At Long Last

My visa arrived today! After all of the waiting, I'll be leaving this Friday afternoon. I was going to feel really silly if I didn't get to leave, after so many friends and family came to the going away party last night. =-) Yesterday was a really special day, from start to finish. My pastor did a commissioning service during church, which was a real blessing to me. I was really emotional, which I knew was going to happen. It's a little difficult to explain the emotions, since people read a lot into them. I've had quite a few people(at least a dozen) ask if I've had second thoughts about leaving. And I'm sure that upon seeing my tears yesterday, there were probably a few more people thinking along the same lines.

Let me start by saying that not once over the last year have I had second thoughts about what I'm getting ready to do. The time of thinking and praying about all of this has been such a long process for me, that once everything came together, I knew without any doubt that this is what I was to do. And once I knew what I was to do, the only thing I could do was obey. At this point, I'm stepping forth both in trust and in obedience.

I have always been a fairly sentimental person and therefore, this past year has been a year of many emotions for me. I have thought about things in terms of "Lasts"(at least for a while anyway): my last Fall, last Christmas at home, last day with my car =-), last time I see friends and family, last Mexican meal(a truly difficult last), and my last Sunday at church. Again, it doesn't mean I'm having second thoughts, it just means I'm thinking. My brother teases me about this sentimentality, but it's just part of what makes me ME. And though I've thought a lot about my "Lasts", I'm also very much looking forward to my "Firsts" : getting to meet the Sharers(teammates I haven't met before), joining in the ministry of the team, moving into my apartment, having the girls over for the first time, developing new relationships and discipleship opportunities and many, many other things. There are a lot of great things waiting over there for me. I just want to be sure that I say my goodbyes here first. Call me......sentimental...................

Ode to Charlotte

Well, I had a wordy little entry speaking of my love of Charlotte, but I deleted it by accident. When I went to recover it, I hit the wrong button again and it is now lost for all eternity(or until someone who knows more about computers comes across it hiding somewhere). That occurred several days ago and I still haven't been able to reach deep enough inside of me to recreate those words, so I'll just leave you with this:

Charlotte, home of my birth,
You have changed(some for the better, some for the worse).
Your historic buildings have been torn down to make way for steel reaching to the sky,
With photographs giving us our only memories of days gone by.

Affluency runs this city and we only want the best,
With Light Rail and Halls of Fame and "synergy" put to test.
And yet with all of this, I love you still the same,
For though the new South comes, the old shall still remain.

As oak trees line the streets and sweet fragrances waft through the air,
I breathe in the sights, sounds, and colors everywhere.
Charlotte, you dear city of my birth,
I will love you yet the same(for whatever that is worth).

My sister, Abby, and I, July 4th

View from the Central Ave. bridge- night of July 4th

View from the Hawthorne St. bridge- taken on my morning walk

A special friendship

Last week my best friend, Tapley, came to Charlotte to spend a few days before I "left for Odessa". Of course, that departure date has come and gone and I am still here, but it was great to see her one more time before I leave. We have been friends since the age of eleven, but haven't lived in the same city for the last twelve years. We went to college in different states; me to a very liberal Arts school in North Carolina and her to a Christian university in Mississippi. Through college and her move to Texas, we maintained our friendship and grew closer to each other through many hours spent on the phone and letters and e-mails sent back and forth. As we've grown older, we've supported each other in the daily ups and downs of life and know that no matter where in the world either of us is, we can always count on each other for support and encouragement. Deep and abiding friendships are few and far between, because they require a deep and abiding trust between two people. I am so very grateful for this special friendship that God has given to me.

Taps and I like to take day trips when we're together. This time, we went to Seagrove, NC, to explore the many pottery shops and styles of pottery found there.

Starbucks is an old tradition for us. I didn't drink coffee until the age of 18, when Tapley introduced me to the frappuccino. When she moved to TX, we would "meet" once a week at a Starbucks to talk to each other(via cellphone).

Another tradition is taking lots of pictures of ourselves. Prior to the days of digital cameras (when you could instantly see the picture), we would dress up in different hats, costumes, etc. and take entire rolls of film of ourselves. The digital camera was a great invention for us. =-)