Shoe Boxes and Paper Hearts

Dear Friends,

Some say I'm loud. Some say I can't make up my mind. Some say that I move at my own speed. Some say I analyze too much. Some say I don't think things through. Some say I need to be more motivated. Some say I need to calm down. Some say a lot of things.

Welcome to the world baby, if you let sum of the some affect how you live, you might as well just throw in the towel now and never leave your room.

Life as we know it is just that, life as we know it. And this age of being 24 really bugs me sometimes. If you have read any of my past blog posts you may have caught on to the trend that this era of my life is an interesting one. I am an emotional roller-coaster of ridiculousness and sometimes when I blink I wish that I could open my eyes to a newer time in my life, a fresher one with more stability. Yet we all know that is not how it goes. And you know what? I'm cool with that. I don't feel this way every day, but that's what makes me human.

And I am sure if you and I were having this conversation face-to-face you would agree with me that you feel this or have been through this same time. And something that I think makes these days more encouraging: shoe boxes and paper hearts.


Tell me facts and numbers and I will not remember. You tell me a story and it will plant itself in the garden of my memory. I am an awful photo taker and I am not good at giving gifts. But I harbor memories and stories.

We all cherish sweet times in our lives while at the same time still carrying the pain of moments that we wish we knew how to forget. So what do we do with the good times? Shoebox them. A shoebox can translate to photography, journals, blogs, scrapbooks or something that captures the memories of that time in your life. It makes the moments tangible and palpable while reminding you that life is good and that you are blessed--even in a season of uncertainty and cloudiness.

And paper hearts are what we put in these shoe boxes. Whatever it might be, wherever you might be--shoebox it for later. Memory is a treasure and we never know when we could lose it.

This is life. I say, live it with an open shoe box.

Completely Crazy,
SM