Hello wonderful readers! It is so hard to believe that the last week of November is finally upon us. It is especially hard when you live in the south and the daily temperature is about 65 degrees with blue sky and occasional sunshine and hardly anyone is wearing a winter jacket. Christmas is just around the corner. I love Christmas and I can't wait for everything that comes with it. I've already broken out the Christmas music and my obsession with Christmas lights is being completely satisfied.
But, it is still November which means that I have one more week of thankfulness blogging to do. :)
This week I am thankful for many, many things, but today I am going to talk about how thankful I am that I am a Christian. The Lord saved me when I was 16 years old while I was at summer camp in California. The Lord truly had to bring me to my lowest of lows before I finally gave up the fight and turned my life, my heart, my everything over to Him.
I grew up in a Christian home, it wasn't perfect, but I was incredibly blessed to have the loving, Godly parents that I had. I had gone to church my whole life and heard the same stories over and over again in Sunday School. My teenage years were filled with the classic rebellion and searching for my identity. In 8th grade I switched schools where I met the two people who would become my best friends in High School. During my sophomore year in High School the Lord saw fit to begin to take things from me that I thought defined who I was. I was left at the end of my sophomore year with no best friends, a very broken heart, and physical and spiritual exhaustion.
I began working my first job that summer and loved every minute of it. As I worked I began to get more and more excited about going to horse camp with my brother and one of our very close family friends. I was finally going to learn to ride and in my mind it would be my perfect escape. I would go to camp and come back completely different. I did not realize just how different I would truly become.
The first week of camp the speaker preached the simplest messages. He talked about the constantly repeated Sunday School stories that I had heard all of my life. This time, though, each story was different, it was real. Suddenly my heart burst at the understanding of my utter sinfulness. On July 31, 2009 I sat on the wooden fence outside of my cabin, which oddly enough was named after a town in Alaska, and poured my heart out to the Lord and begged for His forgiveness and grace. The Lord saved me that night and I have never been the same since that day.
Since then the Lord has continued to grow me. I have been through many trials over the past three years of my life as a Christian, but the Lord continues to prove Himself faithful every time despite my constant failure. I cannot be more thankful for what the Lord did for me on that day. I know that I still have so much more to learn as a Christian, but I love learning each new and exciting thing every day. So for now, I will continue to learn about my marvelous, unchanging God and keep calm and write on.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
The Blessing of God's Will Over Mine
Happy second week of November! For those of you who are at school with me we have only one more week until Thanksgiving break! YAHOO! Hang in there we can do this!
Today I want to talk about how thankful I am for having the ability to be in a place where I feel so secure knowing I am choosing God's will over my own. This is where the story that I know some of you have been waiting to hear will be told, the story of why I changed my major.
It actually all began when I was in high school. My Senior year I did some teaching in my small christian school in Alaska. I loved every minute of it, but I was already on the fast track to being a nurse and it was my dream. When I arrived at school at The Bob I loved my major despite every struggle I went through. Of course I had several break-down moments where I wanted to give up but I pushed through and soon enough I had finished Freshman year.
During the summer I really began to feel restless about my major, I knew that being a nurse was my dream, but the struggle was so overwhelming I knew something was wrong. I fought with God all summer on many things and my major was one of the many unspoken things that I fought with Him about. Finally coming back here this semester I still fought for my dreams and what I wanted. It began to effect my friendships and I made a mess out of my life. I was completely miserable.
I finally began praying for God's direction and I was constantly drawn back to my absolute love for teaching. I told God no so many times. I gave him so many excuses. "What will my family think?" "How will I make the money I need?" "What if I don't get married right out of school, what happens then?" So many excuses and questions brought me to my knees and finally I broke down one night and told God yes.
After that night it was a sudden whirlwind of activity. My biggest hurdle was telling everyone since I had not said a word about what I had been struggling with to anyone. At first I got much hesitation from everyone, but slowly as I began to really trust God to take care of everything the pieces fell in place. I met with advisors and yesterday I finally changed my major. It's going to be an interesting and very hard road to get my degree, but I know that I can do it with the help of the Lord.
