Free By Design » Simplicity

Inner Circle

Kimberly Cooley — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 03:07:45 +0000

Good evening. I’ll take 2 people who can appreciate the small things over 100 who pass them up waiting for something big. Anyone can rejoice in the reward, but very few can rejoice in the process. Small is the new big.

Peace – Kimberly

Easy To Please

Kimberly Cooley — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:38:19 +0000

Good evening. 3 ways to see deep into the hearts of people – look into their eyes, feel their smiles, and see how they react when you tell them that one of your favorite TV shows is “Swamp People.” 2 for 2 in experiencing all 3 today. I’m happy. To one, I say, “keep smiling” and to the other, keep tolerating my “weird, randomness.” Again…I’m happy.

Peace – Kimberly

Just Keep Swimming

Kimberly Cooley — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 18:10:29 +0000

As promised, here are a few pics from the GA Aquarium. Enjoy and remember to “Just Keep Swimming!”

Peace – Kimberly

Georgia Aquarium - December 2010
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Chosen, Now Choose

Kimberly Cooley — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 01:27:01 +0000

Good evening. You know it IS still alright to choose life… especially knowing that you have direct access to life more ABUNDANTLY! (John 10:10). A close friend of mine put it this way, “God not only gives you life, but He gives it to you abundantly.” All we have to do is make a choice between the life this world can lead us and the life that God can give us. Sounds simple, but in all honesty, it’s not that easy.

Living a life driven by things of this world is enticing because usually it requires little effort with seemingly great rewards. Living a life dedicated to God requires service, diligence, patience, tenacity…a whole new lifestyle, but the Eternal rewards are invaluable, resources are unlimited, and all that you have access to is freakin awesome. Not to mention the “just because you’re on my mind and I love you like that” bonuses that God tends to lay on you every now and then! You know like all green lights on the way home. Yeah those things

Remember, little effort, no life. A lot of effort, eternal life. Yes it takes an effort but YES, it’s also worth it!

Peace – Kimberly

How Do I Know?

Kimberly Cooley — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:06:09 +0000

Good evening. The more you listen, the less you speak. Knowledge is found in books, but wisdom, my friend…comes directly from the mouths of those that lived it, experienced it, conquered it, and lived to tell YOU about it!

Peace – Kimberly

And The Rush Is?

Kimberly Cooley — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:50:32 +0000

Good evening. When we make personal commitments, why do we try to rush to get results. Anxiety is what landed us in certain situations in the first place. Slow it down; take your time. Rushing only fulfills the need to prove to the world that you’ve changed when the only person that needs assurance is you.

For once, take care of you. If you’ve set a goal, don’t rush to complete it, rush to get yourself on track to complete it. If you’ve made commitments where relationships are concerned, forget about finding that perfect person, and rush to bring to surface the perfect person in you.

*See, the Bible speaks of pouring old wine into new wine skin. It won’t work.* Real change works inside out and takes time. Overnight transformation is nothing more than hiding what’s on the inside, and can cost you forever.

*Matthew 9:17 (NIV)

“Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Peace – Kimberly

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Still Smiling and Happy About It

Kimberly Cooley — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:53:10 +0000

Good evening. When you solely rely on the superficial to make you happy, you will fail with great sadness. When you solely rely on others to make you smile, you will forever have a frown. When you learn to find happiness from within, you will smile forever.

Peace – Kimberly

It Really Is Simple

Kimberly Cooley — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:05:00 +0000

“Love is simple; we make it hard. We place demands restrictions and conditions on our loving and on those we love. And when we get hurt, we blame love. Love does not hurt. Falling into the traps we set for love make us hurt ourselves. Love just is. Its not a tool or weapon. Love is simple.” – I. Vanzant

Once Again, No Title

Kimberly Cooley — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:25:00 +0000

"Sometimes, we just have to jump and believe that we will be just fine. Sometimes, we just have to be silent and disconnect from the world and trust that it will be there when we get back."

Good morning. Every since I spoke these words last week, they have become more and more real to me. Last week I made a decision to be completely open and honest to a friend about something that I'd really been struggling to share. Even though a lot was put on the line and my heart was totally open and vulnerable, I still walked away knowing that I had been as transparent and as honest as I could humanly be and that I should feel really good about that. And though things haven't seemingly gone the way I'd hoped they would yet, I am okay.

There's an old Zen saying that goes, "once you leap, the net will appear." In other words, the worse that you can do is stand on the edge wondering which is better – the comfort of where you are OR the possibility of comfort in where you could be. Jump. The worse is that you will get hurt, but in the middle of your pain, trust and know that life has a way of working itself out, and that God definitely has a way of healing all wounds.

If you haven't loved, try it. With all of its "quirkyness", there's still nothing like it. If you haven't let go of something, pay attention and notice that you're standing still while the best things in life pass you by. If you haven't needed anyone, keep living. If you haven't healed from past hurt, find the root of that pain, positively apply it to your life, then uproot it. If you struggle with putting yourself in a place to be loved, you can stop because you are still going to be loved anyway. If you struggle with finding someone to love you, look no further. In the mirror resides someone who can (if given the chance) love you unconditionally with no equivocations.

If you've leaped and the net didn't appear and now you are in a place of pain that's seemingly unbearable, step back and reassess your actions but don't back step all of your moves. You're at this point for a reason. Take a minute, be still, shut up, and stop trying to figure it out. Revelations are manifestations of divine will or truth. You'll never figure it out anyway. But one thing's for sure…you will be ok.

"You have to go the way your blood beats. If you don't live the only life you have, you won't live some other life, you won't live any life at all." -James Baldwin

Peace – Kimberly

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The Brilliance of Jake

Kimberly Cooley — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:23:00 +0000

You have to admire the brilliance, honesty, and “literal” meanings that 3 year olds bring to conversations. Check out the dialog between a friend and one of her 3 year old twin boys. She has titled this:

Literal interpretation

This morning Jake insisted on both oatmeal and a muffin. I told him how about one or the other? But no — he wanted both. Alright, I prepared both. So. When he told me he wanted me to pour his oatmeal out, I told him he had to eat half of it, because he had asked for it. He ate a tiny bite and said: “Mom, I ate half a bite.”

“Half of the bowl, Jake,” I said.

“We don’t eat bowls,” says he.