"My Companion"

From the movie Marley and Me: "What I really wanted to say was how this animal touched our souls and taught us some of the most important lessons in our lives. 'A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours,' I wrote. "Marly taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. he taught me to appreciate the simple things- a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught mea bout friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty"

I will be living by myself next year in a lofted town home, and will be getting a dog of my very own. I have been praying about this decision and I know it is a huge huge commitment, but I have faith and trust that God will bless me with a loyal companion that will provide me many happy moments in my life. 

Some of the dogs that I have been considering are the following:

~ Golden-Doodle ~

~ Papillon ~

~ Sussex Spaniel ~
"A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. As I wrote that farewell column to Marley, I realized bad breath, worse manners, and pure intentions to help us see." ~John Grogan

"Piano-Hands"

As I was getting advised for summer and fall classes I was needing two more hours of elective courses. I am currently taking Beginners Ballet this semester, and I enjoy it very much. Dance has always been something that I admired and appreciated as an art form. But for someone reason I felt very drawn into taking a Beginners Piano class. If you know me and have seen my hands, my fingers are very long and dainty. "You have 'Piano Hands'" was something that I've always been told. I have hands like my late Great-Grandmother. My Great-Grandmother played the piano with such beauty and passion. She taught my "Poppie" and he too plays with the same passion. I have always wished that I could play but I thought that in order to be that good you have to start when you're young. So I never took lessons. But, since my great-grandmothers passing, I have had this strong desire to step out of my comfort zone and take lessons. I am so blessed to be at a university that offers so many choices of electives to choose from. By taking the Beginners Piano class I not only will receive college credit but I will be taught by very prestigious and talented professors. So next fall I will be taking the class and will hopefully with lots of practice one day be able to play with the same passion. 

He Will Give You Rest

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for you souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." ~Matthew 11:28-30

These past nine months I have found myself always feeling worn out, dried out, burnt out, and tired. Taking too many classes and over committing myself, I was left with zero time to just sit and relax. I was constantly going and going and going. There were days where I just did not have the strength to get up out of bed anymore. If you could  take a look at my weekly planner, every line is full of things to do on everyday. I have specific colors that represent each class, event, and meeting. Its an "organized-mess" as I like to call it. 

The other day as I was writing more "things" into my planner, God brought something to my attention. He showed me that I was putting so much energy into all the "things" in my life, school, friends, Phi Lamb, and not anything into my relationship with Him. Even though all the "things" I was doing were good "things", I was forgetting the key "thing." And that was spending time with Him in the word and in prayer. I "pencil" in everything and everyone else in my planner but I never "penciled" in God. He was never written in my planner. 

One thing I'm slowing learning from being a college student is that it's okay to say no to something. You don't always have to say yes to every club, organization, game, and extra activity. I don't have to sign up for everything under the sun. God has gotten me through this school year by giving me His strength. Even though there were days that I didn't ask for it and nights where I didn't thank Him for it, God still gave me His hand to hold on to. He gave me that energy to stay up till 4 in the morning and finish projects and write papers. He kept me going even when I didn't even realize it. And when there were those days that I couldn't get out of bed, God was right there waiting for me to call out to Him. 

Why does God want us to call out to Him? Because He desires to refresh us spiritually. He desires to replenish and restore our faith. He longs to give us relief from our physical, mental, and emotional pain. He longs to give us respite from unrelenting heartaches that exhaust us and allow us no reprieve. Christ calls us to come to Him when we're tired so He can give us rest from difficult human relationships and responsibilities, so He can relieve us of the burdens we bear, so He can refresh us when we're weary of the daily work we must do. 

"Be Still"

"When the waves rise against me and the wind tries to draw me away I will stand on the mountain, safe in Your arms. I will sing, I will sing. Be still my soul, be still. Wait patiently upon the Lord." ~ "Be Still" by Kari Jobe

Listening to this song I am reminded that no matter how crazy and  busy my mind seems to be, that I need to trust in Him and to let my soul be still. I find my self constantly trying to figure things out all on my own. It seems that I'm in a forest, a wilderness, and there are so many paths around me. Some seem like the way to go, but I find myself running towards that path, and then running back second guessing myself. I'm learning everyday to listen to the voice of God, even in the little decisions. 

This is my hearts cry: 

"Lord, I will hold fast to You and will not cease to follow You; I will keep Your commands that You have given. I will fear You and serve You will all faithfulness. I will serve You faithfully and wholeheartedly in reverence. Lord, as long as I live, I will follow You. I will go forth in Your strength and proclaim Your mighty acts with a sincere heart."

"I love you, Lord God. I will listen to Your voice and hold fast to you. For you are my Life" ~Deuteronomy 30:20