Learning to be thankful... and faithful

It is official. I have actually been living, and I say living because I have gone out of town at least one weekend a month since I moved, here for ONE FULL YEAR. My first full day in Tucson was June 12, 2006. I can not believe one year as passed. I remember so vividly walking outside the Briar Church of Christ building where all of the Goode family was catching up and reunion-ing and walking to my fully loaded car with mom, dad, aunt Jeanie and Brian. We all hugged a lot, my dad shuck Brian's hand, we got in the car and drove away. Approximately 15 hours later we were pulling into the faint city limits of Tucson, Arizona.

A lot has happened in a year. Definitely a lot of tears. A lot of what in the world am I doing. A lot of what is God doing in me. I have realized that I really need to focus on this season of my life for just that... a season in time. I have spent so much time being negative, being angry and being uncertain. In deciding to smile and look at the positives that Tucson, Brian and my jobs hold there are great things happening.

Being able to glance back I am thankful that I have a heavenly father that doesn't allow His children to be complacent. He doesn't want us to be comfortable all of the time. I look at my wonderful cousins Randy and Kelly Vaughn and all they have done in Benin, Africa over the last 10 years... it wasn't always easy and it wasn't always fun but it was what they felt they should be doing.
I look at my older sister, Lyndsey. She is the struggling artist in NYC but loving every minute of what she does though the money isn't always flowing in and the roommates she has always desired were not the oh-so-NOT-enjoyable bed bugs that decided to move on in.

God places us for a season in time to learn, to grow and to trust and love Him more. What a blessing Tucson has been. I write this knowing that I need to listen to my words even as I type them. Being in Tucson isn't at all about me. It is about finding out who I am and ultimately whose I am. If I were moving to Tucson as James and Vicki's daughter or Lyndsey, Philip and Veeves sister, I would have moved back to Farmers Branch and heck of a long time ago. If I were just Brian's girlfriend I would have decided that Dallas needs me more. But what I have decided is that I am His and He can lead me where He feels I can stretch, where I can grow and where I can learn to trust more and more in Him the rest of the days of my life.

One year... really! Wow, it's crazy!!