Nothing without this All

HELLO! :)

It's been QUITE some time, hasn't it?

what? like two weeks, HUH?

too too LONG

But I haven't seemed to HAVE the time...

FIRST off,

Thanksgiving was WONDERFUL :)

GREAT time with family and friends.

At the SAME time though,

I REALIZED something...

BIG.

I have places I CALL home and everything.

But when I am AT those places,

I find myself LONGING to be elsewhere.

I have found no CONTENTMENT in where I am in place.

It was quite the DISAPPOINTING realization.

Inside I am still SEARCHING for that one place where I am fully content.

Right now, only ONE place can come to mind.

C. S. Lewis put it quite FITTINGLY:

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

I have felt very CLOSE to this verse recently,

not necessarily in instance of LOCATION,

but rather an instance of LIFE.

I find myself FOREIGN.

But Christ said I would be as an ALIEN to this world...

I NOW know the feeling...

It was GREAT to see everyone back home,

it was familiar and yet different and COMFORTABLE :)

If ANYONE back home reads this,

First off, THANKS for reading this,

secondly, I am BLESSED to have all of you in my life:)

I missed EVERYONE back here at CBU too.

It was like I left a LIFE back here.

I LOVE these people here,

I feel like God has PLACED them in my life

and they are an EXTREME blessing to me

especially through this VERY difficult semester.

This past week has been the HARDEST week I would say.

From getting LESS than 4 hours of sleep between Sunday and Monday night,

A 6 hour-long trip back to CBU to be to class that SAME morning,

To two papers and friends who have been in PAIN.

The last one really is not a PROBLEM for me

or one that those people should BLAME themselves for.

We did a STRENGTHS test for one of our Freshman classes,

I have the strength of EMPATHY.

What that means is that I CARE and

can practically FEEL

the pain/joy that others FEEL.

Kind of STRANGE, I know.

Its not ANYONE'S fault,

thats just how I'm WIRED.

I haven't found a steady BALANCE yet,

but am WORKING on that.

I know I may have WORRIED some of you,

but this is PRACTICALLY what has been bothering me.

I am blessed with EVERYONE who comes in my life

and not one of those people are in my life by MISTAKE.

Thank you for your ENCOURAGEMENT :)

Please keep in PRAYER myself and those who are in pain.

On a LIGHTER note,

I SURVIVED this week :)

I go HOME in 14 days :)

I also have wonderful FRIENDS both back home and at CBU :)

I don't know where I would be WITHOUT any of you.

I am also grateful for my FAMILY :)

you guys ROCK my socks :)

(yes... I do wear socks...) ;)

I serve a God whose love is ABUNDANT.

I serve a God who is in CONTROL.

I serve a God who UNDERSTANDS.

I serve a God who has a REASON.

I am HIS.

So with ALL that being said,

ALL of that...

my GOODNESS...

so LONG...

SAAAAARRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYY... (as "MYRA" says it :))

TREASURE each breath that you were given for a reason :)

LOVE you all and

THANK you so much for reading

Especially when I write freakin BOOKS like this :)

His,

Amy :)