bluebirduncaged Things I'm learning

It's ok to admit that it hurts.
You don't have to pretend that you don't care.
But don't throw yourself a pity party. 

Choose not to look for answers.
Don't overanalyze it. 
You don't have to know why.

You are not called to live in fear.
Or worry.
Or bitterness.

All you have to know is that there's a bigger plan.
Your life is in His hands.
Rest in that.  

Let Him calm your anxious heart.

Live each moment in His grace.
Declare His freedom.
Invest in the paths that cross yours.

Leave the rest up to Him.
He's got it.

bluebirduncaged Uncategorized

Nutcracker 2011

Nutcracker

Here are the dates that I will be performing in the Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker as well as what roles, you will see me in. You can get tickets here. Hope to see you there to share the magic 🙂 

Maid, Snow, Flowers
TH Dec. 15 @ 7:30
Sun Dec. 18 @ 2pm
Tue Dec. 20 @ 7:30
Th Dec. 22 @ 7:30

Snow, Flowers
Fri Dec 9 @ 7:30
Sun Dec 11 @ 2pm
Fri Dec 16 @ 7:30
Wed Dec 21 @ 7:30
Sat Dec. 24 @ 1pm

Maid, Flowers
Th Dec. 8 @ 7:30
Sat Dec. 10 @ 7:30
Sat Dec. 17 @ 2pm 
Sun Dec. 18 @ 7pm
Wed Dec. 21 @ 2pm
Fri Dec. 23 @ 2pm

 

bluebirduncaged Freedom Fridays

Freedom Friday-SheDances

She Dances: About Us from She Dances on Vimeo.

 

We believe that every girl deserves a life of love, opportunity, family, and a hopeful future. We believe that every girl deserves to dance in freedom. Through a peaceful home nestled in the hills of Honduras, weĘĽre providing holistic restoration for innocent and forgotten young girls who have been trafficked and sexually exploited.

She dances

 

Freedom Fridays highlight organizations who work to end modern-day slavery and free the approximately 27 million individuals enslaved today. Join the movement.

bluebirduncaged Something to think about

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve teh Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; i is He who made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations
{Psalm 100}

 

bluebirduncaged Family, My Life

Eight years ago today…

We were doing school.
Gran had come up from south of the city to visit.
Mommy was at a baby shower.
Daddy was at work.
Uncle Kurt was on a business trip in Colorado.

The first call came around mid-morning. It was Aunt Kari asking us to pray. Uncle Kurt was in an ambulance headed to the hospital. We were all on the couch when the second call came, not 15 minutes later…they were unable to revive him.

Then the scrambling began. Gran called Poppy and her sisters. I tried calling Mommy but she didn't answer and I might have left some incoherent messages. Daddy answered at the office. “Uncle Kurt is dead,” I bluntly told him. Probably not the best way to break the news but that was the reality I was trying to grasp. “Oh my God, Oh my God,” was all he could say. It was the only time I have heard Daddy speak those words; they were an honest cry of desperation. Somehow, Gran got us all out the door with shoes on (me toting a math book, thinking I would get some work done) and drove to the Oakley’s house 15 minutes away.

Really all we did was sit there in shock. We cried, we ranted, we tried to process it all. Daddy met us there and started making phone calls. By mid-afternoon people started showing up. Some brought food, all were sympathetic. Later in the day Daddy took us and our 5 cousins back to our house. He sat us down and basically said we could do whatever we wanted the rest of the day and to not worry about finishing school or being places (thankfully I didn’t have ballet that day). I don't remember what it was like to go to sleep that night.

Eight years ago today marked the beginning of a rough year for the Diaddigo/Oakley family. In March Poppy was diagnosed with cancer. By the following November, he was gone too.

Looking back, I see God’s hand all over this story. He has proven himself faithful time and time again. Though I would love to have Uncle Kurt and Poppy back here on this Earth, I don’t regret the lessons learned as a result of their deaths. Sure, there are still scars; parts of us are still healing; some memories and thoughts still trigger random crying spells. It's still painful.

But He is faithful.
He is real.
He is our Comforter.
He will carry us when we cannot go on.
He has overcome. 

bluebirduncaged Current Affairs, Film

Nefarious Documentary

Nefarious: Merchant of Souls Official Trailer from Exodus Cry on Vimeo.

 

Caleb and I watched this Friday night. It was eye-opening, engaging, and heart breaking. It put together very well and was quite informative about the global issue of sex traficking. It made me realize how big an issue this really is. I mean, I knew it was bad but there are so many layers; organized crime, poverty, money, selfishness. And it is as much a spiritual battle as anything. Basically everyone in the industry is wholeheartedly believing some sort of lie; whether it be that they're worthless, or that they're going to be fulfilled by getting rich. Really it's the stripping away of the dignity of human beings. At the root of it all is selfishness.

But there is hope. At the end of the documentary, there were stories that brought me to tears. Jesus restores. He heals. He makes all things new. He gives us beauty instead of ashes. He makes us whole. He gives us freedom.

We've got a long road ahead of us but it's filled with hope, redemption, and restoration. What are you going to do to help?

“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know" ~William Wilberforce

 

 

bluebirduncaged Beautiful

Beautiful: your thoughts

I’ve loved hearing your thoughts on beautiful. Here’s a few responses.

 

“Beauty is what lifts the soul and makes your heart feel full.”
~Joanie S.

 

[Beautiful is…]” not only pretty on the outside but also lovely on the inside like the heart and how the Lord shines through you."
~Mallory P.

 

“Beautiful—it is from within. If you use God’s talents that He gave you for good; if you are kind and giving, your beauty will shine through”
~Mary D.

 

[Beautiful is…] “What God thinks when He looks at us.  He created each of us in His image, which makes us the most intense definition of beauty.  We don't always align our mindset with His which is where problems come in”
~Sarah H.

 

 

This is a response to a previous post. What does beautiful mean to you? Feel free to join our conversation either in the comments, by email, or on your own blog. We'd love to hear what you think.

bluebirduncaged Beautiful, Something to think about

Beautiful: Caitlin’s thoughts

I used to think that beautiful meant looking like a Barbie doll. Having perfect teeth, hair, and skin tone. That is what Hollywood taught me. It's what I saw on billboards, music videos, and magazine covers.  But I don't believe that to be true any longer. 

Beauty is deeper than the layers of epidermis and the way your bones are structured. No one can live up to photoshop. God didn't create us to look that way. Or perhaps He did and the Fall of Man ruined our chances. I'm not going to wax theological because I don't know the answer and there are some things that should remain a mystery. 

The adage that "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is true. 

Everyone has a different standard of beauty. There are universal elements to be sure but we know that everyone finds their sweetheart to be the most lovely person on the earth. The first child is the most adorable. Our heart often influences the way we view the world and those in it. 

I've seen women fall in love with men whose looks I would never put faith in. Men fall in love with women who don't look anything like a model. Yet, they glow. When they marry, they are radiant. Love changes them. Gives them a confidence, a sense of security, that allows their inner beauty to shine radiant. 

Beauty can be fragile. It can be fierce. It can be a great many things. But in the end, it is no stronger than the heart that views it.
Caitlin blogs at caitlinmuir.com
ladies, check out this post for more of Caitlin's thoughts on beauty

This is a response to a previous post. What does beautiful mean to you? Feel free to join our conversation either in the comments, by email, or on your own blog. We'd love to hear what you think.