Seasons of change (and love too!)
Yes, I'm trying to maybe rip off the Rent song a little bit.
Hello, old blog. It's been a while once again, hasn't it?
It seemed like July just seemed to cruise right on by and now here we are in mid-August and some days it just has me like "Hole. E. Crap." School is starting soon, which doesn't directly affect me in the slightest, but it will certainly send some rejuvenation back to the quietness of Berea's campus. My Facebook feed has been flooded with back to school pictures, which is a poignant and telling reminder at just how quickly the time seems to fly (Oddly philosophical coming from a childless young woman such as I). And now here we are, mid-August, and I am haltingly reminded at how much can change in six weeks...more or less.
For starters, I'm sure my sister won't mind if I steal a little bit of her thunder, but for the first time in the better part of 26 years, the Korb twins will be navigating the ropes of single living. Yes, you read that correctly. My wonderfully ambitious, hard-working, driven, enthusiastic, passionate twin is joining the ranks of travel nursing and will begin her first 13 week assignment September 6th in Ashland. Of course we are BEYOND excited and thrilled, but it's without a doubt going to come with a period of adjustment; me holding down the Richmond fort and her beginning a new, albeit temporary, chapter in Ashland, 2 hours away from me. We have all of the financials sorted out and are tiptoeing around making weekend visits as we wait for her schedule, but it's an unknown season we are about to embark on and we're looking forward to our adaptations, life lessons, and new sub-adventures that will arise from this. We believe it will be good for us. We know it will be good for us. But there is a certain level of wondering how we will cope, how we will adjust to coming home to our empty apartments. However, we of course have our faith in God and the advantages of technology, and much like the other hands that have been dealt to us in life, we will come out of it stronger still, and we will make it work. I am so, so proud of her...and I may have dished out a little tough love early on when I told her that, in so few words, she'd be an idiot to not take advantage of this opportunity. I think God is going to blow her mind with what He has in store through this new endeavor!
After a bit of a frustrating few days at work last week, I adopted a new mantra, "This is not permanent", and it is certainly applicable to more life situations than frustrating work days. Please feel free to use! :)
Things with J continue to surprise me in wonderful ways and every day I am learning how God can work so powerfully and beautifully through two people who are doing their best to love God and to love each other. Thursday will be 7 months and some days it feels like just yesterday, and other days it feels like I've known him for years. It's easy to daydream about the future and talk about what could be, but for right now, we're enjoying dating each other and we will continue doing so. And yes, we have thrown around the M word more than a few times...but it's a matter of trusting God and His timing and that is where we are right now, I believe: continuing to learn and grow from each other, all the while continuing to seek and press into God, who we believe that without Him, none of this and any aspect of us as a couple would not even be possible. I tend to keep things private and off social media for the most part, because I make it a point to tell him to his face how wonderful being with him is (or through Skype these days, since he's currently in Australia visiting his family)...but he really is such a joy and a treasure to me. He has brought so much enrichment to my life and I look forward to where God will have us go next. Having said that, I (and I can comfortably speak on his behalf too, I think) am greatly appreciative of the support, encouragement, and prayers we have received during these past few months. I often joke that "we need all the help we can get", but when you're in a new relationship and you have a community of support and examples to look to...just...wow! And P.S. later today he begins the first of four flights back to the states, so please pray for safe travels for him!
And speaking of that...community. I am, for lack of a better word, speechless at times. The experiences that Kelly and I have shared with individuals in our lives over the past few months has touched our hearts in ways that we can't even begin to describe. Whether it's with new friends or reconnecting again with old ones, each encounter and get-together has left us feeling encouraged, loved, better than when we arrived, with the reminder that God puts those types of people in our lives so we do not have to do life alone. I strongly believe that God manifests Himself through our loved ones and this year has proven no different. It's further solidified for us that here, right here in Madison County, is home for us. It seems like that each week I get a little reminder from God through the people in my life that He is always with us! And that makes the dumps, the off days, the funks, the blahs, the frustrations that life comes with...a little more tolerable and easy to face. We are much, MUCH more stronger than we are apart.
In a couple of weeks it will be 2 years since I started working at Grow Appalachia and my first year as a non-VISTA. While it's a little hard to believe that this will be the longest period of time that I've held a single job, I'm fortunate to have the experience working for this organization that I do. The lessons and skills I've acquired will no doubt serve me well in the future. One of my proudest accomplishments of this year was editing and releasing our high tunnel instructional video, a project that began in September of last year. With the help of our wonderfully talented and hard-working summer AmeriCorps member Heather, we spent many long days editing and editing (and laughing way too much) and it was such a joy to release this project into the nethersphere! The link is here!
I have a feeling the wi-fi outside of BC&T is about to boot me off. Friends, thank you! Thank you for sharing in the joy that the Lord has given me through work, family, relationships, and friends! I hope to try to re-establish a blogging "groove" soon. Find something in your day that brings you joy or gratitude, even if it's something small. And every day, tell someone you love them!
