So I know this doesn't have much to do with the Peace Corps, but I need to comment. The Indiana Primary was yesterday, May 6 2008. Hillary won the closest of victories...I voted Obama. Regardless of who all of you in Indiana voted for, there was one factor that I found a little disconcerting. 17% of the democratic voters yesterday were in the 18-29 age group. What's up??!
Do you not believe that this election is important?? All elections are! Do you not stand for anything you are willing to take time out of your day to support?? I spend a lot of time defending my generation and saying that we are not apathetic... but maybe I'm wrong. If I am, then I am greatly disappointed in my friends and the youth of Indiana. Take a pride in your country! And if you choose not to vote... then don't bitch and complain. Don't expect your government to represent your best interests; you didn't take the time to let your interests be known. To those of you choosing not to vote based on civil disobedience, as long as you participate in other ways, I applaude you.
I keep hearing that we need change, but maybe the change that we need isn't centered in the government or the candidates for President. Maybe the change is in the hearts of the people, like those in Indiana, that could have made a difference and chose apathy.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
What am I supposed to do??
I wanted to write this post while the feelings are still fresh. This morning I got a phone call from the Peace Corps Medical Office. The phone call was concerning my thyroid TSH levels. They have been a little elevated over the last several months, and my doctor increased my medicine to 100 micrograms. (yeah freaking micrograms...they do not control my ability to do anything!!) The problem with this is that if my thyroid is not stable as of May 19, I no longer will be leave for the Peace Corps or Romania.
To imagine getting the news in a few weeks that I will not be leaving is hard to take. I will be devastated, and I guess that's why I'm writing this. I'll need you all even if I don't ask for help. I want so badly to trust God's plan for me...and maybe He's testing me right now?! Although I think he's tested me plenty enough lately. It's hard to trust God's plan, and it's extremely tempting to regress to my past destructive behaviors when something goes wrong. However, today I like to think that I have a firmer grasp on who I want to be and that's not it! Like Chad said yesterday at church...I need to strive to live out the Fruits of the Spirit.
So...over the next three weeks we will just see where God leads me. Perhaps I'm meant to do His work in the States and I misunderstood the call to the Peace Corps. Or maybe, just maybe, He's preparing me for the struggles I'll inevitable face at times in Romania.
Prayer Requests: that my thyroid levels are stable over the next month, that I can stay positive and enjoy the next three weeks, and that I can live out the Fruits of the Spirit.
To imagine getting the news in a few weeks that I will not be leaving is hard to take. I will be devastated, and I guess that's why I'm writing this. I'll need you all even if I don't ask for help. I want so badly to trust God's plan for me...and maybe He's testing me right now?! Although I think he's tested me plenty enough lately. It's hard to trust God's plan, and it's extremely tempting to regress to my past destructive behaviors when something goes wrong. However, today I like to think that I have a firmer grasp on who I want to be and that's not it! Like Chad said yesterday at church...I need to strive to live out the Fruits of the Spirit.
So...over the next three weeks we will just see where God leads me. Perhaps I'm meant to do His work in the States and I misunderstood the call to the Peace Corps. Or maybe, just maybe, He's preparing me for the struggles I'll inevitable face at times in Romania.
Prayer Requests: that my thyroid levels are stable over the next month, that I can stay positive and enjoy the next three weeks, and that I can live out the Fruits of the Spirit.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Oh How I Love Norwell!
“You never really leave a place or person you love, part of them you take with you ,leaving a part of yourself behind.”
That quote is a good representation of many moments in my life. In each of them I've seen/felt God at work in big and small ways, and today is another one of those days. Never in a million years did I expect to return to Norwell and be greeted with such kindness and love. I've always been proud to be a graduate of Norwell, but I have a new found appreciation for the teachers and students of Norwell now that I've been working here. Today, my last day in the library, has been a whirlwind of students and teachers expressing their appreciation for me.
I feel like screaming, "IT'S JUST ME!! I'M NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL" (even if I do quote Ron Burgandy's "I'm kind of a big deal" more than I should!) Honestly, tears come to my eyes thinking of how much I'm gonna miss this place and these people! When I left here in 2002 as an 18 year old soon-to-be college student I didn't appreciate the hours, sweat, and tears my teachers, the administration, and coaches put into my development, and I was ready to get away. Now, however, I'm fully aware and equally grateful for their sacrifices! I feel like I should be giving them gifts instead of receiving the thoughtful cards, gifts, and food!
This is going to be a short post because I cannot fully put my feelings into words.