So is nursing still part of my dream? Possibly. But right now I am feeling so at peace and so happy with my choice that I really can't imagine turning back. My dreams are my dreams, but I am choosing God's dreams for my life because they are truly the best ones. His dreams are the ones that I will fall in love with, because they are the only ones that will make me truly happy. I am already in love with the idea of becoming a teacher.
So what's the point? My point is this, never ever, ever, ever, ever tell God no and assume that your dreams are better than His. His are ALWAYS the BEST! So for now I will keep calm and get my degree.
Today I want to talk about how thankful I am for having the ability to be in a place where I feel so secure knowing I am choosing God's will over my own. This is where the story that I know some of you have been waiting to hear will be told, the story of why I changed my major.
It actually all began when I was in high school. My Senior year I did some teaching in my small christian school in Alaska. I loved every minute of it, but I was already on the fast track to being a nurse and it was my dream. When I arrived at school at The Bob I loved my major despite every struggle I went through. Of course I had several break-down moments where I wanted to give up but I pushed through and soon enough I had finished Freshman year.
During the summer I really began to feel restless about my major, I knew that being a nurse was my dream, but the struggle was so overwhelming I knew something was wrong. I fought with God all summer on many things and my major was one of the many unspoken things that I fought with Him about. Finally coming back here this semester I still fought for my dreams and what I wanted. It began to effect my friendships and I made a mess out of my life. I was completely miserable.
I finally began praying for God's direction and I was constantly drawn back to my absolute love for teaching. I told God no so many times. I gave him so many excuses. "What will my family think?" "How will I make the money I need?" "What if I don't get married right out of school, what happens then?" So many excuses and questions brought me to my knees and finally I broke down one night and told God yes.
After that night it was a sudden whirlwind of activity. My biggest hurdle was telling everyone since I had not said a word about what I had been struggling with to anyone. At first I got much hesitation from everyone, but slowly as I began to really trust God to take care of everything the pieces fell in place. I met with advisors and yesterday I finally changed my major. It's going to be an interesting and very hard road to get my degree, but I know that I can do it with the help of the Lord.
So is nursing still part of my dream? Possibly. But right now I am feeling so at peace and so happy with my choice that I really can't imagine turning back. My dreams are my dreams, but I am choosing God's dreams for my life because they are truly the best ones. His dreams are the ones that I will fall in love with, because they are the only ones that will make me truly happy. I am already in love with the idea of becoming a teacher.
So what's the point? My point is this, never ever, ever, ever, ever tell God no and assume that your dreams are better than His. His are ALWAYS the BEST! So for now I will keep calm and get my degree.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
A Blog By Any Other Name and Election Day
Ok so this blog is going to be a two-fold blog. The first part is going to be the regular November themed blog and then the second part is going to be a little bit of a twist.
Today I am thankful for the privilege that I have as an American citizen to vote. There are so many people in our country who do not take advantage of the opportunity to vote and it is really, really sad. Today is election day, but it is not just any election day. Today is the very first Presidential election that 1) I got to vote in and 2) Will truly change America as we know it.
On my college campus there have been multiple politically active student groups who have taken the initiative to organize different parties to help keep the students informed about this presidential race. Every presidential debate that was on TV was played right here on campus. Tonight they are throwing the biggest election night party ever on campus. The college's TV station and radio station are covering and broadcasting every second of the election results this evening and students will enjoy the opportunity to stay up to see the final results.
It is so exciting. Sitting in my dorm waiting for the festivities to begin I remember back to when I was younger and my very politically active mother would drag my brother and I to every single event she could. We always watched the President's speeches, the election results for every election, and we were used to sitting in a rented space for hours waiting for people to come in and get signs for their yard during an election season. Those were the times that I learned everything I know about politics...but enough reminiscing.
I am so thrilled to be able to exercise the privilege to vote for my President. So GET OUT AND VOTE! It's important! Your vote really does count, it can make a huge difference! Take advantage of the freedom that we have as Americans. God Bless America!
The second part of this blog is actually for a contest. I will write a whole blog post about this later, but to condense the story for now I will put it this way...
I am not a Nursing major anymore. I know...I know...you're probably thinking "How sad, why?" Well you'll just have to keep reading my blog to find out that one. Anyway...
I obviously need a new title for my blog.
I am now an Elementary Eduction major.
I love the phrase 'Keep Calm and..." but I appreciate any really creative input.
