2009

Even though January is more than half way over, the new year is still upon us. 11 1/2 months of 2009 still exist, and so I don't feel that I am too late to share some of my thoughts about what this year has to offer the Norvells.

The most exciting thing the moderator of this blog has to look forward to is my graduation from graduate school. It is still hard to believe that I have taken all the necessary classes, written countless pages and read all of the texts to make this journey complete...but the Lord has guided me through a journey of growth intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and for my personal self it, intimately. I feel like I have grown to discover more about myself, more about what I am capable of and my gifts and talents, and have exercised parts of my faith that I hadn't really had to call on before. Perservance, trust, courage. And in just four short months, it will all be over. May of 2009 will be a time of much rejoicing and relief as I start a new chapter in my life that I am eager and anxious to start.

Along with the exciting graduation comes the task of finding a place to put my knew knowledge to work....literally. Starting tomorrow, the resume will be updated, and it will be time to move from the world of hourly labor to a world of salaries and benefits. In my perfect plan, this will happen at just about the same time as I walk across the big stage at UNT, but, as mentioned before, my experience in school has taught me, more than ever, that I am not in control of my own life one single bit :>). Finding a post graduation job fills me with lots of anxiety. So much of the future plans that Dave and I want to make are dependent on what kind of job I can find. Part of me worries that I will fall victim to the struggling economy and not be able to find a job. Part of me worries that I have grown so accustomed to being at home that I will really struggle from being gone five days a week, 8-5. Another part of me worries that I won't have the personality to cut it in the "real world". The last "real job" I had was so laid back and easy going that I never got to experience true job accountability or responsibility to my employer.

I think it was God's providence that I start the new year reading in James. I have decided that this year I am going to really familiarize myself with several books of the Bible. This means that for several weeks I am going to read one book over and over and over until it gets stuck in my head, and then move on to a new one. So, I have started with James. And wouldn't you know, the first few chapters of James talks about trust, trials, and faith. I have always struggled with what exactly it meant to trust God. I know that the Lord will provide the perfect job at the perfect time, but "how" do I actually surrender all my anxiety to Him? I pray about it and I try not to think about it, but it continues to creep up even when I don't notice. Well...James has taught me alot about that, and I think that this is going to be one of the lessons 2009 teaches me...physically surrendering it all to the Lord and trusting.

2009 hold many goals for Dave and I. One is to share the gift of hospitality that we feel the Lord has given us. We have decided to have a different couple over to the house at least once a month for dinner, fellowship, and fun. I am really excited about this goal. In fact, this past weekend we had our first couple, and it was truly a blessing. Relationships are so important, and having friends to spend time with really helps Dave and I stay fulfilled in our marriage. We have decided to document this goal by starting a photo guest book. Each time a guest comes to our home, they will sign the page and we will take their picture. Hopefully, but 2010 we will have an album full of memories of fellowship. We are also exercising this goal by volunteering to be a host home for our churches Disciple Now. In three weeks, we will have a house full of 11th grade girls. We are super excited and I think it will be a fun weekend.

All in all, 2009 holds lots of changes. The unfair part about this.....I'm the one that has to be doing all the change. Dave just gets to roll with the punches as I graduate, look for jobs, etc. But, I am continually blessed by my husband, and so, my personal goal for 2009 is: Show Him More. Show him how much I am blessed by him. Whether this means being more generous with my time, breaking some bad habits that I have towards him, or removing all distractions, I want to show him more. I hope that, when you think about it, you will say a prayer for us as we go through this year of change together.