The Adventures Continue

I've been thinking.

Thinking about all the wonderful experiences God has blessed me with in these twenty-three and a half years of life I've lived thus far. I wanted to share some of those experiences with you today:

I have walked through forests and creeks, imaginary neverlands, Himalayan mountains, Filipino jungles and several ocean waters.

I have walked through the rains of typhoons, the tremors of earthquakes, and the dappled paths of coconut jungles.

I have ran on sidewalks and streets, through cities and soil, under bridges and moonlight, for miles and miles. 

I have sat with fishermen and washerwomen in wave-weathered huts as they touched the pages of the truest book on earth for the very first time. 

I have sat with fellow students through brilliant lectures on science, philosophy, anthropology, and psychology.

I have sat with young women whose fractured souls slowly mended as they faced the demons of suicide, anorexia, addiction, and abuse. 

I have sat in the doorway of brave little soldiers's bedrooms as they screamed through their tears about the pain their disorders were causing them and their family.

I have sat with my mother and father as they've faced the reality that their son has schizophrenia, and that he may not ever come back to the life he used to live. 

I have knelt on stony cliff ground next to a frozen waterfall and prayed with my best friend in thanks for the ring he just slipped on my finger. 

I have knelt with that same man in the most heavenly place on earth and felt the power of our Father in Heaven seal us together for time and all eternity. 

I have since knelt by my bedside, both alone and with my sweetheart, as we've fought each other's battles. 

In that heaven on earth, I have felt the presence of angels-- my predecessors and my posterity-- pushing me forward and sending comfort to wash over me. I have felt the presence of the Spirit of God prompting me to continue my education, despite not knowing what the future holds. I have felt the presence of another life within me, as the seedling of a little girl has grown and danced and tumbled inside of me. I have felt the presence of both fear and faith at different times while pondering what it will be like to be a mother. I have felt both a slight uncertainty and a strong surety that miracles will happen to make it possible for us to begin raising a child while I simultaneously begin my master's program.

I have walked, I have run, I have sat, I have knelt, I have felt... and I know these moments, happy and sad, are blessings brought to me by a God who knows me better than I know myself. He knows what I am capable of if I trust in Him. I don't tell you all this to boast of my own adventures, but instead to glory in the truth that God was there through all of it. He was there, guiding me and the ones I was with, and He will continue to be there. I know it with my whole soul. 

Do you know this, too? Have you walked and ran and sat and knelt and felt through life as I have? Tell me, please. I want to know about your faith and your doubt, and I want to learn from you and be there with you if you need me to be. After all, that's what this adventure called life is all about; it's about sharing your adventures, your struggles and successes, with those around you. Because we are God's family, and we are continuing through this adventure together, with Him.

Keep going. 

I will, too. :)