Peace

I'm sitting here on the couch, where I've been stationed for the past 20 hours coughing up a chest full of phlegm (sounds delightful, doesn't it?) So, I've had plenty of time to think about the crazy whirlwind that my life has been the past few weeks.

On the Monday after General Conference I heard on the news how successful Fast & Furious had been that weekend. The person being interviewed said that movies are really popular right now because people are trying to escape the troubles of the world. They're looking for a couple hours of peace. I thought how ironic that was. I had just spent two days escaping the world and feeling a peace that was real and would stick with me for a while. I'm grateful that I have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life to give me real peace and comfort in these crazy times.

Find some of my favorite conference messages here and here.

Around Conference Time I was somewhat of a stressed-out disaster. I would pretty much whine, cry, and complain to anyone who would listen to me. Because of budget cuts I wasn't going to be able to stay at my school to teach next year. I was devastated, to say the least. Not only was I sad to leave my adorable students and the faculty that I love so much, I did not want to have to stress about applications, my resume, cover letters, and (gulp) interviews. I was so unhappy about all of this, I moped around and stressed about everything I had to do. Basically, I'm surprised I still have any friends!

But, through some divinely inspired friends and wonderful talks and articles, I finally found the peace I was looking for. I realized that I can be happy even when life is hard. I finally got out of my funk and realized what a grouch I've been. The funny thing is, as soon as I started feeling more positive about life, even the icky parts, my job situation took a turn for the better. It's not completely positive, but it looks like I'm going to get to stay at Canyon Crest next year. So, I think wise Heavenly Father was just working on me and teaching me an important lesson. I'll probably need the lesson again someday, but I hope this will keep me going for a little while.

And, speaking of happiness, I am heading to my happy place (Virginia) in approximately 13 hours. YEA!!!