Random rambles, and lingering thoughts.

Staying up late isn't so much about not sleeping as about being awake. There is something about the quietness after a long day...to rejoice in the gladness, or try to move beyond the sadness.

There is something special about a goodbye hug from someone whose stay you truly enjoyed. It's like closing a really good book after reading the last page, kind of a sigh and sadness that it's over, but at the same time an awe at how good it was.

I hate finding out a friend isn't a friend. Finding out someone you're close to (or thought you were) said something bad or untrue about you is an unexplainable pain. It's almost like skinning your knee. You see yourself falling, but you can't stop yourself, and then you know without looking that it's bleeding at least a little. A skinned heart.

I love my dad's hands. They are the standard by which I will judge my future husband's hands. When I was little I wanted to go everywhere he went, and he'd hold my hand and whistle as we walked. They were rough, with callouses and veryvery big. Even now his hands seem big. They woke us up on Saturday mornings, and they worked hard to provide for us. I need a guy with hands like my dad--or maybe just a heart like his.

There is something magical about a smile. If someone smiles at me at the grocery store, I'll think of it later and smile again. What did they smile at me for? Maybe they were just passing along something that was given to them!

There is something completely adorable about old couples holding hands in public. I want to be like that one day-if I ever find a man :-)

I believe one of the greatest foundations of any good relationship, (sisterhood, husband and wife, friendship whatever) is the ability-no, responsibility-to occasionally pretend you're interested in something you're not. There is not a person on the planet who will not ever bore you, but as a good ____________________(fill in the blank) you must be willing to genuinely fake interest. Listening even when you have to pinch yourself means that you care about a person past just when they benefit you--believe me, they do it for you too.

I firmly believe that eating is a source of bonding. Yes, I love to eat, but this isn't about me. Check it out, what did Jesus do with sinners and publicans? I gotcha! He ate with them. If you'll notice, it's nearly impossible to eat with someone and never get them to say a word. There is a sharing in eating a meal together that many people never even notice. This is why big happy families on movies eat together...I'm sure of it :-)

It is important to be comfortable as who you are. If you aren't, then no one else will be either. My mom comes off as quiet to some people, but she has a strong confidence and sense of self. She knows what her strengths are, and she knows what her weaknesses are...and when she's unsure of something, she just laughs at herself and asks for help.

There is never a need to feel like you're better than anyone else. God made you, and God made everyone else, and that's it. Yes, you may be better AT things than other people, but even that shouldn't be rubbed in because eventually everyone will know you're better at it and if you have already said it over and over they'll hate you. To add to this (just a thought) you being beautiful doesn't matter, there is someone more beautiful than you and I'll just throw it out there: God made you with your looks, you didn't create yourself.

I am so so thankful for people who love me. When I see people loving me unconditionally it is a credit to them, and not me. I can definitely say that I am a VERY blessed person. People see things in me that I don't always see in myself.

That being said, I'm going to close with this: Finding someone that loves you, knowing all about you is priceless. I can't even say it's like anything. It's a priceless gift we are given in life.

Elisabeth