The 45th Dear _____ Post

Dear Tearful Goodbyes, You stink.

Dear Peace, Even though I did have a tearful goodbye or two, I still felt you about coming back. I think that's God's way of showing me that I am indeed called to Senegal and that He's still there with me, comforting me along the way :)

Dear Jet Lag, You also stink.

Dear Mountain Dew, You got me through my meetings yesterday and today. Jet lag's been a doozy, so the extra caffeine was nice.

Dear Breakfast, My fellow staff members and myself were treated to you this morning. There was quite the spread. It was such a nice, special treat.

Dear New Year's Resolutions, I'm still working on you. I normally say a few things and stick with them for a little while, but that's it. I don't want that to happen this year. I want to truly put time and genuine thought into them. I want to create a list of items that I can actually attain...items that are meaningful to my life right now. I'm hoping to finish them up this weekend...

Dear Beginning of 2nd Semester, You're my most favorite time of the school! I love seeing how excited all the kids are to be back at school with their friends and teachers. I love the ego boost that comes from a class full of first graders telling me how they missed me on the long break. I love seeing how thrilled they are to be back in the classroom, using new supplies I've brought, reading and writing, and learning new things. It's such a fun time of year for me :)

Dear Meal Planning, I'm going to start doing a better job of you. By doing this I'll 1) save money by not buying stuff I don't really need when grocery shopping and 2) eat better, since I'll be planning healthier meals and snacks.

Dear Duck Dynasty, I bought the DVD of Season 1 of you while in the States. I may or may not be having a mini marathon tonight during dinner as a "brain break" :)

Dear Unpacking, I've gotten a few things out, but I really haven't wanted to do you yet. Oh my word - There's so many more things that I'd rather do than unpack. But alas, I suppose I'll finally unpack tomorrow after working in my classroom. I think the whole packing/unpacking times is the 2nd worse thing about my job. The first...saying those all too frequent goodbyes...

Dear Trail Mix, I made you yesterday. ...such an easy snack to make, and so tasty! :)

Dear One Year, You're how long I'm planning to take to read through the Bible completely. I've done it a few times before, but I'm planning to do so more intently this year. I'm also planning to journal while I do my reading. I want to see how I learn from and grow while doing this reading plan. I even bought a small One-Year Bible that can easily fit in my purse. This way, I can read anywhere :)

Dear God, I had someone prophecy over me a few weeks back. Because of what this person said, I've received a renewed hope for that area of my life. But I'm putting it completely in your hands, God. I'm giving it to you. I'm waiting patiently for your will to be done. Side note... Isn't it so cool to know that God knows what's best for us? He has a plan for us. We just have to let him do his will and not let ourselves get in the way :)