His Eye is on the Sparrow

Why should I feel discouraged?

Why should the shadows come?

Why should my heart feel lonely

and long for heaven and home?

When Jesus is my portion

A constant friend is He

His eye is on the sparrow

and I know He watches over me

His eye is on the sparrow

and I know He watches me

I sing because I'm happy

I sing because I'm free

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He, He watches me

His eyes is on the sparrow

and I know He watches

I know He watches

I know He watches me

I sing because I'm happy

I sing because I'm free

His eye is on the sparrow

and I know He watches me

He watches me

His eye is on the sparrow

and I know He watches me

He watches me

He watches me, I never thought...

He watches me

     Most of you know that music is how I get my point across in many different situations.  I can take lyrics from multiple songs, put them together and show them to you, sing them, or recite them and you'll know exactly how I'm feeling.  At any point in any day, there is a song that can express my mood, how I'm feeling, the situations I encounter, what I'm thinking about, etc.  Usually, if I post song lyrics online, it's a direct indicator as to how I'm feeling about something that is going on in my life.  They usually just pop into my head and then it plays over and over again in my mind for the rest of the day.  Sometimes I scare myself with how accurate the songs are...

     Today's song was "His Eye is on the Sparrow" by Lauryn Hill (which is why I came home and watched Sister Act 2, haha!).  I have a lot of big decisions that are having to be made in my life right now, both personal and educational/professional.  There are a lot of things that I have to figure out within the next few months.  A lot of things are riding on this last semester of college and an application for something beyond college.  What happens this fall will dictate what happens to me for the rest of my life... practically in all areas of life.  I graduate in December with a Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Studies from East Carolina University, with a minor in Psychology.  After graduation, there are a few options.

     I'm applying for what's called a "cultural ambassadorship" in Spain for the 2013-2014 school year. The application will be submitted this November.  If I am accepted into the program, I will leave in August for a full year to work alongside Spanish teachers teaching children in Spain how to speak English and helping them learn about the American culture.  I will live and work among Spaniards for an entire year while I enrich myself with their culture, their language, their heritage.  I am so excited about this and I hope you will be excited for me, too!  If, for some reason, I am not chosen to participate in this program, I will be applying to graduate schools in several different states; i.e., NC, AL, FL, MD, etc.  I am still doing research on the best graduate schools for the pathways I have chosen to take interest in, so these states may change.  If I do not get into the program, it is likely that I will work for a few years so that I can save up money to return back to school.  Like I said, it all rides on this chance in Spain.  Hopefully, I will have a chance to join the ranks of this wonderful opportunity.  

     I know that it's a long time and a lot of people have their reservations about me going to another country for a year... but what you need to understand is that this is my life, this is my career, this is what I have worked for, this is who I am.  This is a wonderful opportunity for me to immerse myself into the language itself (the one I've been learning for so long).  Yes, I will miss my family and my friends... more importantly, my mother... more than anything in the world, but it's time for my life to begin.  It's time for Ashley to have her chance at a fulfilling and wonderful life and be who she was meant to be.

     Besides... wherever I go, whatever I do, it should comfort you to know that God has His eye on me.  He's going to be watching over me wherever life leads me.  The choices that I make from here on out will be guided by Him and only Him.  Shouldn't this ease your mind?  

His eye is on the sparrow.