what I learned in October

1. PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE.
Normally, I'm not a very patient person.  I get irritated when traffic stops take too long.  I'm anxious when waiting for a book or movie to come out.  I want the big things in my life to happen now.  And now it has dawned on me that God has been persistent in trying to break me of my impatience.  I'm the most impatient when I am not, in the least bit, in control of the situation.  But I've slowly been realizing that God's hand is in everything, and if that means that I have to sit in traffic for an hour on my commute to work, then so be it.  I'll just carry my cross-stitching or a book with me everyday (which I do regardless).  

2.  WAITING EQUALS PRODUCTIVITY.
I know this sounds strange, but hear me out.  The time that I've spent waiting (from trying to be patient) I have used to be more productive.  It seems to make the waiting easier.  I can't tell you the countless books I've read or the projects I've completed (or started) in this "in-between" period.

3.  NOT EVERYTHING PUMPKIN-FLAVORED IS GOING TO TASTE AMAZING.
This, as funny as it sounds, was a difficult blow.  I believed myself to be a lover of ALL things pumpkin and pumpkin-flavored.  Oh, how wrong I was...  I had been seeing commercials for pumpkin this and pumpkin-flavored that, and commercialism got the best of me.  I finally broke down, stopped by the establishment offering said pumpkin item, and bought one.  I did the "Emily Gilmore 3-Taste Test."  (One is to acclimate, two is for foundation, and three to judge.)  Then I promptly threw it away.  However awful this experience was, I won't let it deter me from trying other pumpkin treats in the future.

4.  PRAISE HIM IN THE STORM.
This was an eye-opener.  For real.  So much has happened this month that just has not went my way.  My life, for the most part, has been flipped upside-down, and now I have to put it back together in the right order.  And although Past Me would have wound up crying in a ball on the floor, Present Me is eerily calm with all of it.  Why?  Because I know that My God, My Savior, will take care of me.  So I'm taking everything in stride.  Am I upset?  Of course!  But things happen for a reason, and I believe that this reason is to bring me closer to Jesus, so I'll continue to praise Him in this storm called life.

linking up with Emily P. Freeman