Hello, old blog. It's been a while once again, hasn't it?
It seemed like July just seemed to cruise right on by and now here we are in mid-August and some days it just has me like "Hole. E. Crap." School is starting soon, which doesn't directly affect me in the slightest, but it will certainly send some rejuvenation back to the quietness of Berea's campus. My Facebook feed has been flooded with back to school pictures, which is a poignant and telling reminder at just how quickly the time seems to fly (Oddly philosophical coming from a childless young woman such as I). And now here we are, mid-August, and I am haltingly reminded at how much can change in six weeks...more or less.
For starters, I'm sure my sister won't mind if I steal a little bit of her thunder, but for the first time in the better part of 26 years, the Korb twins will be navigating the ropes of single living. Yes, you read that correctly. My wonderfully ambitious, hard-working, driven, enthusiastic, passionate twin is joining the ranks of travel nursing and will begin her first 13 week assignment September 6th in Ashland. Of course we are BEYOND excited and thrilled, but it's without a doubt going to come with a period of adjustment; me holding down the Richmond fort and her beginning a new, albeit temporary, chapter in Ashland, 2 hours away from me. We have all of the financials sorted out and are tiptoeing around making weekend visits as we wait for her schedule, but it's an unknown season we are about to embark on and we're looking forward to our adaptations, life lessons, and new sub-adventures that will arise from this. We believe it will be good for us. We know it will be good for us. But there is a certain level of wondering how we will cope, how we will adjust to coming home to our empty apartments. However, we of course have our faith in God and the advantages of technology, and much like the other hands that have been dealt to us in life, we will come out of it stronger still, and we will make it work. I am so, so proud of her...and I may have dished out a little tough love early on when I told her that, in so few words, she'd be an idiot to not take advantage of this opportunity. I think God is going to blow her mind with what He has in store through this new endeavor!
After a bit of a frustrating few days at work last week, I adopted a new mantra, "This is not permanent", and it is certainly applicable to more life situations than frustrating work days. Please feel free to use! :)
Things with J continue to surprise me in wonderful ways and every day I am learning how God can work so powerfully and beautifully through two people who are doing their best to love God and to love each other. Thursday will be 7 months and some days it feels like just yesterday, and other days it feels like I've known him for years. It's easy to daydream about the future and talk about what could be, but for right now, we're enjoying dating each other and we will continue doing so. And yes, we have thrown around the M word more than a few times...but it's a matter of trusting God and His timing and that is where we are right now, I believe: continuing to learn and grow from each other, all the while continuing to seek and press into God, who we believe that without Him, none of this and any aspect of us as a couple would not even be possible. I tend to keep things private and off social media for the most part, because I make it a point to tell him to his face how wonderful being with him is (or through Skype these days, since he's currently in Australia visiting his family)...but he really is such a joy and a treasure to me. He has brought so much enrichment to my life and I look forward to where God will have us go next. Having said that, I (and I can comfortably speak on his behalf too, I think) am greatly appreciative of the support, encouragement, and prayers we have received during these past few months. I often joke that "we need all the help we can get", but when you're in a new relationship and you have a community of support and examples to look to...just...wow! And P.S. later today he begins the first of four flights back to the states, so please pray for safe travels for him!
And speaking of that...community. I am, for lack of a better word, speechless at times. The experiences that Kelly and I have shared with individuals in our lives over the past few months has touched our hearts in ways that we can't even begin to describe. Whether it's with new friends or reconnecting again with old ones, each encounter and get-together has left us feeling encouraged, loved, better than when we arrived, with the reminder that God puts those types of people in our lives so we do not have to do life alone. I strongly believe that God manifests Himself through our loved ones and this year has proven no different. It's further solidified for us that here, right here in Madison County, is home for us. It seems like that each week I get a little reminder from God through the people in my life that He is always with us! And that makes the dumps, the off days, the funks, the blahs, the frustrations that life comes with...a little more tolerable and easy to face. We are much, MUCH more stronger than we are apart.
In a couple of weeks it will be 2 years since I started working at Grow Appalachia and my first year as a non-VISTA. While it's a little hard to believe that this will be the longest period of time that I've held a single job, I'm fortunate to have the experience working for this organization that I do. The lessons and skills I've acquired will no doubt serve me well in the future. One of my proudest accomplishments of this year was editing and releasing our high tunnel instructional video, a project that began in September of last year. With the help of our wonderfully talented and hard-working summer AmeriCorps member Heather, we spent many long days editing and editing (and laughing way too much) and it was such a joy to release this project into the nethersphere! The link is here!
I have a feeling the wi-fi outside of BC&T is about to boot me off. Friends, thank you! Thank you for sharing in the joy that the Lord has given me through work, family, relationships, and friends! I hope to try to re-establish a blogging "groove" soon. Find something in your day that brings you joy or gratitude, even if it's something small. And every day, tell someone you love them!
Comments
Post a Comment