Love Is…

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So we all have wondered what love is… and most of us are still figuring it out. I got this from the Bible and I think it gives a clear definition of love:

‘Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith , hope and patience never fail.’   1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 GNB

Have a blessed Weekend

🙂

Sophie

Amaranthus Salad

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Last month I went for medical check up and the doctor told me that my cholesterol level was high! I know its surprising. I didn’t expect it cause I have always thought of myself as one who shunned the fats. Guess I was wrong. So I am embarking on a healthy journey(not so easy as it sounds) and I want to challenge myself with creating recipes that are savory and healthy. Thus this amaranths salad. Personally I liked loved it…so much that I just had to share it. Let me know your reaction after you try it. Here is how to prepare it.

  • 2 Cups fresh amaranthus leaves washed
  • 1/2 medium avocado chopped
  • 1/4 Cup grated carrot
  • 1/4 Cup grated(raw green) mango
  • 3 Tbsp pure honey
  • 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • A pinch of salt
  • 2 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients from top to bottom. Chill for 10 minutes and serve. NOTE: Use soft and tender leaves.

Enjoy

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I don’t usually post twice a week, but I have decided to from now on. I’m experimenting and I will see where this takes me.

🙂

Sophie

LOL With Catherine Denton

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Our next guest in the LOL series is Catherine, someone who has been personally inspiring ever since I found her blog.  This is what Living out loud to her is:

Hi, I’m Catherine! I love to write, paint and photograph fairies. I’m an avid reader of how-to books, memoirs and children’s fantasy. I get uneasy when there are no books on hold for me at the library. I have a deathly fear of heights which developed late in life and I may’ve had a tiny meltdown hiking through the Grand Canyon (just ask the two old men I croaked to, “Please step away from the edge!”). I love all veggies ~ except beets. I love to relax with a hot bath, new paintbrushes, snuggles, homemade gingersnaps, family, and coffee anything.

I love this concept of living out loud. To me, living out loud is simply: to love extravagantly. It’s going out of your way, sacrificing wants, and reaching out when no one’s reaching in. I have fumbled along and loved hesitantly, conditionally, minimally; but to love extravagantly is something I’m still aiming for.

Four years ago, one of my dearest friends found out she had cancer and after she told me, I busied myself for a few weeks and avoided her. I eventually came back around and apologized for deserting her. She told me she assumed I was dealing with the hard news the best way I knew how. Even in her darkest moment, she didn’t hold it against me or refuse relationship based on my reaction. She loved me in spite of my actions and was willing to hold out her hand when I came back. That’s extravagant.

Her reaction changed my perspective of love. It taught me honesty at a level I had never experienced. It made me realize that living out loud meant grabbing hold of each moment (including the bad ones) and considering those in the moment with you. It meant offering grace and laying out your heart at the cost of rejection.

My friend eventually passed away. I was there beside her in the last months, weeks, and days.  She’d shown me what it meant to be brave in the face of fear. She walked that path ahead of me and put footprints in the sand of where I needed to go. There is a quote I love from Natalie Babbitt in Tuck Everlasting that completely describes my friend, “Don’t be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don’t have to live forever, you just have to live.” And she did.

And I want to.

On this pursuit of living out loud, remember to love extravagantly. Go beyond what is expected, reach beyond what is sought, and forgive what hasn’t been asked of you. Don’t be afraid of the unlived life; you have this moment to live it.

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Thank you Catherine for sharing your LOL journey. You can find her blog  here.