Note: in case y’all are wondering, I still haven’t figured out what I’m gonna do with the design of this website yet. A lot of it will depend on what I do with my own career and how it grows. I have some ideas, so mind the mess :D
I wanted to take a moment and write again on Remembrance Day. If you remember from my Odyssey of Light series, Remembrance Day -- for me, June 28th -- is a day to remember God’s provisions in all of our lives and how He can change things for the better, if we just trust Him to do so. And I’ve found it’s not just a God thing, too. Whatever branch of the universe you believe in, if you align yourself with karma’s correct path for you, your life will change and upend in ways you never thought possible. It’s such a mystifying and amazing occurrence that you have to be in awe of it, to remember it -- and that’s what Remembrance Day is all about.
If you’ll remember correctly, that’s in a sense what the entire Odyssey of Light is about as well. On June 28th, 2005, I had no clue what my future held, I had a boyfriend for convenience, I was writing a novel, avoiding my ex-girlfriend, and was trying to find my way back to the God I knew existed. By August 16 -- Installation Day and the end of God’s journey with me -- I was ready for my senior year with a new drive and all distractions eliminated.
It’s funny that you can see similar things happening in my life as of recent. Take Emily on last Remembrance Day. When I wrote the blog series last year, I lived in New York City, I was working two part-time jobs to make ends meet, and I had an amazing long-distance girlfriend I could care for. Flash to this year -- I’m in Columbus, my one full-time job has everything covered, I have a place to hang out with friends, and I somehow lucked into an amazing boyfriend who cares for me. (Yeah -- I got no clue how that one happened either, but that’s a story for another day.)
This period of time has not been easy for me. I’ve written on my personal blog about some of the changes I’ve been going through. But I’m taking time to heal from a city that never sleeps and years of not knowing what I need. Notice I’ve said what I need, not what I want -- something similar that I said in 2005. “It’s what I need, not what I want.” “All dreams to me are worthless.” It’s because what we want and what the universe/God needs us to do are sometimes (often) not the same thing. We have the free will to choose, but when we find that pathway that God has made for us, it’s amazing how the world will change to help us. It’s kind of like the turtles in Finding Nemo -- you jump in the jetstream and it takes you exactly where you need to be. (Just, you know, don’t barf on the shell, it was just waxed.)
I want to celebrate Remembrance Day with you all this year, my friends, my straphangers, as I witness God changing my life again and bringing me into a new era. What are some ways that God has changed your life for the better? What are some things that you can thank Him for? If you don’t believe in God, how have you noticed karma this year? What beautiful things have you seen in this world? Remember those, particularly now when all it seems we hear is bad news and trouble around every corner. Stop and think about the best day of your life, whether it was running down the midway at Cedar Point or relaxing under a tree in a field. I’d love to hear about some of the things you remember.
And then, we take those memories, we hold onto that potential -- and for the next seven weeks, we do something about it. Let’s make this an Odyssey to remember.
