August 26, 2012

if they could talk ...

I am not much of a shopper. If you know me from my internet self, you would never guess because my pinterest boards and the shopping sites I window shop at are pretty exquisite. Those of you that really know me, know that my sense of fashion is pretty much tee-shirts and sweats with a pair of literal HOLE-Y Keds or flip-flops. With that being said, at the beginning of the summer I looked in my closet and was horrified to see that I literally had NO flip-flops.

Buuuuhdabuh?! Tee-shirts and pants are important ... but flip-flops during the summer ... they are VITAL. So I went to Wal-mart to check out their vast selection of cheap solutions to my problem. With my chronic dislike of shopping also comes a love of being somewhat frugal (unless it involves Vera Bradley), so I thought the five dollar options were pretty pricey. Luckily, there were a single pair in my size that only cost a fiscal dollar! Now that's my kind of deal! Who cared that the material might disintegrate in only a few days? Who cared that they might be hazardous to my health in the heat? I sure didn't, so I bought them.

Anyway, long story turning into another long story, I was looking at these shoes yesterday and I was trying to think of a time that I haven't been wearing them when my important things of summer have occured. Or a time that they haven't been tucked away in a suitcase for wear in the shower or to change into after a trip to the gym. These babies have lasted me all summer and they are pretty much the perfect representation of how wonderful and magical and fantastic and lovely my summer has been.

I wore them at the beginning of the summer to graduation. I was wearing them when I decided to lengthen my stride. I wore them to Girl's Camp (only inside the cabins I swear!!). I packed them for EFY and for my date with Heath in Indiana. I wore them the week I had eight dates. I wore them on the day we went to the Temple to be sealed to Minsy. I wore them to re-register for school. I wore them to clean my Nandy's house and to babysit. I wore them around the house while I was doing Family History and to Mutual at church.

I pretty much wore them out. Period.


I grew to love my flip flops this summer. I love that I got my 98 cents out of them. I love that they show how much I walked this summer, outside and inside. I especially love thinking about the stories they could tell ... if they could talk. They probably would be groaning by now, because obviously they have been abused well-loved.

Another thing in my collection of things that followed me everywhere this summer is my journal. At the beginning of Girl's Camp, Sis. Albrecht, the incredible woman that was the 1st Ward Camp Leader gave these out in bulk and I am so grateful that she did! I have some of my most precious thoughts and notes that I have received during the summer that are tucked carefully away in it's pages.

After EFY (I don't know if you knew this or not), I really, truly felt like life was finally perfect. Like, I felt like I could die happily and have no regrets and those kinds of cheesy sentiments. That was also when I was super hooked on writing all of my impressions down. During one of these writing sessions, I decided that I wanted my posterity to know one thing about the Laney that was writing in the little blue journal during the summer of 2012. I wanted them to know just how much I loved my life. So I wrote it on EVERY SINGLE PAGE on the top right corner. This is something else that I think really ... I don't know ... testifies? of how great my summer has been. I really do LOVE MY LIFE. I recognize more than ever before that Heavenly Father is really looking out for me and loves me and wants what's best for me. 

In Sunday School today, our lesson was supposed to be about Helaman 1-5. We didn't really get to talk about Helaman 5:12, but that is my FAVORITE scripture mastery verse, just so you know. As I was thinking about it in prep for the lesson earlier in the week, and I thought of something that really struck a chord with me. The verse begins, "And now my sons, REMEMBER, REMEMBER." I usually glance over that part really quickly, but as I was thinking about it for this lesson, I thought and thought about what Helaman was really trying to say to his sons. He wasn't preaching to his sons to study and learn new things about the gospel ... he wasn't even bearing testimony of what he knew ... he was just pleading for them to REMEMBER the things they already knew. Applying it to my own life, I know that recording the events of this summer is going to be such a blessing for me in the future to remind me of what I already know when challenges arise. During the 180 days of an intense senior year, I am going to be incredibly grateful that I took the time to write my feelings down as they were happening. Because I recorded them, I will be able to remember that the Lord hears my prayers. He knows me because of them and he answers them! He is directing me and wants me to succeed. He has walked in my old worn out shoes and has carried me (and will) when I feel like I can't walk anymore.

And if I can remember that, looking forward to how awesome the rest of my life is bound to be, I think I will be one happy muchacha.

Speaking of happy, and on a totally non-spiritual nor thought, here is a song that makes me happy right now!


2 comments:

  1. Who isn't happy when watching a Bob Ross video? Another great post Laney!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love your insight Laney! You are such a beautiful young lady, inside and out!

    I also love that you are still using the journal, I just love you!

    ReplyDelete

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