Sometimes, I forget.

As most of you already know, I have recently acquired a job position at a firm downtown. In reading my previous posts, you can gather that the trek to the job is long! (2 miles round trip). I don't usually make it home until 6pm. This morning, as I was getting ready, I thought about my train ride to Union Station. And surprisingly, I actually had a warm, fuzzy feeling. While most people dread actually GOING to work, I enjoy my 25 minute ride to the city.

I usually find myself engrossed in my latest novel, reading over the daily newspaper, or looking at a daily devotional and just spending time with God. The twenty-five minute ride seems rather short! I spend most of the day at work, looking forward to this quiet, resting time. Jim's right - taking the Metra is one thousand times better than simply driving! through traffic no less.

Sometimes, I forget how easy it can be to take the simple things in life for granted. The colorful change of the leaves as a new season emerges. The wonderful smell of just baked cookies. My quiet time with God. Before writing this blog, I remembered that I forgot my daily devotional today! Hopefully, I'll have time to do it this afternoon. I'll make time. After all, sometimes, even I forget.

Best Friends.

I talked with three of my best friends today. I love that. One was on the phone and email. One was on the phone. And the other was via text. I love spending time with them and picking their brains. What a great end to a perfect day!

Jim went to bed early with a headache...

First Day.

I had my first day at my new job today. I was anxious and nervous. I woke up super early, got everything ready, and Jim drove me to the train station.

I was able to find a quiet seat to myself - to read and just relax. I arrived downtown about 40 minutes before I was scheduled to start - perfect opportunity to get to work in a leisurely fashion.

Upon arriving there, I was immediately given assignments to do and began working on some difficult cases. (Some that seem to have no real solution). Everyone is very nice, the office is professional, and the phones never seemed to stop ringing.

With a two-mile round trip walk, I'm sure I will get my daily dose of exercise. Surprisingly, it wasn't half bad - I'm an actually downtown employee now!

Most of all, my feelings today were ones of gratefulness. Thankful that God had supplied my needs. Thankful that this firm took a chance on me. And thankful that I finally had something to get up for in the morning!

After work, Jim picked me up and we ate buck twenty-five hamburgers at a small diner near the station. Perhaps this will be our newest ritual.

Thank you Lord, for all of the means that you manage to provide. Thank you for the opportunity to exercise and reflect on who you are. thank you for a husband who is loving enough to pick me up and drop me off at the train station, so I don't have the inconvenience of finding a parking spot. thanks most of all for being you and living up to everything that I have expected. I love you.

Faithful.

As I stated in previous posts, I have started on a sixty day journey with God. Each day I see more and more how faithful God is.

He is working to restore relationships.
He has blessed a friend with a baby.
He has blessed a number of my friends with jobs.
He has blessed other prayers that I have asked for.

God came through in a big way today - one of my interviews paid off and I will now be working downtown! Praise God!

Support Group.

God is constantly building us up as evidenced in Second Corinthians. The things we can't do ourselves become possible through friends and mentors sent by God. Our own God-made support group.

Most support groups come in the form of family (a given), dear friends, mentors, acquaintances. They offer the support we need when the time is necessary. When I took my Bar exam in July, I was flooded with support and emails from all of the above, encouraging me to follow God's path, no matter what happens. Sometimes, we just need a little support. Luckily, God provides the people.

I sometimes wonder if God uses me to be the support for someone else. To think, just as God has a plan for my life, I may play an intricate role in someone else's.

Journey.

Around one year ago today, I was contemplating the fact that my husband was going to be leaving for two months. I would be without the person I had spent the past six and a half years of my life with. He would miss my favorite season and a close second of his: autumn. No apple harvesting or pumpkin picking for us that year. My birthday, halloween, early november. All missed. At the time, I was convinced that I could never survive. What would I do with two months all to myself?

Now that I'm on the other side of that journey, it's a wonder that I made it through. As the days began to cool down (until this hot week!!!), I began to appreciate the fact that Jim would be here to experience fall with me.

On Monday night, in honor of having nothing to do, we sat around on the couch, sipped apple cider, said goodbye to summer with some scoops of ice cream, and lit some fall scented candles. We also managed to catch two amazing episodes of Wife Swap! How I cherish these times together! After all, last year, I was doing these kinds of things by myself.

