Happy New Year!

Welcome to my blog! Hoping each of you had a joyous Christmas, filled with memories that will carry you through the coming year. This year begins a bit different for me, as I am currently taking a medical leave from work. I have been so humbled by the support, prayers, cooked meals, cards, and e-mails I have received. I am attempting to make the most of this time at home, while looking forward to my return to work. How strange to be given the opportunity in which for a given period of time, you are no longer defined by the job you do each day, a job that you believe you are called to do, and a job you love. Instead, each day must be given a new identity, a new purpose, and utilize an entirely different set of skills. So, here are some things that have characterized my year so far. Enjoy reading, please feel free to share your thoughts, and thanks for choosing to travel this journey with me!

What I'm Reading: The Help by Kathryn Stockett, a gift from my brother for Christmas. I meant to read the book before I saw the movie, but never got around to it. I am about halfway through, and it is an incredible piece of literature. It can be so easy to forget how different our culture was a mere fifty years ago, and how we treated those who were different from us. What will people say about our generation in fifty years? How far have we come in accepting the differences of others? How far do we still need to go?

What I'm Watching: I happened to stumble across the movie The Secret Life of Bees in my search for Lifetime Channel and Hallmark movies to add to the DVR. It was excellent. Has anyone read the book? I will also admit that I am a follower of The Bachelor. I'm not quite sure how I feel about Ben. He seems to be a little awkward, and doesn't initiate a lot of deep conversation before he literally dives into a hot-tub or swimming pool make-out session. The girls are entertaining as always, especially Blakely, who on Monday night's episode felt the need to seek emotional refuge crouched on the floor in between two suitcases. I don't have any favorites yet, time will tell.

What's Inspired Me: I received a unique gift in the mail this week. My grandmother's church has a prayer shawl ministry, a group of women who come together weekly to knit shawls that are given to those in the church community as well as in other parts of the country experiencing illness, a loss, or encountering a challenging experience. Each knitted shawl is blessed by the priest, and comes with a religious medal as well as a beautiful card. How nice to know that you can feel surrounded by thoughts and prayers from people who have never even met you.

In the News: A decision was made this week mandating the closure and mergings of close to fifty Catholic schools in my area due to financial instability. Many people in the community are outraged, and already beginning the appeal process. Having attended Catholic school as a child, I can attest to the strong sense of community each school has. I am saddened for the students, parents, and families of these schools and hope that some type of solution can be found. I hope that families will have the ability to choose the educational setting that is best for their children.

What I've Discovered: Pinterest! Enough said. Can I get a repin?

What I'm Missing: My family for sure. It's so hard to go home for a long vacation and be surrounded by family and then to return what has now become the norm, weekly phone calls, and visits every few months. It just never feels like quite enough time. How do you balance the idea that you are where you believe you're supposed to be but it just doesn't feel like the world is right when your family isn't within driving distance? On the other hand, it's been nice to be closer to my grandparents and other relatives. When my brother and I were younger, we saw them only a couple of times a year. Now, I can see them more often and their home starts to feel more familiar and more like home as well.

What's Made Me Laugh: There is a fantastic commercial advertising Robitussin in which a large gorilla gets out of bed and travels to the drugstore in search of the perfect cold remedy, adorned with a green scarf. Anyone seen it? Put a monkey in a real-life situation and you're bound to have hilarity. A dear friend from work also filled a night with more laughter than I've had in several weeks. She always entertains me with stories about her mischevious puggle, and some very interesting views on the Bible. For instance, did you know that you can refer to a chapter in the Bible as a cluster of verses? Many thanks to all of my friends who have helped remind me to laugh in the past few weeks.

Well, looks like we've made it through the first blog posting! Thanks for reading! Wishing all of you some quiet moments this week, a chance to reconnect with friends, a good belly-laugh, a warm pot-roast on a cold night, and perhaps a bright spot in your day that reminds you why you love your job (hopefully). Until next time, I'll borrow a line from Amy Potvin, an inspirational mother I know, "Blessings to all you love in this world."