Reflection

On my last day of being 18 i have really been thinking about what this year has held, and then i thought about what it held for others. So i went to your blogs and this is what i found. I wrote what happened and then took my favorite part of the blog and posted it.

Katy had decided to become a writer instead of a doctor.
"But then some words from my dad came back to my mind: "I hope that you will always take the path that requires the most faith."

And then I remembered who I was and that my path has always been anything but ordinary. I began to drink in the dream I had vocalized to my adviser, that quiet and delicate dream. I began to breathe the colors of my soul into it, feeling it fully. Why should I confine myself to the precedents set for the ordinary graduate student? I realized in that moment that there are so many beautiful turns left in my story, so many unknown adventures. So, I am going to adamantly pursue a path that invites me to live full of faith and I am going to laugh in disbelief at the thrills God has written into my own story, thrills beyond what I had originally imagined."

Tim gave his readers a invitation.
"He described looking around his home and taking note of the neat artwork he had hung and realizing that he had to personal photographs to bear witness to the adventures he had lived. In this book, that was one of several indicators that he ought to get out and start living some better stories.

I want to fill my wall with stories. I want you to fill my wall with stories of places we have gone, adventures we have lived, and the things we have celebrated. I want photographic evidence that you and I are taking risks and walking this road together.

Yes, consider this an invitation."

Mom was at SALTS again.
(Posted on October 8 right before she left.)
"One more time I am getting out my suitcase.

One more time I am trying to get everyone's laundry done before I leave.

One more time I am making schedules and taping them to the cabinets in the kitchen for all to see.

One more time I am making up menus for my family.

One more time I am trying to anticipate what everyone will need while I am away.

One more time I am 23 hours from departure and feeling overwhelmed with all that needs to happen.

One more time I am heading to Michigan to help with SALT's

One more time I am gathering my materials for what I will be teaching.

One more time Mark and I are fighting against the evil that would rob us of the beauty coming as we teach together and make this trip together.

One more time I am struck with God's grace and pursuit of my heart.

One more time I am mindful of those who have poured themselves into me empowering me to do what God has called and gifted me to do.

One more time I am remembering when my journey of hope began.

One more time I am imagining the shores of Lake Michigan.

One more time I am aware that I have been Seized by Hope."

B was taking care of the little girls which means that she had no time to write but she was blessing me immensely.

Libby looked at the feeling of things becoming old.
"I’ve found that when old things become new, it is much sweeter, much richer of an experience than something that’s just new. Because despite their great potential for being used, boring, tired, stale, and monotonous, old things have character. What they lack in excitement, they can make for in durability and comfort. But all old things need to be restored over time—amidst their cracks and scars and scratches and dents, they need some newness added back into them—and it seems that the best kind of “new” can be found in the “old.” And I know that if God is as concerned with newness as He says He is, then there is plenty of opportunity for renewal and restoration in my relationship with Him and His church…and I’m starting to think that I’m desperately ready for this."

Danny found a way of living with reflecting thought music, swimming laps, and reading poetry. (written on Oct. 8th)
"i brought my journals back with me, from home, upon returning to austin on sunday. i enjoy reading through where i've been. its like i keep a summary of my life in my head, but i forget the richness of my story, the places God has led me and kept me guessing, dreaming, hoping, rejoicing, agonizing, crying, crying out, learning, wondering."

Tom was living.

And i was deciding to create my own blog.

My friends its been a year and life has moved fast. I hope this next year is filled with as many amazing memories. Thank you for writing and giving me something to say today. :)