Becom[ing]

I loved this article published by the new provost at my alma mater, Janel Curry. The article is entitled "The Education of a Provost" and was featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Some of the most encouraging stories to me are from the people who worked the most random jobs, majored in Economics, and somehow wind up becoming a midwife in the inner city of Los Angeles. That story might be a bit of an exaggeration, but really, it's amazing to me to hear from people who did things that seem like scattered puzzle pieces, but slowly some of those pieces come together. No one's life has every piece assembled perfectly together, but it's inspiring and encouraging for me to hear about another person's becoming process -- and how there are so many stories and journeys, circumstances, hardships, and joys that are a part of that process.

And that's what caught my eye about Dr. Curry's piece -- she talks about lessons learned along the journey that have led her to her position that she now holds (provost at Gordon College). She learned about patience and working with others, management, leading a team, etc. and all of those skills are going to be used in the job she now holds.

I wonder about the puzzle pieces in my life too. Or maybe, it's more than just wondering, but a sort of fear that those pieces won't matter or that they'll be forgotten. I think about Nicaragua -- I wonder what those 10 days were for -- do they matter? What is going to be made of it? I wonder about some of the tears I've cried...do those matter? Can they be used? And what about the smiles and joys, what about living in a different place and watching the snow?

They're pieces right now. Pieces that slowly come together in certain ways that I do see -- and some pieces that I'm waiting to better understand. The word "process" involves a lot of waiting and discovering -- and that requires quite a bit of patience. Yet when I hear stories like Dr. Curry's, or from an older friend or mentor, I'm inspired and encouraged by the process that we all are -- and the ways God shapes and prepares us for tasks and opportunities.

And maybe as I learn patience in this process of becoming, I can remember that God is patient with me....because let's be honest: I'm a difficult piece of clay to mold. I'm thankful he's willing to work with me anyway :)

this and that

I have been struggling at blog posting. i think of things i want to write and begin one sentence and decide to forgo the effort. i don't want that to be the standard for 2013, so i'm taking baby steps and just documenting recent activities...hopefully this will be good motivation.

so, december & early january recap

kelsey came home from europe the second weekend of december - perfect way to continue the christmas festivities :) the fam was together for christmas (yay!) 

and kels romanced us with her one direction songs on the guitar. 

and her room was messy again. i like it that way.

 i got to meet my precious cousin zachary alan at christmas. he was such a joy to be around and let all of us cousins/aunts/great-grandparents/uncles/grandparents take turns holding him throughout the day. 

We also went to the Rose Parade and had a picnic in the park afterwards.

 

and i've made it to three months at my job! i know three months is pretty minimal, but it's a small milestone that i'm excited about. 

three things i've learned from three months in a full-time job:

1) learning looks different when you're working than when you're in school. the learning is different, and can at times feel a little more boring than sociology/political science/spanish syllabi...but this learning is good and valuable. 

2) working with good people is a HUGE blessing. i have so many stories that demonstrate how blessed i am!!

3) in college, i sometimes craved the consistency/stability of an office job where you could close the books at 5 and leave work in the office on a friday afternoon. and now that i'm working, i sometimes wish for the flexibility of college life, with "work" being reading and having a varied schedule with tuesday afternoon off for coffee dates and long afternoon runs. i said goodbye to three-week to three month extended breaks and hello to something called "vacation time". 

i'm really thankful for where i'm at now, but i'm learning that there are pro's and con's with work and school and different routines and schedules. it is a process :)

and, to finish, these are pics from the AM commute to work and from my office. are pretty incredible. i am blessed.