Give Thanks. Really.

Hello Readers,

It's finally one of my favorite weeks of the year: Thanksgiving week! Thanksgiving is a time of great food, great people, and great thanks. It is a time to take time out of your busy life and give thanks for all the people and wonderful opportunities in your life. I just love it.

I firmly believe in being thankful for my blessed life every day. Which I am. Unfortunately there are some days that go by and I forget to take just a moment to thank God for the wonderful and bountiful life that he has given me. Life is truly a wonderful gift, so why aren't we thankful more often? That's why I love Thanksgiving. Even if you don't celebrate with a big meal or a big family, that's not the purpose. The point is to take just one day out of the year to look back and take a look at how great life really is despite all the hard times.

This Thanksgiving, I am going to challenge and encourage all of you to look at every single seemingly negative aspect of your life and turn it into something positive. 
"Wow, I really don't enjoy going to my job" can turn into, "Today, I am fortunate enough to GET to go to work. It is such a privilege I have been blessed with."
"I really dislike this person and they just bring me down" can turn into, "This person may be having a tough time in life, I'm going to shower them with kindness, even if they do not do the same."

Everything that may be something negative in your life has a side to it that is positive. There is so much we can be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I also want to challenge you to extend your thankfulness to the entire year. Maybe take one minute out of each day, or even one minute out of the week, just to look back and find all the positivity you can in your life. Because I know that if you have the ability to be reading this post right now, you are fortunate to have access to a computer, tablet, or whatever people use to read on nowadays. 

Life is great. Think about it. We are all here living on this earth, we wake up each morning with a full new day ahead of us. We GET to go to work, school, and those sometimes crazy family reunions this year. We have so many opportunities presented to us in life. So why not embrace them with optimism? What's stopping you from taking the full potential in every situation? Just something for you to think about this coming holiday season. 

Now that I have that little pep talk out of the way, I though I would take some time to tell everyone what I'm thankful for this year.
 
First and foremost, I am thankful for the most amazing four people in my life. I have the honor and privilege to call them my family. My mom, my dad, and my two beautiful sisters. I am the most blessed person to have these people there for me for the rest of my life. I really couldn't ask for a better family to surround myself with. They are funny, insightful, and each of them are unique in their own ways. I'm so proud of each of them, and I look up to each one of them. Thank you, mom, dad, Emily, and Hannah, for being the best family I could ever dream of having.

 

The next thing I want to recognize is how thankful I am for my friends. I am so happy with the people I have chosen to surround myself with, they are all such wonderful people. I'm not going to name all of them, because I don't want to forget someone. But I want each and every one of you to know how much I appreciate your friendship and you being there for me through all of the years. To the friends I'm not as close with anymore, I am thankful for the times we shared together, and I will never forget the lasting positive impact you've had on my life. To my friends now: you are all awesome. I love all of you for caring and putting time into making such a strong bond that I know will never be broken. 

  

I am also thankful for my college. Although I have only been there a few short months, it has already become my home. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming I feel like I fit in from day one. I cannot wait to spend the next few years with these awesome people and professors and even the cafeteria workers. I am thankful for all of the close friends I have already made; we have so much fun together and you all make the college experience so much fun. I am so thankful for all of the people I have met through the church groups I go to. What Godly people you all are, it is so amazing to see young teens and twenty-somethings so on fire for God and ready to go serve him in this world. I cannot express enough how excited I am being at school. It has been such an amazing experience so far, and I wouldn't want it to be any other way. I am also pursuing the one thing I really have a passion for, and that makes me excited. 

I am thankful for all of the opportunities that I have already been presented with in my short lifetime. I have had the opportunity to travel across the ocean, I have had the opportunity to take pictures for my church's youth group in high school,  I have had the opportunity to travel to different parts of the country and document it on my camera I had the opportunity to purchase. I have been able to have a job I love at my local library, a job I will be able to go back to during breaks. I have had the pleasure of meeting so many amazing people and learn each of their unique stories. I have been able to drive around in the same little red car since my sophomore year of high school without any accidents or damage done. I got to be a part of a group of young people to work in the poverty stricken areas of Des Moines to give hope to and teach young kids about the grace of God. I have been able to express myself through many different mediums: photography, writing, and music. I consider myself to be very fortunate with all of the amazing experiences I've had so far. I could not be happier. 

Lastly, I wold like to say that I am thankful for my relationship with Jesus Christ. He has truly allowed me to be the person I have always wanted to be, and I know that he is going to keep blessing my life because I trust him with all that I am. Everything that I am, everything that I was, and everything that I will be is because of Him, and that is something that is comforting to me. Knowing he has a plan for me in my life is something that can never be repaid. Although I will try by honoring him and being the best person I can be. I will always try to be a light unto the world and be welcoming and accepting of all people. I will try to spread his grace through the work that I do, and just through talking to people and living as he lived. I am thankful I have such an amazing God to look to for everything in my life, whether it be my triumphs or my failures. I know he will always be there. And that is something I am most thankful for. 

