Stirring Passion #3

It's exactly two weeks until our oldest child becomes a husband. (I'll write more on this next week.) You might think that his mom would be wringing her hands over the final preparations for the wedding and quietly crying over the unavoidable evidence that her first baby is now starting his own family.

Well, she ain't. (Don't misunderstand, there may be some hand wringing and flowing tears in the next two weeks, but so far we're good...)

God is doing something really cool in my wife's life right now. It's been obvious to me and to those who know her that He's been at work in her for a long time. In the last 12-18 months though, he has been moving and preparing her for something brand new. A new journey of her own.

Alicia's first calling was to be a wife and a mother. She's been a gift in both roles. And while she continues to honor God in these two areas, about 18 months ago she felt that God was leading her to go back to school. When Daniel came along over 21 years ago, she suspended her full-time school work to be a full-time mom. Her work in this area speaks for itself. She has taken a class here and there as she followed me through Texas, Missouri, Louisiana, and finally back to Arkansas. But only recently felt the time and opportunity were right to complete her degree.

Her current goal is to graduate with her BA in Social Work in 2013, and her MSW in Social Work in May of 2014. How's she doing? Let's just say her undergraduate GPA will far exceed my own. As a "Chancellor's List" student with a 4.0 almost every semester so far, she is making quite a reputation in the SW department.

In the fall she'll begin her senior year which will include an internship. I can just tell you right now, wherever it is won't want to let her go when the year is over. She is pursuing her school work as if God is expecting her to do her very best and to represent him in every interaction. There are many students and professors in her department with very different views on faith, lifestyle, and politics than hers. She's made friends of them all and they all respect her greatly. (Calling her at all hours for help on an assignment or general life advice is not uncommon at our house at all.)

She is an example to me of passionate pursuit of God's will. She wants to be a greater force for God in the world as well as help our family financially. Her degrees will open opportunities for both.

She will be embarrassed that I wrote this. But it's my blog.

She's worked non-stop, straight through last summer, to be at this point. She'll have another 24 straight months of school when we return in August. She's ready for this semester to end so she can enjoy Daniel's and Katherine's wedding and our church tour together in the summer. Pray that she is able to fully enjoy our family's time together this summer. I'm looking forward to not sharing her with UALR this July and August! :)