Syllabus Shock

God has been slowly and patiently teaching me an incredibly valuable lesson this year, mostly unbeknownst to me until the past few weeks, when a light bulb finally appeared above my head and I just GOT it.

Do you remember being a college student and on that first day of class at the beginning of the semester, professors would drop a 50 lb. syllabus in your lap and outline the seemingly insane amount of work you would be expected to accomplish by the end of the course?

Yes. I was the kid in the back quietly freaking out, firmly caught in the grips of syllabus shock. What I always seemed to forget in those slightly terrifying moments of staring down the future list of things I would be expected to do, be and excel at is that the same professor who was busy scaring me with an over-bloated syllabus was also promising to guide and teach me the skills and knowledge I would need to accomplish those things! I wasn't expected to already be an expert on all the material in the syllabus, that wasn't the point.

God has been slowly and surely guiding me to the same conclusion about my life. In the face of so much change, all good growth in my life, but at times still overwhelming change - He has been quietly reminding me that He will be there every step of the way, at every "quiz", "midterm" and even the "final exam" to teach me everything I need to know. It has been so easy to become overwhelmed at the thought of being a wife, a mother, deciding where to take my professional life next, starting my own publishing company...but why be paralyzed by uncertainty in the face of the bullet points of my own syllabus? The Great Professor (yes, I understand that the metaphor might be a teensy bit cheesy, but I love it anyway) is there with me, always teaching me what I'll need to reach the next step.

And I thank Him every day for His presence, because how in the world would I begin to figure out how to do all of this...all of my life...be who I want to be, who my family deserves to have with out Him?

Thanks Mom!

When I was a kid everyone told me non-stop how much I looked like and acted like my Dad...I loved it! I was completely a Daddy's girl and more than a little bit of a tomboy. I wish I had some of my childhood photos in digital form to show some proof, but this one will have to do! The funny thing is, this is when I was a senior in high school - check out that hair! HAH!

Anyway - I love my Dad and still look up to him so much as I try to be a grown up and a little more "girly"...ok, stop snickering! Anyway, over the past few years more and more people have mentioned how much of my mom they see in me. I love this! It's the first time in my life that I've been compared to her, and I take it as a huge complement. To me it means that I'm learning how to be compassionate, tactful, loving and really value my family and friends. I'm becoming more of a thoughtful caregiver and settling down into myself, learning how to pair my adventurous side with becoming a woman of God. It's pretty amazing!

One of the things I absolutely inherited from Mom is my love of greeting cards...as most of you reading this know, I can't help but send them out! I have this master calendar on my wall that has all of the birthdays and anniversaries of all my family members and friends - I hit up Hallmark every month to shop for cards and I love every minute of it. To me, there's just something so cool about checking your mail and getting something other than bills - hopefully an envelope containing a little chuckle from me makes my friends' and family's days every once in awhile.

In that same vein, Mom has been known to clip cartoons out of the paper that crack her up (and she thinks I would laugh at) and include them in funny cards she sends my way. I love this! I have my favorites tacked up on a corkboard in my room (they have been known to decorate dorm room doors, refrigerators and kitchen cabinets also!) and they still make me actually laugh out loud when I read them. She sent me the one below electronically, as my younger sister was the lucky recipient of the original - but it made me laugh so hard I had to post it here!

http://www.cartoonistgroup.com/store/add.php?iid=47901

So all that to say, I am so lucky to have two parents I try to emulate. I really love them both and hope I'm growing into a "grown up" that reflects all the great things I've gleaned from them over the years.