Spring

This picture is of azaleas in Korea, but they have been just as bright and in bloom here. The Spring has been so beautiful!

This semester has really flown by. I didn't feel that way a few weeks ago, but now I've got one week fo classes and then finals, so there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm sure the fact that I got my two papers turned in the past week helps me see the end also. Last week was one of the busiest of my life. If I wasn't so overly perfectionistic about dumb little things, the time it took me to write them probably could have been cut in two, but speediness is not my talent. I just registered today for summer school. It looks like I'll be taking 12 or 15 hours this summer, which spread out the way they are, hopefully won't be too bad.

I can't remember if I've ever written anything about my externship (fancy name for internship)? Several cool things have happened there. I had my heart set on working for the church I'm part of at their counseling center, but several things happened over time which made it seem like it wasn't a good fit. One of those things that I became aware of as I've started seeing clients at the clinic and working with Kevin and Lindsey at the church a little is that for now I'm not super interested in marital therapy. I am being trained to be a marriage and family therapist, so, I will be qualified to do it when the chance occurs, but it's not what I primarily want to do. Anyway, trying to figure out what I would do besides that caused me some major anxiety since we have to complete a specific number of internship hours to be able to graduate, but of course to do that I had to have an internship! Well, as usual, God has been beyond faithful to me. The opportunity came for me to work with Monroe City Schools which is unpaid, but a really great opportunity. The guy in charge of the program is great and the other two girls I'll be working with are good friends from class. So, I accepted the offer to work there, still feeling pretty anxious about finances for next year. Paid internships are nice because you spend so many hours there during the week, it's often hard to work a different job. Regardless, I was so happy to have an internship that I think will be a really good fit for me. Haven't started yet, so I don't know for sure, but I feel better about it.

In addition to that, came the news that my GA will not be available next year, so I needed to start looking for one, and even then, major cuts are going on at ULM, so it's up in the air whether they will be available period. I don't know how it is in other states, but this is what I found out yesterday about Louisiana (may or may not be completely accurate because I may not have understood correctly). By law, Louisiana has to have a balanced budget. By law also, there are only two areas where spending can be cut -- education and healthcare. As a result, major cuts are being made at ULM and other universities. They are not only letting go professors, but they are also completely cutting some programs. The MFT program is on the table to be cut, but I don't imagine it will be since is one of the best programs at ULM. The present students shouldn't be affected, but our entire MFT campus which is on the other side of the bayou from the university may be forced to move. :( It baffles me that any state would want to cut spending in education right now. I know there may be bigger things at stake, but as tons of people are losing their jobs, getting more education is something that I think a lot of people will do. I heard the other day that 60% of college students across the nation are "non-traditional" students, and I think that number is going to go up. I may not have any idea what I'm talking about, but these are just my thoughts on the matter based on what I've heard. Enough on that. :)

So, back to my internship story. I just got a call yesterday from Scott, my internship boss, and he asked if I'd be interested in doing extra internship hours this summer and getting paid for them. Also in the fall I have the potential of getting paid a monthly stipend amount for working for them. Amazing!! I've been worrying about how I will be making ends meet besides taking out big loans, and here's what happens. Even when I am not fully trusting, God is gracious and faithful.

At the beginning of spring break getting to see Tricia run her marathon was a blast. I was inspired. The inspiration hasn't lasted, but when school slows down more, hopefully it will come back. You guys who are running this weekend have my ultimate respect and I'll be cheering you on from here! I wish I could have seen Maddy, Holly, Aaron, and Estelle for longer, but the short visit was nice. Maddy is super cute. Going to Boise was delightful. I didn't do the work I needed to, but it was a much needed break. Did a lot of talking, playing scrabble, walking (even a little jogging!), eating, and more talking. I love my parents.

On a possibly, possibly not, more profound note, here's what I've been thinking about recently. Living here has not been the funnest (is that a word?) thing in my life, but I've been thinking a lot recently about refinement and how God never promises us that life will be fun or enjoyable all the time. So when I've had a complaining spirit recently, I've been trying to reframe the situation and see it as a chance for refinement. Often we don't know why things happen, but everything that happens is an opportunity for growth or destruction. Thankfully, once I've responded poorly to life doesn't mean that I have to respond poorly in the future. Discomfort, sadness, frustration, disappointment, pain, fill in the blank are a chance for us to allow ourselves to be refined by God into someone who does not have to be controlled or defined by those experiences and emotions. And at some point spring comes.