Category Archives: Faith

Apr 30 2012

Guest Blog: Simple acts of sheer beauty.

In February of 2010, a few months shy of my sixteenth birthday, I came across a twitter account for a little girl named Layla Grace. I’m sure you’ve all heard of Layla by now, the bright blue-eyed, adorable toddler whom was fighting something much bigger than her. I had only been following Layla’s story for about a month before her passing in March. From that moment, not only was my life forever changed, my heart was as well. I had no idea the suffering of children all around me. I thought to myself, how can this be happening to babies? Why isn’t anyone listening? I made it my personal mission to raise awareness for childhood cancer and to help these children, in some way, shape or form. The summer following Layla’s death, I began sending care packages to children across the United States. I wasn’t exactly planning for anything big to come out of it, I was just doing something little to brighten the days of children fighting for their lives. I had no idea just the impact these children and childhood cancer would have on me.

As 2011 rolled around, I knew I wanted to turn my small care packages into something much more. I had no clue how I was going to do it, but I wanted to start an organization. There are two songs that have always been favorites of mine – “Ordinary Miracle” and the beautiful “Amazing Grace.” As I was brain-storming ideas, I once again came across these songs… and from that moment, I knew what my organization would be. It would be called “Ordinary Grace.” Ordinary, such as turning seemingly ordinary actions into something remarkable, and Grace, for the simple acts of sheer beauty that come from our hearts. Around the time my organization was getting started, a little boy I had started following the year before was nearing the end of his battle with Neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer. His name was Ronan Sean Thompson. Ronan captured my heart from the very first time I saw his beautiful, sparkling blue eyes. Ronan fought for eight short months before his body simply stopped responding to the chemotherapy. Ronan inspired me to never give up, to fight with absolutely everything I had in me and to help other kids just like him. Ronan was and is my hero.

Ordinary Grace has done more for me, as a person, than ever anticipated. The difference between who I am now and who I was two years ago is breath taking. I’ve definitely had my fair share of struggles, but out of struggling, comes beauty. I wake up each morning
with a fresh set of eyes – knowing that I have been blessed with another day, another chance, another opportunity to make someone smile and laugh. My goal is simple. It is to make a difference. It is to love others. It is to see children, whom are fighting for their lives, day in, and day out… smile. When I am delivering a care basket to a child, and I see the way their face lights up with joy and excitement and the burden of their cancer is pushed aside for a moment, the world around me just about stops. I silently say a prayer of thankfulness and gratitude to be given this opportunity. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, I would rather be doing – than this.

I will continue on with my journey, forever changed by the children and families I have met. I will continue on with Ronan’s beautiful eyes engraved in my soul.

Lauren Clements

http://ordinarygrace.net

http://twitter.com/lorocoro

Apr 30 2012

Every day.

Take a day every once in a while and completely slow down. Be sentimental. Stare into a candle and watch the way it flickers. Count the colors in the sunset. Take an old book you’ve read time after time, and pick apart every word. Take it in in a new way each time. Think about the things you’re stressing over, and ask yourself, “is this really what I wanted? Is this going to help me in the long run?”

Remember that this entire world you are walking on is a miracle in itself. We are all miracles. Grace fills the scars in our heart and on our skin. Hope fills thoughts of uncertainty. Music consoles us. Love ties it all together.

 

Apr 23 2012

Maybe this beauty I see is a sign of something more.

As I get ready to walk out the door this morning to start off the week, I’m stopping to take a loot around at all of the miracles that happen all around me. I never truly realized how amazing it is that life falls together in the way that it does. As suddenly as it can fall apart, it can pull itself right back together. When one door slams shut on your finger, a whole hallway of new paths can stand wide open waiting to be explored.

Every day when I open my eyes to the sun rising once again, I realize that my life has once again been touched by grace. The way everything happens so perfectly, the way the sky can shift hues in a matter of minutes… all of it is extraordinary. I see the world in such a different light than I had just months before. I was in a very bad place at the time, both physically and emotionally. Everyone I talked to would tell me that it would get better. That there was hope. To keep fighting. To start better habits. That I was needed here.

And now, three years later, I’m starting to believe it. Maybe it’s a matter of trust. Maybe it’s because of all the things that have changed for the good. I still have my days and weeks where nothing works right. I remember the mistakes I’ve made and the promises I’ve broken. I miss the people I’ve let down and talk to the ones I unknowingly push away. And then, there are the days when I feel surrounded and embraced in unexpected love. I notice the beauty and perfection of a tiny flower blooming out in the front yard. My eyes are opened to the opportunities I’ve been gracefully and carefully given in order to make my life what I want it to be. All of the little signs start adding up to something so great.

As the months fly by, revelations and sacrifices come and go. Some are good ideas; and some, well…aren’t. I’m finally starting to see the scratches I’ve made on the surface of the earth become something deeper, more permanent. I’m starting to claim my spot here, and really committing myself to it. I’ve come to terms with the fact that maybe I wasn’t meant to be your normal teenager. I never have been. And maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe this beauty I see is a sign of something more.

Apr 18 2012

I may have lost my way now, haven’t forgotten my way home.

 

 

The broken locks were a warning you got inside my head

 I tried my best to be guarded, I’m an open book instead

 I still see your reflection inside of my eyes

That are looking for a purpose, they’re still looking for life

I’m falling apart, I’m barely breathing with a broken heart that’s still beating

 In the pain, is there healing? In your name, I find meaning

So I’m holdin’ on, I’m barely holdin’ on to you

I’m hangin’ on another day just to see what you throw my way

And I’m hanging on to the words you say

You said that I will be okay

The broken lights on the freeway left me here alone I may have lost my way now, haven’t forgotten my way home.

For today, I just want to leave everyone with a simple yet very important reminder- every step matters.

No matter how convinced you are that you’ll be stuck on the same bed, in the same house, in the same miserable place…you won’t be.

No matter how much you’ve been hurt, healing is possible.

No matter how long you’ve been waiting to be rescued, help will arrive.

Even if your miracle hasn’t come around yet, they still exist.

Apr 11 2012

Hide a bit of hope, somewhere safe and fireproof.

I know I would apologize, if I could see those eyes
‘Cause when you showed me yourself, you know, I became someone else
But I was caught in between all I wish for and all I need
Maybe you’re not even what it’s for
Any more than me
May God’s love be with you
Always…

I’ve recently become somewhat obsessed with this song. This past month has been nothing less than what you’d consider a rollercoaster ride, and I sometimes question whether I’m even in the right world to find the path my life was meant to take. People seem to come and go but the only thing that remains is who I am and who I’ve become. If there would be one thing I can guarantee and promise to myself, it would be that I will never change in order to fit in somewhere or build a relationship with someone else. Even three years from now, my view will be very different from the view I have now. Even if I’m seeing from a different perspective, it should be with the same set of eyes.

Sometimes it takes a good kick to fall back into place, and sometimes a simple reminder that you’re never alone does the trick. Every single day, I mentally list 2-3 things that prove how God remains here and I’m never out of His sight. They could be simpler things, such as a random text right when I need it or crossing paths with a butterfly that catches my eye. Every once in a while, though, remarkable things happen. They may be small in themselves, but the impact can be strong enough to overpower the negative if you choose to make it that way. If you really and truly want something to be changed, you have to hide a bit of hope somewhere safe and fireproof. You can only realize the purity and beauty of your heart if you shield and listen to its voice.