approximately $14 later...

$6.57 for the crispy chicken sandwich meal I ate at Burger King with Tom Brink, Amanda, Jami and Maisie

$8.00 for the wonderful dessert and appetizers from the Cheesecake Factory I had after a stifling afternoon of presentations. (I finally ordered dessert first...it was perfect and then when the woman brought out our other food she looked at our table and was really confused because we had dessert on it and then she looked again and almost walked away. I stopped her and said, I think that is our food. And she said, "Did you order dessert first?" To which Maisie, Amanda and I all replied, "Yes." The server placed our appetizers on the table and said, "You all are my heroes' and then walked away with a smile. Grandma Tracy, you are a wise wise woman).

$20,000 dollars later. . . yep we lost the Park Street Church grant. We don't have the go ahead to build a permanent centre for the boys in Uganda but I think we are relieved. Somewhere in between being sad because we do not have anything to plan and feeling liberated by the world of opportunity (for once in nearly three years, Amanda and I could do anything we want, including going home for the summer to live normal lives), you will find us. Its a new place to be and as we figure things out and do things very uncharacteristic of ourselves (like me eating a chicken sandwich for the first time in two years and Amanda not being involved with a gazillion things on campus) we celebrate grace. Like you told me Momma on the way home from Albuquerque, this semester is a semester of taking control of our lives again. I am not living for Wellesley or for Uganda or for my friends. I am first living for Jesus--he is my life and my bottom line and the crazy thing about that is that its totally doable. He is not even the least bit overwhelming. I feel like God closed a door--and maybe he did open the window...but for right now I am content just sitting behind this closed door and resting.

Things are so much better than they have been before here at Wellesley. I am looking up. Oh Jesus, thank you so much. I knew you were good, but really you are so so good to me.