Every day offers so many
choices…to get out of bed on time or sleep 15 more minutes, to skip breakfast
or not, what to wear, what to say…you get the picture. But I feel there are
very few times in life when you are literally standing at a fork in the road
deciding which way to go, with each path leading you somewhere completely
different. I can’t believe it has almost been a year since I made one of life’s
greatest choices and I can’t help but reflect on how drastically it has
impacted my life.
As many of you know my
husband returned from Iraq last November just in time for our first anniversary
(literally just in time, two hours before midnight), and though we were
overjoyed to be back together we weren’t planning on him being home for a few
more months. We had a plan. We had it all figured out. That was our first
mistake ;) I was supposed to finish my Bachelor’s while he was in Iraq and then
move down to Texas. But God, as He often does, had other ideas for us. He knew
we wouldn’t last long trying to sustain a long-distance marriage for 6 more
months after doing it for the last 7. Here came the time to make a choice, to
stay in Colorado to finish my degree or to leave and be with my husband.
It is no secret that I packed
my bags and left for Texas within 4 days of deciding to move; when God moves He
moves quickly! It wasn’t an easy decision by any means. I was leaving
everything and everyone I had ever known, not to mention the dreams I had
always had in my sights. Yet I felt God pushing and unlike so many times in the
past I was going to stop fighting Him and just follow. The first months in
Texas were kind of rough. I went from working two jobs, going to school
fulltime and leading campus organizations to doing absolutely nothing. I was
going crazy staying in the house all day doing the same thing every day. After
much discussion with my husband I decided to find a job, specifically in my
field of passion: criminal justice. I absolutely LOVED working with former
offenders in Colorado so I knew in my heart that is where I ‘needed’ to be. I
have to laugh as I type this because once again God had other plans! I applied
to be a police officer, correction officer, police clerk, and even a teacher of
sorts. I made great progress, had good interviews but something was always in
the way. While I waited for the right job to come along I turned my search
elsewhere, I started looking into non-profits in the community.
Looking back it was nothing
less than Divine appointment how I ended up at Hope Pregnancy Center. A friend
has recently started working for the organization and ironically I came across
them in my Google search that same day. I remember thinking, “a pregnancy center?
Me? What do I know about working with pregnant women?”
Enter God….”Go check it out.”
Me: “Uh not really up my
alley. Silly God. Isn’t there a prison ministry around here?”
God: “Trust me.”
Seriously the conversation
pretty much went like that. I did like that the organization was
Christ-centered since I had spent the last several months working for an
organization that not only acknowledged God but encouraged us to share about it
with clients. Long story short, from the first meeting I had with the center
director to the first time I stepped into the counseling room I felt at home. It
didn’t matter that I didn’t know the ‘trade’ so to speak, I knew working with
people, I knew Christ and that is all that mattered.
To say that I’ve been
blessed by my time at Hope would be a huge understatement. I have learned so
much about myself as a person, a professional and a follower of Christ. Most
importantly, I gained the confidence to share the Gospel with all God calls me
to; something I am ashamed to say I struggled with before. But even setting all
that aside I have made some incredible friends. The women I have the privilege
working with never cease to amaze me. They listen to me complain when my
husband has to be away. They supported me after we lost our first baby. And
they share in our joy of our gift Baby Jasmine. Through their words, hugs and
even silliness I have found my Texas family and that is something I will never
take for granted.
It is hard to think about
leaving this place…today I gave them a date for my final day. Such a
bittersweet time this is but I take comfort in the fact that God is leading us
through our newest life choices: transitioning to Colorado and bringing our
baby girl into this world. It helps knowing that family (biological, church and
family in heart) awaits our arrival as well as going back to work with
DenverWorks. It’s funny how God led me away from an awesome group of ladies in
Denver down to another group in Texas just to bring me back!
As I continue to reflect on
life’s greatest choices I leave you with one of my favorite poems by Robert
Frost, it has taken on such a deeper meaning from the first time I read the
words in high school.
The Road Not Taken
Two roads
diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I
could not travel both
And be one
traveler, long I stood
And looked down
one as far as I could
To where it
bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the
other, as just as fair,
And having
perhaps the better claim,
Because it was
grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for
that the passing there
Had worn them
really about the same,
And both that
morning equally lay
In leaves no
step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the
first for another day!
Yet knowing how
way leads on to way,
I doubted if I
should ever come back.
I shall be
telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages
and ages hence:
Two roads
diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one
less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
~Robert Frost
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