"all that is gold does not glitter..."

alright I know I've quoted Lord of the Rings before but come on the spiritual depth of those books (and movies ;)) is astounding. and I believe that it can be attributed to the fact that Tolkien used to meet and write with C.S. Lewis. That has got to be one of the coolest literary friendships of all time. But in the Fellowship of the Ring, this poem is written:

"All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost."

This poem is insanely cool, the spiritual meaning behind it blows me away. I think the line "all that is gold does not glitter" is extremely poignant and can also be reversed as "all that glitters is not gold". One of the major lessons I'm learning right now is to not lose perspective. To not place value on things that hold little value in my life and to not devalue the most valuable things in my life. I can so often be blinded by the "glitter" of the world and the appeal of it and it can make me see less value in living a life for God. The last two lines amaze me. I feel like it would be difficult to interpret this as anything besides staying strong in the spiritual battle long into old age. Also, the connection between the first line and the last astounds me. "Deep roots are not touched by the frost" is the solution to keeping perspective in my walk with God. Having roots deep in God's word and deep in my relationship with him is what is going to allow me to not whither in old age. I want to be strong. I want to have wisdom that sees what is truly gold in my life. I don't ever want to be tempted by the pyrite of the world that satan puts in my path. I know where I'm going and I won't change my path for something that just shines in a moment of sunlight. God's gold shines continuously. It shines whether my path is sunny and bright or even if it's gloomy. He is the true gold and the gold that I would give up everything for. 

I also found this super cool image of the quote: 

hello new phone background :)

All my LOTR love,

~haley grace

march madness

wow. can you believe what a negligent blogger I've been? I'm sure my multitude of avid readers have been on the edges of their seats waiting for my next post, and for that I apologize. ;)
so to satisfy your longing for a new post here goes:
March 3, 2015- the eighth month of my freshmen year, the eleventh month of my walk with God, and almost the midterm mark of my second semester. Life is a whirlwind. I am enjoying my life here in wilmington and begging God to go ahead and bring me back the beautiful weather I so love. It has been frigid here, but none of the beautiful snow that those back home are experiencing. I have half a week until spring break and I absolutely can not wait! As it turns out, I am not going to be going on any big adventures for the week but I think God knows exactly what I need and a low-key, relaxing week back home is probably just what the doctor ordered for me. I am overjoyed to get to spend the week with my family- especially my brother who has the same break as me!

alright, alright enough intro and I'll get down to the big stuff:
I started teaching at a middle school. I work in a poetry program through one of my classes here at uncw. I have two students that I am required to fool into thinking that I know even the slightest thing about writing poetry (which is kind of a stretch for me). It has been quite an adventure. They are very sweet and I couldn't have asked for better students, but I am trying to figure out if this is what I want to do. It can be really, really intimidating. This is the class that people usually figure out if they love or hate teaching and I am still floating somewhere out there trying to tell which one I'm feeling. But I am so grateful for the opportunity to see! These are my students:

aren't they precious?

secondly:

I have been reading secure in heart and realized just what a mess I am. A crazy, confused, emotional, insecure mess but its OK! do you hear me? I said that I am OK being the hot mess I am. Or at least I'm starting to get there. I have the most amazing life and even if sometimes it couldn't be further from where I pictured it being, it is exactly what I need. I am learning so much about myself and some things I'm proud of and others not so much, but I'm learning that both aspects of my character are invaluable to my growth as a disciple.  

What else is going on in my life?

Well spring break is in THREE DAYS and I could not be happier (unless of course it was supposed to be warm), but I get to spend a week at home and I am ecstatic! 

Well wilmington is treating me well and I am looking forward to being home for a week. If there is anything you guys (is there a you guys?) want to hear about let me know and I'm happy to share anything!

Love you and can't wait to be back in a couple days!

Dreaming of spring break,

~haley grace