a little fire

This summer has been packed with work, family, ridiculousness, a wedding, Plant City and Lutz family, healing, and overall just chances to refocus and allow God to heal me. But in 12 days I move back into the dorm and start preparing for a school year in which I know I'll have lots of opportunities to serve my fellow students and my Father. I'm intimidated, knowing that I'll probably be busier than I've ever been in my life and have to work harder to maintain relationships with my family and friends and God than I ever have, but I am also just so ready to be there and get to work and be around some of the people I appreciate most in the world.

My prayer is that in my efforts for Alpha Club, S.I., Zeta, PTK, and just as a student in general, my influence will be a consistently positive despite my stress level and that I can maintain a selfless and serving heart no matter how little I really want to serve. I am ready to work, because I know that's where I can find actual satisfaction and benefit.

I want to reach out to the people I wouldn't automatically spend time with, I want to reach out to the people who I've had struggles getting along with in the past, and just focus on the spiritual aspects of all my friendships. Suite prayers nightly and the Bible studies I participated in are some of my most precious memories from last  year. I can't wait! I'm so excited to get to know more people who can help me to be better. (Cough Jenna.) And to take a class with my newest tiny sister-in-law (Kathryn, I know you're reading this.)

Help me use this year to God's glory, focusing on seeing His plan and not my own.

Things I'm grateful for today:
1) My Mom
2) My job, and the fact that it's almost over
3) Sweatpants
4) Calenders (I'm a planner)
5) Cell phones
6) Heaven, where I'll get to be with all the friends who I'll be missing at school this year
7) Beautiful, respectable marriages to look up to
8) Teachers who care

Praise God, from Whom ALL blessings flow.

-ELB