain their child's health and well-being. Another example of this would be the young love we all experienced as teenagers. As much joy as it brings us to be in relationship with someone, it can often be complicated, causing more trouble than the relationship is probably worth.
     What I invite you to think of today is, not finding sorrow in your joy, but rather how you can find joy in times of trial and great difficulty. Instead of looking at the pain it is causing you, choose instead to be grateful for the support you are receiving from friends and family, the gifts that satisfy your bodily needs, and most importantly, God's presence and peace in the midst of it all. I challenge you to embrace your sorrows, for "in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight."

Rainy day reflections

     As a child, I remember sitting in the car on the way home from dance class, watching the rain drops slide across my window. I imagined that the large drops were the momma fish and the small drops were the little baby fish. I marveled at how the momma fish would swallow the baby fish up, magically transforming into the big papa fish. I would watch this same transaction take place numerous times, never tiring of such a silly imagining. Yet in the eyes of a child, the simplest things bring the most joy.
     About a year ago, I received a letter from a mentor of mine. To this day, I treasure his final statement: "Don't forget to play in the mud every once in a while." When I first read it, I didn't quite understand what he was getting at. Play in the mud? Isn't that something little kids do? Kids that don't have to worry about the grown-up things like school and work and money and relationships? But then it dawned on me. He didn't mean play in the mud in the literal sense. What he wanted was for me to recall what it was like to be a child, to enjoy the simple things in life. He wanted me to see fish in the form of raindrops, shapes in the form of clouds, life through the eyes of a child.
  Today I would like to invite you to be young at heart. Do something that reminds you of your childhood, whether it be playing a game or recalling a silly imagining. See the world through the eyes of a child: take in all those vibrant colors and rich smells and funny feelings. Laugh like a child, show off your toothy grin. Call up mom and dad and tell them how much you love them. Read your favorite fairy tale. Watch one of those old cartoons that used to play on TV. Color or paint a picture with all the colors of the rainbow. Cuddle with a furry friend. Wear footie pajamas and drink hot cocoa. Have a tea party with your dollies. Go crazy! Do what a child would do, and enjoy the simple joys of life.

 "May your love of life be the enchantment that turns insignificant things into joys."

 Excerpt from "I Wish For You" by Lance Wubbels