Directions

A little detour from vacation postings.


I am not good at directions; and it does not help that I am married to someone who could give directions (by pointing) before he could speak. :)

Over the weekend, Hubby was trimming our trees on the roof. He asked me to go to the north side of the house to help him get some tools up, and I had no idea which side was north! I ended up walking to the opposite side before I asked him.

Imagine me in a much bigger place, namely the big campus where I work and study. Fairly regularly, during the 15-minute walk from my car to my office, I see new people holding a map or looking at the maps mounted around campus. Sometimes they ask me where a certain building is (they probably figure I work here when they see my lunch box), sometimes I offer to help. A few mornings ago, I walked up to two people on my way to the office. They were looking for two different buildings on opposite sides of campus. I knew exactly where these buildings were, but because I didn't go to these buildings often and not usually from where we were, I was not confident enough to show them right away which direction to go. I looked at the map to orient myself before telling them how to get to where they needed to be.

But they were grateful.

Some people who ask me for directions would even say thank-you more than once. You can tell they are really lost, and are both relieved and happy someone show them which way to go. Although I don't know every building on campus, I know enough to help others who might have never been on this campus.

Sometimes, we don't have to know everything to show others where to go. Being willing is what it takes to help someone who can't find their way, not only physically but also spiritually.

I don't know my Bible inside and out and I can always memorize more Scriptures, but I know it well enough to know the Truth, the Way and the Life. I am not the most well-versed in creationism, eschatology or apologetics, and I might not know Aramaic or Greek, but I know the Bible well enough to point others to the right way, the eternal way. 

The question is, am I doing it enough? 

Excuses

50, 60 and 46.

These are the number of hours I worked in the past three weeks, also my excuses for not posting anything since mid-February. This past weekend was the first I did not work.  It was a little awkward at first but it was a very nice break. :-)

I am anticipating a shorter work week, since Hubby and I are going on vacation on Friday! We are heading to Washington DC to see one of the few original copies of the world map on which I wrote my thesis, among other things. Meanwhile, this also serves as my latest excuse for any lack of posts that might happen in the next two weeks! :-)

New Path

The parking lot I use is about 15 to 20 minutes from my office, and I usually walk the same route to and from these two places. While it is not bad at all, the path has become familiar. Last week, however, I accidentally found a new path.

I made a stop to the library after work. After my library trip, instead of staying on the sidewalk I usually took, I cut through the residence hall next to it, thinking it would quickly lead me back to the route I knew.

As I was following this new, and rather winding, path, I became a little uncertain after a minute since I was actually getting farther away from the sidewalk. But instead of turning around, I kept going. Then, after a couple of turns, I saw a large field in which many residents were enjoying the sunny Friday afternoon with a game of soccer, or Frisbee.

How refreshing to see this sea of green for a nice change of scenery! I had never seen the field from the sidewalk because of the many trees in between.

And shortly after, I saw some steps that led me back to the sidewalk.

Sometimes it takes a new path to discover hidden treasures. Day in and day out, we probably pass by many treasures because where we are keeps us from seeing the other side. The Bible study I just finished has further taught me that there is a time to step out of my comfort zone, and to take a new path as God calls us. When we step out in faith in God's timing, leave our familiar surroundings and start walking a new path, there might be uncertainty; but if we keep going, along the way we will experience the fine treasures He has in store for us, treasures we have never known before.

I (Jesus) came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
- John 10: 10 (The Message)

Grace

Grace is when I fell asleep on the couch and actually slept well (Hubby was out of town).

Grace is when I woke up at 5am, still tired, and God was still there for me when I fell back to sleep instead of spending time with Him.

Grace is when I woke up later at least 10 minutes late, but somehow managed to leave for work only 5 minutes later than usual.

Grace is when I got through heavier traffic and got to campus only 10 minutes later than usual.

Grace is when this one parking spot was available when logic said it should have been filled.

Grace is when God chose to be patient with me and provided for me even though my weak flesh chose sleep over Him.

Grace is God's unmerited favor.

First Day

August 26, 2009 -

First Day of school.

First Day of Bible Study.

First Day of our new niece in this world. We are aunt and uncle again!

A great first day!

Proud Mama

My work centers around administering the graduate program in my department, so I am heavily involved in everything that pertains to the graduate students, from their academic work (coursework, exams etc.) to their employment (teaching assistantships etc.), to their fellowship opportunities... All the graduate students are my kids, so to speak.

It has been almost seven months since I began my position at the University. I cannot honestly say that I know each one of them well, but I have come to know many of them quite well, especially since we are rather close in age. As I have gotten to know them, I have had quite a few "proud mama" moments.

A student brought me chocolate from Europe where she was for Christmas. :) I had only been with the department for a little over two months then.

In the middle of this semester, we had oral exams for two students, who approached the exams very differently. One of them was fairly calm and confident while the other had been nervous and worry-sick all week. Before her oral, the second student was waiting outside of my office and was clearly anxious. So I talked to her briefly.

After the exam, she was literally hopping and bouncing into my office with a huge smile on her face. She passed! I was the first person she saw and with whom to share the good news after she walked out of the exam room. She also thanked me for calming her down (which I did not know I did). :)

A student also invited me to her birthday party recently. The gesture was very nice and I went for a while. My students are a very tight-knit group, so most of them were at the party. I talked to quite a few of them. When one of them saw me, he told me right away that his big presentation went well just that afternoon. The only congratulatory words I did not say was "I am proud of you, son." (he is older than me)

Another student passed an exam last week. He came to me to give me a fist pump!

A few senior students who are beginning to get into the job market have also talked to me about how the economy has been affecting their job prospects. They even let me read their rejection letters. Of course, whenever it happens, it is also time for me to encourage them to hang in there.

Throughout the last few months, I have also had long chats with some of them, sometimes about things casual and sometimes confidential. I am thankful that they trust me enough to tell me many things.

To my surprise, many of them have also expressed to me their appreciation. It is so nice of them to say the things they are never obligated to say.

I am a proud mama.

Give(n)

One of my New Year's resolutions this year is to give something to someone every day - a helping hand, a hug, a word of encouragement, a gift, a note, a ride......it is going quite well so far and it is a great way to get out of myself and think more about others. As a great bonus, it has been bringing me great joy.

But then, God showed me that there is another side of it, and that is to receive, to be given something.

Work has been keeping me quite busy, and I had to break two of my rules recently: not to check work email at home, and not to work over the weekend. I did both this weekend. But at the same time, many people are working way more than I am.

One of them is a lady with whom I had a meeting a couple of weeks ago. Every one in her admissions office has been working through our two-week University break and has been putting in twenty hours of overtime every week (not an exaggeration). But as I was sitting in her office, she was incredibly patient with my questions and spent an hour helping me. It struck me that given her busy schedule, she could have chosen not to meet with me or not to give me as much time as she did. But she gave me her precious time.

Then there is my wonderful hubby. I did not cook dinner for about two weeks because I was home late every night. But he did not complain about the TV dinners or having to eat by himself. Rather, he was incredibly understanding and helped with various housework. When I fell asleep on the couch, he let me sleep and just helped me up to bed. On the weekends, he still let me play my league tennis and gave me time to nap. :)

Thankfully, I were able to leave relatively on time on Fridays for our date nights; and so far this week, I have been leaving the office while there is still daylight; I even cooked dinner for the first time in a while last night. Things I took for granted felt so much like gifts.

Giving is a two-way street. Through giving, God gives me the joy of giving, and He has opened my eyes quite widely to see the many generous givers around me who shower me with many precious things I might otherwise have not appreciated as much.