So if you're still reading this at this point, well, props to you! It is a bit lengthy, I know, but I wanted to just put all of the things down in writing that have been in my head for so long. I hope and pray that this may inspire some of you to be thankful this season. It is worth it, and it will make you happier in the long run. I hope you all have a very happy holiday season, and don't forget to be thankful for every aspect of your life, every opportunity, and every person that has made some kind of impact on you at any time. Life is good, God is good, and the world is a wonderful place full of opportunity and wonder. Embrace it.

God Bless,

Madeline

 

Unfailing Love

Hello Everyone!

As I sit in my lofted college dorm bed on this snowy and cold November night,  I have some time to reflect on an event that happened quite a while ago. 

Actually, in all reality, I don't really have the time; I'm trying to avoid studying for a test that I have at 8 am tomorrow. Is it healthy that I'm going to be up until 3 am because of the Catching Fire midnight premiere? Probably not, but it's worth it. I'm just deciding to use this abundance of "free time" also known as "study time" to write out this thought.

But anyway, back to the story I was going to tell. It was probably a month or two ago (honestly, at college time is weird and I don't remember how long ago things were). My friend and I went to a local bakery here because she wanted to take back some goods to her family. We were inside browsing and trying to decide what she should get. I happened to notice a pretty old gentleman at the cash register talking to the cashier. I didn't hear the whole conversation, but once I realized what they were talking about, I realized how sad and how sweet it was at the same time.

The old man shakily handed the woman of a newspaper clipping. I soon found out that the clipping he handed her was an obituary article. The woman carefully read the thin column and looked back up at the man. He looked down, then back up at her. He had a sadness in his eyes that you only see when you lose a loved one. The cashier consolingly said to the man, "This is your wife, isn't it?" 

I had to turn around and hold back tears. This man had such a loving tone when he responded to her. "Yes, that's my beautiful wife. She died last week. We have four kids." It was almost like he was completely at peace with it. He was so proud to call that woman his wife. It was also so sad to see the pain and sadness behind his meager little smile. 

The cashier just gently handed him back the newspaper clipping and he hastily took it and put it back into his shirt pocket, the corners peeking over the edge of his pocket just slightly. He put back on his flat cap and handed the cashier the money for his doughnut he was purchasing. She then said to him, "I'm very sorry for your loss, sir. I'm sure your children are just as beautiful as she was." His eyes lit up, he smiled a contented little grin, and picked up his brown paper sack and walked out of the bakery with his head held high.

I left the bakery with my friend just having so much respect for this man. It was amazing to see how much he adoringly loved, and always will love his wife.

I can only hope that I will experience a husband with an unfailing love such as his some day. It is truly something that is pure and beautiful.

Knitting Disasters and Crunchy Leaves

Hello All!

As we approach the cool months of fall and winter, I think it's time to take out my needles and knit a scarf. There is one problem. I am a terrible knitter. I know this may come as a shock to you because if I'm a true old person, I should be a professional speed knitter and just whip out a scarf in a day. This, although it's hard to believe, is not true. Not in the slightest. Don't get me wrong, I love knitting, but the only time I have knitted a scarf I didn't even finish it. It began with this beautiful column of intertwined yarn and turned into an ever-expanding, kindergarten-level blob of string with gaping holes and getting wider with each row. It was awful to say the least. Okay, maybe it wasn't as awful as that. See attached picture and make that judgement for yourself. Oh gosh. I'm so embarrassed just to show you. Don't worry, I'm working on improving my skill.

Ugly, right??

So I think I'm going to start over; no apparent reason. If anyone else has knitting fail stories or knitting triumph stories, feel free to share them in the comments. (Although if you share a triumphant knitting story, I may get really jealous and have you knit me something and I'll just say I made it.) Definitely putting that on the knitting wall of shame. I'm sure there will be others to be on there too. I'm going to try to start again and hopefully it will turn out better this time. No guarantees.

If you see me around in the next few months, I'll most likely have my yarn and needles at hand for any free opportunity to knit. My goal is to knit one decent looking scarf by, oh let's say, Christmas? That might be too far of a stretch for me, I'm pretty slow. If anyone wants to teach me how to be a better knitter, that would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure it'll just take lots of time and practice to get better. I love doing it, so I'll just have to be patient with the process. 

In other, non-knitting related news, I finally made time to go out to the park on a fall photo excursion. I got a couple good shots, here's one of my favorites. My favorite part about fall is the changing colors of the leaves and being able to step on them and hear them crunch. (I honestly don't think there is anything that is more satisfying.) 

