Stream of Consciousness

I am so incredibly blessed. I blog a lot about my family and my faith, my business and my adventures. I don't blog enough, though. No matter how much I blogged, it wouldn't be enough. There's no way I could ever capture my life for you in words on a blog, especially considering my time constraints. All my blog posts are written off the top of my head. Each new sentence being constructed as I type. I'm the first to admit that my stories are not complete. coherent. life-altering. even meaningful at times. But, this is just my journal - a space where I can vent, share, celebrate, and of course reflect on who I am becoming.

With my lack of patience and especially my lack of time, I cannot dedicate the time and space here necessary for you to get a glimpse of my every days. But, I can continue to share with you stories and adventures that will give you some kind of an idea of who I am...

I've been heavily reflecting on my social life lately, deeply appreciating how far I've come from the Maggie of my teenage years. Some pivotal things happened even, as late as this summer past, that have changed my path. I can appreciate and give praise for the things in my childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood that have shaped me into the person that I am now. I recognize that many of the trials I went through in my life have deeply affected the person that I am today - even if I didn't see them as such a blessing at the time. I am even finding myself appreciating the trials of today, that I know will someday continue to make me into the kind of person I want to be. I think there's a lot to be said about facing difficult situations and knowing *in that moment* that it's part of His plan. I'm able to recognize that even the darkest days are purposeful and meaningful to who I am.

Granted, there are not many dark days around here. I'm so incredibly blessed to not be facing trials and decisions that are stressful to manage. Many of my sad or difficult moods come from exhaustion and disappear after some rest. But, I feel confident that I'm ready to take on the world. At least, that's how I feel today. And a lot of the reason I feel that way is because of my friends and family.

My social network is becoming complex and my sincere friendships are growing deeper. My friends and I are connecting daily... sometimes on a level I've never really experienced before. I'm finding myself expanding my horizons. Making the world a little bit bigger so that it purposefully encompasses more than just insignificant me. I'm gaining confidence in all that I have to offer the world, especially the people in it that I trust and love.

And when I consider the *why*... it all comes down to one thing: My desire to grow closer to God through Jesus Christ.

My prayer life is filled with personal hopes and dreams now - whereas before it was exclusively praying for others. My desire to better know Jesus is stronger than ever before, probably because I'm back in the groove of regular worship. My understanding of God and all things Holy is expanding, probably because of the small groups I'm involved in. My maturity in friendships and social settings is attributed to my love of people, especially the smallest people - the children. My desire to change the world is immense, all because of these things, collectively.

And, all I can do is sit here this morning and sing a prayer of thanks to my Higher Power. My Healer. My Patient Teacher. The Great Understander. My Father. He who is proud of little ole' me.

Today, I will take extra time thanking God for my family who holds me together every single day of my life, and my friends who are on this journey with me. Happy Wednesday, thanks for reading.