Remembering

One thing I love about this blog is the platform it gives me to remember.  Remembering where the Lord has taken my life over both simple and significant time spans is a critical piece to my fellowship with the Lord and is often an act that deepens my faith.   After all, who doesn't love a good story?

I distinctly remember sitting in my pajamas, in late October of last year, washed in the relief of having made it to MEA - the first long weekend of the school year.   Now, one year later, I am once again sitting in my pajamas, but instead of being washed in relief, I am marveling at what a difference a year can make!   Not only did I make it past last year's MEA break, I finished the school year, moved, taught summer school, and returned to the school that is quickly becoming my second home.   Because of my move, I can now say that I live in my very own space, which I happen to love both for its style and solitude.  Somewhere along the way, I started going to a new church, which has been a huge source of blessing and rest for me.  Sometime in the midst of the final days of my first year of teaching, I turned in my lab coats to become a classroom teacher.  Holding a position where my language of instruction would be sign language has been a dream of mine since attending Deaf Culture Camp of Minnesota in 2009.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have to rise to the occasion and grow into the position this early in my career!  All of that aside, I can't help but marvel at how the Lord has grown my stamina for all of the things that life entails.

It's hard to pinpoint when exactly God grew my stamina to handle life events with more grace, but this past weekend is evidence that it happened.  I remember laying in my bed and crying on Saturday night of MEA break last year because I was still exhausted and I hated knowing that there was only one more day standing between me and my return to work.  This year, I'm not feeling nearly as fragile and because I have learned to trust God through my exhaustion, I was able to purpose my time differently.   

Unexpectedly, I spent the majority of my weekend shopping for a new car.   While I did not handle this process alone, I am surprised and satisfied with my ability to make sound decisions in the face of overwhelming amounts of information.  When I needed wise counsel, my parents were present and available, which kept me calm and far more rational then I would have been otherwise. I didn't know that I was going to need to buy a car this weekend, so in that respect I was caught off guard.  However, I have been anticipating this need for over a year, which means that I continue to catch myself breathing sighs of relief now that this is over.   Something that was once hypothetical has become tangible, which means that I am no longer preparing for this to happen.  Instead, I get to take on the active role of being a good steward of my car and shift my finances from saving for a car to paying for a car.   This is a welcomed change in my budget and my mindset.   I learned today, that sometimes the price of peace of mind is a car with a warranty!

After many cumulative hours on the phone with my parents, reading consumer reports online and chatting with dealerships, I settled on a 2012 Ford Fiesta.  This adorable candy blue car is sitting happily in my parking space underground.   One huge perk of this purchase is that I now fit comfortably into my assigned parking space at the Condo.   Praise the Lord!