I love and am loved...

Nothing original from me in this post. School has exhausted my creative potential.

That being said, for a school assignment, I read Marie de France's Lanval. In it, Lanval describes the woman he loves. After I read it, I had to go back and read it again. I loved it THAT much. So, I thought I would share it.

"I love and am loved by a lady who should be prized above all others I know."

That was it; it was one line. For some reason, it stuck with me, and it has been in my head for days since I read it.

Simply beautiful. To love and be loved...

The Exceptional in the Mundane

I had a life crisis yesterday. Most of the time, I don't think past December. With my Senior thesis and presentation, I am just praying for the strength to make it through to the end of this semester. I can't fathom past finals. However, I have moments of panic, especially when I am driving back and forth to school during the week. There is something about being alone in the car, the open road in front of me, that makes me think. Then due to the thinking, I freak out.

Well, this happened last night. Only, I was not alone this time. I was able to discuss my panic, to really put into words what I believed the Lord may have planned for me after May 7. Once I cross that stage, my role as a college student will be over. The class schedules, assignment deadlines, and all the other academic nonsense that made up my life for the last four years will be over.

Looking back, I see how much I have changed, and I see how much my dreams have changed. We all want to live exceptional lives. I know when I started college, I had great dreams for myself. I wanted to work in London at the British Museum. I wanted to get a doctorate. I wanted to make a historical discovery. Well, these are all of the things I THOUGHT I wanted...

The closer I get to graduating, the more I find that the things I thought I wanted are not the things that will really make me happy.

The truth is, we all equate an exceptional life with how much money we make, our name being in lights, being known for something, being the best at something, doing something unique. However, some of the most exceptional people I know are the people that the world defines as mundane. They live their lives in small towns. They love the people around them with a fierceness few can fathom. They work hard. They never stop learning. They serve the Lord with their talents. They embrace new experiences.

God's dreams for my life are not the dreams that I had when I was a Freshman in college. Do I know all of what he has planned for me? Absolutely not. However, it will be exceptional because He has called me to it.

The exceptional in the world's mundane was easy to find when I stopped freaking out and really started looking for it!