I interrupt this blog hiatus to say...

…for your encouragement, prayer, and support throughout the ups and downs of the last 10 (only four? Sure seemed like 10…) years. 

I have so many memories...

Living in a big city for a month and loving it…introduction to independence and college life? Fabulous.

Receiving the worst phone call of my life…and living through the even worse 24 hours of angst before it.

The end of my very fabulous but very brief experience with “college life” due to said phone call.

A year of soaked up Daddy-moments that will last forever and horrific snapshots that will hopefully not last forever.

Saying goodbye to my earthly father and please dear God hold me tight to my heavenly Father.

Finding healing in the giggles and cuddles of little ones…and a new passion and direction in—who knew?—nursing. GOD knew.

That moment of pure terror when I had to give my first injection…haha. If only I knew what was to come…

Almost moving to Africa. Almost. And then realizing that sometimes I think my ideas are better than His.

Meeting incredible patients. Serving incredible (and sometimes not-so-incredible-but-equally-loved-by-Him) patients and finding myself to be the one blessed.

Standing on a dirt floor in Guatemala, looking at my hands and thinking, “Lord God you MADE me to do this, didn’t you?!”

Getting a sideline seat to a precious little one coming home to his family…forever.

Crashing and clinging in a sea of never, ever ending grief…and finding myself nestled in the palm of His hand.

Getting to love and be loved by another family. Grace, all grace.

Discovering what He has laid on my heart.

Nursing school. What to say about nursing school… Can I just tell some gross stories? No? You really don’t want to hear about blood, guts, and gore? About the time I was asked to get a r*ct*l temperature and, well, the guy had no…Okay, okay. You get the picture. Lots of delightfully gross stories.

Holding a home health job with equally gross and you-did-WHAT? kind of stories.

******

I could go on, and on, and on…but then you would stop reading (if you haven’t already?) and I would just be rambling to myself about stories and memories I already hold in my heart.

I have been wounded. I have been torn, and hurt, and buried deep. I have lost and been lost. I have been broken. But in the midst of it all, I have discovered that

He makes beautiful things.

"God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Now, after a winding and sometimes tumultuous journey, I am *officially* a nurse (say WHAT?!) and looking at a new unknown. And while I could choose to be anxious, and terrified, and full of questions—and sometimes I do choose worry over trust—today I choose thankfulness. Today I choose to marvel at His grace, and His grace through YOU…loving and supporting me along the way. All praise and glory to Him alone.

Celebrating…

Um, He-LLO brownie cheesecake!

Relishing the moment with friends...

and family (or a part thereof)...

*photo credit goes to my lovely friend Rebecca*

...If I was super cheesy, I would sign this post "ASH, RN." But I'm not. So I won't.