Dear Readers,

My best friend, Sarah, posted this on my Facebook today and I feel compelled to share it with you.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.’ We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
~Marianne Williamson.

Sare, thank you for taking the time to share this with me. Not only did it make my day, but it gave me the reassurance I needed to push forward. You inspire me each and every day in so many different ways. You are a role model to me; a leader that I will follow for a lifetime. You have a special place in my heart, and I genuinely value our friendship. I love you and miss you, and hope that someday soon we will be working side by side; inspiring people together. 🙂

To my bloggers, read on. Share with your friends what my friend shared with me. Acknowledge the people you care about most- trust me, it goes a long way.

With love, Court

(PS- Sorry I have been out of operation for the past two weeks. Once I can catch up on my life, I promise my blogs will be more interesting.)

Quote 2: “Make your smile change the world, but don’t let the world change your smile.”- Unknown

Just to familiarize my readers with me, I used a picture of myself (FYI). Although this quote isn’t particularly deep, it carries great meaning. I have this quote written on the front of my planner so that it’s a daily reminder to smile even when things aren’t as ideal as I would like them to be. We all face day to day trials and feel the hours of stress weigh on our shoulders, but that is no reason to not take time to yourself and remember to smile.

We often lose sight of the simple things because we’re so caught up in the demands of our own lives, but it is a necessity to remember the things we are grateful for and appreciative of. I don’t know about you, but I wake up every morning thankful for another day. Not to mention, I am extremely blessed to have the love of so many friends and family members, and the compassionate love of my boyfriend. When I walk into the kitchen for breakfast, I cannot help but thank of how fortunate I am to make myself a meal and brew myself a hot cup of coffee. I know that sounds silly, but unfortunately there are many populations in this world that go days without food and water.

My point in all of this is, take the time to reflect on the things you have and not on the things you don’t have. Smile because you are blessed and wipe away that frown of stress. Don’t let this crazy world consume you. Change your circumstance by changing your outlook. Change your outlook by looking internally and smiling because you have the ability to think, reflect, and change!  🙂

Quote 1: “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”-Michelangelo

I choose this quote as my first because it reminds me of the trip my mom and I took to Italy last May. We traveled all over Italy, but nothing was as magnificent as standing in the Sistine Chapel. Never have I stood before artwork that drew tears from my eyes because of its magnificence. Enamored by the works of Michelangelo, it was hard for me to pull away and continue with the tour. When we visited the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, where you can find the tombstone of Michelangelo, I just stood in silence. If only I were alive in his time to witness Michelangelo creating such beauty. My advice to anyone that wishes to travel the beautiful country of Italy, don’t deny yourself  the opportunity to see the extraordinary originals of Michelangelo’s work.

Anyways, this quote resonates within me. It speaks to me like no other quote. When Michelangelo spoke these words he meant them literally, but in an insightful sense, he meant them figuratively. Michelangelo was a phenomenal Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, and engineer of the late 1400s, creating masterpieces such as the Statue of David, and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo would chisel at chunks of marble creating breathtaking works of art. What amazes me is that Michelangelo viewed his sculpting as chiseling away the marble to discover the beauty that lies within.

The reason this quote speaks such volumes is because I believe each of us are chiseling away at the marble to find the beauty within. There is a beauty inside each and every one of us. There are goals, dreams, motivations, and aspirations. There are hopes, wants, desires, and needs. The marble in which we chisel is this funny thing called life, and the beauty within is the angel waiting to be set free in each of us. Each of us are on a quest to discover our true selves, but the only way to discover is to live; to carve at the marble until the angel is set free.

My name is Courtney, but I go by Court. You can read all about me in my “About Me :)” tab if you’re interested. I am new to this blogging world, and I will admit it is a bit intimidating. I am trying to catch on to the blogging lingo, or jargon some would say. It’s not as easy as it looks… but maybe it’s just because I’m a newbee.

Not sure how many people will follow my blog, but I hope my words will influence or entertain a few people here and there. I have several things I would like to blog about, so I am attempting to figure how to organize my thoughts and make the organization cohesive with my blog site. We’ll see how that goes.

In the meantime, bear with me as I get my first few writings up and running. I don’t want to make a fool of myself. My goal is to have my archive as full as some of the blogs I have been following by the end of the year. Again, we’ll see how that goes.

For today, take with you one of my favorite quotes, or I should say prayers:

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”