Spring, perfection: to be complete

It's the first day of Spring, and I'm happy. Winter finally ended and I'm stuffing those scarves back into their cardboard box. I was reading my auntie's blog today-I've just recently got into blogging...crazy...and was impressed by her final comment/life lesson on perfection, inspired by her sister in-law-whom I'm almost positive, is my other auntie (i LoVe my family):  

"My sister-in-law commiserated with my distress, saying that she had redefined perfection. That is very wise. Even in the Bible, where we are told to be "perfect" - the original word intended there means complete or whole - it does not mean 'without flaw'. I've embraced this perspective in other areas of life, mostly to retain my sanity. Perfection is no longer three gourmet meals each day served in a pristine, expensively furnished house by a size 2 wife and mother who never raises her voice. Perfection is complete love, complete joy, and all of the work it takes to get both. It is loud and messy and funny, exhausting and exhilarating. Perfect."  

It touched my soul and reminded me of what I've tried to make of this semester. I recall a January afternoon, crying in frustration to my sister, Amber. I was going to take less classes and focus on balance in my life, but the change from constant stress to sudden peace and time unsettled me. I did not understand what balance was about and strangely felt the lack of 'too-much-on-my-plate' to be almost sinful, or in a lighter sense: wrong, when in reality 'too-much-on-my-plate' was wrong to begin with.  

I haven't completed all of my goals this semester. I still go to bed too late and haven't done as much yoga as I had planned to, but the important things, I have begun to master those and I've decided that I really like oatmeal. Balance is key. Sleep, work, church, school, and play are all interconnected and rely on each other. One or two cannot take the place of all though you need to apply a little bit of each to feel completely whole, and that my friends, is perfection.  

This semester has been the greatest, the greatest blessing of my life, and I will continue it from here on out. I've never felt so complete, and so whole-though not without faults, this I'm sure of, but I still get up each day and I smile at the sun, his reflection in the mountains. Life and me is something I am working on each day, something that is a process we are all trying hard to work at.  

This life is good, and I thank God for his blessings.  

My favorite part of my auntie's quote was when she said, "Perfection is complete love, complete joy, and all of the work it takes to get both. It is loud and messy and funny, exhausting and exhilarating. Perfect."  

I think it's because it's so true. I feel it within my soul and I cry in joy at the thought.