Life feels better right now, except for this darned pink eye which has now spread to the other eye. Worst.

Despite the illness (which by the way, my anxiety ALWAYS manifests itself as illness), I am actually at peace with the current situation. I am happy to be in German again because ich liebe Deutsch. It's going to take a week to get a feel for learning German again, though, because I haven't had it for a semester. Jumping into class on Tuesday was a challenging yet delightful surprise. Even more challenging, we have a quiz tomorrow and I have no idea what it's on. Oh well, I am sure it will be ok. My new philosophy is to just go with the flow and not worry. Practical Theology for Women points out that Jesus connects worry with having little faith. Remember the apostles and the storm? Enough said.

Interestingly, a minor in Religious Studies is mostly like going to be the product of this switch. Most BA's come out with a minor because of the nature of the degree. You have to take 25 hours of non-major electives so most use those as a chance to take a second focus. It seems as though a minor in Religious Studies will be quite doable and a perfect stepping stone for graduate study at Seminary.

So I have to thank someone and I am going to do it here because want her to read it. I am *so blessed* to have Samantha Bartlow-Lilly in my life (hyphenated for my lack of being able to simply call you Samantha Lilly. weird!). I know that God placed Samantha in my life for the times when He knew I wouldn't be able to see him clearly because through her, I always manage to see Him. He put her in my life to be my spiritual touchstone, my mentor, and one of my best friends. I know she is a gift from Him just through the divine randomness that constitutes our friendship, especially how we met. Since the moment I met her, I have been 100% myself, and I can't say that's entirely true of any other friendship. I generally don't trust people a whole lot, but she has had my complete trust since Day 1. She has endured many of my rants and has seen me through the many "crises" that have been my time at WVU. She has called/texted me almost every day since last Friday just to see that I am doing ok, and she even fasted for me on Tuesday. I truly believe that her calming presence has made a great influence on the peace that I feel about the whole situation right now. Further, I feel like in Samantha God has given me the sister I never had. I just want you to know that I love you so, so much and that you are an absolute blessing in my life. <3