Alas, I sit and type from my quaint one-bedroom apartment in Kentucky, while snow is falling in the 23 degree weather, and schools are closing all around.  I remember the days when I would wait in anticipation for school to close before bedtime.  I remember how it would energize me to know the next day could be spent playing in the snow, or staying indoors watching my favorite morning cartoons.  It is ironic how a snow day when you are young is exciting, but as you learn to drive or work, where school cancellations are obsolete, the snow means white death.  Well, I am thankful that I made it home from Texas in December with clear, dry roadways; though now it is simply a snowy welcome as I settle back into my ole’ Kentucky home, missing my warm, Lone-Star State.

It all happens so quickly…moving.  A matter of hours and no longer are you in the same place you once were.  I had no idea what the Lord had in store for me as I packed up whatever fit in my car this past August, but I knew it would be good.  I trusted Him.  It was a strange, but exciting feeling…much like a snow day when I was younger.  I knew I wouldn’t have to wake up to the same job that had been slowly sucking the joy out of me for years.  I knew there would be days of playing tennis, studying tennis, growing my passion for what I pray will be a life-long career.  I did not know how much God could bless me in such a short time, with such amazing, encouraging people and an optimistic job opportunity waiting when I return indefinitely next August. 

I did not want to leave, but God made me ready to return.  I said my final goodbye’s over the course of three days, and began my journey Wednesday at 4pm central time.  I do not like driving at night, but I was feeling refreshed & made it out of the East Texas country just as the light was slipping away. Before I knew it, I was crossing the bridge from Arkansas to Tennessee.  I remember that as I drove that long I-40 stretch, there was this gorgeous, picture-perfect tree lit up on a farm in the distance with a wooden, white fence behind it.  I wanted to look up at the sky, so crisp and clear, with the stars just stretched across the sky in their infinite abundance, but naturally, I had to keep my eyes on the road in front of me.  Around 2am and nearing Nashville, my coffee was wearing off, and I had to call my cousin to let her know I’d be stopping.  She was gracious, it being so early, and I was just thankful that I had driven the bulk of the trip overnight with little traffic.  I really wanted to get back early Thursday, but my body suggested otherwise & sleep was good.  So good in fact was sleep, that I had a hard time staying alert for the 3 hour drive left ahead of me the next afternoon. 

I did indeed make it home just before rush hour in Louisville, and was pretty pleased to see my exit…my apartment complex…and my adorable one-bedroom.  🙂  It symbolizes a place of peace for me.  A sign of my first step in trusting that the Lord would provide, even when I wasn’t sure I could.  One year and two months later, my little apartment still represents peace to me, and I am thankful every time I walk in my front door.  And today, for the first time since I was a kid…I actually enjoy seeing the snow.  I complain about it out of habit I think, one I am going to try breaking soon.  Though I would rather be in Texas, enjoying the warmth, the tennis and my new friends, I believe that God is already showing me the good he has left for me to do here in Kentucky before I go.  My goal is to start blogging more over the next few weeks as I look for work that will pay my bills, get the schedule and paperwork put together to prepare for my final coaching season at the high school and spend as much time praying, loving and seeing the people who I care so much about here.  As always, I have more to write, and I plan to be more disciplined with it, but for now, it’s time to enjoy the luxury of my beautiful bed as I lay my head down to sleep…and pray the Lord my soul to keep…