Doc

I haven't updated in so long. Too long.

But my leather journal has been alive and well. I wonder why that is? I don't have anything I'm keeping from the world, but lately I've felt more inclined to scratch my pen across its lined pages.

I've found myself completely taken by the images that surround me. I'm still absorbing it all. The idea that I'm in a new place, with a new life is still something I have to digest regularly. But in many ways, I am used to it already. I've always felt a calm when surrounded by those towering mountains. It's perpetual shadow in my eyes is now a constant sense of peace in my life.
I'm used to these people. I have this eternal perspective, more here than I ever did before.

_______________________________

Dr. Maranville shifts in his seat. I see his eyes dart back and forth beneath the dark sunglasses. The room is quiet as "Reed" spouts out the words in a mechanized tone he's grown accustomed to hearing. The automated voice reads a case study on business management. His back is arched and his face shows a placid expression of concentration.
We leave his office and he takes my elbow. On the way to a seminar, we speak of career, college, and faith. His words resonate with me long after I leave for the day. They are words from a father to someone else's son. Though blind, he's managed to become almost completely self-sufficient. He has his PHD and is still taking classes, along with the ones he already teaches. There seems to be no end to his will power.
I stare at him as he feels his way across the room confidently even in this unfamiliar place. He laughs when he accidentally knocks over a trash can. To have the ability to completely accept his earthly circumstance with faith and humility is a constant reminder that I can always strive to live more patiently.
I have such a strong conviction of this faith but it pales in comparison to someone who must fully understand the future blessings of keeping faith in the now as well as the future.
Later that day, he leans over to me, "Never let go of your testimony, Austin. Don't forget that Spirit you've felt. Don't let the culture out here dispel that sense...God brought us together for a reason."