Weekend Thoughts by Carrie Fancett Pagels

My daughter graduating from the University of Virginia

“Live the Life You’ve Imagined”

I received a nice gift from a friend – a shadow box with that slogan on it.  The thing is -  I have lived MY dreams.  I got my Ph.D. in School Psychology, was the third youngest person to have completed my program, was a clinical faculty member with a medical school, had co-authored a chapter in a book, and had a great job at a hospital working with a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, supervised by an psychologist who was my mentor.  But as Solomon said, all was meaningless.  I was single parenting my nephew when my second engagement broke off and I determined I would likely remain single. God had other plans. He brought me His idea. Two years later my husband and I welcomed our baby girl into the world. 

Later I went into private practice in Charleston, another dream of mine.  When they shut down the Charleston shipyard we moved to the Buffalo area. Brrrrrr!!! Then we relocated to Valdosta, Georgia, where I worked two jobs and I had a house-husband for a while.  I learned a lot during those valley years but they were not my dream.  But in the valley a lot of dross is burned off.

We were blessed with our second child, a son, almost thirteen years after that baby girl.  The life I imagined, one with me working as a psychologist and single is no longer.  Instead I am writing historical Christian fiction, raising our son, getting to spend time with our engineer daughter, and enjoying my wonderful husband! (He took the picture, below.)

Son, Father-in-law, Daughter, Mother-in-law, and Me

So I may repaint that little box. “Live the life He has planned for you!”