Project 52 | THOUGHTFUL

52:23

Love is:

THOUGHTFUL

I love to people watch… I realize it is nosy and rude, and somehow it doesn’t stop me. People fascinate me, and never as much as now… Now I have been given the responsibility over my three little people, and I have to be aware of their environment. I know that sounds like a really valid excuse to be nosy and curious and people watch. Probably! But the more I learn about love the more I see how “thoughtful” love can be, should be. It is being curious about the people around us, especially those we love and realizing the different things that make up each person. We are all so wonderfully different, and until I let that settle in my soul I would get so frustrated with people that were not like myself… or rather, I would get frustrated with myself for not being like others. My best friend asked me the other day what I was like as a little girl. I was a happy girl and an untidy one, and most of all I was a daydreamer. I remember going to the beach with my mom and brother, and wanting to lay on the blanket and watch the sand sift through my fingers. I could do that for H.O.U.R.S. I didn’t want to swim or be busy building a sand castle. I didn’t want an agenda. I wanted to daydream in a beautiful place and just take in the sights and sounds. I spent a lot of my life feeling bad about that. I would think, daydreamers don’t run companies, don’t adhere to the best schedules, don’t keep the tidiest house. It felt like one of my favorite, most life-giving things to do wasted a lot of hours. As an adult, coming to know and appreciate myself for the way God created me, I realize that those times I would “waste” daydreaming were the minutes and hours passion and artistry were being cultivated. Nowadays, I have to adhere to a schedule as best I can so my household will function and be productive, but the downtime behind my lens, swinging on the porch or working in the garden revives the toll that takes. All this to say, that I have people in my life that understand me for who I am. My parents. My BFF. My husband (poor guy). And I am grateful for their understanding. It allows me to look at others, and especially my kids and try to love them in an understanding way. To spend time watching them and thinking through why they do what they do. I want to help them become the fullness of what God has created them to be, not force them into a mold I feel they fit. I know for the little cowboy above, his brain could be an intricate machine with wheels and pulleys and cranks and gadgets, always working and thinking and figuring out how things work. His heart is like the softest, most cuddliest animal, so lovable and so tender. He is sturdy in stature and stubborn like steel. I know he needs time to wake up in the morning, and I have learned not to smother him right away. I look forward to how all of him will work together in the future, with his passions that are just starting to stand out. They are all three so incredibly individual, and require a different approach to love and life. Love is thoughtful. It is loving others and loving ourselves for the way we were created. Love is people watching… being curious… understanding and appreciating the differences.

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To enjoy other wonderful Project 52′s, click on the links below!

styleberryBLOG | Love & Life | Lucas & Mahina