Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Hello 25!

It has been another wonderful year, a year of growing, loving, and living. Another year of being married, of being a nurse, and in learning to be fully content in who God has made me to be.

I am coming up on my 25th birthday in November. 25. Wow! Time flies! I am amazed by thing things I have seen and experienced in the last 5 years! I have truly grown up. The first 5 years of my twenties have brought me stretching and more joy than I ever could have imagined! I was truly a time of soul searching, and a time of discovering who I really am. I started out my twenties living at home working at Starbucks and wondering what on earth I was doing. I had just come back from YWAM, living the dream and now wondered what was next. That was when a wonderful woman put the bug in my ear for Tanzania. I dreamed of adventure, of elephants, far reaching horizons, and the beautiful faces of children. My dreams were grand, but I had not idea it would defy all expectations. I arrived on that beautiful continent excited for adventure, but what I found was so much more than that. I felt a deep connection with the Kuria people and met the man to whom I would give my heart. I found love. Those six months were some of the most enchanting, difficult, soul wrenching days of my life. But I felt more love and gave more of myself that I probably ever had before.

After those extraordinary days in Africa, I came home and began to follow my dream of becoming a nurse. An apartment in Lancaster, my head in my books, and coffee fulling my passion to learn. There I met my true soul sisters, Elya and Camille. They listened to my dreams of Africa, my heart for Mwita, and my struggles with the hardships of nursing school. I shared my heart with them and they shared theirs with me, and we were the best of friends. I owe much of my sanity during that time to them. Two passionate women with a desire to help those that are hurting and a longing to serve the Lord.

During this time I learned about perseverance and joy from my parents. Though their plans changed and they had to adjust, the did not give in or give up. They put a smile on their faces and a song on their heart. I have never met stronger people or people I admired more. Strong and determined they carried on, and I sat back in awe of them all along the way. I also applaud them for allowing me to follow my dreams. Though at times my plans seemed impossible, they never told me that. They encouraged me and helped me to make those dreams a reality! The best parents in the world!

During the last five years, I also became an aunt, one of the greatest joys of my life! Natalie, Amirah, Brielle, Xander, and new baby Ryder! They are my pride and joy! Their parents aren’t too bad themselves :)

The most beautiful thing that has happened in the last five years has been embarking on the greatest voyage of all, marriage! We have learned, grown, laughed, endured hardship, and loved one another all along the path of these last two years. This July we celebrated two years in lovely Williamsburg! Two years of love. Two years of joy. I am convinced that marriage is the best thing there is!

These past five years have also brought me some of the most stretching and at times, sad days of my life as I learned what it meant to be an oncology nurse. I have laughed with some patients, cried with others, and have held some people’s hand as they said goodbye to this earth. I have had to deal with my emotions up close and personal and have had to work through some very serious things on a daily basis. I am proud to be an oncology nurse and love everything about it, especially watching how my patients refuse to let cancer steal their joy. I hate cancer, but they are my heroes and I am privileged to fight alongside of them. This August I was so proud to take my test and become an Oncology Certified Nurse. I am proud to wear that title, because I am proud to fight for oncology patients. I have absolutely found my calling.

These are just some of the highlights of these past few years. The joys and triumphs of life. I look forward to saying hello to 25. I cannot wait to see what the next five years have in store. Stay tuned, there will be many more adventures to come!

Monday, March 18, 2013

The Here and Now



Ever ask God over and over to show you His plan, His purpose for you, the next step in your great adventure when you were where you needed to be all along? I am futuristic by nature. Strength Finder calls it a gift, I often refer to it as impatience...but that is me through and through. I am always looking for what’s next! What is my next step in my career, what degree should I pursue now, what is my five year plan, where do I want to be in ten years, what will happen when I am forty years old. I can’t get it out of my head! Though it is great because it means I relish change, look forward to new beginnings and thrive on challenges, it also means I find it hard to present, to be now.

When we got married it was a whirlwind! Graduate from nursing school, move back to Chambersburg, take NCLEX, plan a wedding, get married, go on a honeymoon, move straight from the honeymoon to Lynchburg, learn how to be married, oh and start your first nursing job all in the course of a summer! Futuristic? Yea I was thriving. And then it slowed down, I got into the groove of things, it became familiar, and then...mundane. (Except for the marriage part, nothing mundane about that!!!)

