simply homemaker

Hello friends,

It has been a month since I last wrote you. Where am I now? I am sitting in my “office” writing my blog on a Saturday afternoon after coming back from seeing The Lion, The Watch, and the Wardrobe from the Museum of the Bible, listening to The Sound of Music soundtrack (“Maria”), and reminiscing over the day I went on The Sound of Music tour in Salzburg, Austria. As I am sitting here exhaling and cozied up under a blanket, a thought occurred to me. I have so many girlhood dreams that have come to pass. And sitting here, there is no more that I really long to do this year but to graduate gracefully from the stage of life I am in and turn the page.

Going on a new chapter in life can feel so overwhelming but yet so exciting. Especially when you feel like girlhood is slowly coming to an end.

Truth be told, a key reason of why I have not been posting is that I’ve been working on a big celebratory blog, and that involves some work behind the scenes. But the second reason is that a lot of life has happened in the last month as well. I started working more diligently on a case competition that is happening in less than a month. I spent two weeks working on my midterms, which went splendid, and spent another two weeks finishing a work project. I visited with friends, went to dance shows and geography fairs with the Ruffin’s children, had my dear friend Julia visit for a weekend, and began reading the Narnia series again. I also made some new friends, and am excited to welcome my brother to spend his spring break here with me this coming week.

All I can say is I love, love, love being 25. Womanhood seems much more attractive after you have had such a good time being a girl!

Don’t get me wrong; there are many things of girlhood that still live on. My love for dresses will never end. My preference for a cozy afternoon in a blanket reading a book will never change. My gratitude for the safe nest of family and friends, I hope, shall not fade away. I’m listening to The Sound of Music, a story depicting a woman who beautifully transitions from girlhood dreams to womanly desires, and I see myself identifying with Maria even more as time goes on.

I’ve loved having new desires. But what I love more is that I’ve not wasted my girlhood. I’ve made mistakes and learned from them. I’ve made friends and family across the world, from Texas to Virginia to Switzerland. I’ve packed clothes into suitcases and left them in an airport because I had to choose between personal belongings and travel trinkets. I’ve pursued so many different careers, and tried my hands at different hobbies, and read books, and gone to shows, and tried recipes. I have hiked the mountains and tasted the goodness of the Lord in His creation and people.

Transitioning away from girlhood has also been growing. It’s no longer me and me and me anymore. I’ve learned that things are better when it is “everyone.” I’ve learned that not all of my little desires are good and true and long-lasting, and that I don’t need to get my nails done every week to feel pretty or get a new dress every month to feel beautiful (even though I still very much enjoy these experiences). The past year traveling the world has taught me that things are better when shared with others: a meal, a memory, a life. Truly so thankful to have had the people who are in my corner, who fiercely love me, and who continuously point me beyond myself to the larger body of Christ, the beautiful world, and the Creator Himself.

Coming back from abroad has made me appreciate the ability to have a routine and put down roots so much more. I love my time reading before bed. I am currently going through the classics I’ve always loved; this spring has been so sweet. Narnia and Anne of Green Gables and spring in the horizon, my heart is grateful for the beautiful season I am in, thank you Lord!

To everything there is a season, and this one, well, is filled with dreams and growth and stories that the Lord knew even before time, just like all the other ones have been.

Love,

Tram