L.O.V.E

I've been super focused on my past lately. I know that my blog is "bucket list worthy" and the whole point of a bucket list is to focus on the future, and to focus on things that you want to do in your life, and not things that you have done. However, I want to write about love.

I was in love once. Still am I suppose, everyone says you never actually fall "out of love" with the first person who steals your heart. I used to think that I would have rather never fallen in love in the first place, than to have loved someone and then lost it. But when I look back on it, he taught me so much in life. Not to be cliche.

I'm blessed to have fallen in love, I truly am, especially at such a young age. A lot about him made me realize who I want to be in life, what I want to do. More importantly, who I really was. It's funny that someone can give you so much, and then they can take so much of you away. I fell apart when we broke up, but because I chose to accept the fact that our relationship was a blessing from God I've learned ways to cope, ways to move on.

"A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and a man cannot live without love." - Max Muller

It was as soon as I had lost it that made me appreciate what I had when I had it. Love, that is. It's now that I appreciate every moment with my family, every laugh with my friends, every talk with my grandparents. Because love exists in more ways than one.

 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God." - 1 John 4:7

The most important being love for God. I've struggled a lot with loving God, simply because He's not a human being, He doesn't exist to touch, or hug, or cry to when you've had a bad day. But He's more than there for you. I think that love for God is the most important love that exists. God's love for us never falters, we never lose His love because He loves us all unconditionally. So much that He sent His own son to die for us. When I remember the pain that He went through for us, it helps me remember that the pain involved in losing my love is nothing compared to His, and only temporary.

I am a strong person, no matter what I think about myself, underneath I know I'm strong - and it's all because I love God. I think sometimes that if I would have put my love for God in front of my love for Brock I wouldn't have been hurt so badly. I don't know that for sure, but I do know that from now on, that will be the case. I saw this quote once,

"A women's heart should be so buried in God that a man should have to go through Him first, to get to her." 

I want that to be the case, therefore, I'm going to focus on loving God, the rest will fall into place.

lico,
Megan

"I do."

What is commitment these days?
Commitment to people, commitment to jobs, commitment to God. What about a commitment makes it so easy to get out of? What about a commitment makes people think that now-a-days, it's unnecessary to keep?

Commitment in the face of conflict produces character.

I like this quote because I have seen a lot of marriages, friendships, and relationships tumble around me lately. They crumble because things are hard in life, and people tend to bolt when circumstances don't permit perfect performance. In my opinion, when you have the guts, or the ability, or the want to stay with someone or keep a friendship when the going get's rough, you are truly committed to that person. That's my definition of commitment.
It scares me though. It is truly one of the most frightening concepts that people don't respect marriage vows, or the commitment to your spouse anymore. That it's so easy for people to get fed up with each other after a fight and literally walk away. Walk away. From the entire relationship, from the foundation of a life, from the person they made vows to. I'm not saying that there aren't circumstances under which divorce is acceptable, of course not. But to be fed up with someone, to not go to counseling, to give up and walk away. How can people so easily disregard the commitment that they made to be with that person for the rest of their life?

One of the items on my bucket list is to "Say, I do."
How am I supposed to say "I do" to someone, how am I supposed to fully commit myself to someone when I cannot even be sure that they'll commit themselves to me. I suppose a lot of it is out of my reach, and I suppose a lot of broken marriages are due to the way society portrays marriage vows these days. Did you know, that in France, they are making a type of home living situation where you get the benefits of marriage without having to take the vows? You can live together, get the money and insurance benefits that come with being married, and not have to promise each other anything. Either person could walk away whenever they wanted. I was appalled. With society making marriage out to be silly, how am I ever supposed to find someone who will truly want to commit themselves to me?

As I stated before: it is truly one of the most frightening concepts to me, that one day marriage will mean nothing. Because it has been a dream of mine to grow up, get married, have children and grow old with my husband. I have always wanted to be a mother and wife. Always. To think that it may never happen, it makes me so sad.

The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was 'involved', the pig was 'committed'.  

I wish I could change the outlook people have. I want to go back in time to the days where marriage was a privilege, not a right, and something that people took as serious as their own life and death. Of course this won't happen, but I do wish for it.

One day, I hope to be married to someone who is as committed to me as I am to them, one day.
It's on my bucket list afterall...

lico,
Megan

We Stand for Those Who Can't

The Beginning of Something Great

I am a Chi Omega - a sorority that was founded at the University I attend. Every year my University puts on a huge event called Dance Marathon. It's huge, the committees spend all year planning for it, throughout the summer and everything. What is it? Dance Marathon? Ok, get ready for this: it's a philanthropy for the Children's Miracle Network, in which a group of people register as either Dancers, Moralers, or Bikers. The dancers of the event stand for THIRTY-TWO HOURS STRAIGHT. Yes, you read that correctly. Thirty-two hours of no sitting (well, besides to go to the restroom). The Moralers are the supporters of the dancers, they come for SIXTEEN HOURS STRAIGHT and cheer on the dancers (because trust me, at about 5am we are really needing that support). The bikers, here's the big one, bike for 180 MILES. Crazy? YES! They bike for 180 miles, rain or snow, from Cincinnati back to Toledo. 

