Sophomore Year

I've been catching up on a lot of blogs and have found so many great insights as January seems to be the natural time for reflection on the previous year and dreaming about the next.  I confess that I have been doing a lot of the same.

One of the somewhat obvious realities that I acknowledged was just how much much life changed in the short timeframe of about 12-18 months.  I had realized this before, certainly, but what I didn't take time to recognize were some of the more subtle changes that have occurred.

Clearly external things like my schedule, my job, my name, my city, my church, my home, and my family have changed, and what wonderful changes they were!  What I realized, however, were the effects of these changes that influenced even some of my very simple "likes" and "dislikes."  Things like my choice of reading material (used to be 95% non-fiction and this year has been almost 100% fiction), my desire to write (even journaling has felt more like a chore over this past year), and other preferences have evolved without me quite understanding why.  (A post-graduate burn-out, perhaps?)

I suppose God gave me some perspective during my prayer times, looking back on other seasons of transition . . . going to high school, college, coming out of college, starting grad school.  Each time, that first year was a roller coaster of emotions and physical, mental, and spiritual changes.  I began to see this year as entering a "sophomore year" of sorts, and praying about how God would continue to meld both new and old dreams as I settle into this season of "new normal."

And yes, I realize that I'll be entering an entirely new "freshman year" in a few months when little Boppli decides to grace us with his/her presence, but in the meantime, I really want to press into all that God has for me in this season and enjoy new discoveries as a sophomore.