I haven't had a lot of times in the past week that I've felt like an old person. Although I say that now as I'm listening to classical piano music. Sometimes I do things and don't even realize that it's just not a normal thing to do. What other eighteen year old listens to classical music for pleasure? I'm sure there are tons, right? That doesn't make me old, does it? I'm sure there is a group of people that listen to classical piano music. I'll just keep telling myself that.

Well I hope you all are having a great week. Make sure to share this blog with your friends if you think they would find it interesting. And make sure to send in your Fantastic Photo Friday pictures to me by Friday morning! If you don't know what I'm talking about, read the post before this one.  

Thank you for all your kind words and support already, I can't wait to share more with you! 


Madeline
 

Stuck In This 18 Year Old Body

 To whomever may have stumbled upon this blog,

For those of you who have known me for a while, you probably know that I'm not a typical 18 year old girl. It's not just because I'm a little weird (which is true--I'm pretty odd), but there is something else about me that's not quite normal. Can you guess? I'm assuming if you read the title you might have an idea, but for those of you slow pokes, I'll just tell you.

I'm basically an old person. Like I am really a ninety-five year old woman trapped here in this eighteen year old body. Things that interest me are knitting, puzzles, and watching The Price is Right on a daily basis (PS- make sure to get your pets spayed or neutered). Not to mention I can recite the Hoveround and Liberty Medical commercials by heart.

"Hoveround takes me where I want to go, where will it send me...?" (If you are singing it along with me in your head, I guess I'm not alone here.)

My interests are not the only thing that make me an old person. (Oh just a little disclaimer, I'm not hating on old people by any means, I absolutely love them! And for those of you reading this that think you're old, just consider "old" as someone much, much older than yourself...there, now everyone is happy.) I also have been told that I dress like an old person (should I say elder? Would that be more politically correct?). Apparently I wear a lot of knit sweaters and scarves, and if and when I wear dresses to any social occasion, they usually don't follow the norm. I mean, I know I'm not the only one that wears knit scarves and cardigans, but I guess to some people it's unusual. I'm also ALWAYS cold. Like a frail old lady. Always shivering. Always having a blanket. Always sitting by the fire with a cup of coffee. If there is no fire around, I always have that cup of coffee. Always. Coffee is wonderful. If you don't think so, you haven't discovered all its glory yet. Just give it some time.

So maybe by this time you're asking yourself, okay this girl is a little strange but not enough to write a blog about it? Well maybe you're right...this blog will probably be pointless and not in the slightest bit interesting. I will try, however, to make it somewhat interesting, just for you. No promises! The real intention of this blog is to basically show you how lame I am. I am really behind on the times. By this I mean that I cannot keep up with pop culture to save my life. It just doesn't come naturally to me. People will say some new term and I will have absolutely no idea what they mean. I'll probably be one of those people that says YOLO five years after it was popular to say. Is it still popular now? I have no idea. See? Case and point. I don't listen to popular music so every time a song comes on the radio, everyone starts singing along. 

And I sit there. 

I am completely and utterly oblivious to the realm of all things popular, and I wonder in my mind where I started losing touch.

I can't trace it back to a specific moment or point in time. I think I just do what I want, you know? The final point I have to make for myself about being old is that I absolutely LOVE old people. I think they are so cute. Every time I see one (just ask anyone who has ever known me ever) I completely lose it. I have the same reaction to old people as most people have to a cute puppy or baby or any other infant creature. I almost cried one time because I saw an older couple holding hands and I couldn't handle the cuteness. I don't just like seeing old people (I now realize this sounds weird, but I'll go with it). I love talking to them. I love hearing their stories. I love hearing them talk about the long and interesting lives they have lived. If I'm going to be completely honest with you, and I already have been thus far, if I were given the choice to talk to someone that is five times older than me, or someone who is my age, I would choose the ninety year old. They have so much to tell and their stories are just music to my ears. I  have so much respect for them, I guess that just makes me want to be one? I always tell people I can't wait to be old. They think I'm weird. That's fine. 

So I think I'm going to make this blog about all of the ways I feel like an old person. Maybe I'll post about something I do or say that makes me feel old, or maybe I'll post about a time where someone else thinks that I'm old. Maybe I'll just write about what's going on. I hope that I can talk to some older people and maybe write about one of their stories, too. Because those stories people tell me are something worth sharing. Either way, I am excited to share some of my life with you, and I hope that you find it interesting and worth your time. I hope to write again soon and share with you my life:

Memoirs of an Old Soul

Thanks!
Madeline 

 
 













About me:
I'm an 18 year old Des Moines, Iowa native. I am a college student studying photography administration. I hope to run my own photography business someday. If you want to see some of my work, head on over to facebook.com/MadelineTrottPhotography. You can also follow me on Twitter: @madeline_trott , or on Instagram: @madelinetrott. If you have any questions about my blog, my photography, or anything else, you can e-mail me at m.trott27@gmail.com. Thanks again for your time!