Finding my Stride

On Friday camp ended so I’m feeling like this….

It was a crazy exhausting summer with little sleep, time to think, or much of anything but camp. I LOVED it. This year I really feel like I left home and while I know I’m not going back next year, I really want to. I would go back in a heartbeat if it made sense. It doesn’t though. As those in blog land know I’m engaged, we’re looking to get married next August if things continue well, I think they will. I wish I could tell my teenage self how good life would be. Being a mentor for teens this summer once again reminded me how complicated the teen years can be and how good it is when you find places (like camp) to be yourself. I was a crazy teen. I had a lot of angst. I had a lot of emotions that I didn’t know how to express, so I suppressed them until they exploded out. Plus I was extremely uncomfortable with my body and trying to figure out how to relate to guys. My parents honestly did their best. They still are. And while I didn’t have a great relationship with them as a teen I wish I could have sat down with teenage Juanita and tell her

calm yourself. Just enjoy life. Follow your passions. Keep praying. You will have healthy, respectful relationships with guys. You will fall in love. You will see all the fuss about kissing. You will work and some of those jobs while not your career you will absolutely love. You will get to travel. You will do something meaningful with your time. You will grow as a woman, a writer, and a Christian. Mom and you will actually be able to be friends. You will not always butt heads with your dad (well at least not on a daily basis). You will actually like your siblings and want to spend time with them. You are beautiful and funny and thoughtful and the more you believe that and let the rest go the easier it will be for you to bless others and truly be beautiful. 

Fifteen year old Juanita would never have thought of the life I’m living right now because she would have been blown away by it’s wonderfulness, by it’s blessings, by the amounts of times God has used her. 

I’m only 22 and I have so much life to live, so many lessons to learn, so much love to give, but I’m finding my stride and so glad to be where I am.

Keep following me those in blog land. I am hoping to get this blog even more hopping now that I have the time for it. 

Glitter onward and upwards and forward.