valuable

i just turned in my last assignment for the semester! it felt wonderful to hit "submit" and watch it pop up on my laptop screen as "waiting for instructor grading." now i can really start focusing on studying for finals and finding time for a tad more sleep (i was running on 4 hours of sleep monday night and let's just say i don't really want to repeat that very often!).

i gave blood yesterday for the first time. i went with one of my friends and we did it together. all the nurses were cracking jokes, dancing (yes, one was dancing-she said she was practicing for her niece's wedding), and spent time chatting with us while we were there. i was able to share with one of the guys who worked on me about my missions trip to peru several years ago and then we got to talking about crocodiles, piranhas, and other lovely creatures in the amazon. i'm not sure how we ended up on the topic in the first place, but that doesn't matter. :) the lady who was with me at the end even asked me about what i looking forward to or that was interesting in my classes and stayed to listen when she could have gone on to another task. i was finished before my friend, so i stayed with her and we chatted about books and how we both loved to read into all hours of the night or would fly through good books in one day. below is a pic of my friend, Carolena.

i have been thinking a lot about value and how the the Lord determines my value. i am valuable because i'm in him and because of what he has and is doing in and for me. my value won't change because the one who defines me doesn't change. i am rejoicing in the fact that i don't have to try to perform to be valuable and have worth. it's all Him.

i love you all! xo