Here comes the sun...

Come on, admit it, you went "do do do do" when you saw the title. ;)

Sorry for not writing in a while, I haven't been all that well :(

Recently, it's got all summery at last - finally hot enough for crazy spontaneous picnics, flips flops and Summer fun, the floaty dresses can come out of the back of the wardrobe and those gorgeous leather sandals you bought in the Autumn sale can finally be worn.

"I want a violet bicycle, flip flops and sand between my toes, these are the beautiful things in life..."

OK, so we've had downpours, storms and cancelled sports days across the country, but that's British weather for you. However, the sun peeking its head through the clouds between the showers has got me thinking...

What's sunshine to you?

"That warm sunny feeling ... you know the one... when for no proper reason your tummy just goes all weird and you grin like a silly hen." says our totally awesome handsoap bottle. 

But what, for you, is that blissful and limitless happiness, what is it that makes the sun beam into your soul. What's your sunshine?

For me, sunshine is memories.

It's the line of a song that has read my heart and flipped over my stomach in pure lyrical genius. It's the sound of my friends laugh over the phone on a Friday night after a long week, when we talk away our troubles until late in the night. It's a sweet summer evening, it's making daisy chains for little princesses, it's a walk around the village with my brother, the smell of the Mediterranean Sea on holiday. It's daisies and cherished prayers, forget-me-nots and foot prints. It's words that fit together as I write like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, it's a new black Biro on a fresh page of my journal.

It's the rush of love I feel for my beautiful sister when she smiles, that I know I'll never let her go. It's the beach, challenging the waves with my truly amazing cousin.

So we have cloudy days. But bad weather's got to come sometimes, or we'd never find the rainbow.

Some related links for you...

• Sunshine In My Sky, Kate Voegele - adorable song from a great new album by the actress who plays Mia Catalano in One Tree Hill
• Brighter Than The Sun, Colbie Caillat - another adorable song, from another great new album. I love Colbie Caillat! And this video is Colbie at her most lovely :)
• Treacle Moon - amazing products, as I mentioned earlier. "Those Lemonade Days" products smell absolutely delicious, most certainly good enough to eat (though, please don't!) and the slogans and quotes are just so cute. The descriptions on the back keep me amused in the shower too. they support a charity, and... I could go on and on. These products are AMAZING, is all you need to know... :)
• Ellie Claire journals. I love this website, I have her Hope journal (Threds) at the moment, and it is truly amazing. They've all got 2 quotes per double page spread, a quote from the Scripture and another inspirational quote. I LOVE my journal.
• Bic Cristal ballpoint pens. Black Bic Cristals are my LIFE. Sadly, I'm not joking. :D

Dear Readers...
So what's your sunshine? Join in the sidebar and tell me using whatever means of communication you wish - words, pictures, a poem or song. Take inspiration from these Summer months - which rays truly penetrate your heart?


Rules

• Your own work only - no plagiarism
• Comment/feedback on someone else's entry
• The closing date is 1st September 2011
• The winner will be the most creative and inspiring response

Have fun, I can't wait to explore your sunshine :)

Love,
Lizzie xx

Blogging, Boxes & Being Me

Hey,

If you read my last post, thank you very much, I hope it gave you something to think about. It's occurred to me that perhaps I ought to tell you all a little bit about me and my blog.

Well, my name is Elizabeth. I'm just learning, writing, and being inspired through everything I believe in. I don't really know where I'm headed right now, but I'm ready to take whichever path life throws at me. I'll take it head first, fearless.

"Maybe I'm just a girl on a mission, but I'm ready to fly..."

This is a new beginning for me, and I'm going to tuck my faith into my pocket and follow my dreams. I'm not interested in following the crowd if the crowd's going in the wrong direction. I'm not going to put myself box, and no-one else is going to put me in it either.

I love writing. Anything. Creative pieces, deep and dark or sunny summer day musings, prayers, journal entries, advice, records, lists, anything. It's a fairly newfound passion of mine. I love the way words fit together, I love the English language... I just love it all.

So I guess that's why I started my blog. I feel there's a message I've got to get out to all of you, and a writing mission I've got to take myself on. So, I hope you continue to read my posts, I really, really, really appreciate that any of you will take a couple of minutes to read this, so thank you very much.

The blog will be a mix of my musings, thoughts, discoveries I make about life and just about anything that goes on in this crazy head of mine.

I'd really love you to contact me and tell me what you think of my blog, improvements you think I could or should make, or any information relating to anything I've written about, then I'd be so happy to hear from you, even if it's just to tell me I've made a typo.

If you want any advice, or simply somebody to listen about anything, please feel free to email me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

You can send me emails at justbeingme24@gmail.com 

Thank you, everyone!

Head first, fearless

I like first words. I like their beauty, their preciousness, their delicate vulnerability and innocence, the way they're carefully crafted, scribbled out so many times before they remain in all their serene sensibility, at the very beginning.

They remind me of the first shoot of a flower through a cracked desert ground, such a bright, young green, truly captivating amidst the desolate bleakness around it.

As crazy as it might sound, I think we can all learn a lot from this flower. Independently, it grew from nothing in the most unlikely and difficult of circumstances. A flash of colour amidst the wreckage, giving hope to all who see it.

How does it make YOU feel? For me, it shines, fearlessly and flawlessly. It reminds me of all those who have been strong, those who love without fear, the bodacious heroes of our time.

Take Rosa Parks. She was disrespected, disregarded, hated in society, just for being black. She was told to move out of her seat for a white person, and despite the fact she had such a low seat within the community, she took a stand. She was being treated wrongly and she simply said "no". She stood up.

She changed the world.

Take Marilyn Monroe. Famous, successful and strong, this influential woman was brought up in various foster homes, experienced sexual abuse and had a psychiatrically ill mother. "I'm selfish, impatient, & a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control, & at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." she said. She knew how she should be treated, and she wouldn't let anyone else tell her otherwise.

Take Amy Studt, who released her first album at only 16 years old. She was bullied in school, had self harm issues, a bone disease aged only 12, depression and chronic fatigue.

Take Tom Cruise, Chad Michael Murray, Ozzy Osbourne, Mel Gibson, John Lennon, Michael and Janet Jackson, Jessica Alba, all of which had difficult childhoods or were bullied at school. They were so strong, and even in the hardest of circumstances, they grew through it. And I salute them.

No matter where you stand, no matter what people think, how hard it seems, you can make it. Whether you want to scale the highest heights, or just reach out from the darkness, you can do it.

You can make it. You might face trials, you'll need a whole lot of faith and it might not be easy, but you're never alone.

Follow your heart and remember the flower. You might be growing in the most colourless of situations, but when you bloom, your lights will shine the brightest.