5-piece Wonder Nuggets and a Scavenger Hunt Day #117’s Wonder (Yes, I’m starting to count down, but don’t worry, not to wish it away, but rather for the opposite reason): The people I work with at Segawa Jr. High. They’re actually starting to see my sense of humor, which is amazing, because I think I’ve hidden it for so long (it’s slightly “not Japanese J). Day #116’s Wonder: The people I work with at Funehiki Jr. High School. Specifically Mr. Onishi. He is such a stinking ham!!! Subtle sarcasm drips from almost every word that escapes from his mouth, and 99% of Japanese people don’t even GET sarcasm. I love it! Day #115’s Wonder: An email I got late last night from my aunt and uncle that’s still having an impact on me. I think I physically felt a burden lift off of me as I was reading it. It was a different version of I Corinthians 13, written in more modern language and slightly interpreted. I needed to “hear” it. Bad. Day #114: The feel of warm, fine, mushy sand under your feet. The ocean in general. The smell of salty air. The delicate beauty of a shell. I could go on...I love the beach, can you tell? Day #113: The fact that the God who CREATED light, spoke it into existence, even, also says "Let there be light" to our hearts. How incredibly amazing! God's light can shine in our hearts. Wow. And…I got this really random analogy in my head yesterday about my life. I said before that I feel like some people get a map of their lives, and I get bread crumbs. That’s probably a bit extreme, but I think there may be some truth to it. It seems that some people know where they’re headed—a goal, if you will. For example, going to med school to be a doctor. Becoming a counselor. Getting out of debt to become a missionary. Many people stay on this path and have the goal as a guide to keep them in line with what they believe God is calling them to. They may not know how the path will play out, but they can see where they’re headed. Like, for example, Frodo in Lord of the Rings. He knows he needs to get to Mordor to destroy the ring, but he has no idea what will lie in his way. But he has a mission. I, on the other hand, seem to be a bit different. I think for me it’s more like a scavenger hunt—if that’s the correct term. The kind of thing where you’re told you’re going on a journey, you don’t know where you’re going, but you have this clue to get to the next “station.” At that next station, you get another clue, and maybe a tool to be used along the way, or maybe even at your “goal,” but you may have no idea what the tool is going to be used for, or even what it is. But you pick up the clue and the tool at the 1st station, which leads you to the 2nd station and another clue, another tool, etc. This, my friends, is my life. Sounds a lot more purposeful than bread crumbs. God keeps giving me clues, moving me forward, providing me tools, and I keep trying to figure out what the “end” will be. I have no idea what the “end” will be. I analyze the tools, analyze the clues to try to see what the heck he’s doing with all this, but it usually only results in anxiety and worry that I’m “not going to get it.” I really need to take one clue at a time, gather the tools, and trust that I will know what they’re for and how to use them when the time comes. So…life is not a highway, at least for me. It’s a scavenger hunt. And by the way…I may have found another clue….I really want to teach. Why not get my teaching degree? I keep trying to skip this step and combine it with a master’s degree, but maybe I need the teaching degree to open doors?....Interesting. We’ll see where this clue leads….