2013 was a very big year for me. A lot happened;
some good things and some bad things. I think that it is safe to say that after
this year I will be forever changed.
I started this year finally taking my LPC
licensing test and passing the test the first go round. Praise God!!!!! I dread
that test for 3 years and I am so thankful it is over. Lord willing, I am done
with taking major test in my life. I am so over studying for test.
One of the major things that happened was losing my
Mamaw. She got sick at the end of March and passed away on April 18th.
It was hard. I love her so much. She has been a very important person in my
life. She made so many sacrifices for me. She was a wonderful Mamaw. I can’t
ever remember her being mad at me or me being mad at her. She was gentle and
loving always. I had the privilege of spending the night in the hospital the
night before surgery. It was a hard night. There was a lot of pain for her, but
she remained sweet and a little sassy. She made me laugh several times during
that very long night. My aunt and I were the last two to “spend the night with
her”. She was in ICU for the rest of her life. It was hard for me knowing that she
would probably not make it. But I am so glad I was there. And when Jesus came
to call her home I was praying her into heaven and she was surrounded by her
children. I got to pray at her funeral. She wrote the family a letter and she
asked us all to meet her and Jesus in Heaven. We have had a lot of first
without her this year: Mother’s Day, her birthday, my birthday, Thanksgiving,
and Christmas. I miss her terribly. But I am comforted to know she is home with
Jesus, and that is exactly where she wanted to be.
I also had a major career change. After 4 years (1
internship and 3 as counselor) at Brentwood Hospital God called me to move on.
When I started working at Brentwood it was my job dreams come true. In school
all I wanted to do was work inpatient psychiatric. Well I did it. It was not
always easy, but the exposure and experience I gained was priceless. I was not
even looking at moving on. I had actually considered sticking around for a
position that would open up in a few years when someone retired. But God opened
a door that I had to go through. I am still a counselor, but now in a very
different setting. I am at a Maternity Home. It is a Christ centered ministry
serving unmarried pregnant females from ages 11-23. I am absolutely in love
with all my new coworkers and the girls I am working with. The best part is I
get to talk about Jesus, all day long!!!!! Since I got here in June I have had
amazing growth personally and professionally. I cannot wait to see how God
moves in this ministry.
I have gotten to be a part of a new ministry launch.
It is a monthly worship experience for women of all ages from different
churches in our area. It is really cool way to connect with different women.
The older I get the more I want to spend time with women that have experienced
more life than me. I want to soak in some of their wisdom. I also have the
privilege of posting on social media for the ministry. It is no secret that I
love social media and have prayed for God to use it for his glory. This
opportunity has been a gift for me. Through this I have also gained a spiritual
mentor. I don’t know why I waited so long. My relationship with her is pushing
me to dig deeper and grow. I know she will be honest with me. I also know that
she will continue to push me out of my comfort zone. I really need that. I
can’t wait to see what happens now that I have this coach/cheerleader in my
life. Plus I just love being with women that love God!!!!!
The most exciting thing that happened to me this
year is that I became an aunt. My sister gave birth to a healthy happy baby boy
on September 6, 2013. His name is Tayton Dale and I could not be happier that
he shares my name. I love that little boy so much. I can honestly say that I
have never loved someone the way I love him. He lights up when he sees his Tia
and his Tia lights up when she sees him. He is so much fun. I cannot get enough
of him. I love watching him grow and learn. I love to hear him laugh. His whole
little body shakes. He has the most precious smile. And boy does he like to
babble. I have no idea where he gets it from. J He is the
spitting image of his daddy, but when people say he favors me I feel warm and
fuzzy all over. I cannot wait for all the years ahead where I can spoil him
rotten.
The biggest thing that has happened has to do with
my decision to move. I have lived in the most perfect home for 3 ½ years. I
loved everything about it (even the rent). It was the first place I felt at
home in a long time. It was mine. I loved living alone. I enjoyed having my own
private corner of the world that I didn’t have to share. Well God sure did come
in a change that. Through those God size changes I now have a roommate. I moved
in to a friend’s house the week before Christmas. But being roommates was not
the intent of the move. Although it is a nice perk. My friend and I have
decided that we are going to be Foster parents. We will be a specialized foster
home. The way that we got to this decision is an amazing testimony in itself.
It will require its own post. We will start our training in January and hope to
have a child by March. It is such a big decision to make, but we are both very excited to see how God uses us.
Reading over this post I am again amazed at what God
has done in this year. 2013 was surely a great year. Looking back over the past
5 ½ years each year continues to get better. So I cannot even imagine what God
will do in 2014.
