Renewal

Spring is a fresh start. In the spirit of spring I am renewing my blog! I've renamed it and given in a new look. The name "Burst with Song" comes from Psalm 30:10-12
"You did it: you changed wild lament into whirling dance; You ripped off my black mourning band and decked me with wildflowers. I'm about to burst with song; I can't keep quiet about you. God, my God, I can't thank you enough." All around me I see His glory and mercy. Especially outdoors!

My decision to start writing again came from me being accepted into the Middle TN Writing Project at MTSU. It is a 2 week intensive that will focus on me as a writer, as a teacher of writing, and as a leader in my school. I am very honored and excited to go! During the interview they asked about my writing habits, and I realized how much I used to write in school. I loved it then, and I missed it. So the old blog has been revitalized!

I have been revitalized, too! My usual distaste for winter was not as strong this year. Partly because we had almost no winter to speak of, and partly because I took up running (jogging). In January my teammate, Kirby, told me she was going to do the Couch to 5K and I decided to join her. The program calls for you to run 3 times a week. So three afternoons a week I was outside. I think just getting outside during winter helped it be more bearable. I felt energized when the cold wind blew through my hair. Just being around the trees and plants and sky cheered me. The running kept me warm despite the numbing cold.

Running was so much better for me mentally than physically (although physically its been great, too). When we started out, I wondered how far I could push myself. At the third week we were asked to run 3 solid minutes. I did not think I could do it. I was very doubtful. I was filling my head with nonsense about being ok with it, that I would just push myself as far as I could go and stop. But my mind was filled with encouragement from God. I remembered the scripture about running the race with endurance and the cloud of witnesses around us. I imagined all the people who I knew that would want me to succeed. I imagined the saints in heaven cheering (and they all look like Ben Austin...). I remembered the song my parents sang in Children's Church "I can do all things, all things, all things. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". I made it through 3 minutes. It seems such a small thing now, but in the moment it was huge. After that, I knew I could do any amount of time I set my mind to. My body would not give up, I just had to keep my mind occupied.

I learned that I can endure much more than I ever thought possible! That realization makes me feel so good and confident. It helps me trust that whatever life brings, God will see me through if I can trust him to help me endure. All that from running around my neighborhood in the cold!

Now the cold is gone (maybe? this week has been so chilly) and it is spring. Only 6 more weeks til school is out! (It seems like only last week it was August and I was just meeting my little darlings.) The flowers are beautiful and the trees are full again. Our neighborhood has attracted more bees that I've ever seen and the pollen has been EVERYWHERE! So much so that I even had terrible allergies for a few weeks. But now things are evened out and its just lovely.

More writing to come soon! Love!