A lot can change in a week

I'm resurrecting the blog in anticipation of big things to come (and in recognition of the fact that I should have been writing all along). "What big things?" you might ask. Well, last week was a big one in terms of lining up my future.

On Tuesday, I booked a Round the World ticket with the intent of visiting my good friends Margie and Kari, and my bro and sis-in law Eric and Kathy. While stops are subject to change (mostly to addition), the basic stops include: Istanbul, Amman, Kolkata, Singapore, and Los Angeles. I'm leaving March 1 and will return mid-late April. Obviously, I'll need a travel blog for that endeavor.

On Thursday, I was accepted into the Sociology and Education program at Columbia University's Teacher's College. On Friday I paid my deposit to begin in the fall (if finances, etc. line up). This is huge and a little unexpected (I was sure by this point that I was not going to get in). This means that all my talk of going to grad school actually has a chance of panning out, which is at the same time both exciting and terrifying.

When updating a friend on my life this weekend, I had to laugh. I spent the months of July-Mid January waiting, hoping, praying, wondering, worrying, unsure, etc. about my future plans and in that time nothing changed; I was as unsure of my future on Jan 1 as I was on July 1. Then, in one week, a Round the World trip and grad school became reality. It's overwhelming, really.

I also explained to this friend how when I found out I was accepted to Columbia, I felt guilty. For some reason, so far in my life I have gotten everything I have wanted. I in no way deserve the unbelievable blessings God has given. I felt guilty because so many people I know are struggling to find jobs, figure out their futures, have something work out for them, and here I am getting what I want. I am in no way more deserving than my struggling peers (and in many ways less) and yet here I am in my charmed life.

I'll write more soon (including about snowshoeing and other such winter fun), but for now, if you pray for me, pray that my upcoming pursuits will bring me deeper in relationship with and reliance on God - that focusing on Him and his grace will keep all this in perspective for me.