staycation

I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July celebrations! Goooo America!

I've moved my things back from Athens, and my mind is slowly following. Now I'm writing a research proposal and prepping my classroom for the fall. I'm continuing to pursue funding for Peru, but with both excitement and hesitation... the trip is being pushed back.

I've been a bit ...stretched... these last six months. While I love every instant of what I d

o, I am continually pushing to get it all done. So, instead of wallowing in fundraising gloom, I am looking forward to the next trip with SO MUCH excitement! With my degree completed in December, 33% of my "leisure time" will be freed, and the next trip can be at least 33% cooler, with 33% more effective fundraising campaigns.

So, the money donated is not in vain; it is the cornerstone on which the next YEAR of projects will be built. The trip may be over Christmas break in December, or next summer for a longer duration. It breaks my heart to not see my kiddos this month, but the great irony of "running" a non profit is that very little is up to me. Funding is dependent on those who believe in the good of the cause, and by He whose divine timing drives it all. So, when funding comes in, I will go. If there is a miracle donor now, I will hug them, and GO. But, in the meantime, I will stay-- and sleep in a little.

A friend sent me this scripture this morning:
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. {Psalm 84:5.}

And so, my heart remains set on pilgrimage**. And my strength will be not-my-own.

From the bottom of my heart & heart of my bottom,

Sara.

[**A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith.]

[*** Art credit to Nicole Docimo on Etsy.]