Contentment

Some thoughts from Donald Miller's latest book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, that are really hitting close to home with me these days:

"God allows Job's family to be taken, along with his wealth and his health. Job calls out to God, asking why God would let this happen. God does not answer Job's question. It's as though God starts off his message to the world by explaining there are painful realities in life we cannot and will never understand. Instead, he appears to Job in a whirlwind and asks if Job knows who stops the waves on the shore or stores the snow in Wichita every winter. He asks Job who manages the constellations that reel through the night sky."

"And that is essentially all God says to Job. God doesn't explain pain philosophically or even lists its benefits. God says to Job, Job, I know what I am doing, and this whole thing isn't about you. Job responds, even before his health and wealth are restored by saying, 'All of this is too wonderful for me.' Job found contentment and even joy, outside the context of comfort, health or stability. He understood the story was not about him, and he cared more about the story than he did about himself."

"Paul says Jesus is the hope that will not disappoint. I find that comforting. That helps me get through the day, to be honest. It even makes me content somehow. Maybe that's what Paul meant when he said he'd learned the secret of contentment."

I like it when God speaks to me through other people, and through their experiences. It shows me that I am not alone in my own thinking, that others have similar struggles too. I have a long way to go towards being content, but I am at least on the path, walking towards it...

Fall

A chilly, rainy Saturday afternoon in October - a good cigar, a roaring fire, baseball and football on T.V.

PGA Championship

This morning my friend Jeff and I went to the practice round of the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine! First, we watched Fred Couples and Padraig Harrington at the driving range. Next, we followed some groups playing the 10th hole; including Padraig, Shingo Katayama, Rod Pampling, John Daly, Angel Cabrera, and Charles Howell III. We then sat at the 16th green for a bit, and saw Irish sensation Rory McIlroy. After walking a few different holes we met up with Jim Furyk's group, and watched him. Amazingly enough, we then actually stumbled upon Phil Mickelson's group! However, my camera battery died moments before seeing Phil, so I don't have any evidence. We watched Phil hit for a few holes, and then decided to check out the pro shop before heading home. What an amazing day!

Licensed

It's official, I am now a Licensed School Counselor! In today's mail I received my license. Now the only thing lacking is a job for the Fall.

A Master

Yesterday afternoon I made it through my oral exams with flying colors, completing the last requirement for my Masters degree! It's nice to see that all of my hard work these past years have finally paid off. I need to send two more forms to the State, and then I will soon be a Licensed School Counselor. Now all that's left is to secure a job for the Fall - been applying the last few months, and will continue to do so over the Summer.

Almost Done

My thesis is being reviewed one final time, for any last minute edits; my electronic portfolio is complete; my oral exams are being scheduled; the license application process has begun; and I am continuing to apply for jobs. I am nearing the finish line!

Chili

Look Mom, Chuck made chili! After an ichat conversation with my friend Kelly, she motivated me to give a try at making chili for dinner tonight. So after a quick stop by the grocery store for supplies, I took that step. Actually, it was rather easy, and ended up being pretty tasty too!

Relaxing Friday

I received some final edits to my thesis yesterday from my Reader, but I decided this morning that today was going to be a day to just relax instead. After having my weekly adjustment at Jeff and Katie's, I went for a walk around Normandale Lake. I then headed off to St. Paul for lunch at D'Amico's, and to enjoy a fine cigar on Stogies' patio. Now I think I will grab my ipod and a book and head outside to sit in my adirondack to enjoy the rest of this warm and sunny afternoon, before the cool rain moves in for the weekend. Happy Friday all!

Update

I recently finished my last internship, bringing to a close my total of 600 hours. I am also in the last stages of my graduate program, planning to be done by the end of June! My thesis is over 80% complete, after having sent it to my Reader for his final thoughts and edits. I am also working on my electronic portfolio, which shows I have knowledge of the state licensing requirements through my graduate papers and presentations. Finally, I will be starting the application this week for licensure as a School Counselor. I have been applying for quite a few positions for the Fall, over ten so far, but do not have a job lined up yet.

There isn't much else to report, other than having jury duty the first two weeks in June - that'll be an interesting process as I have a paralegal background and am curious to see how that goes.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day Mom, you are greatly missed.





(What they'll look like soon - Bells of Ireland and Castle Mix)

1st Draft Complete!

After several months and 35 pages, I just finished the first draft of my thesis! I sent it to my Chair this morning for one last review, and after his edits I will send it to my Reader for his final review and edits. My reward for all that hard work are some baseball cards, a cigar, and a candy bar! If the sun ever comes out, I will get a walk in as well.

Welcome Spring

Other than the Fall, the Spring is my favorite time of the year. Tree buds begin to explode, grass starts to turn an amazing bright green, and temperatures slowly begin to warm up (even on a cooler day the sun's rays are quite warm).

Another passage into Spring is the MLB season kicking off. Early in the year all teams feel like they can compete, and that they have a shot at winning it all come October (sadly, most teams over-inflate their chances of success). But the "boys" of Spring never fail to amaze me - last night I was able to assist my friend James in coaching his BAA Mite team, with his son Ben on it, and I had a blast! I flashed back to my own days of little league ball, and became very excited to be a part of the team once again. Something tells me that I am going to be known as the loud, silly coach, but that's fine with me! Anything I can do to help them get excited about playing and loving baseball is just fine!

Play ball, and enjoy the Spring weather (at least on warm, sunny days)!

Butter

Today, at my elementary school site in St. Paul, I was given the opportunity to lead two classroom guidance lessons for kindergartners. Our lesson was on cooperation, and learning to work together on something. We paired the kids up, and provided the groups with the necessary tools they needed to make butter! They were given a baby food jar that had heavy whipping cream in it, and they were given the task of shaking it until it turned into butter. When their arms got sore they had to give it to their partner to shake. After about five minutes of shaking, it formed into butter, which they got to spread on crackers and eat - they loved it! I really enjoyed giving them the lesson today, and they got a big kick out of making and eating the butter!

I will be leading several more classroom guidance lessons in the next week or so, and will videotape one of them for my final internship videotaping requirement. I will probably record the kindergartners again, as I will be reading them a book and discussing the importance of using our hands for helping and not for hurting (similar to today's lesson on cooperation when they used their hands to work together).

I've really enjoyed my time with the elementary kids, and I hope to get a job working in an elementary school in the fall.

Internships

Today was the last day at my middle school site, meaning that I am now 2/3 done with my internships! I had a great time getting to work with and getting to know many interesting students. I will now be at an elementary school in St. Paul 3 days a week, while working the other 2 days on my thesis. I feel that I am still on track to be done with everything and graduate in June. There is a light at the end of the tunnel!

GC Retreat

Here are some photos from last weekend's Third Annual Garden Communities Retreat.

Thursday's Sights

The campus of Duke University,
Duke's Chapel,
Durham Athletic Park (former home of the infamous Durham Bulls),
Lunch at Chick-Fil-A,
Cigar shopping/smoking at JR Cigars' warehouse,
Awesome dinner made by Kelly, with her roommate Anna, her co-worker Amber, and E and Lisa,
Shakes from Chick-Fil-A, and the classic movie "When Harry Met Sally,"
An amazing week spent with E and Lisa in North Carolina!