I am going to give this about a week and half, so two blog posts from now to announce the winner. You can e-mail me, comment on Facebook, or comment right on the blog. I will have some people help me vote and yes, the winner will get a prize, yaya for prizes :) ! So have fun, be creative, and let me see what you've got.
Today I am thankful for the privilege that I have as an American citizen to vote. There are so many people in our country who do not take advantage of the opportunity to vote and it is really, really sad. Today is election day, but it is not just any election day. Today is the very first Presidential election that 1) I got to vote in and 2) Will truly change America as we know it.
On my college campus there have been multiple politically active student groups who have taken the initiative to organize different parties to help keep the students informed about this presidential race. Every presidential debate that was on TV was played right here on campus. Tonight they are throwing the biggest election night party ever on campus. The college's TV station and radio station are covering and broadcasting every second of the election results this evening and students will enjoy the opportunity to stay up to see the final results.
It is so exciting. Sitting in my dorm waiting for the festivities to begin I remember back to when I was younger and my very politically active mother would drag my brother and I to every single event she could. We always watched the President's speeches, the election results for every election, and we were used to sitting in a rented space for hours waiting for people to come in and get signs for their yard during an election season. Those were the times that I learned everything I know about politics...but enough reminiscing.
I am so thrilled to be able to exercise the privilege to vote for my President. So GET OUT AND VOTE! It's important! Your vote really does count, it can make a huge difference! Take advantage of the freedom that we have as Americans. God Bless America!
The second part of this blog is actually for a contest. I will write a whole blog post about this later, but to condense the story for now I will put it this way...
I am not a Nursing major anymore. I know...I know...you're probably thinking "How sad, why?" Well you'll just have to keep reading my blog to find out that one. Anyway...
I obviously need a new title for my blog.
I am now an Elementary Eduction major.
I love the phrase 'Keep Calm and..." but I appreciate any really creative input.
I am going to give this about a week and half, so two blog posts from now to announce the winner. You can e-mail me, comment on Facebook, or comment right on the blog. I will have some people help me vote and yes, the winner will get a prize, yaya for prizes :) ! So have fun, be creative, and let me see what you've got.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Friends are Forever.
“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”
― C.S. Lewis
Today I want to write about the amazing friendships that I am so thankful for here at college. Before I came to school I really didn't have any friends my age and the few friends who I did have were much younger than I was. When I arrived at school I was blessed with amazing friends. These people have seen me at my best, my worst, when I am sicker than sick, and healthy as a horse. They have watched me succeed and they have watched me fail they have seen my spiritual highs and lows and through every moment they have stood by my side and encouraged me expecting nothing in return. It amazes me how friends are so willing to do that for one another, give expecting nothing in return. I love to do things for people, I love finding fun things and giving them to my friends. I love writing little notes and Bible verses to encourage them. But more that anything I love just being with them, knowing that they are never going to walk away.
Some of my friendships look a little like this...
And then some of my friendships look like this...
Today I wrote about friendships because they are one thing that I am so, so thankful for here at school. Without my friends I really don't know who I would be or where I would be. We have our days where it seems like we always disagree, but to be able to make-up and hug at the end of it all and realize that we value one another more than anything else is so meaningful to me. I am so thankful for the wonderful friends that I have here like Christina Leavell, Caleb Acrey, Rosie Johnson, Reayn Robinson, Hannah Hendrickson, Alisha McClellan, and even my roommates. These people are just a small example of how I am blessed, I have so many more wonderful friends. These people help me to keep calm and finish nursing school.
Thankfulness is the Key
Being a college student has its ups and its downs. There are many days where you just want to pack your bags and head for Antarctica as fast as you possibly can. That is why thankfulness is the key to success in college, well one of them at least. If you spend each day being thankful for things then really what is there to become so discouraged over? That's right almost nothing. When I say almost I mean that there are definitely exceptions, but 9 out of 10 times it's not as bad as you think. Today is November 1st and in just 21 days we will celebrate Thanksgiving, a holiday that I believe so many have forgotten what it is really all about. This month each of my blog posts will focus on things that I am thankful for here at school. I am hoping that these posts will be an encouragement to you and that you really can enjoy them. The first installment will be uploaded this afternoon, but in the meantime I must go back to my books and keep calm so that I can finish nursing school.
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