The devotion eloquently said, "We focus on the mountain while crying out to God for help, wondering if He really will do anything. We need to remember what God promises and does not promise. God does not promise to remove the mountain or that we will even understand the mountain. However, God does promise to help us climb the mountain and He does promise to climb it with us. We must make the continual choice to fix our gaze on God and our glance on the circumstances."
So I pray for hope and healing and strength and faith. And I can't wait to see the view from the top of the mountain when I get to the top of this particular climb in my life!
Ironically enough, all of this talk about mountains makes me think of these two pictures that Randy snapped just before his accident....
I have no doubt that he had gotten to the top of his climb in this life.
I think I’m exhausted. I’ve had 2 months of nonstop to-doing. First- the moving To-Do list. It started with the scheduling of the good-byes while simultaneously dealing with the logistics of moving. I got the prescriptions refilled, and stocked up on contacts before my insurance ran out. Done, done, and done.
Then the packing To-Do list. I packed boxes strategically- some to be put in storage, others that I would need sooner rather than later. I purged through clothes and bags, separating them into categories of Goodwill, Dry Clean, Storage, Mom’s house, and my car. I had paperwork to close out my old job, transferring of bills, changing of the address. I moved my life from DC between my last day of one job on a Thursday and starting the new job the following Monday. (Always, ALWAYS take sufficient time to recover and regroup. Got it. Lesson learned.) DONE.
My move required a lot of flexibility as we went from Plan A to at least Plan D- I lost count. I had a string of car maintenance issues that put me between the spare mini van and the mechanic. (Yep, my debut to my new job in my new town was in my mom's old mini van. Don't be jealous! Just keeping it real.) The car's A/C has been recharged, the transmission modules replaced, and rotars replaced and adjusted. That doesn’t count the flat tire I had in the van. I could now be qualified to be a spokesperson for Triple A.
I knew it would be a whirlwind. I knew I had a wedding, graduation celebration and Mother’s Day. All were worked into my plan. I thought I could keep my sanity and balance it all. I would go home a LOT the first month, then spend the summer getting settled in Columbia.
But can I just tell you that I. AM. TIRED. Yet, I can't seem to sleep these days. It's an endless and ironic cycle.
The rest of my To-Do list is taunting me and I really want to know if you can ever really catch-up and be To-Do list free. I’m holding out a glimmer of hope that it is possible. And that the reasons mine has taken a few detours are valid. But still.
To my friends- I’m working on the email responses and call backs. Please don't stop being my friend!
To my family- please excuse me if I sleep all the way through our vacation later this month.
To my new roommate- thank you for helping me when I found 2 suitcases of summer clothes I had forgot about. She helped me finish unpacking and even organized my closet by color.
To Sex in the City 2- I am mad at you for wasting valuable to-do list conquering time. I am trying to forget about you and remember our good times during the show and first movie. To my car- pretty please stay well for a little while.
To my bank account- it’s the car’s fault.
To the Braves-you are making me very happy. Please don’t stop winning.
To my iron skillets- I miss you and will make this up to you with some delicious fresh summer dishes soon.
To my flat iron- I think the "Famously Hot" humidity may have us beat.
To the state of SC- I could never have gotten through this first month without your sunny days, seeing your magnolias bloom, drinking real sweet tea by the gallon, all of the smiling faces, and just being HOME. All the To-Do lists are totally worth it to be right where I am.
To Zac Brown Band- please don’t let me down this weekend! Your Chicken Fried lyrics "There's no dollar sign on a peace of mind, this I've come to know," have never been more true to me!
To my big To-Do List- hope you enjoyed your 15 minutes, cause you're going DOWN! I have more important things To Do. (Told ya I'm sleep deprived. I can't even believe I just tried to make that "joke.")
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. John Spratt (D-SC) today introduced legislation to extend the life of the Perkins Loan program, giving 500,000 low-income students greater access to college each year and providing jobs to thousands who administer and service the loans nationwide.
“Education is the engine of job creation and economic growth,” said Spratt. “By helping students attend college who otherwise might not be able to afford it, we are giving them the opportunity to succeed in today’s economy.
