Life of a Whitestone Intern
With sleepy eyes and in dire need of a green tea fix, I moseyed down the winding stairs of the Lion and Lamb already missing my comfortable, cozy Whitestone bed. Not anticipating the early morning’s chill, the bitter wind grabbed me the second I stepped outside, and I slammed the door. It was chilly. Though a ridiculous fear of frostbite polluted my mind, I dared to venture outside to my vehicle. While driving to the Farmhouse, warming myself by the homely fire awaiting me was the only thing I could think about. We meet in the Farmhouse office every morning a little before 8:30. Paul goes over the daily schedule with Wendy, Gabe, and I often stressing the importance of diligence. After that Paul directs me to where I’ll be working on that particular day, and that is where my stories stem from.
The other day, Tuesday I think it was, I was driving up to Paul’s house when I stopped abruptly in the middle of the road. A four point, six point, and fair-sized doe were blocking my path. They did not spook. They just ambled across the road taking their sweet time. I was shocked. They saw me, a predator, yet remained peaceful. I thought about that the rest of the way to Paul’s, and the 23rd Psalm came to mind. When I think about peace I think about this Psalm. Especially in verse four when the psalmist, David, talked about facing enemies that wanted to destroy him. He did not fear because he had the peace of knowing that the Lord was with him. I learned an important lesson from the deer that day that I often forget, which is not to worry. With the Lord as my shepherd I can live in peace knowing that no matter what, He is always there to guide and protect me. How simple this truth is, but yet how hard it is to live by.
Like I mentioned earlier, Paul directs me to where I will be working every morning, and the eve of Super Bowl Sunday, he gave me the privilege of working with the Whitestone event staff. This just so happened to be the same day as the Day of Chocolate that we had here at Whitestone. As you can imagine, I was not the happiest trooper in the camp missing out on all the chocolately goodness; however, I did not know the unforgettable time that lay waiting for me. For those of you who have not had the privilege of meeting our wonderful event staff, y’all are missing out. Last Saturday I was introduced to Tonja, one of our wedding coordinators. We were chosen to drive to Chattanooga to set up for the Premier Bridal Show. I have always heard that laughter is the best medicine, but we laughed so much on the trip that I needed medicine for the headache that I worked up. Hours passed. We had such a good time organizing our booth and talking to the other vendors though, that it had only seemed like minutes. By the time we rolled back onto the grounds, we found Whitestone fast asleep. It was peaceful. I was worn out, and just about too tired to crawl up the stairs to my little hideaway in the Lion and Lamb. Even still, I started the climb, and my sweet tooth remembered the Day of Chocolate. “Oh well,” I thought to myself, “there’s always next year,” and I continued up the stairs. A few steps from the door of my room, I decided I could not fight my sweet tooth any longer. So, I gave in and slipped over to the Farmhouse to see what sugary surprise was waiting for me, and what a surprise it was. Not only did I find out that I did not miss out on the day of chocolate at all, I rewarded myself for my long day’s labor, and I indulged.
Needless to say the internship is trucking along just great. In fact every day just gets a little bit better because I learn a little bit more than what I knew the day before. I appreciate the feedback from my first blog, and I hope that y’all are enjoying what I have to say. Feel free to ask me questions about my internship, and keep the encouragement coming… -aaron robert
