I sit here in the midst of an extremely busy week with a deep sense of having a life in which I have been blessed in so many ways. The sense is so strong that I feel the need to express my gratitude for this blessing.
So far, this week has been filled with a lot of "lasts." My time has been filled with special times with friends who have impacted my life in ways that I probably won't even begin to truly realize until years down the road.
It seems that my life continues to move in cycles, which I currently think of related to moving away. This week takes me back to the many times in my life that I have left a core group of friends behind for the next adventure in my life. In 1996 I left Maryland to move to Indiana and attend Taylor. In 2000 I left my friends at Taylor. In 2002 I left my community in Denver. In 2003 I left behind my family and friends to move to Kazakhstan. In 2009 I left behind my new family and close friends to return to Muncie. Now, I leave behind my community here to return to Kazakhstan.
Every time I leave the most recent community, I have this sense of leaving something special behind. It is easy to look back at the last community and wonder if I will ever have such a sense of belonging and blessing as I did "back there." Often, it isn't until I am called to leave the new community that I fully realize that I have experienced community in a stronger way than ever before.
That is how I feel now. Not that my past experiences of community are any less influential ... but more that those experiences allowed me to delve into community at a deeper level here ... which has prepared me for the community that He has for me next.
Sometimes I get tired of this perpetual cycle of leaving those that I love behind and then I am reminded of the way my life is blessed with friends from each community that I have been a part of. I am saddened about leaving my community here in Muncie and at the same time I am reminded of the blessing that is waiting for me around the next corner. Thank you to all of you for allowing yourselves to be used to bless me and teach me what it is to live in community.
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1 comment:
I love your reflection. You are truly blessed. We will miss you as you return to Kazakhstan, but we also know you are were you are suppose to be.
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