Friday, April 23, 2010

Alive


"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who come alive."
 ~ Howard Thurman

On bad days, when the clouds hang wet and low in my skies, I think about this quote. Sometimes I think too many of my life's decisions were made out of fear of really living. And then I think back to the places I've lived and the valleys I have walked through. And while I may not have climbed to the top of Everest yet, I have climbed none the less. 

Because I wanted to come alive I realize that in many ways I have lived. And in living I have come alive. I have pushed my limits just trying to be me. And though I fail more often then not, the desire to be fully alive has introduced me to many places and many people, not in the least myself.  

That simple desire, to live, to come alive, is why I got married. It is why I taught in Hong Kong. It is why I knew I had to see Colorado's Rockies, the Effeil Tower, the impossibly clear seas of the Maldives, and every other place I 'wasted' my money traveling to. 

It is why I wanted to be a mother. And what keeps me going when that desire means wiping, washing, sticky fingers and tears. Lots of tears. Theirs and sometimes mine. It is why I stay married. Why I love. Why I risk the hurt associated with opening your life to another human. It is why I coffee with friends and movie with him. It is why I box. It is why I run. It is why I eat cupcakes when perhaps I shouldn't. It is why I call myself a Christian. Why I long to know Him better. Why I pour my life before out Him. And trip over myself learning to trust him

And it is why I write. 
Oh God. 
It is why I write. 

If there was nothing more that I ever got to do in this life, I realize that I have done already what makes me live. I just hope I get more days to color outside the lines and see how much more glitter I can add to the picture of me.

What about you? What makes you come ALIVE?


23 comments:

  1. Writing and Music, or Music and Writing. It could be either really. Both for the same reasons and for very different reasons. How's that for crytpic? :D

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  2. Tabitha,
    if i had to choose one favorite quote, it would be this one. thanks for sharing your heart and what makes you come alive. writing makes me come alive, too. i put up a couple of posts about that on my blog:

    http://michellegregory.blogspot.com/search/label/coming%20alive

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  3. Nature. I need trees reaching up, rivers moving, lakes still and deep, waves curling, sand under foot, boulders to climb, birds calling,flowers opening, falling leaves, sheer cliffs, pebbles clattering in surf, dolphins leaping, clouds stacked high. I could go on and on. I just find joy and energy when I'm close to nature of any sort.
    Welcome back, Tab. I've sure missed you!

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  4. Oh, I light up when I see your post!! LOVE the picture. If that doesn't depict freedom through grace??

    What makes me ALIVE? Studying God's word. Marveling over great Christian lyrics. Running with my dog Laura. There's a lot more, but I'll stop now!!!

    Love you,
    Patti

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  5. You're back! I can't believe I missed this post :) Welcome back, I've been missing your lovely words and images, and this did not disappoint. Writing makes me come alive - unleashing my imagination on paper fulfills me.

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  6. Beautiful Tab. I'm learning to live all the way now, I love how you write about doing it.

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  7. One of the many things I love about your writing is how it so often expresses my own heart's feelings. For me alive is everything in nature, teaching, writing, friends, travel, and more and more, yoga. Alive is wherever I find God.

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  8. I think being a mother is the best way to learn about life. I learn more from my kids then I ever did before.

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  9. Tabitha, I want to curl up in bed with a never-ending book written by you. I would cry a lot (not in a bad way, but cry because I'm reading something profound) and I would whisper, "amen" a lot. You have no idea how much I resonate with your writing...with your words.

    These three lines contain so much unspoken emotion, it's not even funny.

    And it is why I write.
    Oh God.
    It is why I write.

    Loved that.

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  10. I love this post, and also the picture you chose to go with it. I love how you put "wasted" in quotes!

    Clearly, I love writing, just as you do. And sometimes I feel that, personally, I am that slab of marble that the artist says contains a work of art, it just needs to be freed. The freeing lights me up. :-)

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  11. Oh dear! You give us all light with these beautiful words!
    What makes me come alive?
    Reading such grateful words
    Being the one I am now... I cannot change it, and I do not want to.
    I love what I have and have what I love, except for the exceptions... of course...

    Hugs

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  12. What a beautiful post--I couldn't have said it better myself. That picture is such an inspiration to remind us all to get out there and LIVE.

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  13. "And it is why I write.
    Oh God.
    It is why I write."

    Yes, yes, and yes. And another yes. And add one more yes on top of that just for fun. Yes.

    Love the photograph, love the words. Lovely.

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  14. Yeah, hate to be a repeater, but music and writing, not necessarily in that order. Also...I think helping someone who is in real need. Makes me feel more alive than any other time. Ha, triping over myself learning to trust Him also! Daily. Arrrgh!

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  15. Awesome photo!

    My family makes me feel alive. My friends.

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  16. Tabitha,

    It has been too long since I marveled at your wise words. This post is beautiful and runs along side exactly what I've been feeling lately. To be ALIVE is something I've not felt in a long time. But that, in and of itself, is a long story.

    Thank you for your kind words the other day. It was so good to see you in the comments. I hope your time off from blogging was wonderful! How did the writing go?

    Have a wonderful weekend. I'll be back in blogland soon. And hopefully, back to living.
    Jen

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  17. Have I ever told you how awesome you are? Oh yeah, like every time I come here. You're a gift you know that? Your money wasn't wasted on your travels just like your talent isn't wasted on your blog. Thank you for pouring your beautiful heart out.

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  18. Your post has made me smile!
    Love living life - Love living life with Him and getting to know Him better

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  19. I like the quote too. Funny when coming alive feels like a battle. When it feels like a threat.

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  20. Love the photograph, Tab. If it isn't the photograph of freedom, I don't know what is. And, Tab, you're back with a deeper spirituality, the fire burning brighter. Congrats, girl, for being brave enough to take the step that got you there.

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  21. Love the quote, your post and your blog! I needed to read your post and remember to do what makes me come alive.

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  22. Through writing I give life to my words and in a sense this makes me come alive. Other than that I don't think I've ever really became alive just simply lived. You are blessed to have experienced the other side of the world. I'm sure your journey is just beginning. There is so much more for you to do. I love the quote too.

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