I’ve been sitting here contemplating & debating what I was going to write about today. I wanted it to be all planned out & philosophical, but honestly it felt too planned. Instead I sat down to work on my art & finish watching some movies. I guess over the past few days I’ve just been in a sappy mood, so while I was doing my work I finished watching the movie “The Holiday” then threw back to the 2000s and watched “Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants.”
“The Holiday” is about two women going through difficult times (mostly having to do with men…*ohbrother*) so they swap houses for two weeks around Christmas for vacation. In the process, one learns how to be confident in herself & find joy in getting to know the people around her. The other learns to loosen up & to love in a way she had never been able to before. Sprinkled throughout the movie, there were so many little moments that just made it fantastic- the characters climbing into a sheet tent with friends & being like innocent children again, having a Hanukah meal & laughing over old stories & glasses of wine, learning to laugh at embarrassing moments in public rather than take it so seriously, being content with the things they already had, & learning to accept & stand up for themselves rather than to be put down & trampled.
In “Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants” it’s very much the same: four innocent teenage girls go off for their first summer apart. One learns to open up & be adventurous, one learns to forgive, one learns (unfortunately by making some bad decisions) to deal with her hurts rather than burying them, and one learns that everything in the world is not cynical & dramatic…but that even the quirkiest of people have their own beauty & value. They go through a summer of growth, hurts, changes, & they come out of it all the wiser.
Both of these movies remind me of life & mosaics.
Life: the experience of being alive; the ability to grow, change, etc., that separates plants and animals from things like water or rocks
Mosaic: something made up of different things that together form a pattern (Meriam-Webster dictionary)
Really that’s what life is. It’s like…if we took us out of ourselves & zoomed out to see all the snapshots, little moments, & memories that make up who we are, who we have been, & the life we have lived, what would those individual pictures be? Would they be pictures of material things? Would they be pictures of sadness? Joy? Other people? Ourselves? Sometimes I find it so interesting that the strangest of things remind of ideas that are so huge. But it’s serious. When I die…what do I want the little mosaic parts of my life to be about?
That’s something I believe God is moving in my life…I want my life to be one that touches 
other people. A life that glorifies Jesus Christ & blesses, helps, motivates, & brings joy & the gospel to those around me. I want my life to be one filled with passion & adventure. Am I going to be content with letting myself be stuck in situations that are monotonous & bland or will I push myself to take risks & follow my dreams? Will my life be a mosaic of snapshots that focus on the negative or ones that focus on the highlights? The laughter? The smiles? The lessons? I want snapshots like in these movies- being daring & jumping into the ocean, laughter with friends, or camping out in the living room with my children just because I can, & watching my hopes & dreams come into fruition. The kind of life I want to make in my mosaic isn’t a sunshiny easy one. It will require sacrifice, challenges, pain, & discipline, but it will be worth it.
I want one that when I look back & tell the stories of each snapshot, each memory, it will bring joy, tears, & laughter to myself & those around me. I want snapshots that demonstrate courage & joy. I want snapshots that reflect my love for Christ, & my love of other people.