And I found myself asking why, how? How did we end up here in Lynchburg, no deep connections, no roots. How did I get here and why did I do it? Is this really part of the great plan. I kept asking these questions, to myself, to Mwita, and to God.I got antsy, I got restless, and then I got plain annoyed. I began begging for the next stop. God answer me and show me why! And God reveled it all to me in that loving but knowing way He does. He made it clear that I had missed it all along. I am here for lessons that I have learned from having only my husband to rely on. For months we knew hardly a soul and there was nobody to rely on next door. I learned deep trust in my husband, deep faith in his abilities, and deep love for his heart. And then God reveled to me that I am here for the job that I love so dearly and for the opportunity to work with what I truly believe is the best group of nurses in the world. I am here to learn about cancer, to learn to hate it, and fight it, and give my patients all I’ve got. I am here to cultivate my life’s dream for wholeness and restoration in those that are hurting, or sick or alone. I am here for the opportunity to finish my education and thanks to my job having to pay only a fraction of the cost, I am here to chase the vision of my pastors and to let their words and their prayers penetrate my heart. To allow them to impart the things of God into my life. I am here because of the fourteen people that sat in our tiny living room last night sharing their dreams and visions and promising to walk alongside of us in marriage and in life. These dear people with such wisdom and passion inside. I am here to learn, here to grow, and here to cultivate patience. I am here to dream about my future, but to live in my now. I am here because God has placed me here. And today I am content knowing just that.

Hold on to Hope



After the hustle and bustle of Christmas, there is something about the new year that is so new, fresh and clean! I love January! My house is back to its clean, simple lines, my kitchen is purged of sugar and butter and fresh fruit and vegetables fill my fridge. The cool, crisp air brushes across my face and I feel new and free. A time to reflect back on the year behind with all its joys, triumphs and trials! A trip to Tanzania, weddings upon weddings of our friends, celebrating our first year of marriage, becoming chemo certified and fighting my way through this past semester as my first time being a full time nurse and student. Though it had its struggles, what a great year!

Two thousand thirteen seems so far in the future. What happened to the 90s…weren’t they just the other year? Though we don’t have any grand cross-continent trips planned for this year, we are so excited about what it holds! This year’s theme is to “set the foundation.” The past year and half we have been in newlywed phase, starting our careers and just getting to know each other and figuring out how being a married couple works. It has been one of the greatest learning adventures of my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way! This year, though, we are ready to prepare for our next leap of faith! We are setting the foundation in all areas of our life, so when this season is over, we are prepared for what the next one has in store. Financially, spiritually, relationally, professionally….we are laying down the building blocks…setting ourselves up for what is next! Though we are not exactly sure on the details, we have been dreaming, talking and praying and seems like some great adventures are ahead…stay tuned to find out more.

Hold onto hope…this phrase has been ringing in my ears these past few days. With all of the sad global events and negativity in the world around us, my soul has been resounding with the need to hold onto hope. Hope for me is seeing a picture of my aunt, smile spreading across her cheeks as she finished her last chemo treatment, hope has been watching my Grandma sit back and relax at Christmas watching with pride how her family has grown, hope has been watching a patient in the hospital for weeks walk out the door just before the holidays, hope has been seeing my husband follow his dreams and watching God open up amazing doors of opportunity for him. Hope has been hearing my pastor, passionate about the new year and what God has called our church to do. Hope has been buying books for my next semester, knowing I have the ability to finish up my degree, hope has been watching my father being strong and courageous; setting out on a new path while my mom supported him and cheered him along the way! Hope has been watching my sisters, the great women I grew up with, being mothers – raising beautiful kids. Hope has been reading “Half the Sky” watching women overcome great adversity to change their circumstances and the circumstances of women around them. Hope is in the promise of spring, knowing that in a few short months the cold will blow away leaving room for warm breezes and daffodils. There is hope in the everyday if we choose to look for it. Hope in dreams, ideas, stories and plans. Hope in friendships, sharing laughs and talking about what the future has in store. Hope is there if we look for it, it’s begging us to seek it out. Hope for tomorrow for the sun to rise again, hope for a better, brighter, and more beautiful day!

Psalm 71:14
But as for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.