I’m searching for a string of characters to describe the way I’m feeling
right now. I suppose I’ll just have to use English words.

Sara Fitzgerald from Americans for Tax Reform called this afternoon at three,
just like she promised. She asked me questions like, “Would you consider
yourself a conservative, moderate, or liberal?” “Do you think the current tax
system is fair?” “Why are you interested in politics?” “Why do you want an
internship?” I answered each one in my deliberate way, saying what I really
thought. I didn’t tell her I had Libertarian leanings, however.

“Okay, Joanna,” she finally concluded, “we’d like to offer you an internship
at ATR this summer.” She went on to say that they had people come from May
to July 8, from then till August 14, and others that stayed the whole summer,
from the end of May to August. The pay is 100 dollars a week. I asked her
about lodging availabilities. She gave me the numbers to a couple of
colleges within walking distances to the Metro that offer housing, one of
which costs $210 a month and has a cafeteria. I also asked her what she
liked best about ATR. She said the connections. The president of the
organization evidently knows lots of people up there and is even an advisor
to Newt Gingrich [grin]. Then Sara told me to think about it for a couple of
weeks and call her back on April 24.

So right now I’m sort of shaking inside. I’m terribly excited. This is the
sort of thing I was hoping I’d get. And then at the same time, I’m
terrified. Is this what I really want to do? Not just the offer, not simply
this summer. Is this the field I want to explore? Is this the future I want
to have? Do I really want to focus my life toward politics and government?
Do I want to meet people in power? Make “connections”? Part of me screams
to run away. The other part sees the potential for great things if I follow
this path. This might not only hold good for me but for what I can do to
benefit others, benefit my country.

Maybe I’m just a cynical idealist.

I hate decisions. I mean, I love having the freedom to make them, but to
actually choose… to make a judgment… to set my mind and course of action
in a specific direction with no real option of turning back… that tightens
my stomach into knots.

So now I’m faced with something that has the possibility of being wonderful,
and I’m scared. I’m caught between beaming with pleasure and staring aghast
into the face of the future. The fork in the road is looming ahead, and I
must chose a path.

I’ve asked God to guide my path and have pretty much always known that he
does. I’ve been amazed to see the perfect way he has orchestrated things so
far. He seems to take delight in dropping opportunities in my lap. Instead
of pursuing, I’ve been captured by my destiny. And have had nothing to
complain about thus far. I’ve made overtures in other directions, just to
see what’s out there, and had doors slam in my face. Perhaps this is meant
to be.

When Sara asked me, “Why are you interested in politics?” I didn’t really
know how to answer. “Why is anyone interested in anything?” I began. I
can’t really explain it. All I can guess is that the Lord put this desire,
this love, in my heart for a purpose. The fun, and perhaps frightening, part
is finding out what that purpose is. But life really isn’t worth living
without him, and what he wants for me is truly what I want for myself.

In any case, I’m getting pretty excited. I asked mom if I could take the
synthesizer keyboard with me if I went to Washington this summer. “I
dunno…” she answered slowly, “Maybe God will provide a family for you to
stay with that has a piano.