As the flowers fade...

My life as a full time student and a full time teacher has been a tremendous time of adjustment. I had to give myself grace in the beginning to adjust and process all of the changes, and I am finding how much more grace I have to receive just to make it through. I am beyond thrilled to finally be pursuing my BA in Human Development, a dream I have had for a while. The door kept closing previously, but this time His perfect timing opened just the right door. As a teacher I must keep up with everything that is expected of me, turn my documentations, curriculum, newsletter articles and portfolio pages in on time, make sure that the children are coming first and that my conversations and connections with the parents of the children in my group continue strong. As well as preparing for parent teacher conferences at the end of this month. I have been pleasantly surprised by those who have been so supportive and encouraging through this process. Of course my husband has been the MOST influences person in this role (whom I wasn't surprised by, I knew how amazing he would be), he has taken on ALL house chores as well as being my emotional support, helping proof papers for me and continuing to have great communication. But certain co-workers and friends have reached out in ways that have given me that extra affirmation to continue strongly. A few of my close friends have been there consistently, during the times I often felt like I couldn't see the end in sight, lifting me up with scripture and prayer. My family, though far away, have continued to not only point out he areas I need to grow in through this process, but have given me an endless supply of encouragement, I don't think my parents have ever been this proud of me. I am blessed to be getting this support. And family that is close has helped with family that is far. Words of affirmation go a l o n g way. As a student, I have discovered a whole new meaning of perseverance. There are times of frustration, discouragement, exhaustion on a whole new level (imagine having to think critically while being exhausted), and not enough free time. While pursuing these courses in Human Development, I am required to go back to my own childhood and adolescence to recall the experiences, painful or not, and bring many theories and philosophies into perspective so far. The passion I have in this field has only become stronger and I am discovering things that I am just too excited about to not pass along. It has been difficult to balance it all. I often find myself needed to cry just to release ALL of the pressure. The only explanation of how I am able to do ANY of this, is purely by the grace of God. He is carrying me through, and will continue to until the end. I'm finding how vital it is to be more intentional about my priorities. Putting my time with Jesus first, even if I am behind with school work, or work. And then putting my marriage second. Being at a new church and finding the new life group that Mani and I have found has been critical. Even though there really isn't another night a week I can spare to go to a life group, it is a must. As we invest INTENTIONAL time with God and each other, He will make the rest fall into place. He honors our sacrifices. Though this busy life could entangle me with it's less meaningful duties, I focus my eyes on the one who created life and more desperately seek His grace and love to cover this restless soul in hopes of reflecting His glory for others to k n o w his love. With sacrifice there is always a price. Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.