And So The Journey Begins

And so the journey begins in Philadelphia. Like so many others who have come before me to serve abroad I ask myself "Dawn are you sure"? YES!

02/23/2011 My "see you later"'s didn't really go as planned but I pray a prayer over myself that covers me from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, for health, strength, and increased education/wisdom, for a return after this journey is over that will allow me to say "it's good to see you again, friend(s) & family". Virtual hug to all of those I didn't get to embrace prior to departing.

02/24/2011 Just met my roomie for the staging event. She's cool, and quite the sharp knife in the drawer. I feel blessed to be received warmly and look forward to how I'll be impressed upon by my other counterparts.

Emotionally I'm ready to give to Malawi and the Peace Corps the love that God has given to me. He has been faithful, and believes in me to carry out a task as great as this one, to serve globally, and honestly at times I haven't always felt worthy enough to be called to do something such as this. Thank you Lord for having me in your plans despite my ways.

My friend Myca sent me a message earlier in the week and told me this would be "EPIC". I looked up the term as I generally do whenever my infatuation for a word renders my use of it in proper context in order to convey a feeling, and so I think I'll end this with a little word of the day :)

Epic
extending beyond the usual or ordinary,
especially in scope or size


serving the Lord is worth wearing my guise

I've grown out my hair
adjusted my clothes
just so I'm able to be given His robe
the story is written
the parable told
I've been given 1 talent
but 10 will unfold

AND SO THE JOURNEY BEGINS..... #ThisWillBeEpic

An Ode To The Cliches About Time

Cliches, oh how many of them I've heard in my lifetime and so this blog is "An Ode To The Cliches About Time". Just to give a quick snap shot on why this seems to be the theme playing over and over in my mind, it's because of the following: 1)A friend of mine had a birthday this past Sunday. She was up in Philly visiting her mother who was suffering from a liver illness. Well on Sunday guess what??? No more guessing, "time's up"! Her mother passed away. I couldn't even bring myself to say "happy birthday" because what's happy about a circumstance such as that. The one who brought me into this world left 30+ years to the date of having given birth to me. I can't even stomach that feeling let alone find comfort in the asylum of time 2)Another friend of mine who I've known for nearly 10 years, she's been known to suffer from seizures but none as severe as the one that left her lying cold on Sunday, only to be found Monday....dead. I guess it was "her time" is what I've been told 3)The third person in this "ode to time" is one who will be leaving for an East Caribbean P.Corps assignment on 01/27/2011, just 8 days away. Whew I guess you can say "time is winding down".

Time...it waits for no one. Will you be ready when it's time? What have you been doing with your time? Use your time wisely. The time has come. I guess it was just his/her time? All things will happen in due time? Time heals all wounds. Give it some time. You better hurry up or else you'll run out of time! There's no time like the present. What time is it, it's game time? Maybe next time. This just isn't your time. Just give me a little more time. When the Lord says it's time. Time is winding down. Time is up. It's almost time. etc, etc, etc.  TIME TIME TIME TIME TIME TIME TIME TIME TIME TIME TIME TIME TIME TIME TIME TIME TIME!!!!

"Woo-saa"...now that I've gotten that out of my system!!!!!! One things for sure is this, no matter what , time is the undeniable measurement of "what's left" on our things to do list. I'd better wrap this blog up, make haste and go use my time to be about the Lord's business. It's time to dig a little deeper because I cringe to think about my buzzer going off and there still being things left to do when it's time to go to Malawi and my family having to pick up my slack for what Dawn should have already accomplished, or taking my last breath on this earth only to see God holding a long scroll of all the stuff that Dawn didn't do but was supposed to do. These expressions are based on convictions from seeing things happening on the inner and outer skirts of my circles of influence. It's not to say that any of the named above haven't used their time wisely but rather me saying if I was in any of their shoes, I wouldn't be 100% ready because I still need just a little more time.