“In my district, two companies employ almost 300 people servicing Perkins loans, and the results speak for themselves: it’s a successful student aid program with a low default rate,” Spratt said.
The bipartisan Perkins Loan Extension Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Spratt and cosponsored by Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA), Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA).
Bob Perrin, President of Williams & Fudge, Inc., a Perkins loan servicer in Rock Hill, South Carolina, said, “Williams & Fudge, Inc. is very thankful for Congressman Spratt’s leadership, dedication, commitment, and support to preserve the Federal Perkins Student Loan Program. In a community that is experiencing double-digit unemployment, 240 professional jobs at our company are dependent upon the continuation of the program. These same 240 employees who are proud of the role they play in providing future opportunities for students also dine and shop locally, thus adding to the economy.”
Under current law, colleges will begin repaying prior federal funding to the Treasury in October 2012 instead of continuing to make new loans with the funds, a change that would spell an end to the program. The recall date was pushed back a number of times in past legislation, most recently in the 2007 College Cost Reduction and Access Act.
“Allowing the program to end in 2012 will jeopardize college access for low-income students,” said Spratt. “It will also eliminate jobs for thousands of people who administer and service the loans.”
Spratt’s bill changes the repayment date to October 2013, extending the Perkins loan program to allow colleges more time to plan how to continue providing assistance to students who are eligible for Perkins loans.
“Unlike some federal aid programs, there’s a human touch to Perkins loans, where colleges choose the students who apply and then either work with the students or hire companies to service the loans,” Spratt said.
Lori Hartung, Regional Sales Manager for Todd, Bremer & Lawson, Inc., a Perkins loan servicer with about 40 employees in the 5th District, said, "It is great news that Congressman Spratt is taking steps to continue the Federal Perkins loan program that helps make college possible for many people. His leadership in supporting this important loan program will make a difference for people in our community and students across the country."
BACKGROUND
Perkins loans are low-interest (5 percent interest) loans that go to about 500,000 low-income college students at some 1,700 college campuses each year. Students can have their Perkins loans cancelled if they undertake certain public service jobs for a specified length of time, thus reducing their total debt and making it easier to choose to pursue public service.
The program is financed by past federal capital contributions, college matching funds, and student repayments of past loans that are recirculated in a college’s revolving fund. The President’s budget included a comprehensive change to expand and extend the program, but Congress did not include the proposal when it approved changes to student aid programs earlier this year.
My family is hanging in there as well as you can with a situation like this. There are bad days, sad days, and just-get-through-it days. The mornings have been tough for some of my family members. I imagine it has something to do with waking up and realizing what we just lived through wasn't the horrible nightmare that we wish it would have been. For me, Fridays are the worst. It's like a weekly anniversary I definitely don't want to celebrate where I relive in my head the events of the day of the accident.
Even when some of us have to try and pretend to be in a normal routine, our hearts are heavy with sadness and worry for the rest of the family. I've quickly realized that we'll never have the "normal" we had before Randy's accident. But we have to find a new "normal." And while we don't really know what that new normal is just yet, for right now it's loving a little deeper, hugging a little tighter, holding memories a little closer, and praying a lot heavier. The new normal for some us might now include meditating at a graveside, calling your dad every single day, or living each day to the fullest.
On one hand, the little things in life don't mean as much right now. It doesn't seem right for me to blog about the Braves or the weather. On the other hand, the little things mean EVERYTHING.
It's those little things that keep us going and hopefully start bringing us comfort and peace. There is a school year to finish, a new job and town to settle in to, a newborn to dote over, a wedding to attend, our faith to strengthen, baseball to watch, songs to sing, grass to plant, friends to embrace, sun to soak up, summer air to breath in, a concert to plan, and wounds to heal. And I wholeheartedly believe they will heal. In other words: there is life to live.
Meet our newest and very special family member, Bella!
The Italian and Latin meaning of her name is "beautiful." The Hebrew meaning is "God's Promise." Her name was picked out months before her birth, but how wonderful it is that even out of the sadness of death, comes a beautiful promise from God.....Life. I'm pretty sure that is one of the ultimate lessons that God wants us to learn.
