Lately, i've been thinking a lot about bravery. 

to face your past with grace
and allow the wounds to heal no matter how painful they are to drag up.

to hope greatly for the beauty of the future,

and mostly, to live confident in the present that God is trustworthy, and we need not fear.

and then this massive wave of emotion came with a swell large and powerful,

for in the last two months of being here, i've witnessed living bravery.

in the girls.

for those of you readers who are new,
Kevin and I work in Nepal with the most precious girls you will ever lay eyes on.

who have been prey to the dirtiest of evils.

of men who pay for their bodies, and abuse their innocence.

of trafficking across borders and across towns.

it makes me sick.

but every day I watch them fight.

i see them face their past in counseling,

head to head with fears and evil.

I notice when they take steps to not let their past define them, 

to go to school and learn and be dilligent with their homework 

because they want to make a better future for themselves.

And mostly, I feel their love that radiates in hugs and blown kisses
and snuggles as we sit and talk and share life together.

And even though they have every excuse to be angry, bitter girls,

with brave hearts,

they choose to move forward in love.

it's hard for me to comprehend sometimes 

it just doesn't make sense. 

but then, the lyrics to charlie hall's song "you are God" hit me...

You fill our hearts with love and faith

You fight for us, You make us brave

You are God, You are God.

and that's when I realized, 

HE makes us brave. 

and He's fighting for us every.step.of.the.way. 

and so I thank God that in his love, he is empowering these girls to be brave, day by day. 

and in his mercy, He allows me the same power to choose courage. 

and if you're feeling low or sapped of energy, uninspired, or downright fearful,

pray that fresh fire will fall in your heart, sparking the courage it takes to face each day with grace. 

i'm telling you, it can happen

because it's happened in my black heart

and it's happening in a little girls home in kathmandu. 

and when the fire sparks and catches flame, the blazing roar can change the world. 

“If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze.” -Catherine of Siena

love Katie

ps- suuuccchhh exciting news to come soon! can't wait to share with all of you! 

you are enough

A few weeks ago I read something so inspiring and beautiful I wanted to share it with you. 

I have been meditating on it all week, reading it and rereading it because it lifted my soul. 

When my sweet lovely sister Lena came to visit me for a week, 

we giggled and laughed our way through a fun photo shoot in the park 

and I thought i'd pair them both together for you on this Tuesday! 

The following words are taken from an article called "You are Enough"

from a blog called Darling Magazine. 

We must choose grace. 

We must choose to take it easy on one another,

 and to be kind to other women.

We must choose to believe that we have something to offer this world 

that no one else can.

You have something inside of you 

that is so unique and so good.

Next time you are tempted to compare yourself to someone else, 

look deep inside of yourself. 

Explore and find out what it is that makes you different, 

what it is that makes you feel special and beautiful and whole.

Draw upon it whenever you are feeling like you aren’t enough.
Let it shine and glow though you.
Take hold of whatever it is you find and don’t ever let it go.

If you are a painter, paint. 

If you are a writer, write. 

If you are a lover, love.

Don’t worry about whether or not someone else can do it better than you. 

No one else can be you, and you were created in the image of a perfect creator.

Don’t allow comparison to rob you of 

your uniqueness, 

your imagination, 

your light and 

your joy.

isn't that so so good? 

when I read it I seriously let out a sigh of relief, 

thankful that even if someone can do something better than me, 

only I can do it the way God created me to do it! 

that we are shaped and molded after the Creator to do what only we can do? 

to love and serve and GO where only HE has called us? 

I think in the end, this quote embodies being brave. 

To step into the treasures Abba has given us, 

instead of comparing and wanting what others have. 

you.are.enough.

i.am.enough. 

we are unique and fully loved. 

and that is grace

flowing down from our loving Father. 

happy tuesday dearest friends! 

love katie 

be brave: amanda

Recently my lovely friend Amanda asked what inspires me.

without hesitating, I said "brave people"

people who follow their dreams. 

who just go for it,

and dream big. 

those are the people and the stories that bring me to tears,

because despite the odds,

they are so so brave and courageous. 

Amanda is one of those people. 

last year she and her dad had the brave idea to open up a skincare store,

with products that are natural and free of any chemicals or harmful substances. 

it's called Taylor Stone. 

as someone who tries to live clean and green, 

i've been so so thankful for amanda and her honest genuine products. 

not only are the products great, but the heart behind the store and concept blow me away. 

amanda wrote the most inspiring manifesto. so inspiring in fact, that it's taped to my bathroom wall. 

because i need to hear it. and so do you.  

see it here. 

 {is she not just the cutest thing ever?}

                i wanted you to get to know Amanda's heart even more, so I asked her the following...

tell me who you are in a nutshell:

wife, food lover, writer, photo taker, explorer, Jesus follower (More on my blog ;) 

what is the heartbeat behind Taylor Stone, and how did you start? 

Taylor Stone is the brain child of my dad but the birth of my imagination. I came on to help my dad give the company it's story, it's look and feel, it's reason for people to love it. I wrote a statement of sorts, encouraging women to value themselves and describing beauty not as what you look like but who you are. The beauty industry is shallow, so many skincare and makeup companies promote this image of perfection that is unattainable. And in my opinion, unattractive. At Taylor Stone we don't sell face wash to make you "flawless" and we don't sell foundation so you can "cover up. " It's simple: a good face wash is going to help your skin be healthy, and makeup, well, I like to think of makeup as paint and your face is the canvas- so create! The problem comes when we believe these things make us beautiful- that's the lie- we are already beautiful! We were designed to be beautiful creations and all unique! To wrap it up, I see Taylor Stone as a movement more than a company.

in what way did stepping out to start Taylor Stone take courage? 

I really didn't know what I was signing on for when I agreed to help my dad with Taylor Stone. Back then it was just us in the back of our house hammering out ideas. I had no idea what it took to start a business, let alone, grow and run one. It takes tremendous courage to follow your dreams. So often we let roadblocks stop us and when opposition comes, we give up. It takes courage not to quit on yourself. To believe past the doubts and fear, that you can do this. It took me a long time to recognize that if there isnt opposition, I must not be doing anything worthwhile. Opposition and Success go hand in hand. There will be plenty of people telling you not to follow your dreams, so don't join them. Be kind to yourself and understand nothing great is built over night. It takes time. Grueling, back breaking, time but the hope is that someday it won't be so hard and you won't need to work so hard at it. Someday it will just Be.

thank you beautiful amanda:) 

so follow your dreams this week dears ones! 

and don't forget to get to know amanda more on her blog,

the sweet sojourn. 

{you can also read a little interview she did with me} 

love Katie