Summer

When I started college, it took me a while to fully process how big a transition I was in the middle of. The list of changes went on and on – beyond simply moving to a new place, signing up for the classes I wanted, and picking my meals at the dining hall. It wasn’t until my junior year that I realized one of the biggest transitions I was going through was how I encountered God.

I have always been a goal-oriented person. To-do lists often crowd my phone and post-it notes accumulate throughout my home. There is a specific joy and sense of accomplishment that comes with crossing items off my list. I love feeling like I am building an organized life with few mishaps or surprises.

I am currently training for a marathon. I know, I also question myself for willingly choosing to run 26.2 miles. The marathon isn’t until October so there is still a lot of running left to do – oh joy. Already, God has been teaching me about discipline and the limited capacity I have as a human. I have the same amount of time in my day as I used to, but now I have to add going for a run. And warming up. And cooling down. It all adds up and takes time out of my day, meaning I have to sacrifice something.

Last year, our family got sheepadoodle puppy. I drove eight hours to Pennsylvania to pick up Buster from an Amish family that had been raising him on a dairy farm. Buster was a cute puppy in the way that all puppies are cute. He was also visibly dirty, and brought some unwanted relics of the dairy farm with him. This guy needed a bath.