It's been an exciting start to 2009. After a few quiet days following our Christmas celebrations, I headed to New York City. The trip was a scheduled meeting but our meeting organizers did a great job of choosing a grand hotel in Times Square to allow for lots of exquisite dinning, shopping, and seeing that which NYC is famous. The energy, diversity, and endless array of culture and activities is nothing short of fantastic.
There are so many beginnings for me in 2009. This year starts my first full year in Atlanta. After 9 short months, Atlanta has become home for my son, Lawson, and me. It has also become home for Lauren and Lane, who, like us all, consider where our parents are to be "home". This has been an exciting journey so far, and one I am so glad I took. I look back just one year ago and remember how lost and confused I was after struggling through a career change, loss of relationships, and the reality of brokenness. Never in my thoughts at that time, would I have imagined where God has led me. It has been, not just a move to a new city, but a healing of my heart, a restoration of what Satan would try to destroy, a new hope for things unseen, peace, and mostly, a new devotion to our Lord. Looking back to see how far I have come, I would pray that same prayer again...."God, keep me broken so I will never not seek or need you". You know, God will discipline and mold those who let him, and if we let Him, the rewards and joy of what He does for us far exceeds the pain. In Romans, Paul writes, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us." I am so thankful that God does know what is best for us and loves us so much that he is intimately involved in our lives.
I'm excited about 2009. The trip to NYC was the perfect picture of that excitement. On January4, 2009, I committed myself to a new church, First Baptist Church, Atlanta. Little did I expect when I knew that I was moving to Atlanta, that God would direct Lawson and me to FBA. I know that God has a ministry for me here and as I seek His will, I want to be obedient in service. In the week ahead, our country will welcome a new president. I will be prayerful for his leadership during a time of great stress and hardship. I also will pray for his wife and children and for their safety. I am looking forward to continued growth of my clinics. I am amazed at how far we have come, but it is only the beginning. In the next few months, I will lead our practice to new locations, having the unique opportunity to help design clinical space for our cardiology practices. I will continue to develop my staff to offer the kind of care that my philosophy of nursing promotes. It is going to be an exciting year for Emory Heart and Vascular and I will not let the little nuances get in the way of fulfilling our vision. As a mother, I am excited for Lawson and the opportunities he will have as he completes High School. 2009 will be the last full year I have a kid at home. I plan to make sure that it is the best year yet for Lawson and that I have no regrets.
I hope that 2009 will be a year of growth for those I love and my friends whom I miss terribly. I trust that God will lead me to be a friend to new friends and will enrich the relationships I have been so blessed to have. Pressing forward in the year to come!
