Tuesday Truth
Number 5.
Are you pursuing your most important dreams?
Let your light shine!
Amy
For past Tuesday Truths:
Category: Quotes
Tuesday Truth #4
Tuesday Truth #3
Some of you may have already had an inkling that this would be today’s truth.
I found this quote in my archives (like way, way, back when I didn’t know many things archives) and planned to rework the photoquote.
Somehow it sent out an email of the old post (probably operator error…probably mine).
So if you received that email…here again, is food for thought.
If you didn’t receive it, here is food for thought this Tuesday.
Let your light shine!
Amy
For past Tuesday Truths:
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Tuesday Truth #2
Tuesday Truth
Let your light shine!
Amy
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Martin Luther King Jr Quotes
Martin Luther King Jr Day.
Today is the day that the United States celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. It’s observed on the third Monday in January, which falls on or near his birthday of January 15th.
Today it falls on his actual birthday.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an American Federal Holiday. President Ronald Reagan signed it into law in 1983 and it was first observed three years later. Growing up in Florida, I have a distinct memory of when our school calendar changed to observe King’s birthday. While trying to find the exact year that Florida began observing it (which I could not find, but I’m pretty confident I was in high school…which was in the early 90’s.), I learned that it was not observed in every state until 2000.
Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes
You all know how much I love quotes. In fact, I have quoted Dr. King in past. I shared his words in this post, written after hatred reared its ugly head in Charlottesville. Today I thought it would be appropriate to share a few of Martin Luther King Jr.’s quotes.
Be Bold. Take the first step.
Whatever you do…Keep Moving Forward.
Spread Love and Light.
Let your light shine!
Amy
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Two Years of Blogging
Today I celebrate two years of blogging on Bedlam & Daisies.
It’s still hard for me to believe that I’ve been coming to this space and blogging for two years. I’ve been sharing my thoughts and you all have been kind enough to show up to read them and comment on them. I’ve been sharing my photography and you all have journeyed along as I began to learn a little more about the process. I have been seeking my voice and you have listened.
Blogging.
Those facts alone never cease to amaze me. I mentioned in yesterday’s post that my niece was the one who encouraged me to go ahead and start this blog. I first considered blogging back in 2009 because my youngest was starting kindergarten. In the end, I was too fearful to put my voice out there in the public. Fast forward 7 years…and I was ready…another two years and here we are. I feel so blessed that my voice has been received amongst you all and met with kindness.
Evolution.
As I approached this two year mark celebrating the birth of this blogging process, I perused some of my older posts. If you’ve never seen my first post, here it is. In it I state the fact that I’m sure the blog will evolve, just as I am evolving. I read those words through the lens of having done just that. I am reminded that one of my favorite mantras from my challenge of 30 days of meditation is “I am committed to my personal growth and evolution.” I often find myself repeating that in my mind on those occasions when I want to give up because the challenge seems to hard.
Photography.
After my introduction, my next post was about my love of photography. I had no experience. Just a love. That love has grown over the past two years. I’ve learned a few things about capturing the beauty that my eye beholds. I still have a tremendous amount of knowledge to gain about the process, but when I reflect back to two years ago, I can see that I am moving forward. This was a helpful recognition because I still struggle with comparison. Struggles around the loss of Instagram followers. Struggles around the fact that my skills aren’t growing as quickly as others. Reflecting helps me stop and realize that this is a personal journey. I am not everyone else. My growth may be slow, but it is growth and that is good.
Comfort Zones.
A big part of creating the blog was to force myself outside of my comfort zones. Placing my words out into the public was one of those beginning stretches. I had so much anxiety and fear over that process that after I hit publish, I went into the shower and cried. And yet, as I reflected on the journey in this post written at the end of 2016, I see that pressing outside of my comfort zones was exactly what I needed. That journey of testing comfort zones was the catalyst for having me finally secure a passport and decide to travel outside of the United States.
It’s still amazing to me that receiving my passport was a recent highlight that I spoke about on my celebration of one year of blogging. 2017 would see me traveling to Amsterdam and Paris with my husband and children. Six weeks later I would travel to Edinburgh and Glasgow (and stops in Stirling, Shotts, and Airdrie) with my mother and aunt. While I only took two trips, I am eager for more and found a love for travel.
Going Forward.
