"'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." --2 Corinthians 12:9 What needed words. I've found myself repeating this verse in my head countless times a day this past month. I've felt weak and, well, blind. I want all my plans to work out now. I want to know where we will live, what job I will have, heck, what sort of job I should even pursue, and the crazy thing is that even when one little piece of the puzzle gets figured out (where we are going to live!), I don't feel any rest. More, more, more. It's a battle of the will, against God, against the world, just to control. And gracious is it exhausting. Just this week a little blessing walked into our life. This past year we have been making a very concerted effort to put money into savings, as we knew we would have some hefty expenses this coming summer. Moving and massive tests don't come cheap, ya'll. We also decided to use some of the money to upgrade to some "adult" furniture. So as soon as we nailed down our new apartment, my busy little Type A personality got to worrying about how to decorate, bemoaning the difficulties of finding good quality furniture on a budget that was also stylish and also my style. Well, what should come waltzing along but the most gorgeous couch I've ever seen on Craigslist. Very long story short, we ended up purchasing a custom designed, originally multi-thousand dollar couch from Craigslist for--let's just say--very little money. (This is a huge perk of living in New York: when you shop second hand you are shopping the homes of Upper East Side CEOs). I left the Upper East Side yesterday evening beaming. This find felt like a little gift from God: completely unasked for or even needed, just a kiss of sweetness. Without fail it seems that at the eve of every big transition in my life all knowledge of his previous provision flies out the window. I assume that somehow this next stage will be different: that I will fall flat on my face, that things won't work out, that he no longer cares about the big or the little things. But he does care, the evidence written across my life: I was given an abundantly clear calling to go to Kings and live in New York, without which I would certainly have dropped out and packed my bags long ago. God gave me the most perfect freshman roommates I could have imagined, ladies who remain my dearest friends to this day and who I lived with until I got married. My husband is one of the best gifts I could ever hope for. God has provided the means and way to multiple opportunities, from studying abroad at Oxford to now working at Oxford University Press. I am blessed, and He is good. These are the thoughts I should have been having all the month of March, but alas did not, sheer business taking over. So one of my main goals for April is to let things go and trust the Lord's provision. April Goals 1. Let things go and trust the Lord's provision 2. At the same time, actually house plan and start coordinating the move! 3. Lots of quality time spent with the Svendsens and Beaches and extended family in NJ 4. Have Bethany (my 9 year old sister-in-law) over for a sleep over 5. Be diligent with our budget and put money in savings 6. See An American in Paris on Broadway--one last hurrah, assuming we don't win tickets to Hamilton 7. Have a picnic in Central Park 8. Buy some "New York" art 9. Visit the Natural History Museum: completed! 10. Finish work well My prayer is that this month will be a joyful and purposeful one, where not my weakness but His strength dictates how life functions. March Recap Revisiting my goals from March, I actually accomplished most of them! 1. Register for the MCAT: completed! 2. Apartment hunt online: completed! 3. Choose a date to go apartment hunting in Chapel Hill: completed! 4. Book a hotel and GO visit! completed! 5. Meet my March 15th deadlines at work: completed! 6. Write some letters: completed! 7. Research graphic design and blogging formats. 8. Win tickets to Hamilton. 9. Celebrate a special friend and her March birthday: completed! 10.Enjoy my little brother's visit: completed! 11. Keep cooking. Keep writing: completed! I'll let pictures do most of the talking, but March was one for the books. Apart from our visit to Chapel Hill, which I blogged about here, the month was filled with friends, food, travel, and Easter. A highlight was the weekend my brother Ben and his girlfriend Kristin came to visit, which necessitated Chris and I putting on our New York Tour Guide Hats. That weekend also included a surprise run-in with none other than famed actress Saorise Ronan, star of Brooklyn. I got my picture taken with her. I asked her how to pronounce her name. I'm still nervous pronouncing it. Chris was way more chill and chatted with her about what it was like being nominated for an Oscar, no biggie. Later in the month brought about my darling Laura's birthday, an occasion that mainly consisted of me being in awe of this lady and telling her as much and also excellent food. Now hoping for warmer weather as April unfolds....happy Wednesday everyone!
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Authorwife to a med student and mama to three under three, seeking the joyful and learning to live by faith. Find me on Instagram and Pinterest or shoot me an email. I'd love to hear from you!
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