Dive Deep



Grand Turk Island is undoubtedly beautiful.  White sand beaches, clear turquoise water, refreshing trade winds.  All the makings for an amazing day at the beach.  While on our cruise, Griff and I got the amazing opportunity to power snorkel in Grand Turk.  It was our first port of call so we anxiously grabbed our sunscreen, towels, and water proof camera and disembarked the ship.  After a short drive to the beach we were greeted by stunning scenary.

I have always wanted to snorkel but I will admit I began to get a little nervous after reading several reviews that stated the baracuda are a little too friendly.  I have always been freaked out by what swims with me in the ocean and have a fairly strict rule for myself that I do not swim unless I can see my feet...that pretty much limits me to the Caribbean.  However, I decided to cross off an item from my bucket list and go for it.  We grabbed our fins, snorkel masks, life vests, and camera and headed out on the boat.  After a short ride in seemingly calm water we were told to jump in and test out the power snorkeling machines.  Now I am no Missy Franklin but I can hold my own in the water and am a fairly decent swimmer, so I chose not to inflate my life vest very much because I wanted to be able to dive under just a little to get the full experience.  So I jumped in and then the real adventure began!

That seemingly calm water that I mentioned earlier...completely different story when you are in the water.  That crystal clear turquoise water sure can get rough.  As soon as I jumped in I felt like I had never swam before.  The waves were crashing into me, filling my snorkel with sea water, and I felt like I had been swimming for days, not less than 5 minutes.  I eventually managed to find my groove with the power snorkel and even though I drank more than my fair share of sea water, I started to manuever my way through the other snorkelers and saw things that will last in my memory for a lifetime.  I swam with a baracuda literally a foot away from me.  I saw a stingray just chilling on the bottom of the ocean.  I saw unbelieveably beautiful coral reefs filled with curious colorful fish.  And most amazing of all I saw a 7,000 foot dropoff into the black abyss.  (I might as well have a seen a shark, I swam away from that cliff so fast!!!)

I took away a little lesson from this snorkeling adventure.  Perhaps what we see on the surface is not always all that is out there.  Maybe what seems beautiful on the surface is actually not what is best for us.  Could it be that we need to dive deeper and swim into the unknown sometimes to fully see what is meant for us to see?  I think so!   That turquoise water sure was beautiful on the surface and to be honest I was scared to dive into the unknown.  Little did I know that I would feel more calm and more at ease under the surface of the water swimming with the baracuda and stingray than I did on top.  Under the water the sea was completely calm and I felt like I was in a different universe.  The rough seas on top did not affect me down below.  The same is true in our everyday lives.  I think sometimes we get so caught up in what we can see and assume that is what must be best for us.  "It looks beautiful, so it must be right."   That is not always the case though.  Sometimes we need to set aside our fears, jump in, pull on our snorkel masks, and dive deep to see what we didn't even know existed. 

Hebrews 11:1-Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Life's Painful Moments That Teach Us The Most

Ever feel like the life has literally been sucked out of you?  You have given all you have and it is just never enough?  Maybe you have personal goals that you are working towards and someone makes a comment that just destroys that?  A comment is made that completely crushes your spirit?

An extremely hurtful comment was made to me yesterday that completely caught me off guard and almost instantly brought tears to my eyes.  I fought back the tears at the time but have been dwelling on this very personal comment that was directed at my appearance ever since.  After having time to think about it, I have come to realize that I have two choices.  I can stay angry about it, be bitter towards that person, and feel sorry for myself OR I can learn a lesson from this.  After having a good cry at home about it I have decided on option #2. 

Nothing good is going to come of me dwelling on this comment and getting angry at the person who said it.  Instead it is reminding me to always be mindful of your words.  Think twice before you speak.  You can never take back your words.  Believe me there have been times I wish that I could go back in time and totally change what has come out of my mouth.  Words can be so hurtful whether they are true or not.  No one can fully understand what another person may be battling in their personal life.  Knowing that so many people have hard situations they are facing and difficult lives they are leading, why would we not want to say something kind and uplifting?  That one kind comment could totally change someone's day for the better and mean more than you will ever know.

Aside from this comment that was made to me yesterday, I have been allowing myself to get very upset everytime someone asks if I have kids yet and then when I politely tell them that I do not they go on to start complaining about how I should never have kids and how kids are such a burden and so hard to deal with.  Honestly, you would not believe how often this conversation has come up with me in the last several months.   I know that these people have no idea about my situation and how I would give my left arm to have a child, but if people would just think that maybe the other person might not appreciate that comment, so much unnecessary hurt could be avoided. 

So I am learning that some of life's most painful moments can also be life's best lessons.  Harsh reminders that maybe we need to examine our own lives and see what hurt we could be causing others by not even realizing it.

 I challenge you to always think twice before you speak as your words can be the best or worst part of someone's day.

Luke 6:45-For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

What Could Have Been

I am watching FRIENDS and thinking how much the theme song describes my life.  "So no one told you life was gonna be this way...but when it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, well I'll be there for you..."

Today was my due date for Baby Tran #3.  With several friends having babies in the last few weeks, days, and in the coming days, today was hard!  I knew that it would be, but whew...tough!  Thankfully work was busy, Bachelorette hometowns were tonight :), and vacation is next week.  All things to help take the focus away from what could have been today.

It hasn't been my day, week, month, or year, but I am so thankful for all MY friends, family and especially my amazing husband who have been there for me.  I am incredibly grateful for each of you and am so lucky to have you in my life. 

Short and sweet tonight, but no less important than any other post I have written.  Baby Tran #3...we love you so much think of what you would have been like each and every day.  Your dad and I wanted and desired you more than life itself and were thankful for the very short time you were physically in our lives...you will always be in our hearts and nothing will ever change that.
Focusing today on this:

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.