She is just full of good things lately! That's right, I'm talking (again) about Nicole, over here.   In her post titled, "This is Me"  she shared about struggling with the constant temptation to give up on dreams too easily, and compare herself with others.  If we can't all say an amen to that, than we're probably lying!  She went on to say how she met with a friend and it left her feeling inspired to embrace herself, just the way she was.  I LOVE it when friends help you feel that way.  And we ALL need a little of that every now and then.  So after reading her list (that you can find at the link above) I was inspired to write a little one of my own.  Enjoy!

•    I am an extrovert and can appear quite confident, and so most people would be shocked to realize how many insecurities I truly have, and that sometimes I want to hide around certain people.

•    I have always prided myself on the fact that I never EVER took even the slightest interest in the bachelor or bachelorette.  The whole show made me want to throw up in my mouth a little bit.   That being said, the last two seasons have reeled me in a bit.  Just in all honesty here.

•     I come from a family of T.A.L.K.E.R.S.  I mean, at a Graber get-together there are literally 6 conversations going at once at the dinner table.  As a result, I am fairly vocal, opinionated and loud. I used to resent that and wish I were more sweet, meek and mild like some other girls I know.  But I'm learning to love and accept who I am, flaws and all.

•    I am not afraid of heights.   Not in the least.  Get me up there, whether it be a skyscraper, theme park ride, scaffolding, bridge, tree, you name it.  It gives me a thrill and makes my stomach drop a little bit and I love it.

•    I am, however, afraid of riding a bike too fast.  I am overly-cautious.  I blame this on the epic wipe-out I took as a kid on the gravel road down from my grandma's house, and the Hydrogen-peroxide bath that followed.

•    My siblings and I fought a lot growing up but the older we get, the more we are able to appreciate each other, differences and all, and I am enjoying getting to know and love them more and more.

•    I am not a very sensitive person. I'm not the greatest listener, I can be self-absorbed, and I can hurt people without even ever realizing that I did.  That is an area I desperately want to work on.  On the flip side, I can be extremely sensitive to fictional characters in books, songs, or movies, and weep openly and feel every emotion possible and connect on a level that is hard to with humans. Why is that?!

•    I am not an animal person, in the sense that I would dress up my cats or kiss my dog, or let them sleep in the bed with me.  Like, ever in a million years.  But I AM an animal person in the sense that when I watch a documentary on the treatment of animals in slaughterhouses, I want to cry and never eat meat again.  And I'm a carnivore.

•    I am bad at remembering people's names, faces and don't even get me started on how hopeless I am at directions.  But I (and my brothers) can remember movies and quote them, almost beginning to end.  There I go again being better with inanimate objects than humans.  I clearly have a problem.

•    I like to imagine that if I HAD gone to college, and HAD conquered my phobia of math and science, I would have made a really good Pyschiatrist.

•    I am a good blend of my mom and my dad, personality wise.  I used to think I was WAY more like my dad, but the older I get and the more of life I experience, the more of my mother I see emerging from myself like the treeline becoming clearer in the fog.

•    Designing my own line of children's clothing, writing a book, or touring the world talking to younger women about issues like motherhood, modesty, and overcoming obstacles and insecurities in their lives would be absolute rock-my-world, dreams come true.  

   I suppose that will be all for now.  Maybe the next time I am tempted to start to think only negative things about myself and compare myself to all of those around me, I will try this little exercise again. Because the truth is, each and every one of us is unique, special, and loved by God.  We just tend to forget that.

   Thanks again Nicole for the inspiration to do this.  And now it's your turn!  What things make you, you?  I'd love to hear.  Leave a comment or two and let me know!