Favorite quotes from "wife swap":

"Idiots."

"The egg will calm him down."

You had to see it.

Although this clip does not have the quotes, I somewhat laughed at the dad's reaction towards the end of the clip. Sorry.

Sixty Days.

My way or the highway. I want to do it. On my own. without you. I don't need you. We're done.

Sometimes, I feel like I'm in a constant struggle with God for what I am supposed to do with the rest of my life. Sometimes, I wonder day-to-day if this is the way it should go. I find myself thinking that I know best. But then I know, without Him, I am nothing.

five days ago, i decided to do something that I believe God has put on my heart for more than six months. i finally decided to give God sixty days. now, that doesn't mean after sixty days, i'm leaving. all that means is that for sixty days, i'm finally going to do it in God's complete timing and way. I'm going to do it his way - totally and completely.

around me, i have had relationships and struggles that continued to get more out of whack. i wanted an answer and realized, it would never happen on its own. to my own dismay.

in the past five days, God has opened my eyes to more than I have ever imagined and has begun to show me the avenues i need to take. sometimes, i feel tired, but with Him, for sixty days, i hope I can persevere. sixty days. could you do it?

Courage to Endure.

I recently purchased a small devotional for myself and my three senior leaders entitled, "(Secrets of) Confidence." Although my intention was to give this as a gift to them, I find that God has continually given me nuggets of wisdom. It's my unexpected surprise.

Today's devotional comes from James and goes along with what Bethany was talking about on Wednesday. How, although the path is not easy, if we choose to endure, we will be rewarded in the future.

"For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. Job is an example of a man who endured patiently. From his experience we see how the Lord's plan finally ended in good, for he is full of tenderness and mercy." James 5:10-11 (NLT)

Sometimes, we don't always understand why we go through the things we do. But God does. Thankfully, He's on my side.

Next Door Savior.

"the maker of the world with a belly button."

"the heart-stopping realization that in him you are part of something ancient, endless, unstoppable, and unfathomable. And that he, who can dig the Grand Canyon with his pinkie, thinks you're worth his death on Roman timber."

Next Door Savior became the obvious choice for our Sunday school class this past week. the work by max lucado touches on the fact that there is no person Jesus wouldn't try to reach and no place he wasn't willing to go. Jesus was just like each of us and talked to the lowest of society. He tried his best to reach each and everyone of them during his time on earth.

he has been where we have been. because he found each of us worthy, we should find each other worth. of friendship. love. grace.

At the end of the day, Jesus was entirely God and entirely man. He understood our struggles and took them on anyway. next time you think of how Jesus walked on this earth, just remember. he had a belly button. he also took time to give each of us our own.

The Last Night.

So Small.

Carrie Underwood is an American Idol who has written a number of songs having to do with Christianity, faith, and Jesus. I'll let you decide whether or not these make her a Christian. However, for me, her songs usually have meaning that can be applied to my daily life and my walk with God. The following song is entitled "So Small." I have included a video compilation (her video is not out yet) and the lyrics for this song. Sometimes, I think about how life presents us with obstacles, but that in comparison to God and his love, they become "so small." Thoughts are appreciated.



What you got if you ain't got love
The kind that you just want to give away
It's ok to open up
Go ahead and let the light shine through
I know it's hard on a rainy day
You wanna shut the world out and just be left alone
But don't run out on your faith

Cause sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've been out there searching for forever
Is in your hands
And when you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else seem
So small

It's so easy to get lost inside
A problem that seems so big at the time
It's like a river that's so wide it swallows you whole
While you're sitting around thinking about what you can't change

And worrying about all the wrong things
Time's flying by, moving so fast
You better make it count cause you can't get it back
Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've been out there searching for forever
Is in your hands
Oh, and when you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else seem
So small, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've out there searching for forever
Is in your hands
And then you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
Oh, it sure makes everything else seem
So small

George Foreman Foot.

For those of you that have never seen The Office, there is an excellent episode that relates directly to my current injury. It is accurately entitled "The Injury." I have included a clip here.




This is how my foot injury began.




This is how it looks now.




It is painful. My advice to you? Don't ever burn your foot. And if you do, kick off your flip flops in time.