Little by little

So, I just finished with my first week at my new job. It was a little overwhelming, but I have already learned a lot and I'm excited about that. Monday, I start a new program with church called JustFaith. It requires a lot of reading and a pretty big committment. We are going to be learning and talking about Catholic Social Teaching. From the readings so far, I think it will be challenging for me and help me grow a lot spiritually. I really want to make it a priority and keep up with it this coming year. In two weeks classes start again at CIELO and I am supposed to be writing lesson plans for that too until they can find a replacement. I really don't know how long I'll be able to handle it though. It will be about 15 hours on top of my already 40 hour a week job...we'll see. Otherwise, I'm trying to pull wedding plans together the best I can. Little by little we are getting invitations addressed and mailed out, decorations purchased and last minute services booked. It's going to be a pretty full day and night, so we'll have to be extra organized, but I'm really excited! I can't believe it's all finally coming together. My challenges right now are just letting things go when they don't go as planned, laughing off mistakes and unexpected issues and just trying to have a good time with all this. Everyone tells me it's such a memorable time in life, you just really have to appreciate each moment, so that's what I'm trying to do. Little by little. That has been the theme of my life lately. Once, when I was first going to study abroad, I started crying because I was so overwhelmed that I would be away for so long and my sister looked and me and said, little by little, Janelle. In this moment, you're not going away for 4 months. You're just getting your bags checked. Then, you just have to get on the plane, then you just have to get off. Her advice helped me to appreciate the whole experience so much more. I couldn't think of it all at once. I just had to take in and act in the present moment, as it came. Now, too, moment by moment, task by task, piece by piece life is changing, falling apart, coming together differently. I have today, right now-and that's all I really have to decide about, affect, and change. Little by little I'm learning to let go of what I most want to hold onto. I'm constantly reminded of what is really important- not colors and centerpieces but compassion and compromise.