Finish Strong

 You are so close. You're almost there! For some, it's almost time for another school year or college semester to end. For others, it's almost time for graduation from one level of schooling to the next. For all of us, it's almost time for a season change with summer right around the corner. The key word in all that was said above is "almost." We all know about that "almost" space. The almost is that in-between space. It's that not yet phase where you are expecting and know something is about to happen, but it hasn't happened yet. We can get anxious in that space. We can also get weary and tired. Feelings of doubt, discouragement and what-ifs of finishing may start to creep in that space. It's easy to let our guard down and let those feelings dwell longer than necessary ( I know I have!), but we can't. We have to remind ourselves of our "why" and why we started. We can finish. And not just finish, but we can finish strong. We can keep out comparison, envy, jealousy and fear. This can happen by getting our rest, relying on God's strength, being intentional and being self-disciplined. Finish strong doesn't mean burnout (I believe a lot of us have this going on right now!) There's great news: we can get rest! We need the rest for our mind, body and soul so we can finish strong. Rest doesn't mean we quit. Rest means we know when to be still and take breaks. Finish strong does mean doing the best we can. Finish strong does mean learning and embracing the lessons from our current season. Finish strong does mean taking at least one step forward to our goal each day. Finish strong does mean we will complete what we started. It doesn't have to be perfect and that's okay. As long as we did our best, that's what matters. In September 2017, I started the journey to get my Master's degree online at Grand Canyon University. While going to school, I worked full-time, had heartaches and challenges, loss my Mom in 2020 and a pandemic hit our country. I had to take breaks from school. But, I'm here to tell you that what I started, I finished!! Even as I write this, I have tears that are bittersweet and of joy because only God got me through and I'm so thankful!! It wasn't easy as I had long, hard, hurtful and dark days and times I wanted to give up, but God wouldn't let me and I had people in my life that wouldn't let me. One of my biggest supporters was my Mom and I remember her telling me all the time when I would get discouraged and feel like giving up, not to and that I was going to make it through. I'm so grateful for all of her encouragement- she was the best!! I'm so grateful for all of you who have encouraged and helped me along the way- I appreciate you so much!! Well, I am proud to announce that this year, I did graduate with my Master's degree in Elementary Education from Grand Canyon University with a 3.89 GPA! I became a member of Kappa Delta Pi, the International Honor Society in Education. I did it!! I finished strong! When it looked impossible, I kept going. When I didn't know if I was going to make it, I kept going. It took me longer than I intended, but I did it. I am so happy that I made it! So I encourage you to finish what you have started. Keep going. If you haven't started something, but want to, I encourage you to take that first step forward today and keep taking steps forward. You can finish. And not just finish, but you can and will finish strong!