Ponderings

Do you ever wake up one day and truly think about your life? Are you ever amazed at where life has taken you? Do you slowly smile in wonderment at God's incredible leading and protection? Do you ever trace back the steps which got you to this point in your life? Do you ever look back and see how God directed you in each valley and mountain?

I love what I do. I love where God has moved me. I love how I'm growing in ways I've never grown. I love how God led me to this point of my life which shows me his incredible faithfulness.

I sit hear on Good Friday pondering God's work in my life. I ponder the family He put me in, the circumstances I went through as a child and young adult, the friends I didn't have growing up, and the abundance of friends I now have. I'm astounded that He chose to save me. I'm dumbfounded and saddened that I've wasted so many years of growth.

As I talk to the receptionist at the chiropractor, as I talk to the hair stylist, as I talk to my coworkers, as I teach my students, I realize that I'm starting to live out my faith, to be salt and light in my community. I'm not ashamed to say that I attend church, I'm not ashamed to read and study my Bible in the coffee shop, I'm not ashamed to tell my students and random people in the community that my name is from a town in the Bible.

The Lord is working in me. I'm growing and becoming bolder in my faith. I can't explain how it is all coming more naturally, but it's true. There's a freedom which comes from being open and honest about my beliefs and life. I couldn't go back to the way I was before.

Coffee Shops

I could sit at home, brew my own tea or coffee, and write, yet I'm here in a coffee shop drinking their coffee (the same I have at home) and writing. As I drank coffee, now I'm all jittery with an increased heart rate. I can't stop smiling over the various conversations I've overheard, been a part of, and the general enjoyment of watching and observing people.

I'm such a stalker.

Strangely the added noise increases my thinking and focus. And my productivity. Or maybe it is the added coffee which increases my productivity. I, however, am not documenting my time at the coffee shop with pictures. I haven't become that cliched. Yet.

In a sense, I've becoming a walking cliche. I visit coffee shops on a semi-regular basis. I drink coffee. I've done my Bible study at a coffee shop. I talk about my family and friends back home, yet this has become my new home. I have those conversations with my friends. The ladies in my church are praying that I will meet a husband. I'm changing from the person I was in Watertown to this new Bethany in Rhinelander. My past is fading away and becoming a distant memory. I can't stop looking at pictures of my nephews and sharing them with anyone who will listen. (Pictures are below of the newest Ledgerwood, Miles Garrett. I can't stop staring at his pictures!). My passion for life has grown. I go to the chiropractor semi-regularly. I'm learning all these faces in town and striking up random conversations with strangers. I talk very well about my job. I noticed that last weekend when people asked me questions about education, and I could talk for hours about it. I love what I do, and I can't understand why anyone would want a different life. I have this second family which is growing in Rhinelander. Are all those things I listed as cliches actual cliches?

Now that I've been at the coffee shop for two hours, I ought to leave as it will soon be time for me to, finally, get my haircut.

The last is my favorite, I could stare at the little guy for hours.

Pho and Duck Tape

Organizing, sleeping, reading, cooking, watching, writing, shopping, planning, cleaning, talking, eating, calling, snowing, driving, and studying. A busy, relaxing, and fulfilling spring break.

It all started with a weekend trip to Minnesota to visit Josh and Brittany. There I enjoyed delightful discussion, fantastic food (I'm in love with Pho, I dream about it, I think about it, I want more of it.), successful shopping (Ikea!), and renewing relaxation.

 I and the heaven food--Pho

 My purchases from Ikea, Stillwater, and Tea Source

My trip also included some hair-raising and prayer inducing moments when Frankie started making horrible, dragging noises on the way to and from Minnesota. The horrible and dragging noises would not be located and discovered until I arrived back home in Rhinelander. After pulling in and investigating yet again, Frankie finally decided to show me that the bottom plastic covering from my car which covers my engine and other vital tanks is what had been dragging on the highway. Duck tape came to my rescue as my heart pounded furiously as I envisioned what could have happened on the highway.

The rest of the week passed quickly as I rearranged my classroom (again) and proceeded to kill my back from being useful for the week. I spent all day Thursday lesson planning and catching up on Doctor Who. I won't say how much Doctor Who I watched, I'll just say that at the beginning of the day I was a season and two specials behind and by the end of the day I was all caught up.* I read, and I reread! With all of my work (and my binge day), I didn't read as much as I would have liked, but I did finish four books and continue to make progress through my fifth. I purchased a smartphone which will be arriving next week. I started shopping for new car insurance and have now been inundated with calls and emails from insurance companies. Ooops, I hadn't thought through the fact that searching for free insurance quotes meant lots of phone calls and emails from insurance companies. I met up with friends. And I resisted the urge to drive to Wausau for just Pho, though that was incredibly difficult. 

Now my week is coming to a close, and I'm ready to finish the last nine weeks of the quarter. But I still have two more days before those nine weeks start. What to experience next?   

*Burning with embarrassment at my utter bingeing.