2011 ....7 Weeks Left

I really fell off from this whole blog thing. It's not nearly as easy as I thought it would be. I surely over estimated my frequency using this medium of communication but in having done so it wasn't for any reason in particular. Some days I wasn't bored enough, some times I just didn't feel like it, and quite honestly there have been some tough days of tears that I care not to divulge via-internet. All in all I foresee this being a necessary tool to use once I've gotten to Malawi and settled in, but until that time in my mind, my heart, and with my free time I'm just counting down, making the days with family & friends count, and preparing for quite the transition. 2011 has finally arrived; I'm blessed to be apart of it. Guess there's no more of that, "I'm leaving for Africa next year" when people ask when does the Peace Corps assignment begin. My time has come. #7WeeksLeftTilDeparture

A Part of The Process

Often times I've stared at the "bigger picture" so long that I foolishly missed the intricate details that are all "a part of the process", but not on today. So I finally moved in with mom and have not been back home since I left for college in 1998. I said in a previous post that initially I had a little anxiety about this but now I've embraced it entirely and am just thankful to have a mom to come home to. As I unpack and condense my life as much as possible, I start to think that in so many ways this is out of my "comfort zone" but the start of my necessary isolation period. Yes, it's self induced but non the less it's still a detachment. All of what I've known for my entire independent life is now paused, reserved, conformed, and realigned to follow suit with this step of my journey. It's not unrealistic for a Peace Corps assignment to change or a date to be altered so that is going to dictate how long I'll be here with my mother. To pass my time I'm hoping to do the following: read most of the books I've collected from thrift stores and Barnes & Noble over the past 2 years in order to make me a more educated business woman; I'd like to add my financial(s) for my company to the business plan I'm almost done writing; I'd like to make some minor adjustments to my website; and lastly, I want to ensure that mom has no worries with my financial obligations while I'm away so I'm tying up loose ends. Two months will fly by so I'd better get started..... #necessaryadjustment

2 for 1

This is a 2 for 1 post because I've quickly fallen behind over the last two days but I'll condense my happenings and thoughts into this one re-cap.

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving....in the midst of chaos and it marking the worst holiday I've ever had, I can still firmly declare my gratefulness for my mother, my sister, and my friends.

Today started out rough. I had to re-commit to my future and remind myself that my past was yesterday, and today is a new day. I got really great advice from an old friend who said this, "Dawn when you leave, you should do it with a free heart, not weighed down by loose-ended troubles". So I made up in my mind that I would leave empty for Malawi in order to be filled adequately by the experience that awaits me. Also, I'm moving in with my mother tomorrow morning. I didn't initially think I'd look forward to it seeing as I haven't been back since high school but I'm actually embracing this part of the process. I'm thankful to have a mother to go back too.

Thanksgiving Day

I'm thankful for my family, friends, stable mind, able body, health, strength, and personal relationship with God. He's been so good that one day is simply not enough to express my gratitude so tomorrow, the next day, and the next I'll continue to be thankful.

Holidays Aren't The Same When You Exchange Your Life For Fame

Today marks the day of preparation for many families who will fellowship on tomorrow for Thanksgiving. Today there will be plenty of cooking over conversation and cocktails. Perhaps this is going to be the highlight of the day for millions of families across America, including mine. In my past I've generally brought my grateful attitude along side my hearty appetite, on the day before and the day of Thanksgiving, but this year it's going to be different. This year I find it necessary to tarry a little longer with loved ones because I won't share in such an occasion among them in 2011.

I woke up this morning feeling like holidays aren't the same when you exchange your life for fame. Fame in what sense you may be thinking? For me personally, it means to publicly open my life up for observation of my character during service abroad, and to be critiqued microscopically by my U.S. counterparts (family, friends, or acquaintances) and even those parties in the foreign land in which I'll travel. I will also forgo so many things that I'm used to doing, having, experiencing, seeing, and being a part of. One of those very things are U.S. Holidays, especially Thanksgiving. This year they just will not be the same because I think to myself that I've never missed one, so this year I must find it in me to love beyond the midnight oil and soak up the laughs so that I can replay them along my journey because next year I'll miss one. I ask myself daily is it going to be worth it? I smile, connect with my heart to the bigger picture, and then I re-commit. #again&again&again