...is not time, nor school, nor even friends in general. No, the reason for my unintentional yet persistent neglect of this blog over the past few months can be solely attributed to a certain guy named Nate, whom I met in early June and who has proceeded to sweep me off my feet, if I can use such a girly phrase. I mean, I'm not even sure where to start in my attempt at 
describing him and/or explaining my absence and all that has happened in between my last post and now.To put it succinctly, he is everything and more than I have hoped and prayed for. Want to know more? Email me and I'll be glad to expound on the wonderful man that God has blessed me with.
Phew, where did the summer go? All I know is that in the midst of working on my assistantship (I work for my advisor on her NIH grant studying preschool stuttering treatment -- have a mentioned that?), taking 2 classes, traveling to weddings, and being in a new relationship, everything is a relative blur. It was a great summer, if only way too short.
And now it's back to the real deal. This semester is my entry into "real" grad school, taking actual upper-level classes and starting my clinical practicum. It is exciting and overwhelming, exciting in that I love what I am getting to study, and the work I am getting to do for my assistantship, but overwhelming in that it would never end if I didn't make time for rest, for life outside of school. I'm remembering a post I wrote while ago, possibly even this time last year, about the balance necessary in life. I am facing that challenge again, and it feels as new and uncomfortable to me as before. I am reminded of the God I love and His faithfulness to me, though, of His unfailing mercy and strength that will forever be only a request away.
It is the request that is often the hardest part for me, as odd as it may seem. Too often I find myself at the end of a 30 minute discussion with a friend, or a tirade of thoughts in my mind, about how completely unmanageable my life is, and oh how will I get everything done, and I just feel so ______ (insert emotion here, i.e. frustrated, tired, annoyed, angry, apathetic)....only to remember that am blessed with everything and every ability I need to do what He has put in my path. I am realizing how quick (and almost subconscious) my tendency is to listen to the Enemy, to seek comfort in the world, to wallow in my circumstances -- to, in essence, forget God.
I don't want to blow this struggle out of proportion or get lost in a game of semantics (which, by the way, is another topic that has been ruminating in my mind recently, begging to make an appearance on this site). But I am acutely aware of this shortcoming at the moment...and I don't like it. I am grateful that His grace is so big, and that I can rest in it as I wrestle with my fallen tendencies.
How's that for jumping back into the blogosphere? ;)
