Letter to Friends 1.15.14
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:18-19
Happy New Year! My dear friends,
It has been a bit more than a month since my last letter and we have all enjoyed the chaos and joy that is the “Holidays”. I pray that you all survived with great blessing, a renewal of your hope in Christ, and an appreciation of family whether they are near or far.
We were (as always) overwhelmed by their generosity, over fed, and over indulged in late nights, but we are thankful for their good health, strong marriages, and their love for our kids. We were also able to steal a bit of time to connect with some dear friends and wish we had had time to see some more (especially Cochrans and Whitekettles!)
Christine was my best friend in high school and the matron of honor at my wedding.
Mike worked incredibly hard before Christmas and finished installing our woodburning stove.
It has been hard to rest in my faith during this process, I have some fairly deep rooted fears and insecurities around my capabilities and formal education. Mike has been very encouraging during my somewhat regular emotional breakdowns over my GREs, my application essays, and my fear of being rejected out of hand by GSPIA. It’s amazing to me what I can KNOW in my head (I am smart, I have great experience, I can learn what I don’t know….etc) and yet be utterly unhinged by my emotions rooted in fears and lies. I covet your prayers for my protection during this season of my life. Trying new things can be so intimidating, I don’t want to clean houses for the rest of my life (well, excepting my own) yet in the late hours, as I am desperately trying to generate a truly great application essay, suddenly never trying anything new seems like a good idea.
I am thankful for all the lovely Christmas cards we received this year, it’s great to see people and your pictures go on our wall of prayer so if you didn’t send us a picture yet we’d love to be reminded of you each day and lift you up in prayer.
Nicole