I just want to say thank you to the teachers and students of Norwell High School for giving me great memories and support to help me with my Peace Corps adventure. I'll miss you, but I promise we'll keep in touch!
That quote is a good representation of many moments in my life. In each of them I've seen/felt God at work in big and small ways, and today is another one of those days. Never in a million years did I expect to return to Norwell and be greeted with such kindness and love. I've always been proud to be a graduate of Norwell, but I have a new found appreciation for the teachers and students of Norwell now that I've been working here. Today, my last day in the library, has been a whirlwind of students and teachers expressing their appreciation for me.
I feel like screaming, "IT'S JUST ME!! I'M NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL" (even if I do quote Ron Burgandy's "I'm kind of a big deal" more than I should!) Honestly, tears come to my eyes thinking of how much I'm gonna miss this place and these people! When I left here in 2002 as an 18 year old soon-to-be college student I didn't appreciate the hours, sweat, and tears my teachers, the administration, and coaches put into my development, and I was ready to get away. Now, however, I'm fully aware and equally grateful for their sacrifices! I feel like I should be giving them gifts instead of receiving the thoughtful cards, gifts, and food!
This is going to be a short post because I cannot fully put my feelings into words.
I just want to say thank you to the teachers and students of Norwell High School for giving me great memories and support to help me with my Peace Corps adventure. I'll miss you, but I promise we'll keep in touch!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Into The Wild
"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."— Chris McCandless
So I watched Into The Wild last night...it really hit me because of the adventure I'm about to embark on. I've been a little apprehensive about the Peace Corps, but now when I think about the adventures and experiences I'll be having I feel nothing but excitement.
It's odd how things come in and out of your life...to teach you, to test you, and to humble you. I've had an innumerable amount of these type of things over the past year or so, and if I really think about it I guess they have always been there. I guess my hope for all of you reading this is that your eyes and hearts are open to the big and small miracles that happen everyday! God is great! A few of the recent blessings that come to my mind are the following: a preacher that is a wonderful encouragement to me because he once dreamt of joining the Peace Corps, a woman that contacted me, through my aunt, because she has a passion for helping the gypsies in Romania, becoming a spiritual leader to others without even realizing it, an opportunity to work with the English dept. at Norwell ended up preparing me in ways I didn't know I needed before I leave, and the countless comments from people I see supporting me on my journey to further find the person I want to be.
Who is the person I want to be you ask? I could tell you that I want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, which is true, but it's not exactly the definition I'm looking for. This question came to me the other day when a friend gave me the gift of myself (journals and thoughts to consider). Myself?? Yeah that's what I thought at first too, but to open a person's perception of themselves is a priceless gift. Chris McCandless said "You don't need human relationships to be happy, God has placed it all around us." Although I think we do need human relationships...it's the quest to understand one's self that makes the journey worthwhile. I find that so many of us, myself included, spend time judging others when we should be looking within ourselves. I know I'll never be perfect and I may never become the person I want to be, but isn't it phenomenal to think that God has given us unlimited potential?!
So I watched Into The Wild last night...it really hit me because of the adventure I'm about to embark on. I've been a little apprehensive about the Peace Corps, but now when I think about the adventures and experiences I'll be having I feel nothing but excitement.
It's odd how things come in and out of your life...to teach you, to test you, and to humble you. I've had an innumerable amount of these type of things over the past year or so, and if I really think about it I guess they have always been there. I guess my hope for all of you reading this is that your eyes and hearts are open to the big and small miracles that happen everyday! God is great! A few of the recent blessings that come to my mind are the following: a preacher that is a wonderful encouragement to me because he once dreamt of joining the Peace Corps, a woman that contacted me, through my aunt, because she has a passion for helping the gypsies in Romania, becoming a spiritual leader to others without even realizing it, an opportunity to work with the English dept. at Norwell ended up preparing me in ways I didn't know I needed before I leave, and the countless comments from people I see supporting me on my journey to further find the person I want to be.
Who is the person I want to be you ask? I could tell you that I want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, which is true, but it's not exactly the definition I'm looking for. This question came to me the other day when a friend gave me the gift of myself (journals and thoughts to consider). Myself?? Yeah that's what I thought at first too, but to open a person's perception of themselves is a priceless gift. Chris McCandless said "You don't need human relationships to be happy, God has placed it all around us." Although I think we do need human relationships...it's the quest to understand one's self that makes the journey worthwhile. I find that so many of us, myself included, spend time judging others when we should be looking within ourselves. I know I'll never be perfect and I may never become the person I want to be, but isn't it phenomenal to think that God has given us unlimited potential?!
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