I remember talking in this post about how I was a work in progress. Truly, I am still a work in progress. In that post, I mentioned 2016 being a year of seeking clarity and saw 2017 as a year of becoming more focused and disciplined. Honestly, I see 2018 as a mix of those both. I am still seeking my passions and discovering my voice. Part of the goal of my 30 day challenges during this year of being 40 is to continue to find who I am below the expectations placed upon me. Going forward, I plan to do more seeking. I plan to continue to press outside of my comfort zones.
And going forward, I plan to evolve.
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. I hope that you will continue on with me in the coming year.
I’d also love to know what topics you most enjoy on my blog! Be sure to let me know in the comments! As I continue to tweak the layout of the blog, I want to be sure that you are hearing about the topics that drew you to my blog.
Sending all you much love and light on my second blogiversary!
Let your light shine!
Amy
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30 Days of… December Challenge
Can you believe that it’s almost December?!
Given that my November Challenge was a cumbersome undertaking, I thought that I’d take on an easier challenge for December.
Holiday time tends to make life a little more chaotic as well. Right?!
Commercialism tends to take so much away from the season that I’ve decided that my December Challenge will be:
30 Days of Gratitude
My original plan for December was to have 30 days of “random acts of kindness”. My thought wasn’t to have each day be some type of extravagant kindness, but more moments of telling somebody when I liked their shirt or haircut…you get the idea. Taking time to notice and stepping out of my comfort zone into being a conversation initiator.
I will likely incorporate this into my December Challenge, but it will be a secondary challenge for myself.
Why? you might be asking.
The problem for me came at the end when I would be talking about whether or not I accomplished the goal.
It felt like it would become a “Hey look at me being a decent human being. You know…the kind that I always should be.”
So while I will be incorporating throughout December, I will likely only address snippets of what I learned and likely not the kindnesses I offered.
That is how I came to decide that December would be focusing on the many things that I am grateful for.
To give me a specific daily goal, I did some digging around the Internet. I didn’t want to write out my own gratitude challenge since then I would already have thought of my response as I wrote it.
You can find the 30 day challenge that I’m opting to follow here.
The challenge was originally used on their blog for gratitude during the month of November.
I will be using the daily prompts as a focal point. I don’t know if I will use photos or words or a combination of both as I reflect on my gratitude.
If you are joining with me on 30 days of gratitude throughout December, be sure to let me know in the comments.
I’d love to have you along.
Sprinkle some random acts of kindness throughout the month as well. Words are free and they have the potential to change somebody’s day.
Let your light shine!
Amy
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Doors of Amsterdam
Doors.
Keepers of mysteries.
Releasers into the great unknown.
As I walked along the streets of Amsterdam, some doors would catch my eye. Whether it was the door itself or the architecture surrounding.
Doors of Amsterdam.
Let’s stroll along and take in the views along the streets of Amsterdam.
I am a village boy, and Amsterdam for me was always the big town.
– Anton Corbijn
A great fire burns within me, but no one stops to warm themselves at it, and passers-by only see a wisp of smoke.
– Vincent Van Gogh
It is better to fail with your own vision than to fail with another man’s vision.
– Johan Cruijff
Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.
– Corrie Ten Boom
A work is finished when the artist realizes his intentions.
– Rembrandt
Thursday Doors.
Do you have a favorite?
For more doors from around the world be sure to check out Thursday Doors with the surprise guest host this week.
Quotes.
Quotes this week are from the Dutch who spoke them.
….except Winnie the Pooh
…but… the photo is Amsterdam…and c’mon, Winnie the Pooh and Piglet are beacons of wisdom.
I didn’t write down the street names as I captured these, but if you know where they are feel free to shout it out in the comments!
If you’re interested in seeing more of Amsterdam, be sure to check out part 1 and part 2 of my Houseboats of Amsterdam photography series.
Let your light shine!
Amy
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Sunrise Quote
This week Nikki at Flying Through Water has asked us to consider the prompt of the word persevere.
Sunrise Quote.
This morning as I watched the sun rise above the Atlantic Ocean in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, I was reminded of this quote:
A little Wednesday Wisdom:
Even the darkest night will end, and the sun will rise. -Victor Hugo
Keep persevering…
There is light up ahead.
And if you’ve reached the light…
Turn back and shine it for somebody else.
Let your light shine!
Amy
