"It's a New Day..." It's a New Year :)

It's funny (not in a "ha ha" kind of way, but in a "fancy that" sort of way) how differently respectively similar people can view one year. I was sitting in my living room with a group of my closest friends watching t.v. a couple minutes before the start of 2008, and everyone had a different feeling toward 2007. For some, it was the worst year, for others, the best, and still for others, it was simply another year. For me, it fell into that second category. Ok, so that's great, but here's why--I grew up. I can hear the laughter now, so no, I don't mean that I am all of a sudden this new and improved fun-sucking old lady who sits around and talks about how bad I had it back in my day. I simply mean that I listened when God spoke; not all the time, mind you, but more so than I had in previous years. Today, I almost feel as if I'm not even that same girl that I was at the beginning of 2007; I feel as if I remember her from some story that I had read and was briefly attached to. It's amazing to me the catalysts that God used in my transformation. The biggest one was collectively camp. If I had to peg it to one person, I suppose that person would be Kelsey. She has helped me so many times and in so many ways. She has been there for me every step of the way.

All of this is not to say that I didn't have any conflicts in 2007. I did, but I also found ways to work through them--another aspect of my growth. A big turning point for me came after a sermon at JFM. I'm not even 100% sure I remember what the sermon was on, but the pastor mentioned that Paul's purpose before his conversion was persecuting Christians. I decided then that whatever I do, I want to have an underlying purpose of glorifying my God, and I can in whatever I do :) There was also a quote that helped me out: "Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them." I had never thought of happiness that way before, and therefore had had a hard time learning to be happy.

Anyway, I know this is long, but I wanted to do one more thing that I stole from Sara. She gave a list of what she was thankful for in 2007, and here's mine:

1. Finding true happiness even amidst all the problems.
2. My incredible friends and family that will always be there. And with that, Christian friends and family that share the same quest as me.
3. The bittersweet end of old relationships and the adventure of new ones.
4. A job that I love and even look forward to doing. Also my boss and coworkers who mean so much more to me than just my job.
5. Being able to go to college and knowing why I'm there.
6. I never thought I'd say this, but being able to live at my parent's house.
7. My mom, my dad, and my sister; I've had friends that have come and gone, but they have always been there supporting me, and they always will be.

Happy New Year :)