Messed up.

I mess up. A lot. There are too many things I do that I wish I wouldn’t; things I say that I wish I wouldn’t. I disappoint myself much more often that I would like. I am very far from perfect.

In light of this blog and of my frequent Facebook posts, and to not appear disingenuous, I wanted to comment on my heart and on my intentions with them.

The very last thing I want is for my posts to be taken as self-righteous, arrogant or haughty. They certainly are not intended to be received as such. These are things that I personally struggle with, that I am doing my best to work toward and hope to achieve.

The world is such a cynical place, full of self-centeredness, anger, malaise and indifference. I am changing my subscription to those channels. Having been duped into living a life where these things became acceptable and where often they were not given even a second thought, I found myself empty, angry and depressingly judgmental. This isn’t a life. This isn’t the life for which I was created. It isn’t the life for which anyone was created. And the sad thing is that I am not alone.

My goal with my posts is to help provide encouragement, enlightenment and thought-provoking musings that will hopefully be of benefit and blessing to others. They come from a place of deep caring, from a longing to be a better person and load people onto the van who want to (and who need to) join me in traveling toward something better.

Many things I post I feel have been put on my heart for a reason and that they are something that someone might need to hear that day. Many people have given me encouragement by letting me know that they appreciated what I had posted and that the message was timely and appropriate for their current circumstance. Other times, they come as a reflection of something that I am personally going through, need to remember and embrace, and/or need to focus on myself.

There is so much negativity in the world. I see a lot of hurting, angry people who need an outstretched hand and an encouraging word to help pull them out of the mud. Everyone matters. People’s concerns are real. Their feelings are valid. This world can be (and is) a difficult road to navigate. Thankfully there are good Samaritans along the way to help make the journey a more pleasant one and to show the better road to take. I am very grateful for those upon whom I have stumbled—who were put in the road on my journey—who have given me their encouragement, shared their wisdom, and have given me things I needed to continue on my way. I want to be like them. That’s what I am hoping to do.

I want to plant little seeds—as many as I can—that I hope take root in people’s lives. And I want those roots to fall on good soil, growing deeply so that positive change can occur. There are far too many weeds in people’s lives that threaten to choke out anything good. I have a lot of weeds myself. So when a friend comes along and helps me destroy them, I am nothing if not grateful.

So, to those who have been following my posts (and I am truly humbled and appreciative for those who do), I want to stress that my intentions are entirely based from my heart. They are by no means intended as a way to puff myself up, making me seem like I have it all together. I don’t. Believe me, I don’t. I am, however, trying my best to not let the hardships of this world—my failures, vices and proclivity to selfishness—drag me down and destroy the good things with which I have been blessed. Everyone needs encouragement and wisdom (including myself).

I can only hope that through much of the clutter and fluff, that people will be able to find these nuggets—they will be as much in value to them as they are to me. I care for my friends and family, and I even care for those who don’t care for me. Life is nothing if it isn’t based in love. So with love, I present signposts I have found along my journey in the hope that others too will choose a better path and be lifted to higher ground. The road is narrow, believe me, and certainly full of twists, turns and landslides. Traveling it together is a much less lonely, difficult and discouraging trek and it is much easier when someone is there to help pick you up when you stumble.

Be good to each other just as you would want others to be good to you.