Thankful

Today, I was walking around on campus and I saw a blind man walking with his little stick. (I don't actually know what it is called. Walking stick? Sure. Let's call it that. Then opened the newspaper. The front page story was about a student at OSU without knees and only has three fingers on her hands.
It dawned on me. I am SO blessed. I can see. My eyesight works just fine. I can walk. I am mobile. I am relatively healthy. There are so many things about myself I take for granted. I have 5 fingers on each hand, and 5 fingers on each foot. I am relatively normal. I can communicate. I have so many things to be thankful for. So here I am, expressing my thankfulness simply for the fact that I am alive and that I am me.

Today was also a fabulous day because I got to sit in on a Ballet 3 class. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it. Words cannot even express. I love to dance. I'm so glad I'm taking more dance next term. :)
AND today was sunny and a whopping 64 degrees. This is odd mostly because it snowed like 2 days ago. WEIRD weather around my parts, let me tell you. At work today, I got to play outside with the kids and sit in the warm sun for a whole 30 minutes. HELLO, Vitamin D. And there were only 8 kids today, so I got to spend a lot of one-on-one time with them. Love those kiddos so much. They light up my life and they don't even know it.

In my Social Development class today,  I got like 4 of my classmates to play DrawSomething with me. YESSSS. Funnest game ever. Download it for free on the Iphone or Ipad. You'll love it, I promise. (AND play me! username daretobedifferent) We had a great discussion about this new KONY movement. Have you heard about this? We spent the reast of our 2 hour class watching youtube videos about this movement and invisible children.

I had a good day. Yes, a good day indeed. I'm off to bible study in the next 40 minutes or so. I made handmade goodie bags for each girl in my group and I'm so excited to give them to them!

How was your Thursday?

The calm of the Storm

This morning I was very frazzled. I woke up at 10:45 with my friend Janae for our 11 am midterm. We frantically gathered some stuff, brushed our teeth, threw our hair into some ponies and jumped in th car. We got to campus, and threw some quarters in the meter and ran to class. Yes, with shame, we were those people running to class.
We got in the 400 student class, walked to the front, got our scan-trons, found a seat and started the exam. Relief. We made it.

After finishing my exam, I walked back to my car. I had some time to kill before I had to pick Janae up, so I decided to read my bible and pray a bit. I read some of Ephesians, Philippians, and Psalms. Psalm 107 stuck out to me the most, so I wanted to share it with you as it calmed my soul and set me back on my foundation.

Psalm 107

  Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
   his love endures forever.

  Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—
   those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands,
   from east and west, from north and south.

  Some wandered in desert wastelands,
   finding no way to a city where they could settle.
They were hungry and thirsty,
   and their lives ebbed away.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
   and he delivered them from their distress.
 He led them by a straight way
   to a city where they could settle.
 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
   and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he satisfies the thirsty
   and fills the hungry with good things.

  Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
   prisoners suffering in iron chains,
because they rebelled against God’s commands 

and despised the plans of the Most High.
 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
   they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, 

and he saved them from their distress.
He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, 

and broke away their chains.
 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
   and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he breaks down gates of bronze
 and cuts through bars of iron.

 Some became fools through their rebellious ways
   and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.  

They loathed all food
   and drew near the gates of death.
 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
   and he saved them from their distress.
 He sent out his word and healed them;
   he rescued them from the grave.
 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
   and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
 Let them sacrifice thank offerings
   and tell of his works with songs of joy.

  Some went out on the sea in ships;
   they were merchants on the mighty waters.
 They saw the works of the LORD,
   his wonderful deeds in the deep.
For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
   that lifted high the waves.
 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
   in their peril their courage melted away.
 They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
   they were at their wits’ end.
 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
   and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
   the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm,
   and he guided them to their desired haven.
 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
   and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
   and praise him in the council of the elders.

  He turned rivers into a desert,
   flowing springs into thirsty ground,
and fruitful land into a salt waste,
   because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
 He turned the desert into pools of water
   and the parched ground into flowing springs;
there he brought the hungry to live,
   and they founded a city where they could settle.
They sowed fields and planted vineyards
   that yielded a fruitful harvest;
 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
   and he did not let their herds diminish.

  Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
   by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
 he who pours contempt on nobles
   made them wander in a trackless waste.
 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
   and increased their families like flocks.
 The upright see and rejoice,
   but all the wicked shut their mouths.

  Let the one who is wise heed these things
   and ponder the loving deeds of the LORD. 

The biggest thing that sticks out to me in this chapter is how it shows when we wander away from God, we are in pain, darkness, and despair, but when we return to him, he forgives us, and makes us new over and over and over again. It says repeatedly "they cried out to the Lord, and he saved them from their distress." This is something I have recently felt the weight of and relief from in my own life. Since I left Corban, I have lived my life in fear of what could happen to me. I stopped trusting my Creator to take care of me and I became so fearfully that I shriveled up like a raisin. I got to a point where I became okay with my sin and I let it rule me. When I hit bottom, I cried out to God, and He came to my rescue, just like this passage explains. 

God seriously amazes me so much right now. I serve a mighty, powerful, and loving Creator who would go to the ends of the earth just to search my heart and have me as His. 

I'm a feminist...what?!

Initially I signed up for a women's studies class because it was still available during late registration and my adviser thought it would be an interested perspective coming from a christian education environment. She was certainly correct. It was interesting!

source

Going into women's studies, I had such judgment against feminists. I thought they were all lesbian, man-hating, weirdos who don't shave their legs and do extreme political stunts. Coming out of the course, I learned so much more then I could ever imagined. I learned about the feminist classroom, freedom of expression, respect, critical thinking, and application. I learned about the influence of media in the world and on our personal lives. I learned about the oppression gender's face with gender role stereotypes, different race discrepancies, and effects of socioeconomic class. Putting what I learned into words seems to be somewhat impossible. I learned so much and I came through that class now as a different person. I'm motivated to take on the world and fight for all sorts of injustice.

So here comes the change...

I'm considering taking on a Women's Studies Minor. I would love to do Journalism, but OSU doesn't offer that. Boo. But, their Women's Studies Program is one of the best in that nation. Awesome! And only 27 credits gets a minor.  So far I have 3 of those done, and after next term 6 (possibly 9 if I can get into a class I'm wait-listed for). That leaves me with only 18 left! I should also finish up my Bible minor from Corban, cuz I'm only a few credits from that as well. I was thinking that a Women's Studies Minor could really help with my Psychology Major. I would love to be an advocate for women and equal rights (for all, not just women). If I decide to go forward with a Law Degree, then the minor would be helpful then too! Oh, I love the opportunities OSU offers me. :)

Let me briefly mention, although Women's Studies has taught me so much, it has also shocked me and there have been many moments where I had to hold my tongue, or where I disagreed simply because of my personal beliefs. We studied a lot of the media's influence on society, and I had to watch and engage in material that was semi-pornographic and very uncomfortable for me. That being said, I don't think Christians (or people) should be afraid of things that are different. With an open mind and a new perspective, we can make a difference in this world with love, passion, and empowerment.

"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immoveable. Always work enthuasitcally for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is every useless." 1 Corinthians 15:58

 (Please feel free to laugh at this ridiculous picture of me from camp)