What's been going on lately? Well, this past weekend I drove to Macon to attend a "Truth be Told" party, which focuses on painting and including your favorite biblical verses, and saw some of my favorite people - Candace, Deirdre, and Holly. Isn't it just amazing how people become a part of your life? It still makes me smile just knowing that I am surrounded by some amazing people!
First, I'd like to talk about the "Truth be Told" ministries. What a fantastic, amazing vision Elizabeth Hilliard has for the Lord! Long story short, she had a personal experience which made her realize that both she and the Lord have visions for her life. She prayed, let Him come into her heart, and finally saw that she needed to teach others the beauty of art while helping others become one with Scripture. Let's just say I spent a lot of time finding a bible verse that fit with myself, my personality, and the path I have been shown for my life...Path (keyword). Ah ha! After a lot of praying, concentrating, and letting Him take the reigns, I found this, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." - Psalm 119:105. This verse struck me like I had just experienced a divine intervention - especially since I've been on a personal journey the past couple of months. Anyway, we began to paint and I, of course, began to doubt myself because I can barely draw a stick figure. Elizabeth immediately became our cheerleader to push and carry on which ultimately showed the creative beings that we were created for. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the art party and want to thank Mrs. Hilliard for instilling artistic confidence in myself as well as sharing the love the Lord established in her heart.
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| My Painting! |
Now back to those good ol' friends I saw this weekend...where to start?
Candace Haney
It was honestly a crazy way that the two of us met. I was in the middle of my internship at Emory Healthcare in the spring of 2010 and began looking for job openings. I had done a semester with auditory-verbal (AV) therapy while in graduate school and promised myself that the only way I'd work with pediatrics was only doing AV. I honestly loved the entire structure (and still do!!) of AV therapy, so after staring at the Auditory-Verbal Website for over a year (I started hoping the spring of 2009 that I'd be able to do AV full time) I decided to take a look at the employees. Ah HA! Little Ms. Haney is an Auburn alum...cha-ching! It's an Auburn thing, but we have a special relationship and decided to ultimately e-mail Candace immediately. Through e-mails and interviews, Candace and I immediately clicked. Not a "oh we can handle time together" kind of clicked but a "OMG we are too much a like that it's scary" kinda click. And I love it :) She has honestly been one (among the other few-don't worry!) that has been genuine, loving, optimistic, honest, selfless, Godly, genuine (yes, I said it twice), friendly, inspiring, and fantastic woman, mother, daughter, niece, coworker, sister, and friend I'd only hope to become. I am so entirely grateful for her lending ear, patience, laughter, and mentoring she has provided while working at AVC and look forward to a life long friendship that I know will only become greater with time! She is my Thing 1 and I am her Thing 2....if you don't believe me, please contact Anthony Haney! :)
Deirdre Maybank
Deirdre and I were the "newbie's" of AVC. Deirdre is one of the individuals that makes you feel refreshed and you always leave having a smile on your face when you're with her. We were not able to become close in Atlanta (as she worked at AVC-Macon) but I always felt at ease and myself while in her presence. Deirdre, no doubt, shares the love of making others smile as well as being confident in her true friendships. She and I have had some great conversations that ultimately made me feel at ease with myself at the end of every phone call. I remember when I first introduced my mom to her, while my mom was visiting me at work, and she said what a beautiful woman Deirdre was. Deirdre is that inside and out...what a fantastic friend to have! Deirdre and I share a very special bond of Joel Osteen consisting of us sharing messages almost every Sunday. I'm sure that if you asked us both to say the ending prayer of every Joel Osteen program we'd repeat it right away. Deirdre is moving along with her career, as I am, and has not only made a very special imprint in the lives of the families and children that she's served but will continue to profess a genuine, loving, and humorous attitude with her future endeavors.
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| AVC sleepover! |
Why is the "Taylor" in commas? Because Holly is one of my oldest friends and I still think of her as my 18 year old Delta Zeta little sister :) Talk about wholesome...HST is as wholesome, loyal, loving, and as genuine as you get. We have a friendship in which we can go days without communicating but as soon as we get in contact we are right where we left off. Holly and I go WAAAYYY back...laughter, tears, bars, engagements (hers), funerals, graduations, birthdays, break ups, and other events. To be completely honest, Holly was my truest and best friend that I made while at Auburn. I care about her more than anyone can understand and feel privileged to be a part of her wedding and blessed that she would do anything to stop and drink wine with me (she hates Paranormal Activity-FYI!). Since the day I met Holly, I've always felt a sense of maturity, strength, and intellect that I've always admired. She is a phenomenal wife, friend, and overall woman. I love her to pieces...oh, she's incredibly smart too!!
Needless to say, I had a great weekend. I caught up with old friends and met new ones. I'll be completely honest, this weekend made me feel like my old self. That goober, crazy, charismatic, fun loving woman that has been lost for quite a while. It honestly brings tears to my eyes knowing that I've let negative attitudes, oncologist appointments, and reticent behavior let my true "Jenna" self be sucked away ever so slowly. However, my eyes and heart have been opened and I have realized that deep down the old Jenna still has it going on :)
However, this is the sweet angel that I missed and she missed me too :)
