And Off We Go...

The day that I never thought would come has finally arrived;  Summer.  No word sounds sweeter to me today.  It seems just as the battery in my soul flashes a warning sign for empty, God comes around and offers reprieve.  Welcome, Summer.  I've been waiting for you! 

Yesterday was the conclusion to my first, complete, year of teaching.  I actually saw the first and the last days of school (which cannot be said for last year).  My kiddos did an incredible job at their graduation and made this very attached teacher proud.  Room 115 is now packed and bare, ready to sit in the stagnant, unconditioned air for two months.  I will not miss it.  Although I love teaching very much, and am confident that this is where God wants me to be, Summer is a much needed break to rejuvenate my heart, mind and soul.  If it weren't for summers, there would be no teachers.  I guarantee it.    

As a first time mommy my heart is bubbling with excitement about getting to spend every day, all day with my little girl.  I've been planning activities, schedules and setting goals for myself as well as our family.  It will be interesting to see these ideas come into fruition as the weeks pass.  I hope you'll walk along side me as I set forth on this exciting part of my Summer life! 

Today has been incredible and it is only 9:37 am.  Already I have gone on a morning run, enjoyed a lovely cup of coffee on the back patio with my love while reading a new devotional book (Crazy Love: Overwhelmed By a Relentless God), played with and fed Callie, vacuumed, washed dishes, made the bed, took a shower and started laundry!  This is by far the best I've felt in months. 

My heart's desire is to spend this time the Lord has given me by diving deeper into His word, learning to love and worship Him more and growing as a wife, mother, daughter, and friend.  I'll end this with an excerpt from my new book that spoke so profoundly to me today... '"Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!" Phil. 4:4.  You'll notice it doesn't end with "... Unless you're doing something extremely important." No, it's a command for all of us, and it follows with the charge, "Do not be anxious about anything."  ... Your part is to bring Him glory -- whether eating a sandwich on a lunch break, drinking coffee at 12:04 am so you can stay awake to study, or watching your four-month-old take a nap."  I hope that when He calls me home I will have brought Him glory and honor through the way I lived my life; the life that He has given to me.