Forever After

    

     Where should I even start?
     Should I start by explaining why I spent only one semester in Chicago? Why I chose to come back to Tennessee instead of finishing my degree in Chicago? How this year's spring semester (online again) went? My summer job as a carhop at Sonic? The latest fandoms I've been unwittingly drawn into? Taking CLEP tests (I passed biology and am taking Spanish on Tuesday!)? How I've counted over 400 gifts in the tradition of Ann Voskamp? Or maybe I should start by writing a review of the latest book I've been reading, Quiet by Susan Cain? Or my decision to change my major to psychology and transfer to Bryan College? Or photos, or artwork, or....
     Yes, it has been a crazy few months. Why would you ask?
     For those who are interested, this is Amber, from the no-longer-existent Amber on the Mountain. I have been turning the idea of re-starting my blog over and over in my head for months, but I wanted to start with a semi-clean slate. As you can see, this is actually the same blog, just with a different title and web address (but all the old posts still exist :).
     I guess the best place to start is to tell you why I chose to restart blogging in the first place. There a couple of reasons, actually.
     First, I need a place to share. For those of you familiar with the Myers-Briggs personality index, I am an ISFJ (a descriptor I will allow to be used for myself, even though I hate the idea of dividing people into neat little labeled categories... but that deserves its own post... suffice it to say I am using the MBTI label for simplicity's sake but do not fully agree with it). One characteristic of ISFJ's is a keen awareness of their own feelings and those of others, but they are unlikely to share their rich inner lives with those around them (see a full description at Personality Page). Sharing my personal thoughts, feelings, and beliefs has always been a struggle for me... but I am a human, not an island. And as I find it much easier to express myself in non-vocal ways, one reason I am re-starting my blog is so that I have an outlet to share. Not just thoughts, but music, photos, artwork, and stories as well. Things I enjoy but usually keep to myself.
     Second, I hope that God will use my fingers to type something that will encourage somebody else. I don't want to blog simply for personal enrichment. I have a journal for that! But I have always wanted to use my life to help other people (as simplistic as that may sound), and this blog just might be a small way I can do that.
     There are other reasons, but they mostly fall under those two :)
     Oh! And before I sign off, I wanted to quickly explain my blog title and description! His Forever After. While I liked Amber on the Mountain (the name of a book I read as a little girl), the truth is that I will not always be on "the mountain," either physically or spiritually. But you know what is eternally true about me? I am His. I belong to Jesus and I always will. NOTHING can change that (Rom. 8:38-39)! Plus, I've always loved the analogy between a fairytale and my spiritual journey. You know what? Let me just copy down what I journaled this morning instead of thinking this up all over again...
     "In Christ, don't the hard things work to make the life beautiful? One cannot reach happily ever after without first slaying the dragon. And one cannot slay the dragon without first encountering the dragon. Between the once upon a time and happily ever after there is inevitably pain. But there is a happily ever after for those in Christ. And along with the dragons, there is the unconditional love of the King. There is grace even in the battle."
    

~Amber