As summer comes to an end, here are just a few thoughts from it...
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Goals: Since it was the first time in 6 years that I didn't have the demands of a job and college on me, I decided it'd be wise to set some goals for myself to keep active and purposeful. I set about 8 goals and had the first 7 done in the first two weeks. While it was nice, I also learned that I have a hard time relaxing! Getting myself to accept that it was ok to not be busy all the time was challenging and jarring. I learned a good lesson though that my identity is not in what I do or in how many to-do lists I get done; it's in who I am in Christ. The goal I set that was the most rewarding was to spend more time with the friends and family He has given me. Pouring love out and receiving love from them all gave me such satisfaction in my summer and was a reminder to me of the great love He has given me. The good ol' Sanctus Real song, "We Need Each Other" is certainly true. He made us that way. Indeed, the greatest of these is love!
New Family Member: God gave me a special gift this summer through a new little nephew, Jonah James! My older brother and his wife had their first little one:) While I have a nephew and niece that I love to death on my husband's side, I must admit that there was something different with Jonah. I guess it's the whole "blood-relative" thing or something. All I know is when I first saw him, my heart grew:) It was truly a weird and overwhelming experience. It's weird to think that my simple family of 5 that I grew up with has a new chapter in its book! But the love for this little guy overwhelmed my heart and spilled over through many, many tears when I had to say goodbye to this tiny being. I'd finally gotten to the point where visiting and leaving my family in PA was not nearly as emotional and, really kinda normal for me. I guess that all changed now! How great it will be in Heaven to have no more goodbyes and not miss out on things!
Unplugged: The last couple weeks of summer were spent away on vacation- the first of the weeks was spent with my brother and sis-in-law in Gatlinburg, and the second week was spent in PA visiting family. One of the things that happened in both locations was that I had rare and limited access to internet and often did not have cell signal. This left me, well... rather unplugged. To my surprise, it was nice. I was forced to live more in the moment, focus on those around me, and invest more in what was actually going on. Now, I'm not saying that I'm about to quit my phone and internet use, or even cut it down. All I'm saying is that it was a good reminder and warning to not let them become too demanding or leashes that pull me away from reality. Too often I have found myself texting one friend while another is right with me! Then later I find myself facebooking the friend that I had been with. Now, this isn't always a bad thing but I think there is a pattern, at least for me, of missing moments and cheapening relationships through it.
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I could go on and on, but sum it up to say this summer was great. God taught me a lot, and gave me a lot. I am VERY thankful!
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