Stateside Living :-)

A long awaited hello to you all! There have been a million times (and that is BARELY an exaggeration!) that I have thought about sitting down to write a blog but alas, life gets crazy and my creativity and motivation go down the tubes all too quickly. The greyish cloudy afternoon has, however, given me some time to sit down and reflect, relax, apply for some nursing jobs, and even write a blog entry. :-)

Since arriving back in the US, life has been good, but challenging. I was convicted to further simplify my life (nothing like dragging around a suitcase for a month to bring that conviction! :-)) so I've been working toward the goal of fitting EVERYTHING I own (no storage units or leaving things at my parents... that would be cheating! :-)) into my car. I estimate that I can fit about 6 boxes and a suitcase, so I have quite a lot of dwindling to do. The process is going well, and I'm realizing some things along the way. One of these lessons has been that even though I have never thought of myself as being attached to possessions or material things, I have still accumulated much more than I need or even want to have. Part of the reason for this accumulation has been my attachments to possessions as memories of people. As I mulled this over with the Lord, I found myself wondering why I associate people so strongly with things. I want that to break. I want to live free of the bondage of stuff so that if the Lord tells me to move tomorrow, I can pack up what I have and be on the road without hindrance. I'm excited to learn to live this out more fully!

In addition to life simplification, I have enjoyed a trip to Devil's Lake, ND with my second family- Shar, Jenn, and Charle's, had the opportunity to share about India at Calvary Lutheran Women's Bible study, engaged in a number of deep discussions over coffee, especially with my delightful friend Dana, and found some time to actually be still and know that He is God. Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment:

Dana and me spicing up Bemidji

My second fam

Me and Charle's

Sometime in the next few days, I'll post more about what the Lord has been speaking to me in the last month. I'm looking forward to sharing! Blessings to you all!