So I'm back in Abilene for real now. Just a week of review, graduation, and a week off before I start my real-person job. I'm so excited! Between now and then I'm hoping we can get our house in a normal condition. It's still in need of much work. And having furniture in my room would be nice too...

I feel like God has been trying to teach me a number of lessons lately. Most recent ephiphony: my value and worth as a person is not determined by other people or my relationships with them. God chose to create me and put me on this earth, and that makes me valuable. Not only that, he thinks I'm valuable enough to let his Son die so that I could have a relationship with him. That's pretty awesome! Now I know this all seems a bit elementary, and it is. It is something that I've always known, but only recently came to feel and understand. I realize now that I have wasted much time and energy trying to seek and secure the favor of other people. When I felt like someone liked me, I felt like I was worth more. If I felt rejected by someone, I felt like it was because I somehow wasn't good enough or worth enough to them. I lived in a pretty constant state of insecurtiy. Not fun. I feel like in the past few years I've taken great strides as far as becoming more confident and sure of myself, but it is still a constant effort. Lately I have felt especially tempted to return to my shell of insecurtiy, but that is the last place I want to be! I know that God created me on purpose and with a purpose, and I am excited to see what that looks like!