Daily Reminder.

Many things have changed since my last post, and life has become just slightly more complicated and trying. On the 40th day I was here, my Aunt broke her ankle and her foot while we were climbing over a fence after getting locked into the fairgrounds. Since then, she has had many doctor appointments and a surgery to repair her injuries. She is well on her way to a long recovery, and God has blessed her greatly with good health, a good attitude, and a good family to get her through this very tough time. It has been very rough on all of us, but so far we have managed to get through it relatively well. My older sister moved out here a week and a half ago to take my place, because I will be leaving for school soon. I've been showing her the ropes and trying to get her used to the kids schedules and whatnot, but I've also really appreciated having someone to help me out with the kids.

I'll be leaving 2 weeks from tomorrow, and because of that I kind of want to reflect on my time here the past 72 days. Let's start off from the beginning, shall we? When my Aunt first suggested I come out here for the summer, I thought she was slightly crazy. I didn't really see myself coming out here, so I told her that I would think about it. Honestly, I just thought it was an idea that would blow over, and I forgot about it for awhile. It kept coming up, and God kept closing the doors on all the other things I had originally planned for the summer. I prayed very hard about it for a week, then I decided that I was going to live with them this summer and nanny so my Aunt could go back to work. It was a carefully thought out decision, and I began getting excited for this opportunity that had randomly come my way. Finished the semester at school, my family drove down and picked me up, and I got to spend 15 days back home in Indy before leaving for California. During my time home, I spent a good majority of the days getting everything together for nursing school, saying hellos and goodbyes, and preparing myself for the next few months ahead of me. I left Indiana without looking back, and I finally made the trip out here to the true sunshine state on the 29th of May. My first couple of weeks were filled with learning how to deal with the kids, lots of swimming and playing, a motorcycle class, many fun trips out to places, a visit from my little sister, and a great deal of just plain good times. I felt like this was where I belonged; I could always take a break when I needed to, and my Aunt and Uncle were so welcoming and kind to me. The toughest part for me was the kids, because for the previous 9 months, I hadn't been around any smaller human forms besides college students; it took quite awhile to get used to that. All was going pretty great till the whole broken foot thing happened to my Aunt. After that day, I became responsible for almost everything. I was glad I had paid attention the first month I was here, because it was so vital that I knew where to go, what to do, and when to do it. My role changed that week, as did my attitude, my sleeping schedule, and my character. Things were not perfect, but everyday everyone was fed, clothed, and loved (sometimes I was a little lacking in the love department, even on my best day). Almost everyday I faced a new challenge, and I tried to look at every opportunity as a learning/growing experience. I learned that patience is truly a desired virtue that requires patience to obtain; that having a humble heart makes being a servant to others much easier and beneficial to both people; that love really can conquer all things; but most importantly, I learned that I can do nothing, and that I am nothing, without God's hand in my life. Through all of this, I was taught many lessons and grew in ways that I never thought possible. I absolutely do not regret the way I spent my summer; especially knowing how God ordained it all and brought us through it in one piece. Lately though, I've been grumpier, less tolerable of the antics of the children, and just plain snappy--all of this means it is time for me to move on to another place, and that will happen again in 15 days. I will cherish all of the memories I made with my family here, but I am looking forward to seeing how God will use me and grow me as I prepare to start another year at college. I still have many things to learn, and I am reminded of this daily. Philippians 4:13.