September 2, 2020

School has started again, which means I am trying to get back in the habit of getting up early and journaling. Today is day one and already I am reminded of why I like this. The house, it is so quiet! I just LOVE being up early, there is something so peaceful about it and the quiet really helps me feel close to God in a way that journaling doesn't when I do it with all of the hustle and bustle of the day happening. The whole house is dark except for a small light that is providing just enough glow for me to able to see, and it's raining. Oh what a beautiful sound, the rain! It has been so hot for weeks now that the rain is a welcomed relief! Was it hard getting out of bed? Yes, it really was! But it only took a matter of minutes before I realized how much I love this time of day and that, for me, the sacrifice is so worth it!

Naturally, with school starting, it looks very different this year, because, well ... it's 2020! And we are still in the middle of a pandemic (insert sigh).

Not only are we in the middle of a pandemic, but we are currently living with Ron and Lisa while our house gets remodeled.

So in reagards to school, each family got to chose if they wanted to do at home learning, at school learning - half day, or at school earning - full day. Since we are living with Ron and Lisa, and they are in the high risk age, and we are currently a half hour away from the school, we opted for the at home learning. The nice thing is, we get to decide after the first grading period if we want to change that or not. Right now the plan is to send them back after the first grading period. For so many reasons this seems like a good idea to me, I just think it's important that they have the chance to be around people, it will be easier to get help with their assignments, and honestly, it will be nice for me to have a few hours to get stuff done without being interrupted.

On a different note, one thing I am very excited about is my project! I have called it Shine, the Shine project! I absolutely love the name and I seriously am smiling right now as I type this. I have been working on it for months, and while I originally thought that I wanted it to be a book and that I wouldn't be ready to do it until it was a book, I really got a strong impression that now is the time to start, that I don't need to wait until it is a book to start, and I am so glad that I just moved ahead with it! I can see it in my head, what I want it to look like. I had each month broken down into what to do and little notes for each month in random places, mostly written down in journals and in the notes section on my phone. So once I decided to just do it, everything has really fallen into place! There is still so much work that needs to be done, but it is happening, and I feel like a giddy school child. As I continue to work on it, I hope I try everyday to remember how much God has helped me with this. I remember each time the perfect thing came to my mind to be added into the program, it was like clear as day. There have been times where I get these brilliant ideas and I know, 100% that they came from God. And now, they're being incorporated, and it's the most amazing thing ever for me to see! And it took giving up my classes, and it took not worrying about my IG and what I "thought" I wanted it to be and to just do this! To focus and use my free time and really commit, and honestly, what a beautiful team, me and God. Is it okay to say that? It's like God needs us to fulfill out dreams, because that's how we help people, and we need God to show us how to do it. And He has shown me how, my gosh, he has literally shown me every good idea I have ever had. Every. Single. One. And to me those all feel like tiny little miracles.