Aloha... oh how I miss hearing that when ever I went any where. Right now it seems that I am missing being in Hawaii GREATLY, after all I have spent the last two summers in Hawaii for at least seven weeks at a time. I have to say though God has really worked in my life over the past year. And for those of you who dont know I will be moving to Hawaii when I graduate from law school... and I am dead serious you just wait and see... haha. Anyways as I look back to my experiences since this time last year I can see just how God has worked in my life. First this time last year I had finally graduated and I felt great I was living at home full time and was at this precise moment one year ago, sitting in a orientation thing at ole miss. At that point it would only be a matter of days before we headed off for another summer adventure. In fact we were celebrating a swift and speedy recovery to for the most part full strength in both of my knees after the knee surgeries that I had had in the June and January previous to our summer trip. God had blessed my life greatly. He had given me the strength to go through some trying times during my surgeries and also had given me the strength to not give up hope on days that my recovery seemed slow and even impossible. I thank God every day for the love and support that my family presented me with during those times. Then while my family and I were in Hawaii my mother was able to spend some much needed time with her half sister, who many people do not know of, but Aunt Mary is one of the last relatives that my mother has. Also while we were there my dad was working on one his last two semesters in law school and at one point we began to look for houses within good school districts because my dad had set us down and at the end of a few hours of hard deliberation we had made the decision to move to Hawaii after my dad graduated from law school. A few days and many prayers later we made the decision that because my brother was about to start high school that we would for his sake stay in Oxford so that he could finish high school with the kids he had grown up with. That will not stop us though from moving to Hawaii because I have no doubt that the day my brother graduates my dad will have found a house in Hawaii and we will be celebrating his graduation that day in our new home. God has worked in amazing ways in our lives and especially mine lately or at least over the past year I can see more clearly. As soon as classes started this fall we had a series of devestating hurricanes hit the U.S. 'Katrina' and 'Rita' were the two with the most devestating destruction to the Gulf Coast. In September I found out just how bad the damage was and from what I understand still is. I had been going through some hard times at that point in my life but God showed me that weekend just how small my worries were compared to those who were living in the destruction. I found myself upset and crying not for myself that weekend but for the people who were having to face these horiffic problems. From there I made a new friend that weekend and he changed my life from that point on. We continued to remain good friends and even through the hardest times in my life he was there for me, until he wasnt. I dont know exactly what happened, well I do and I dont but I have learned some things from it. Life is insane and I some times wonder if I had done some things different would the trials I faced at the end of the spring summester have turned out different. But now after a month and nearly a half, I realize that things happen and times go on but what happens in the past cannot be changed merely learned from. And for the first time since the last time I heard from my friend, yes he is still my friend but I dont know if I am still his friend, I have learned that I cannot spend my time worrying about issues there, they are done and over with and one day maybe we can be good friends again but until that day I have to find my own way. I found a quote that describes what I have seen and been through this summer so far ' I am not affraid of tomorrow because I saw yesterday and God was there.' I know he is there and I know that he will protect and watch over me and those who are and are not close to me. I thank God for all that he has given me, for the good and bad times and the learning and understanding that comes from those times, and also for my friends and family no matter the directions our relationships went in I know that they will always be there for me and have a special place in my heart for them. Life is too short to spend time worrying about ' what could be, what might be, what could have, would have, or should have been' (or at least thats what Ms. Pat tells the women every Wednesday night in class and shes right). So I just want to take the time to thank every one that has made this past year an experience of learning and evolving in to the woman that God wants me to be. I also want to thank God for all that he has done for me. I dont believe that falling in love is a risk any more I believe that it is the learning experience of a life time, and whether you fall in love with a person or with God, its worth it, it may hurt every now and then, but if you know that God is there the pain will subside after a short while. So thank you God for all that you have taught me this year and in my life time so far and I look forward to another 20 years and many years beyond that following you.