Parting Ways

Hello, my name is Meghan and I'm a pack rat.

"Hello, Meghan."

It has taken me six months to get to this point...well, that's not completely accurate. I guess it's been building over a lifetime. But it reached a new level when I got married and had to move all my "stuff" into our new apartment. All the belongings that had been stuffed in my room since 7th grade. All the stuff that had been locked up in a storage unit since college. All of it followed me here. Papers from middle school. Magazines. Labs from high school. Notes from college. Brochures from graduate schools I never attended. More magazines. You get the picture.

I recently came to a place emotionally where I've been able to start tossing stuff en masse. Intellectually I've known that I want my life to be less cluttered. Emotionally...it was harder than I expected. I think part of me felt attached to some of these items because I had linked them to my past accomplishments. In the present, though, there are fewer recognitions of achievement and I was holding to some of those pieces of paper as proof that I had in fact achieved something at some point in life, whether it was academically or otherwise.

In discussing it with my husband, we found a way to make it easier to get rid of at least papers and such from college. We were planning on hanging our college diplomas in the office area in the second bedroom. Whenever I need to, I can point to that piece of paper and say to myself, "Yes, I did earn that." I know it's silly and trivial but, with how I've felt recently, it is much needed to know that I have, can and will accomplish things in this world.

I know there are much more eternal things to accomplish than just earning a college degree or unpacking the last box. I try to keep that in mind as I struggle to part with items that have no business still being around and taking up space in my life physically and emotionally. I know that in this season God is preparing and growing me. "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." He knows where my life is going and wants only the best for me. Part of that is releasing the things that have been weighing me down and following me around for way to long. It has felt good to see the number of boxes diminish and know that some day it may help me to be ready for what God's calling will be.

At this point, though, I'm just really looking forward to the day when I can say "we are now OFFICIALLY moved in!" :)

Soli Deo Gloria!
Meghan

Rain, Rain, Go away!

So to combat the dreary, overcast, rainy day going on outside my patio door, I've decided to focus on a warmer, sunnier time. You know, just about six months ago? ;)

Ahhhh, good memories :) Sunshine, warm, beaches, walks outside....

C'mon SPRING! :) I'm so ready to be outside again!

Meghan

A New Chapter in Life, or Why I Decided to Rename My Blog

I started this blog as a way to capture some of my adventures at the Focus Leadership Institute out in Colorado and I am so glad I did. It's been a great outlet for writing but now, as I've entered a new chapter in life, I feel like my blog needs to change with me some. And one of the ways of doing that is by changing the name of my blog (if it's available, the URL will change to match). Koinonia is a great name, don't get me wrong, and I still want to drive to experience it in my life but I've also grown since then and much has happened. I figured the name of the blog should reflect that. :) Besides, I figured I should probably chose something that was in English instead of Greek, along with trying to match the URL to my blog's name.

So here are some of my ideas for a new name (all pending availability)...

*Looks, Books and Cooks (you know...photos, good reads and yummy food from our adventure)
*Our (More or Less) Epic Adventure
*The Middle Places
*The Clark Chronicle (what I named our Christmas letter this year)
*Dreams, Schemes and other Themes
*Small Apartment in the Medium Suburbs
*setoN s'nahgeM (Reflecting on my life...because hindsight is 20/20)
*My Front Porch Looking In (based on the country song by Lonestar)
*Faith for Wings ("...those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles...")
*My Grandmother's China (Because we all pass something on to those that come after us...)

I would love your input as I ponder this issue. Do you like any of the names above? Have any others to suggest that you think would be better? I'm all ears! :)

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

Hope

"The hope of the righteous brings joy..." ~Proverbs 10:28a (English Standard Version)

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." ~ 1 Corinthians 13:7 (English Standard Version)

"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." ~Romans 5:3-5 (English Standard Version)

"For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." ~Romans 8:24-25 (English Standard Version)

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has, of course, multiple definitions for hope (noun, verb, phrases, etc.), but the main definitions are similar and center around this: "Expectation of something desired; desire combined with expectation". Today is a day filled with lots of hope and prayers. And, yeah, that last verse about waiting with patience? Definitely not my strong suit! I cling to the God of Hope as I lay my requests, expectations, desires and anticipation in His all-powerful hands.

Whatever you are hoping for today, I pray that you will lay it at the feet of our Eternal Hope in expectation of His gracious and mighty plan. Then let His joy and peace flood you with comfort and contentedness, whatever the course ahead.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." ~Romans 15:13 (English Standard Version)

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan