Back to the Future Day

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It's finally here! The day of imaginary future since 1985!

And so I thought I'd reflect on how I imagined 2015 for myself along the way:

1985 (age 6): In 2015, I would be a ballerina. Soft pink leotard, satin ribbon shoes.
  • Goal: to do something that I love.

1995 (age 16): In 2015, I would be living in NYC, Manhattan specifically. A wall of my townhome would display the progression of dinner-theater productions that led to my first Broadway chorus role. In the center of the mantle sits another picture--evening gown, red carpet, pedestaled medallion, next to the Tony itself. Either that or I'd be a middle school choir director in the suburbs. It was a coin toss really.
  • Goal: to do something that I love and do it well enough to get paid for it.

2005 (age 26): In 2015, Karl and I would be living in Texas, ministering to college students. 3 of our 4 kids would be thriving in public schools while I organized PTA events and preschooled our littlest, giving me plenty of time to pursue my personal interests and ministries. We'd have a modest house within walking distance from campus. Our door would be unlocked during daylight as a never-ending stream of kids' classmates and college students came over to dine on Stromboli at our pool table with a cloth thrown over the ping-pong conversion top. Afterwards we'd play games in the rec room or take it outside for a round of life-size backyard chess, all the while having fantastic conversations about life and love and truth. We'd be near enough to our families that we could spontaneously meet them for dinner. Friday night at El Paseo before Hornet football would be a regular thing. And the grandparents would frequently take the kids for an overnight before we drove to College Station on Saturdays for the Aggie games.
  • Goal: to do something that I love, with people I love, for eternal purposes.

2015 (age 36), Present reality: This is our 2nd year to live abroad, and 5th year of homeschooling 3 kids. To summarize, it is a:
  • Challenging
  • Beautiful
  • Purposeful
  • Homesick
  • Prayerful
  • Delicious
  • Artistic
  • Uphill
  • Joyful 
  • Enlightening
  • Convicting
  • Thought-provoking
  • Endurance-building
  • Comfort-stripping
  • Empathy-growing
  • Faith-enriching 
  • Perspective-broadening
  • Pull-me-to-my-knees
                 experience!
  • Goal: To live each day in glad surrender. To look ahead, but only as much as in necessary for wise-planning. To love. To learn. To serve. To rest. To follow Jesus. To sit WITH Jesus. To choose the joy of the riches of His grace. To share that joy with every person I meet.



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