Choices! Choices! Choices!

Have you ever felt just a little overwhelmed?
Mr. P, one of our leaders in Sunday School class, mentioned one time that when he was moving he asked the Lord to only give him two choices of places to live because he couldn't handle any more. I feel that way right now with job offers. I've only had one possibility (not yet an offer) that just really stands out as something great, but I have so many offers--some folks seem desparate to grab me--but every position I've been offered requires me to move or commute a good ways.
What's so special about me? Why do people seem to want me so bad? And why can nothing come open here? Is that a way of God saying He wants me to move?

I have this wish in the back of my head all the time...a wish that I could hear an audible voice from heaven directing ever decision I have to make. Wouldn't that make it so much easier? I want to be in His perfect will, so what do I do? With all these folks coming at me, I don't know what to choose.

I wanna do what's right. I've tried to take control too many times--and messed it all up. I have a very big choice to make, one that will effect my life greatly. I'm just praying for wisdom and for everything to fall into place like God always does whenever I become anxious. He's just awesome like that!

Oh, and after all that seriousness, my friend Heather over at www.MrsSouthernBride.com has a giveaway going on until July 1st. You have a chance to win some pretty cool stuff  on her blog here. Check it out; you most definitely will not be disappointed!

A Summer's Journey

Here I sit on my sofa, enjoying the warmth Stella's underbelly gives off towards my very-cold toes. Yes, the day's temperature was in the upper 90s, but try telling my foot's appendages that. They don't care.

Thankfully, my dog does.

The majority of my family, from Ohio to Arkansas, are getting ready to launch off on an adventure to the beach together. They will enjoy a week of fun in sun and fellowship with one another--so much catching up to be done! I, however, will remain where I am, anchored to this town Monday through Friday for the remainder of the summer by a massive magnetic power I tend to call "THERAPY."

I've never been to the beach.

My "adopted" family here are planning a 2-week trip to South Dakota later this month. AHH! What will I do without them?! Again, I find myself glued to this spot, unmoving, due to this unrelenting force--"THERAPY."

I've never been to Mount Rushmore.

Then again, I wasn't invited on that trip. (chuckling quietly to self) I just thought it would add to the dramatic emotion of the scene.

Regardless of all the fun and memories I won't experience this summer, there are so many more to be made. I am loving my career choice more and more with every passing day--and every sweet smile. I am carried away with compassion for these precious elderly individuals, with stories to be told and lives to be shared.

I may miss out on some exciting trips, but God has given me a journey this summer that I will not regret taking. He has been leading me and teaching me. This speech therapist is speechless when I consider His hand in my life.

Thankful for:
101. A last-minute bible study in my small, perpetually dark living room
102. An opportunity to catch up with classmates over hamburger helper
103. Provision of clinical hours and a peace about meeting the quota for graduation
104. A reminder of God's steadfast, unchanging nature in a world of instability and time of shifting loyalties
105. A make-shift blanket of soft black and white fur with two beautiful eyes...oh! that's my dog! Well, I'm thankful for her, too.

Helping Little Bubz

Yes, I call my brothers "bubz."

And yes, I did help my brother with a school project today. Wanna see?

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Here's the two of us...exhausted (after putting nearly six hours into the project)!

It's a...longhouse, home of the Iroquois (a native American tribe).

Like the bamboo "corn"? Yeah, it's kind of tall in proportion to the little plastic Indians, but the bigger the better, right?

Of course, the little bubz had to add some mean settlers to fight these peaceful redskins. That's just what boys do!

I'm back home visiting for the week and am having SO MUCH fun! (Except for the weeding Mamaw's yard in the heat, but, hey, it was worth it to see her smile. I'm glad I could help her out).

Thank you, Lord for:

76. Good pizza with great, old friends

77. Quality time with my youngest brother, discovering what a truly amazing young fellow he is becoming

78. Helping me to find humor in a bitter, old man and love him all the more in spite of his shortcomings

79. Safety on my trip to the south.

80. A phone call from a speech therapy company that almost seems too good to be true.

81. The opportunity to get to know the man my mother married and realize mom's in good hands.

82. My mamaw's sweet smile...and wonderful backrubs!

83. Beautiful weather (and company!) at lunchtime on Mother's Day with other friends who didn't have their mothers nearby for the special day

84. "Stump", the first real English bulldog I've ever met. What strange creatures You have made! This one brings smiles, giggles, and light-hearted fun!

85. Air conditioning! How did people ever survive Arkansas' heat without AC?!

(This post was originally posted on Wednesday, May 11th, but for some reason it is saying it posted on May 17th).

As the end draws near...

...my memory fades! I cannot believe I failed to write my faithful Monday post again!

