Live It Up...

Today, I am struck with the idea of change. I was looking at the photos of an old friend that I haven't seen in some, what, four years? I was just noticing how much he's grown up, how much he's changed--he's a man now, instead of just the boy he was when last I saw him. And I realized that I'm a young woman now, to the girl I was then, back when things were so much simpler.

I'm just thinking about the things life has brought me. I NEVER imagined I would be here, in this place, with these people, and, in some cases, not with other people. I often find myself wishing that I could go back. I miss hot summer days spent sweltering in the sun on horseback, surrounded by the people I loved, united by a single passion. I miss the relationships I had with some of those people, that have changed, or been lost entirely.

But on the other hand, I am SO thankful for the people I still have, and the new people that I didn't even know EXISTED back in the days I'm thinking of. And I know I never would have met them if things hadn't changed, if I hadn't changed.

I guess with Christmas and the new year just around the corner, I'm feeling pretty excited. I have some of the most AMAZING friends, far better than I deserve. I'm rekindling relationships with people I haven't heard from in who knows how long. I'm looking forward to the coming days, and weeks, and months. It's sort of like the caption for my sophomore year album. "These are the years of my life. I will live it up, every day, every moment. Nobody's gonna bring me down." These ARE the years of my life, and they're GOOD years. I will be grateful, I will live it up.

I will be thankful for the changes God has brought to my life, even when I don't understand them, even when I wish he hadn't brought those changes to me, even when I want nothing more than to go back in time. I WILL live it up, every day and every moment. I will admire the young woman I feel God is turning me into, a young woman that I'm not afraid of, nor afraid to be. In all honesty, and I don't mean this in a bragging matter at all, but I'm pretty proud of who I'm becoming. I'm just comfortable in my skin, I am 100% okay with who I am right now, although of course there's always room for improvement and change. I will thank God for that, and I will live my life to the best of my abilities, and with no regrets, because I know that God has a hand in EVERY part of my life, and that He WILL work all things for my good.

God bless,
xoxo,
Erika Rose <3