what a difference a decade makes!

A friend from grad school made a comment over the weekend about the ten years that have passed since we graduated. Wait – ten years? Oh my goodness.



When I think back to that day, it’s strange to consider how some things turned out so differently from what I’d expected. The first job in my new career field took about two years longer to land than I’d hoped. The relationship I thought was forever turned out not to be. The perception I had of myself was rooted less in who I was and more in who I thought I was supposed to be. The places I lived were often less about preference and more about necessity.

At the same time, it’s amazing to see how some things turned out exactly how I’d hoped – even if the road to get there was a little…unusual. I have crafted a solid career for myself that brought me to my current position at an institution I am proud to work for. I am engaged to a man I love deeply and day by day, we are laying the foundation for a strong, loving life partnership. I am confident in myself, even when I recognize my flaws. I have accepted that, in life and in location, it’s less about where I think I should be, and more about where God plans for me to be.



It’s been difficult, sometimes, to watch the success others found on a more traditional path. Yet if my path had been different, I realize that I wouldn’t have these treasured blessings that fill my life today. And that would be a shame. My life is so good just the way it is, and so if I had to say anything to that smiling girl in her cap and gown, I would simply remind her of the saying a colleague shared with her during her graduate assistantship: “God never gives you more than He knows you can handle.”

Sure, His expectations felt higher sometimes than I could make sense of – but here I am, ten years later, in an amazing, happy place. My plans were good. But life turned out even better.

Where I am: home
What I'm reading: Naturally Thin by Bethenny Frankel