So what's the news in the life of a speech pathology graduate student these days? Well, for starters, I'm finishing up some meetings with professors and supervisors to complete "final checkouts" for the spring semester. Then I have *almost* a whole month off.
My last real break for the rest of my life. I've planned one trip home and to Texas to visit a friend, a canoe trip, several doctor's appointments that I've been putting off, and I've even managed to squeeze in a few hours to tackle my growing pile of must-read books. If any time is left available, I will be doing the dreaded, but much-needed "spring cleaning". I plan to scrub my house from floor to ceiling. Yeah, I know, it's going to be an AWESOME break!

I'm psyched about my placement in a nursing home for my final clinical practicum. I think I'm going to learn a lot and have quite a bit of fun doing it. I've tried to convince a few of my clients from this semester to volunteer at the facility I'll be working at so I can still see them. Is that sneaky? Nah, it just gives me hope that our last session wasn't the last time I'd see them. I have a hard time not falling in love with my clients (in a nonromantic-way). They are just incredibly wonderful!

Anyways, so here's the best (so I think) part of my Monday posts, though today it is coming on a Wednesday. It's time to thank the Lord for all the precious blessings He's poured out this week. I don't think I could list them all on a million sheets of paper--for each breath is a blessing in itself, but I will list a few things that stick out in my mind.
Thank you, Lord, for:
71. Flip-flops and glorious weather in which to wear them. God's creation is like medicine to my soul: to be able to sit back and view His handiwork in all its glory, to ponder the minute details and intricate processes going on in every tiny cell of every living thing, to feel the breeze across my face like a gentle kiss from the God of the heavens and the earth...I just really can't explain how I feel when I'm out there. It's like being wrapped in Jesus and feeling His love all over!
72. the high expectations my supervisors have had--for that and their consistent guidance and instruction has helped me become a better clinician and a better servant to use the gifts You have given me to bless others.
73. the rain. I don't think I would appreciate the sunshine quite so much without those stormy days, nor would I be able to enjoy the beauty of plants if that life-giving water never reached their roots.
74. the Word--the bread of life--and Your well of living water springing up within my soul. Sometimes I feel like the psalmist said, as if I am in a dry and barren land where no water is, but if I remember to call out to You, looking to Your word for your reply, fresh, renewing, healing water flows. You give it freely to all who ask. Thank You!
75. Heather and our outing yesterday into the wide world of coffee and fleamarketing. I still can't believe she convinced me to drink that stuff! It wasn't so bad, but next time I think I'll go for something a little less...hmmm...coffee-esque.

M-O-N-D-A-Y

Church.

I missed most all of Pastor John's message Sunday morning as I was one of the nursery workers and we had a full house. We had the monitor on so we could watch the service, but with so many sweet babies bouncing around, it was difficult to focus on anything else. I hear it was a wonderful message.

Our Sunday School class studied through two verses (and started a third!). We're nearing the end of Galations now. What a blessing this study has been! Sadly, Ephesians and Galations are two books that seem to be--overlooked--quite often by the faith I grew up around. If everyone could just BEGIN to grasp the beauty of the gospel and Paul's firm stance against infiltration of our own works, what a difference it could make.

What a difference it HAS made in me.

"Doing enough" is something I have always tried to accomplish, but satisfaction has never come. It can't come because I never will be able to "do enough" to earn anything from God. God has torn down some of the enemy's strongholds in my life over the course of this study--lies that crippled my faith.

Freedom.

That is what I feel in my spirit. God has freed me! He's still working through some things, but oh have my eyes been opened! Sometimes I want to just burst out with gratefulness to my peers in class, to share with them what God is doing in me and how He is using them to do so. Sometimes I want to just hug someone neck and tell them thanks for bringing out a point I'd never thought of before, to tell them that pondering it throughout the week had brought me closer to my Father, and I loved them all the more for it.

But I just don't.

I push it off on shyness, but is that it? Now here I go off on a tangent.

Family.

My brother's married. I'll have a new neice or nephew in the Fall. My mom's married. I have only talked to her once...maybe twice unless that one was a dream...since the big news. She seems...sweet, so very sweet. I don't think I've ever seen that side of my mom, but I love it! Once of my sister's is engaged to the father of her two daughters. She is so excited about planning a wedding and texts me pictures of colors all the time. It's kind of fun to see her giddy with joy! Oh, any my grandparents, well they are doing just dandy I think. Any little news I get from them is usually hand squeezed out of Mamaw. She's one of those folks that says everything's fine, but once you talk long enough and ask enough questions, you find out a tornado came through and killed all your friends, your dog died, your Aunt had a baby, and two of your high school teachers won Pulitzer's prizes for some thing or another. I may be exaggerating...a little bit...but just a little. Mamaw always brightens my day and I love talking with her, even if it is just to say, "Hi!" She says Papaw's got a colonoscopy scheduled for tomorrow. My birthday. I wonder if there's any way I could make it to Little Rock to see them before therapy. Mamaw says it wouldn't be possible. They wouldn't be free until after 4--when my days really gets started. :(

Bringing this long section to a close, I want to ask anyone who reads this to pray for one of my sisters. They all need prayer--exceuse me, WE all need prayer--but one of my sisters has left and no one is really sure where she is or what she's doing. Last I'd heard, she'd left her son behind and gone back to a guy she been with before who beat her, abused her, and stalked her--a guy I'd rather not see again. I love this sister so very VERY dearly and I just want her to stay safe. And find Jesus. Only He can fill that void she is trying so desparately to fill.

