Number One

Welcome to my blog! I have been thinking about starting a blog and wanting to start one for a while now. I have been inspired by the blogs that I have read, whether they be about deep issues, life lessons, or just funny stories about daily life. I don't know what mine will be about yet, but I am sure it will come together soon!

I named the blog "The Next Chapter" because this summer is a special summer for me and my fellow members of the Class of 2010. This is the last summer that we are spending as true residents of Lee's Summit. Next summer, when we all return home, we will also be leaving our second homes, at college, wherever we are attending. It's an exciting time. We all are so ready to move on to college, ready to meet new people, move into our dorms, and start our own lives. But as ready as I am to create my life in college, I am loving the relaxed atmosphere of the summer. I am so glad that we still have time to hang out and solidify our relationships before we all head off!

New chapters seem to be beginning all the time. For us, the next chapter is college. For some people, the new chapter is marriage. For some, it is a new baby. For some, it is a marriage ending. It's as if every day brings a new situation, a new chapter, to light. New chapters can be celebrated, and a lot of the time they are. Sometimes they are bittersweet. Sometimes it is hard to see the good in a new chapter beginning, because we were satisfied with the old chapter. I know that I have experienced bittersweet feelings. I have felt angry at a change in my life because I was so happy and comfortable with the way things had been going. And I still feel those sad, angry feelings sometimes when I think about the changes that happened. But I am reminded that there is a bigger plan. There is a bigger plan for me, for my family, for my friends, for the world.

Proverbs 19:21- Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.