Inspire Me Monday #39 LOVE Wins

It’s Monday, so it’s time for another Inspire Me Monday link-up! Be sure to check out all of the links at the bottom of the post for some inspiration and add your own if you’re a blogger.

All you need is love, right?

Okay, I suppose you need more than love to survive…like food and water and shelter and clothing and money (and cookies), but what would you have to live FOR without love? Love makes life worth living. Love for yourself, love for and from others and love for the good things in our life.

This past week seemed to have a common theme of love. I’m here to share some things to note and some links to check out concerning the wonderful concept of LOVE.

Grandma Betty

First of all, we lost a wonderful woman who embodied the word love.

Dave’s sweet grandmother Betty passed away about a week ago.

We were both so grateful that we were able to attend the funeral—moving day was Monday, we arrived in Omaha Tuesday and the wake was in Clearwater, Nebraska that evening with the funeral following in the morning. She seriously timed it perfectly.

All joking aside, it’s really tough to think of what we will do without her. She was the glue that held the family together.

The priest at the end of the funeral said that Betty had so many good traits about her and that we should all pick one to hold onto and live out in our life. I thought about it all day and for the rest of the week.

The first time this woman met me, she gave me the biggest hug and I will never forget it. I had only been dating Dave about a week and I was kind of shocked. That’s just the kind of person she was though. Always warm and welcoming and full of love. She was also the kind of person to give us jelly every time we visited. That “Grandma Jelly” as we called it was  treasured until it ran out.

She really was an amazing woman, so I kept coming up with new traits each day that I could pick from.

-kindness –strength –patience –humor –joy –faith –ambition –humility

And then today, I decided it was love.

However cheesy it may sound, the greatest thing anyone can do, and something she showed on a daily basis, is love. She showed love and was in turn so loved by her small town community that the church was literally overflowing with people.

Every time I get annoyed with someone or frustrated with the way my life is, I really hope I turn to love. I hope that when I start to beat myself up for perceived flaws or mistakes I make that I turn to love. When I can’t make sense of religion, I can make sense of love. One thing I can control in my life is how and who I love. No one can take that away from me—no matter what.

Love Wins in America

If you weren’t hiding under a rock this past weekend, it’s official that any person can marry any other person they wish in America. I was crying tears of JOY while reading all of the posts and articles and seeing the rainbow profile photos on Facebook.

It’s crazy to think that a few years ago, I wouldn’t be so sure about same-sex marriage. It’s really tough to see something in a new light when you’ve been told something is wrong over and over and over.

I really want to stress for those who just don’t get why some are against marriage equality due to religion, please grant them a little grace. Most of the time, it’s not from hate, but from a different thought process.

I also want to stress to those who are against it to remember things like:

-We used to think the world was flat. Even after it was proven to be round…there was still a society that believed the earth was flat. Seriously.

-We used to only allow white, male landowners to vote. If you’re reading this now…are you a white, male landowner?

-We used to think it was wrong for different races to get married or to even use the same drinking fountain. How crazy does that sound now?

-Finally, read why this Catholic justice decided to vote for same sex marriage.

My Sister is Awesome and Inspiring

This weekend I was able to see my sister perform in her new band at The Waiting Room, a very iconic spot in Omaha, Nebraska. She sang, she played her cello, she played her ukulele…I mean she was just amazing, putting herself out there. I got a teensy bit jealous since I’m an avid car/shower/alone singer, but I’ve yet to get up the nerve to even karaoke without a large group of friends on the stage with me.

How does this fit in? I don’t really know…I love my sister? I just really wanted to brag about her. 😉

The iLOVE Project

Lastly, I am launching a new blog (as some of you may be aware by now since I set up the Instagram account) with the theme of LOVE. It’s a pretty big concept that ranges from self-love topics to ways to love others to relationships to hobbies to fashion. I’m pretty darned excited about it—I’m not gonna lie.

I’m definitely still keeping Diary of a Semi-Health Nut because it’s my baby and I still very much enjoy chatting about food and fitness, but in order to run two blogs (and maintain a café job), I’m looking for some regular monthly contributors (for DSHN and the new blog)!

E-mail me at semihealthnut AT yahoo if you’re interested and we can chat!

LOVE Links from Last Week’s Link-Up:

I did find some posts that fit my theme this week!

Summer of Service Week 4 via While I’m Waiting

This gal is committing to doing something every week for other people—kind of an awesome idea. It got the wheels turning in my brain…

What do you love about yourself? via Pancake Warriors

It’s a good question to ask yourself if you haven’t in awhile.

Bonus Link From Last Week’s Link-Up:

DIY Window Coffee Table via 702 Park Project

I mean seriously…how awesomely creative is this?? I feel like I may be focusing more on home stuff now that we are looking for a house by the way…sounds logical, right? I only mention that because it surprised me that it grabbed my attention. 

Tell me…your thoughts! No real questions today, I just want to hear what you have to say…about anything really. 🙂

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Follow the other hostesses to see their favorite links:

CJ from Morsels of Life 
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Emily from Simple Life of a Fire Wife
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Kori from Just Another Mom
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Janice from Reflections
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