School.

Two weeks left of therapy at the college clinic. After final reports are completed (due Wednesday), things will start winding down. I'm excited about my placement in a nursing home in the summer, just one more little reminder that I only have 3 months and 22 days left until graduation.

Down Time.

I don't have much of that, or I shouldn't have with all I've got going on in order to prepare the end of the semester, but I am trying to take time out to read the newest Mysterious Benedict Society: The Prisoner's Dilemma. I've really liked this series so far, though I am a little iffy about some of the stuff in this newest book. Yeah, I know they are kids' books, but hey, I don't wanna grow up!

I've also spent some time "organizing". Here's SOME of my therapy materials (not as organized yet as I would like):

And here is my "Prayer door." I put either pictures or reminders up to represent people or situations that I pray for each day.

Thankfulness.

56. Another year.

57. Every one of those people represented in the photo above. 

58. Getting a virus on my little pink netbook. This may seem strange blessing, but a classmate's laptop cable stopped working this weekend, so I was able to bless her with the one for my useless computer until the one she ordered comes in.

59. Passionate Perspectives speakers and the practical and applicable information they share about how to bring the gospel to those who have yet to know Jesus.

60. A saying that crossed my path this week, reminding me of a dear friend: "A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and will sing it back to you when you forget the words."

61. Psalm 37, and specifically the beautiful plaque with verse 4 written on it a precious "sister" gave to me for my birthday in rememberance of this Psalm.

62. Health

63. No doctor's bills yet!

64. The news of a friend's pregnancy. What a blessing she and her husband have received!

65. Friends who pray. Friends who love. Friends.

Four more months!

Four months, seven days.

That's all the time left of my "college career." Then I'll be a big girl, a "grown-up," and I'll have to face the real world.

Good news is, I passed my PRAXIS. Just found out today.

Where am I going to go after school? The options are staggering:

Travel therapy?

Where to?

Stay here?

What's available?

What population?

They're all fabulous. Do I have to choose?

What setting?

Schools? Hospitals? Clinics? Nursing facilities? Home/Daycares?

I don't really care about the money, except that I want to pay off my accumulated student loan debt.

I just need direction.

"God, guide me to a decision that will bring you the most glory."

YAY! COMPS!

I passed. She passed. We all passed.

What a smart group of clinicians UCA has trained!

YAY! SLP Class of August 2011, I'm proud of you!

You did great, you are great, and you'll BE great!

Never doubt the calling God has placed on your life. He is equipping you to succeed in His work.

YAY! (I'm just so excited!)

Once Upon a Day So Dreary...

...I found myself quite ridiculously cheery!

Today was the dreaded day: Comprehensive Exams. All that studying (err, reading to refresh the mind) paid off. Or maybe it was the nearly 6 years I've put into my studies in this intriguing field of speech-language pathology. However it was, those tests were not difficult and I breezed through them. I don't think this is a false confidence (though it could turn out as such!). I felt quite smart as I finished up and walked out of that auditorium.

Thank you, Jesus, for being with me through these years.

Last nigth in Perspectives, the speaker mentioned how the secular education/training some people receive IS their seminary. It's their training for a higher calling. God heals the whole person--their physical needs as well as their spiritual and emotional ones. He calls people to medical ministries, to become teachers, to even become lawyers (I guess! hehe) for His higher purpose. We can use the gifts He has blessed us with to help someone else and bring Him glory!

Isn't that just...AMAZING? I sure think so!

In other news today, my landlord came out to check on me because my neighbor was worried. Apparently, 3 hours ago I opened my car door and finally took my carpet shampooer out. Only, I left the shampooer by the car AND LEFT THE DOOR WIDE OPEN. I would be worried if I saw that in my neighbor's yard, too, for three whole hours. And if I knocked on her door and she didn't respond (I was in the shower).
Poor Mrs. H, she was so worried about me and I was completely oblivious to the pain I had caused everyone just by my careless memory lapse!

Once Upon a Study Break...

In just two days, I have crammed 15 hours of studying in...for only two-and-a-half classes. WHAT?! I have ten classes to go. Well, nine-and-a-half.
Comprehensive exams are Monday. 9:00 A.M.

And they cover my entire graduate school academic experience.

I'm doomed.

My study buddy is talking to me...I hear words...MIRBI....RICE...rice? What? I think I need to get back to the world of schoolwork and pull out those dusty files of information stored away in my brain long ago...