Frustration...quiet...allowance

Hirundo miniscula avis corpore,
sed egregie pio sublimis affectu,
indiga rerum omnium,
preciosiores auros nidos,
quia sapienter nidificat.
Nidus enim sapientie preciosior est auro.

The swallow is a tiny bird
but of an eminently pious nature;
lacking in everything
it constructs nests which are more valuable than gold
because it builds them wisely.
For the nest of wisdom
is more precious than gold.

Lately the frustrations with grad school have grown more severe. I find myself continuously trying to remember what it is that's actually important to me, where my soul really lies. Is it in the red clay of East Tennessee? Is it in the human capacity for thought and design? Is it in human delight in non-human denizens of our world (such as the air we breathe and the algae that cleans our water)? Is it in my family, my friends, my unseen, unknown soul mate?

I keep checking, looking down at my feet and considering the direction in which they're headed. Do I want to go that way? Just what is it that's behind me again? If I turn to look, will I be able to get back on this forward course?

I miss the two of you dearly and I hope you know that it means the world to have companions to help me experience all of this.

My little brother Cage proposed to Savanna, by the way, and she said yes.