August 28, 2022
I love sports. In all honesty, I’m kind of a nerd about it. When I’m watching sports I want to know as much as I can about it to fully understand. I want to know what I’m talking about, which means I know a lot about random sports that most people wouldn’t. I spend my free time coaching high school soccer simply because I enjoy it. Now when people find out that I have a passion for reading and music, they tend to be surprised. Sports and arts don’t always mix that often. When I’m reading or listening to music, I’m instantly reminded that there’s more out there than what I see day to day. God reminds me that he exists in the smallest nods through words on a page or simple lyrics that take me back to better times.
When I was about nine years old my soccer coach asked me if I was interested in being a goalkeeper. I was actually considered tall then believe it or not. Even though I was willing to try it, I was a little bit disappointed. I thought it meant I was slow or pretty much not a good enough field player. My dad sat me down and had me watch Miracle. He took my love for the sport of hockey and showed me that goalies can be heroes just as much as other players. As the end credits roll, Dream On by Aerosmith plays in the background. That song always reminds me of how inspired I was when I first saw the movie and how many dreams I had myself.
When I was a student, God blessed me with a second chance to precept on the labor and delivery floor. I was so excited to have a chance to work on my dream unit, even if it was just as a student. As weeks went by I found out they were hiring new grads for the first time in TEN years. I was ecstatic when I was granted an interview in April. On my way to my interview and shift at 6am I started blasting Dream On in my car. I sang my guts out all the way there. I left my shift that day accepting the job of my dreams before I even graduated college.
In January I took a trip to upstate New York. I was flying there and was planning to have a lot of time on my hands. For the first time in a long time I bought a book to help me pass the time. I boarded my plane in Columbus, threw in my headphones, and started reading. I think I had finished half of the book by the time I landed in Syracuse. When I started reading that book, I became the main character living in a whole new world. That one book that I bought to pass time opened up a door to my love of reading.
At some point in my reading journey, I made an effort to read the book before I watched the show or movie. That led me to the book Redeeming Love. It was extremely different than anything I had ever read before. It was a romance book based in the past inspired by a biblical story. This book was long and at some times frustrating, and it absolutely brought me to tears. It was a book that moved me in a way I never knew was possible. It was months until I watched the movie that actually inspired me to read the book. While I was watching a song played in the background, Love is a Wild Thing by Kacey Musgraves. That song combined with the story being told turned me into a sobbing mess and absolutely melted my heart. I hadn’t felt something that breathtaking in I don’t know when.
Lately I’ve been feeling a little lost. I’ve been struggling with what feels like every one around me getting into relationships and getting engaged. I’ve been missing people who are no longer in my life. I’ve been frustrated with my job schedule at times. I even hit a reading slump and couldn’t even make it through a chapter without getting bored. I was starting to lose myself, and then God reached out. I’ve been a licensed nurse for two months now, kind of hard to believe. I’ve been working in labor and delivery for a little over a month. While I was driving to work exactly one month after my start date and somewhat dragging that day, Dream On came on the radio. I got chills and felt God remind me that this was my dream. I was literally living my dream at 22 years old. Today I walked into the bookstore in need of some inspiration. I was beyond stressed when I found out the changed the format of the store. None of the genres were where they used to be. I was walking all over the place looking for the sports section. After an hour, I was 30 seconds away from giving up until I found it. I turned the corner and found a book I had been wanting to read for months. It was the only copy left so naturally I had to pick it up. While standing in line with my new books I heard a song playing overhead on the radio, Love is a Wild Thing. It was like God was welcoming me back to who I am and who I am meant to be. I guess what I’m trying to say is that God is always talking to us, we just have to take a step back and listen for Him even when it’s hard.
