Growing Endurance...

Yesterday, I officially registered for a half-marathon. Today I went to the pool to get some cross training in. I noticed today that the swim was easier than it has been since I began going to the pool in the area. I got in and swam 500 yards. I was so comfortable with my breathing and had gained strength in my ability to endure. The final 50 yards I sprinted.

I began to reflect on this and realized as I have grown in my endurance in the swimming pool, and running, the past few weeks I have grown in my endurance at challenges that life has thrown at me. Last week I had a day that right from the beginning seemed to be full of challenges: my alarm didn't go off, had a wardrobe malfunction in my first class (fixed it before it got awkward), did not have a substitute accept the job for the afternoon I was out for a teacher workshop, figuring out substitute/class details for that afternoon made me late for aforementioned workshop... and made me miss lunch. At one point while I was in the midst of everything appearing to fail that day I had a moment where I realized years, months, maybe even days prior, I may have easily cried and really stressed out from it all, but I didn't. I knew that there was no point and I continued on with my day.

The past few years have not been easy. In many ways I had a plan and vision of what my life would be... and that's what it was. I felt that there were blessings in the steps I took to follow my plan and that God had planted that plan. After completing my Masters I was searching for what's next and did not have any insight into any details. I applied to so many different jobs, many of them jobs that made sense and were easy to imagine what life would be like. I knew what churches would be possibilities... I knew housing arrangements... I knew I would continue to grow in friendships...

God redirected my plan and before I reached the job and place I live now there were many trials that I had to endure. I had to grow through the endurance to persevere instead of let it devastate me. Trials exchanged optimism and hope with doubt, insecurity, and despair. Trials took me to the darkest places I had yet faced.

Without those trials I don't know that I would have moved to NC. The way that God orchestrated the move had me less involved in planning and details than usual... he orchestrated them. I learning more and more to do my part but to count on his strength. At this point I am discovering God's vision for my life and am so busy in that discovery that I have not created any personal life goals or plans. I am being drawn back to seeking God for those answers and growing in the process.

I am reorienting my conviction that God has the best for me and that all the doors closed in the past few years had a purpose. In the past few years the message "I have not brought you thus far to be kept on a shelf" has been spoken to me in two separate prophetic words. I am learning to continued to expect God to provide for my needs and provide opportunities to bless others. Instead of creating my own plan I am pursuing what God's plan is for my life. God has not left me to collect dust and I am excited to see his plan for me in NC.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

Living in North Carolina... updates from the move

Sunday I left NY at 6 am, with Dad, and we drove all the way to NC. The car handled the trip, although somewhere a hub cap was lost... oops!

It would take a lot of time to be really specific, so instead I'll just give an overview of highlights thus far.

Monday- Found a place to live (includes a great music colleague and a puppy)
Tuesday- First day of Orientation- slow morning and speedy afternoon
Wednesday- Got into my classroom after a tour of the school- excited about all of the resources
Thursday- Final day of orientation- got my teacher id- finally got an overview of all the paperwork that needs to be done to be set in the district.... and went to the farmers market and got fresh peaches!
... I also stopped by a shop nearby that has a lot of crafts for sale, coffee, and is a supermarket- also has lounging area and games in there, like a coffee shop I liked to visit in Potsdam. I think I may have found a working nook :)

...also I'm not noticing the accents so much here, but noticing it when talking to people in NY... I might come back in December with a drawl... time will tell.

My Unrelated Family

I am truly blessed with the quirky loving family I have. I have also been blessed having that family extend into more siblings, parents, and nieces and nephews, whom I'm not related to.

This past week I uploaded some videos of my Dad, and his friend Keith, playing music and tagged my family and the Moore family to get them connected. Over the weekend I went over to the Fords and got to see everyone and the kids. With all of these events it hit me that I associate these people and many more from growing up as family.

When a friend of mine, who was a guy, come over to the Moore camp for snow sledding, Keith asked him if he needed the "porch talk". Working at Beaver Camp, seeing Teresa Zehr in the kitchen and working with, swimming with, and being reminded of responsibility working with the kitchen staff, felt like I hadn't left home and I was working with family. Going to the Fords felt very natural, even though there was a larger group of people (which I can get overwhelmed with). I felt relaxed, peaceful, and didn't feel any pressure to impress.

Looking at this I can honestly say that I have been blessed in having a great non-biological family growing up where I did. I had extra parents and siblings in the Moore, Zehr, and Ford family (there may be families that I'm not thinking of right now- I'll probably add to the list). I gained family working at Beaver Camp and church.

Approaching 2013 I look forward to continuing to spend time with my family, related and unrelated, and endeavor to be as much of a blessing to them as they are to me.