Sunday is definitely my favorite day of the week. David and I really try to take a sabbath on Sundays; a day away from school, work, and stress so that we can reflect on what is really important. We aren’t always perfect (in fact I just finished up some analysis homework and as I type I am patiently waiting for David to finish reading for class tomorrow), but we really do try.
Today was a wonderful Sunday. Church really hit David and I hard which made for a reflective rest of the day. And a lot of times when we start reflecting, we also start dreaming, then we start planning.
As we started dreaming and planning for the future today our finances came up… I know, not a super fun subject, but one which you have to talk about as a married couple. During the week when we are going crazy with school and homework we rarely have time to take care of the “everyday” things of normal people, like bank accounts, grocery shopping, and house cleaning. So lots of times we have to do these chores on the weekend. Anyway today finances came up and it sparked lots of things in my mind.
I will leave a budget post till a later date, otherwise this one will be much too long, but another thing that came up was saving some extra money up for when David graduates. Most law students (about 90%, at least at UK) don’t have jobs lined up right when they finish school because after 3 grueling years of torture, these lucky students get to take a HUGE exam at the end of July. So for most law graduates the months of May through June are devoted to studying for the Bar. Few people get hired by firms before they actually pass the bar, so naturally we will have to plan ahead for that time when David isn’t bringing home the bacon (but is instead studying very hard!).
As we were talking about this time in our future, how much we need to save, etc. I suddenly realized that there are only 14 months left until he is done with school. 14!! I am currently pursuing my PhD in Math, which takes 4-6 years, however in May 2012 I will have completed my Masters, so I could potentially be finished at that time too, and even if I do choose to continue on for the PhD those last 3 years are much more relaxed than the first two. But the joy of it all is that in 14 months we will be finished with the nitty gritty of graduate school, and although that may sound like a long time, it sounds very close to me.
I think that in some ways I have been thinking that this is where David and I will be forever… in law school and grad school, always doing homework, staying up late, studying for exams, scraping by on TA stipends and library jobs. It is so easy for me to forget that all of this hard work and perseverance is a means to an end. These are the harder years when we have to invest our time and energy into our passions and strengths so that someday we can have a family, be able to bless others and accomplish God’s purpose for our life. We try to enjoy every second of the life that we have today, and every day we keep our eyes and hearts open to opportunities that God brings us to make a difference in someone’s life here and now, but I also need to remember that this isn’t where we will always be. Someday, and very soon, we will be out of the transition stage and to a place where we can have normal jobs, real weekends and a more settled life.
Of course, there is a bright side to where we are now. For example, Spring Break is coming up in two weeks and once there is no more school I am very aware that those long breaks go away. Also, we love our tiny apartment where our biggest responsibility is taking out pup outside and feed our fat cat. I think there is always a tension between being content in the here and now, and yet hoping and dreaming for the future. I doubt that this tension will ever go away in this life… we aren’t meant to be completely satisfied and at rest here.
Today a weight was lifted off my shoulders when it really hit me that we won’t be in grad school forever. In fact, there are only 14 more months! After that, who knows where we will be.
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