July was everything. It wounded me, warmed me, overwhelmed me. Everything that could have happened, did happen.
There was a family reunion.
There was Deer Lake.
There was this crazy awesome group of people—I call them team members, therapists, friends—who impacted my world in ways I didn’t expect.
There was beauty.
There were sunsets.
Children.
Conversation.
Retro parties. (Okay, one retro party).
Music.
Shadows.
Friendship.
Bonfires.
I found July both dark and dazzling. And now I stand at the edge of August, on the threshold of an era. At the end of the month, I will leave for Boston to attend Sattler College. Sattler is another unexpected thing, a gift God dropped into my lap that fits me like a silky sweater. I could not have dreamed up a thing to more perfectly match my needs, circumstances, goals, and desires if I had sat many nights and planned it all.
God is crazy good like that. Once upon a time I thought if I wanted to be a simple Bible-believing Christian, I must give up my yearning for the intellectual world. God is showing me I had it backward. The gifts He gives me—whether it’s intellect, a passion for writing, a love for people—are good gifts and intended to be used. When I look at the experiences and people God has brought into my life, I can see that He is shaping me for a work in the future. What it is I do not know—unless, perhaps, it is the work He has already given me.
I know I am not the person I thought I would become—I am braver than I expected to be, more daring, more visionary. Less of a follower and more of a leader. I know the difference is God’s doing, and this surprises me. I guess I thought God was more traditional than that.
“Following God is an adventure,” a friend told me once.
I have certainly found it that way. Sometimes, maybe, one of those bad-dream adventures where you’re falling and falling and don’t know if you’ll still be alive when you land. But other times one of those top-down, wind-in-your-face, smooth-empty-highway adventures, where life and the mystery of it embraces you. Either way, the act of giving up control is scary, but the satisfaction when you look back and see where the road has led is absolute.
I am committed, for the next four years, to studying at Sattler—unless, in the meantime, God has other plans. If somewhere along the journey, He takes an unexpected corner and starts us in a new direction, so be it. I am ready for the ride.
***
Feature photo by William Mast.
I see activity, variety, and community at your sweet family reunion. A memoir chapter in my working manuscript tells the story of one bittersweet family reunion I remember.
Best wishes as you begin a new adventure at Sattler this fall!
You have a rich and close family, and I know your memoir will reflect that, Marian. Both of us are blessed to have families that enrich our writing. Thank you for your good wishes!
Thanks for this very lovely update of your July with lots of different activities and people!!
I enjoy seeing all the pictures you post….a picture is worth 1000 words someone once said.
Blessings to you as you begin a new adventure !!! Way up in Boston :)
Yes! Way up in Boston. It will be an experience for sure.
Thanks for anther glimpse into your life! :)
Really liked what you said…
“…I thought if I wanted to be a simple Bible-believing Christian, I must give up my yearning for the intellectual world. God is showing me I had it backward. The gifts He gives me—whether it’s intellect, a passion for writing, a love for people—are good gifts and intended to be used.”
So So So true!!!
Blessings as you prepare for and embark on your next adventure! I’m so pumped for you and excited to see how God will use this gift He’s giving you!!
Love n Prayers!
Thank you, KL. It’s good to hear from you!
Go you! Embrace the life and the mystery of it, even the painful, falling parts. I bless you in your next part of the adventure.
I love the pictures, but even more I love your vivid word picture of what adventure can be. Thanks for posting.
And thank you for taking the time to comment. :)