SPREAD LOVE

Thoughts:

Our family encountered a person couple of months ago. I always felt very sad looking at him because he looked very pavam-types (you know what I'm tying to say, the south-Indian slang :P). He seemed a bit weird at times. So we were wondering what made him the way he is. Recently, while speaking to mom he shared his life story. It-seems he was a school drop out and he could not read because of dyslexia. No one gave him a job and he had to go through so much of hardship all his life. I was moved with compassion. Something within me told him I should help this person is any small possible way. All of us are going through some inner struggle. If everyone knew everyone's story, we would never judge anyone. Today, I released there isn't anyone you couldn't learn to love once you've heard their story.

Verse:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

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BE ENCOURAGED

Verse:

And David was greatly distressed;...but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
 1 Samuel 30:6

Devotion:

This morning on the way to work, I was feeling very low. Life seems to go on but I feel like I have been drifting away from my dreams, passion and goals. I felt like a big failure. To be honest, I was super discouraged. I told God, please encourage me Lord. This verse came to mind. I have been reading 1st Samuel. And I must admit that I admire King David's approach to life. No wonder God calls him a man after His own heart. Even when the storms of life hit you hard, stand tall. Encourage yourself in the Lord!

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MY STRENGTH

Verse:

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever. Psalm 73:26

Devotion:

Off-late I have been having issues with my health. I had been to the Doctor yesterday and got bad reports again. Yes, I was heart broken and cried all night. I woke up in the morning and this verse came to my mind. Even though my health has failed and my spirit has grown weak, I can boldly say God is the strength of my heart right now. If not for God I would never be able to get over this storm. As the psalmist said, weeping may last for a night but joy comes in the morning. I woke up, dressed up and showed up at work. He is my strength when I am weak!

Song:

This song spoke right through my heart this week. It's called, "Made me glad" by Hillsong. Few lines from the song:

Whom have I in heaven but You

There's none I desire beside You

For You have made me glad, and I'll say of the Lord

You are my shield, my strength, my portion

Deliverer, my shelter, strong tower

My very present help in time of need...

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PRISONERS OF HOPE

Verse:

“Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.” Zechariah 9:12

Devotion:

When you’re a prisoner of something, it’s like you’re chained to it. In other words, you can’t get away from it. “Nothing good ever happens to me.” “It’s never going to change. It’s just been too long.” No, you’re chained to the wrong thing. You need to break those chains and become a prisoner of hope. That means that no matter how long it’s taking, no matter how impossible it looks, our attitude should be, “I just can’t help it. I know it’s going to work out. I know I’m going to overcome. It may be taking a long time, but I know this too shall pass because I am a prisoner of hope!”

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OUR 2ND ANNIVERSARY

October 2nd was our second anniversary. Two years!!! It feels longer, but in a good way. So much has happened!

Over these two years, I’ve learned a few things things about marriage (and, of course, am still learning). Say thank you. Say sorry. You’re allowed to get annoyed. Kiss each other especially during fights :)

The secret to a long and happy marriage is not the idea that nothing bad is ever going to happen. But it’s that when something bad happens, you know how to get through it together. One of the most important things is that when you’re having an argument, instead of ratcheting up the emotion, you diffuse it. In the middle of a fight, hug him tight; like you never want to let go of him, even if at that moment, it's the hardest because you’re so mad. It reminds you both of the big picture. It doesn’t make it instantly better, but it takes it down a notch. And in the cool-down period afterward, you’re not left questioning. You know everything is going to be okay. Half an hour after the fight, it’s over and you feel good.

That's one of our secrets. Would like to know yours as well :)

PS: Here are few fun pics from our anniversary photo-shoot.

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DIY - STRING OF PICTURES

If you know me well, you know how much I love to take pics. That's cause I would like to cherish every moment of life. Recollect good memories and learn lessons from the not so good ones. Every now and then I go through my Picture Library, which reminds me of God's goodness.

Well, this anniversary I made String of pictures for my husband by collecting memories of our past 2 years together. Here is how you can do-it-yourself (DIY).

1. Collect all your favorite the pictures of both of you together. Make an folder and make sure you arrange in chronological order. (Day 1 till now).

2. Take print outs of these and arrange them according to the order that you want to display. Make sure you leave few inches above the picture so that you can use it to hang on the string.

3. Take a ribbon/string and stick few of these pictures to so that you hang them in row one below the other.

4. Hang it on the wall one below the other and decorate it with few Christmas lights. 

Surprise your partner by putting off all the lights in the middle of the night like I did :)

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DIY - COUPLE TEE (Printed version)

I'm super fascinated about Couple tees. So for our anniversary I custom made it and gifted it to my husband. You can do one too for your partner. Here's how to Do-It-Yourself (DIY).

1. Buy 2 plain white t-shirts, one for your partner and the other for you. It should be plain in the middle area both front and back. The sleeves is up-to you, you can ether have it printed or plain. I picked mine from Reliance Trends. 

2. Customize your design for the front part. I designed "To infinity" on guys tee shirt and "and beyond" on girls tee shirt. I used Photoshop like shown below:

3. Customize your design for the back part. I designed "Together 20" on guys tee shirt and "Since 14" on girls tee shirt. Shown below:

4. Get both these printed in any printing shops. Match it with your favorite pants and shoes. You are good to go.

5. Now you are all set to flaunt and take some candid pictures.

Hope you liked them :)

PS: You can also paint if you like. Here is the painted version of couple-tees. Tutorial here.

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