So why do we do this? 

FTK - for the kids.

My fellow dancers and I, and our Miracle Child, Brent

I was a dancer this year for the first time. It was the most rewarding, humbling, hurtful experience I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. We started on Saturday morning at 10am sharp. The event lasts from 10am Saturday morning, to 6pm Sunday evening, and us dancers are standing the entire time. 

Becca (left) and Me (right)

It wasn't by any means easy to stand for 32 hours... 

Me (Twenty hours in, twelve left to go)

...But it was easy to remember why we were doing it. During the event they had all of the Miracle Children running around, playing with the dancers and moralers, and we got to see first hand why we were there. Kids in wheelchairs, kids with no arms, kids with down-syndrome running around HAPPY. They were happy. They go through so much, so many needles, so many hospital visits, so much pain, yet they find a way to be children, they find time to be happy and play. That my friends, is why I stood for 32 hours. Because once my pain was over, was I got to sit and soak my swollen raw feet, those kids had to go back to the hospital and go through more pain, and they will have to deal with that pain for the rest of their lives. It was a rewarding experience, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

They had a lot of activities for us while we were there, SicSic (a spirit committee at our University) painted us a sign.   

 Becca (left) Tricia (middle) Me (middle) Stacey (right)

The moralers helped more than they realized. They brought us drinks, food, and even massaged our nasty feet.

Us dancers and our pink moral captain!

Thirty hours in, we're exhausted and ready to collapse, they send in the bikers! They just got back from their 180 mile bike ride and we create a HUGE tunnel for them to run through. They are all so excited, and we're all crying because we're so unbelievably proud of them.

The tunnel for the bikers

Two hours later we get to see how much money we raised for the Children's Miracle Network - finally, the end. Overall we ended up raising $250,795.96. Pretty impressive, yes? This is the point where we countdown to the final minute, and we get to collapse onto the ground while balloons drop down from the ceiling. We're all engulfed in balloons and tears, so proud of what we raised, what we just did.

Left to right: Tricia, Melissa, Ilyse, Stacey, Becca, Me

I wouldn't have traded this experience for anything in the world. No matter how hard it was. If any of you EVER have the chance or opportunity to do something like this, I would highly recommend participating. 

That's bucket list worthy, wouldn't you say?

lico,

Megan

The Meaning of Life

So -

Why a bucket list? Here's the thing: I've been through a lot the past couple of years, well, a lot for a nineteen year old living in the 21st century. It's taken me a long time to realize what I want from my life. I used to be that girl who had her wedding planned out with her current boyfriend, her career planned out to the T, I knew where I was going to school, what I was going to major in, how long it was going to take me to graduate, etc. I was prepared to take on the world after I graduated high school. That changed however, when my boyfriend of three years broke my heart.

I will tell you the inspiration for my bucket list. It represents something much bigger than a list of things I want to do before I do. It represents how I want to live my life: constantly reaching for something bigger. I used to be afraid to stray off the beaten path, to try something different than I had planned for, but I'm not afraid now. I used my heartbreak, and strength from Jesus to pursue something larger than wallowing after my break up. I wanted to become a bigger person.

Therefore, my bucket list! I will forever reach for something more. I'm determined to keep adding things to this list, to be happy in exploring new things that I didn't originally plan on. I hope to do great things with my life, even if it means going outside of my comfort zone.

"Have you found joy in your life? Have you brought joy to others? Then you sir, have found the meaning of life." -Carter Chambers

lico,
Megan

A Warm Welcome

I've never blogged before.
But it's on my bucket list to do so, and this summer it's my goal to cross a couple things off that ever-growing list. 


So here we go. What are you supposed to write about when you blog? I've gotten a lot of different opinions. Some people have a theme throughout their blogs, health, fitness, fashion. Or some people chose to write about whatever they're feeling at the moment, or what has impacted their life lately. My good friend Jenn is an excellent blogger, she's my inspiration for beginning my own.


I want to make my blog about things that would be bucket list worthy in my life. Simple things, they don't have to be large, like sky diving, or swimming with dolphins (just a couple items I hope to cross off in the future), but there are definitely things people chose to do in life that should be considered bucket list worthy, hence my blog.


Perfect.

Well I'm sure there will be more posts to follow. But my computer is dying.

lico,
Megan