Home Sweet Home

well ladies and gentlemen, at last I have made it home for another Christmas break! it was a lonely 5 and a half hour drive home, but I made the most of it! Ya know... breakin out the stanky legg dance, screaming at the top of my lungs, screaming at the terrible New Jersey and Virginia drivers, ya know, good stuff. but it feels good to be back. I just finished a paper for one of my online classes and so I am officially done with school for the semester! which feels great!!! all that studying and test taking has wiped me out. But I feel myself slowly moving into the next stage of my life. I feel like God is really teaching me things that I will be learning for the next 3-4 years of my life. most of it will be spent in the classroom or diving into books, but it's all because I love what I do. right now that's being a student. It feels weird to say that God is making me realize that, because i've never really been a great "student." I've always done "OK" in school, but never really well. But now I'm starting to see the benefits of really putting my hard work into everything. With a help of some of my friends to really motivate me, I found myself studying for hours on end, not realizing it. My first exam totaled 7 hours of studying. That may not seem like a lot, but when you realize that I used to study for 7 minutes right before I walk into the classroom, it's a big step for me. But it's amazing how God has helped me through it. I've been praying for two things- faith and focus. I pray that God will strengthen my faith, challenge my faith, and through it all I will be faithful. I want God to be able to test me and no matter what, I want to have the faith to believe that He will pull me through it, unharmed, smarter, and more ready for the next challenge. And I also pray for focus. I pray God will give me the right mind when I'm praying or studying or just talking with someone. I constantly find my mind wandering off into other things, so I've been praying for God to help me focus and to snap out of it, recognize when I'm not focusing or losing track, and then to help me stay focused once I get back on track. Also, I've been praying for focus in a different way. I pray that when I do certain things, that I have the correct motives, that I don't lose focus of what the ultimate goal is: glorifying God in all I do.

As I sit here in my old room, which is now vacated by my brother and his two bearded dragons, I realize the stages of life I'm going through. As I was talking to my buddy today, I realized that life is changing and I'm noticing the changes. Some good changes, some bad. But life is definitely changing. I mean, I don't have a room at my house anymore, my extra clothes are in a box in the basement, and my bed is never made. I don't care because I'm never here anymore, but it makes me think about the next stage of my life. Now I have to make my home. My home is where I am at. So right now, I'm visiting my parents at there house. I'll be here for a couple weeks, and then back to my house in Lynchburg, Virginia, where my boys from "The Border" will be waiting.

What's the next stage of your life?

Just a thought...

G