You Are Not Alone in This

My heart is breaking.
Please, listen to me very, very carefully. Lock these words away in your secret heart, and never, never forget them:

You are beautiful. You are loved. You are talented, and smart, and special.
You are also kind, and sweet. You are courageous and bold.
You are impassioned, and you are important.
You are strong.
You matter. You have impacted the lives around you in ways you will never comprehend,
and you have a very special light- one that is yours, and yours alone.
If you do not spread this light, then no one will, and the world will be the worse for it.

You. Are. Beautiful.
You. Are. Loved.
You. Are. Strong.

And the world is a blessed place because you are here and you are in it.

where have all these days gone??

I have now been residing in Bloomington for one month. Classes are well underway and I've rapidly been reminded that professors are rarely lackadaisical in assigning homework. My workload has been substantially proliferated as of late, and unfortunately I feel I'm falling behind. This weekend I was finally able to get ahead on most of my schoolwork, but I fear I'm losing any resemblance of a lead I may have had in my job. My first program took place last week (Red Mango & Tangled), and while I feel confident in asserting it as a considerable success (with upwards of 80 residents attending), I feel acutely inadequate and uncertain in many other areas. I have a bulletin board due in three days, for which I have yet to select a topic (either campus safety or volunteer opportunities), I've had multiple girls suggest program ideas (which I have written down but have not had time to review extensively), and my Leadership Council has not had its first meeting (although we are tentatively meeting this week), and of course there's still so much I'm unsure of behind the desk and on rounds.
However, I remain hopeful and (mostly) optimistic! This morning while I was walking to class, I heard these lyrics on my iPod:  

I called, You answered, and You came to my rescue.

Well, of course, silly girl. How do I forget so easily the Creator of the universe is holding my hand, that all I need to do is call to Him and He is there? I'm afraid I tend to let other distractions take the place of the One who ought matter most, every day, in every way. I need to discipline myself better, in order to better trust Him and better be a light to those around me. I have been placed in this job for a purpose, and I am convicted that this purpose will serve the Kingdom of God. My life has been profoundly blessed, and when I take the time to remember that (like right now), I feel silly for ever complaining in the first place. I think I need to scold myself more often. 

And here is a cute picture of my new roommate, Holden.  He's quiet, and adorable, but he isn't much help with the housework.

please, please, please

don't leave me all alone.