Hey Girls!  Sorry to have fallen off the radar this week.  Once again I found myself and my life in the midst of a whirlwind.  However, this time it has been mostly good- Praise the Lord!

I cannot discuss all that has happened as nothing is yet official but I do believe I have been blessed with a dream job.  No, not job....career.  And you will never believe what it is.  As soon as it is official I will let you know!

This whole crazy experience over the last couple of years and more specifically the last couple of months has taught me so much I don't know how to process it all.  One lesson at a time I suppose.  

We might as well launch into one of the biggest lessons.  And that is, no matter what we think we know, we don't really ever have a clue!  I mean that in a good way. 

You know our HomeMaker theme this year is Relax, everything's going to be all right; rest, everything's coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way.....Jude 1:2 Message Translation.   I have loved it since the first time I heard it.  It has kept me from falling off the cliff countless times.  It has truly helped me to stop and breath when my mind and body wanted to go into panic mode.

I have spent the last few months trying to identify what things tend to rob me of my ability to rest and relax.  Sure, I identified many of the common ones that us Girls have such as balancing home, work, and personal time; but there was one big one that kept coming to mind that was very confusing.  It was confusing because I believe it is something that should bring excitement to my life....rather than pain, frustration, angst, worry, self- doubt, and a million other negative emotions. 

And that one thing has been my Purpose Driven Life!  Now I know many people have read that book and I am in no way criticizing the book!  How could I?  I never even read the whole thing!  I am not talking about the book here.  I am talking about my obsessive desire to know the plans the Lord has for me!  I am talking about trying to figure out the end from the beginning.  I am talking about how when one thing would be presented to me I would immediately start trying to figure out how it played into the Master Plan for my life!

Now in some ways this is a good habit, as it always kept me expectant of good things.  And overall I would say that despite my circumstances I have had a great last couple of years.  I love that my mind was always looking towards the future as it kept the focus off the stressors in my life.  For the most part it I believe it was a good quality....

But there were often times when this expectancy turned into an obsessive urgency to understand the big picture.  I tried to enjoy the present but was often robbed of that because I was trying to see how it fit into the future.  There were so many times that I believe the Lord simply wanted me to rest in Him....but I couldn't.  I couldn't rest....there was simply too much to do!  If God didn't give me an assignment I would give myself one.  I needed to be working towards something...even if I had no clue what that was!

Often times I wore myself out by simply keeping busy.  It wasn't all lost though.  The constant turning of my wheels has kept me creative and accustomed to expecting good things...big things in my life. 

So if I had the chance to do it all over again would I chill out a little?  Who knows.  As much as I caused myself unnecessary pain and anguish, I also see all the good it brought.  So, if I could have slowed down....yet arrived where I am today...then yes I would have slowed down....but you know, hindsight is 20/20- and I have a huge astigmatism in my right eye that often skews the way I see things (for real)!

So Girls, I may not have learned from myself....but perhaps I can save you from robbing yourself of the ability to rest and relax!  I can honestly tell you I believe all of the words in Jude 1:2, but I can especially assure you that love is on the way!

Love, patience, and a less crazy life to you all-
Jen