The Decision!

 I have contemplated working/volunteering abroad for a really long time.  I never seemed to have the guts to actually take the plunge into the unknown.  Also, it began to feel like my time at Irving High School had run its course. In my typical way, I wafted on my decision and got most everyone's opinion on what to do!  I am going to attach an email from my friend Allison Maze Sullivan's mother, Sherry Maze.  This email really sparked emotion in me and really made me step out and follow my dreams.  I hope it will inspire you as well!

"Decisions are very hard, especially when they are challenging and the unknown seems iffy. First thing right off the bat, do not be concerned about what your family thinks. Their job is to support you, right? Too too too many lives are wasted under the guise of loyalty and predictability. When I was your age I had a dear friend - a wise old woman who lived in a nursing home. Every other Tuesday for many years I baked her favorite tea cake recipe and served her little bridge circle in her room there at the nursing home. One day we were in her room alone and she was rocking in her chair by the window and I was flipping through a magazine in her recliner and she said to me," What do you see when you look across the road over there?" I hadn't noticed before, but in the distance there was a cemetery. She said,"Don't be like me. Don't live your life as a good girl. Don't go into the church every time the doors open and always do what everyone thinks a good girl should do. Have FUN, she said, have so much fun that you will always remember it. Have adventures! Go out of your way to take a risk! Be braver than me! Write your name in the sand! Make a difference. God knows that you are a good girl and you know that He is God. Trust yourself! God is the one that made you special-He wouldn't have it any other way than if you were pushing your limits.Learn more and never stop learning!!Make a difference in the world for God's sake Sherry, make a difference in the world!"..."Or one day you will sit rocking, looking at a cemetery like me, with nothing whatsoever to think back upon that mattered worth a shit." Ida wasn't referring to her job as she was a secretary for a bank president. She was referring to her heart and her responsibility to herself internally. You are very noble to consider all of the things you have mentioned. But God has placed it on your heart by making you restless. The kids will be fine. We will all pray for them. And we will all pray for your path to God's purpose for you. I feel that you would be a success at whatever you choose to do. I know that your very presence is a blessing and a gift. And if you think about it a minute, you do too. You are The Select. You are Annointed. And to be these things you have responsibilities that involve a keen ear to God's perfect plan for you. Give it all up and pray for direction. Lay face down on the floor, spread your arms open wide, and tell God you are ready to hear His voice. He will love you so much that He will bless you with a million kisses.  Just taking the leap of faith itself will be satisfying. You are young and you are beautiful and you are worth it. I just said my first prayer for you and I see your image afar. I encourage you to try it and to not look back. When I graduated from college my Daddy gave me a key chain that said, "God please be with me, for my ship is so small and the sea is so wide." Before he died he gave me a present. In it were his dogtags and a new keychain. This one says, "A ship is safe in the harbor. But that is not what a ship was made for." And so perfect angel Kelley, I hand off those words to you. You, Kelley, are an inspiration to those around you, to anyone fortunate enough to get to be around you, and for those who need to hear your voice, experiences and wisdoms. It is not selfish to look for more."