Hold Up! Wait a Minute!

I just got through spending the marvelous month of January in what I have now realized is my favorite place in the world- Oregon. So why am I in the San Fran airport and preparing to board a plane that will take me aaall the way back to the Midwest? Talk about 1 step forward 2 steps back. What was I thinking!? Well it's a weird one for sure. I have to endure all over again the long semester-trek through the desert, without the vital things I need to survive: mountains, valleys, the ocean, pine trees, orchards, and friendly Pacific Northwestern natives. All. Over. Again.

So mundane. So irritating. Such a waste of time.

Wow. The above comes across as quite pessimistic, does it not? How about a chance to rewrite the awful first impression I had of Greenville College. A new shot at conquering difficult classes (calc, chem, & bio to name the lethal trio). An opportunity to engage the faces I walk past every day, yet take no notice of. PEOPLE. (They're what make the world go round).

So may this infernal nightmare turn into something incredibly blessed and so fruitful that I can't comprehend it.

Help me Jesus!

Meanwhile...

Medford has more than lived up to its reputation of mountains and friendly smiles and good people and clean water and fresh air. I run along the ridge of Roxy Anne and see the Rogue Valley in all of its glory. How could I have lived here 19 years (yeah, another birthday has come & gone) and taken such beauty for granted!? Well, I confess I did. But if God had me go all the way to Illinois just to point out what I was missing, well it was worth it for sure!

Okay. That is the overdramatic, over-sensible side of the story.

In short, I'm happy to be home. I am thankful.

And God even blessed me with a birthday present! He let me spend two wonderful days in snowy Seattle! That city is magical when it's covered in white. As if the constant rain didn't purify enough….

And to think that I must return to the Midwest for another round of homesick sentiments and "what if" hindsight statements buzzing through my head. Praise Jesus for His perfect plan and flawless timing.

Sometimes I think that maybe you forget how important it is to remember that

this is my heart that you hold, It is my heart that you hold!