back to school and making it count...

Tomorrow marks the end of my first week back to school... It seems so strange to be back in school again already, as if last semester had just ended. But my summer was packed full of trips and activities, and now it is time for school again.

I got a job in the Learning Center at school, and I get to tutor people who come in for help with their classes. I love to interact with others, and I love to be able to be an encouragement and a help, so I am really excited about it.

As for my classes, I only have one friend in one class who I already knew (I know her from church and from babysitting her kids), but I've gotten to talk with several others and am making some more new friends. That's always cool. I've made some friends with my job too... some of them are way different from me, and others aren't so different. There are a couple of people in particular who I'm working with who I think will be so encouraging and fun to work with. That is a really great thing to be able to tell on your first few days.

Awana starts back up next week, as well as my piano lessons. We're having our big-deal Awana bonfire this coming Sunday, where a lot of the kids come and register. And then, probably like next Friday, I am going to be starting teaching piano to a girl from church. The following Tuesday morning, our new MOPS-like program is starting. I am excited about that too, because I love my 2-year-olds and miss them when I'm not teaching them.

You know, I remember when I was really little, everybody would tell me that the older you get, the faster time flies by. It was one of those things that I heard all the time but never really believed simply because time seemed so abundant at that point. But... as I have grown up, I've learned the truth of what I was told then... time really does fly right past you, and... we've got to make the most of it. Our lives will be gone before we know it. They could end tomorrow, for all we know. I want mine to count, I want to make a difference for God. I want to have that abundant life that Jesus talks about in John 10:10. So... I cannot waste one minute. I want every minute, every second... I want all my life to be productive for Him. I want Him to tell me that I did a good job with what He gave me to do. Because... you know, He has things planned out that He wants me specifically to do. I want to obey Him with my life.