I came across this Hugh B Brown quote and thought it was quite fitting for my life, and most likely yours as well. It is such a powerful, encouraging quote. Never give up. It doesn't matter how difficult your life may be. "This too shall pass." (One of my all time favorites.) I thought I would relay some words of encouragement for you, my readers, and to remind you that you are not alone in your struggles. Also, if you are experiencing a difficult time I would have to suggest listening to Gary Allan's "Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)". Quite uplifting. And for those who take comfort in scripture:
"Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall." -Psalm 55:7
"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." -1 Peter 5:4
(Sidenote: I'm always taking prayer requests-you know how to reach me!)
You may be wondering where all of this is coming from. Well, if you read my last post you know I had a pretty rough last semester. But I survived-and I want others to know they can too. Things will change with patience. They did for me. Let me elaborate...
I will start with Christmas/New Year's. Chris and I received the wonderful blessing of our parents joining us here for the holidays instead of us trying to come up with the money and time to travel home. It was actually the first time we got to spend the holidays together, and having our families with us made it even more special. I was really missing my family and getting to spend time with them gave me a lot of re-motivation.
Those of you who know me know that when I set my mind to something or make a commitment I don't give up. Last semester was so difficult I started to question whether I had made the right decisions about moving and graduate school and everything. Sometimes I guess it is good to be stubborn. At times I felt like the struggle would never end. But it did. And I'm so thankful for my persistence and faith.
I would like to take an aside here and thank all of my supporters. I know I thanked you in my last post, but you will never know how much I appreciate having people like you on my side. I couldn't do it without you!
Back to me. Don't be mistaken. There were many positive things going on in my life during this time. I was learning many new things, becoming a stronger person, and perhaps the best thing that happened was that I relied on my faith more than anything. I feel closer to God now than ever and have learned so much about myself. (Sidenote: Take your opportunities! You won't regret it. Or maybe you will. But you won't have to wonder.)
Anyway, what I have been getting to is that this semester has been a complete 180 so far from last semester. I feel like I can breathe. I'm taking classes that I am really interested in. I am getting more involved in things outside of class. I'm starting to feel like me again. I also have some news. As you know, I rotated through labs last semester in hopes of finding my "home". Well, I found it. I have accepted a position in a lab where I will work on my dissertation and continue the rest of my PhD training. The lab specializes in cardiovascular research. For those of you who are wondering why I went into a lab that doesn't specialize in Alzheimer's disease: long story short, the laboratory you pick (and that picks you) as a PhD student depends on many different factors. The lab I have chosen is the best fit for me. I have not given up my interest in Alzheimer's disease-I plan on becoming an expert in cardiovascular research at this time and hope to one day make a connection between cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.
Besides class (I have a lot this semester) and acclimating to my new lab, I have been keeping myself pretty busy with getting healthy and participating in our graduate student organization. We have a lot of great social, professional, and service events coming up that require a lot of effort on everyone's part to plan and organize. One thing that we are really excited about is our Relay for Life team. Our goal is to raise $1000 for cancer research and support. The event takes place April 12. If you would like to learn more about what Relay for Life is all about, you can go here: http://www.relayforlife.org/learn/whatisrelay/index. If you would like to help us reach our goal and support a great cause you can donate on my fundraising page here: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=56887&pg=personal&px=35558130. There is an option to mail in a check if you do not feel comfortable submitting your credit/debit card information online. I will be walking for my grandfather, who recently lost his battle.
I'm not one for New Year's resolutions. If a change is needed, why wait? Why not today? However, I am a very goal-oriented person and I hope to continue to become stronger mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I wish you the best of luck in pursuing your own hopes, dreams, goals, and resolutions. Let's raise each other up. Put up your negativity filter and surround yourself with positive influences. I personally am sick of hearing about everything wrong in the world and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Be a light in the darkness. Keep pushing. You may not be able to control your circumstances, but you can control your attitude. Treat every day like the gift that it is. Arise. Don't let the night have the last word.
As always, thanks so much for reading. Your support is truly appreciated. God bless.
