DroptheMask

August 16, 2011 I am currently on the way to hawaii with my soon to be husband and true love of my life. Although our quickly-paced budding romance and "story" has been anything but "ordinary" in others' eyes; our profound love for one another has no doubt grown extremely strong and been absolutely true. And over the last four months of our whirlwind love, we had definitely heard and felt the surprise from many, the wrath of a few, and tough questions about our actual love for one another from several--including eachother. However, much to our enjoyment, our new love has not only survived through the fire of our trials; but it has also flourished and grown deeper and stronger, as a result. As we now traverse across the country and several time zones, I now feel more reassured and at peace than ever about my decision to allow my heart to follow its proper course to fall in love with my best friend and the man of my dreams. And the incidents of this past we...

“Life is like a box of chocolates—you never know what you are gonna get.”—Forrest Gump.   I haven’t really “written” in quite a few months. As my life has continued to oddly wind down so many paths of uncertainty; I have been extremely busy and in a way kind of hiding from the reality of my situation.   The truth is, I am more in love now with my life and family than I have ever been before and I want to share my happiness with the entire world—yet, I know that much of my happiness has come to fruition because of the pain I have caused to others—and as much as I would like to just ignore it…I can’t.   If I ignore the reality of what had transpired then I am ultimately not being truthful or fair to myself or others—and I know that is no way to live.   As much as the truth hurts, it still must be acknowledged, told, and ultimately accepted.    Ever since my life has changed for the better, I have felt convicted to share how the love of my life and I initial...

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” –Pericles Each and every day we encounter new people in our lives. While some may be engrained in our thoughts as we ponder on the day’s past activities; others may possibly never cross our minds ever again.   But what is interesting to think about are those people—whether they are complete strangers or close loved ones—who just happen to stick in our minds and stay in our hearts for one particular reason or another.        The great Greek statesman, general, and orator, Pericles (495-429 BC), once stated, “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”   Often referred to as “the first citizen of Athens ”, Pericles promoted the arts and literature and ruled Athenian society during the city’s Golden Age.   He was also primarily responsible for fostering Athenian democracy ...

May 31, 2011 “Good morning, baby…I love you so much”—Just like every other glorious morning spent with the love of my life—today’s sweet words whispered in my ear were no different than any other.   Every morning for the last two months I have been experiencing an absolute dream come true.   Each day I have had the blessed opportunity to both fall asleep   and wake up next to my soul mate and best friend—and it has been complete perfection.   However, early this morning, complete perfection was surpassed when I lived what every girl dreams of and wishes her entire life for—today, I was asked to spend the rest of my life with the man of my dreams.   I experienced the perfect marriage proposal from my one true love. This entire weekend leading up to this morning was an absolutely perfect one spent with several family and friends.   We all had a complete blast with one another and the time that my love and I spent together was a dream, like always.   E...

A great Greek philosopher named Epictetus (AD 55-AD 135) was once recorded as saying, "There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will."   His philosophy was rooted in his belief that although life is ultimately controlled by fate; individuals still have the ability and freedom to choose how they react to every fateful life situation they encounter. Being raised and traded as a slave in his early life and then crippled in his later years; Epictetus thus decided early on that he, alone, was the only one who could determine his life’s level of happiness and worry.   In comparison to Epictetus’ life and times, happiness seems so elusive to many people in this world of ours.   For some reason or another, the human race has always seemed to have issues (both minor and major) when it comes to the simple enjoyment and sheer pleasure of everyday life and living.   Regrettably, the act of worrying ab...

In today’s world, gratitude and appreciation are often concepts that fall by the wayside during the chaos of everyday life and routines.   We all, for the most part, realize that life is a special gift and that the relationships that we foster within our daily living are something to be valued.   However, many of us also find ourselves far too busy to take the time to sit down, think, and truly assess and appreciate the countless aspects of all of the precious gifts we have in each of our lives. Unfortunately, we are not awaken to many of our lives’ blessings until something tragic or uncomfortable takes place—until we are faced with the possibility that we may lose the very blessings which we never truly realized we had in the first place.   Many times, it is only then—when life seems that it is at its toughest—that relationships, situations, and life, itself, actually seem to recapture their true meanings and really make sense again.   Sadly, it is in those times...

It’s been nearly one month since the last time I blogged and, like always, so much has happened.   Once again, life always has a funny way of teaching us lessons which we never thought we would ever learn or even understand—and sometimes in the most peculiar ways.   Within the last 30 days or so, I have surprisingly found my soul mate and fallen in love in ways I never knew existed; and during the process, I have also discovered more about myself than I had ever dreamed possible. Through fate (and complex life situations), I have been blessed in the rare occasion of falling in love with my best friend and complete soul mate.   Without any manipulation of situations, others, or myself, I have been unknowingly and perfectly paired with the love of my life—all while neither of us even saw it coming.   Although we have “known of” one another for the last four years and have been relatively close acquaintances/friends over the last year or so; it has only been the last f...