The August In Between

We often find ourselves talking about our lives in seasons, or stages, or as chapters in a book.

A few weeks ago one phase of life (student) came to an end. This weekend new phase will officially begin (professional).

And here you have… the august in between …

• A celebration of 31 years of marriage for my amazing parents.
• Church with the whole family.
• A night to catch up with a camp friend.
• A morning at a coffee shop hearing about a friend’s recent trip to Africa.
• A visit with my might-as-well-be-a-sister (former roommate) and her husband playing games, eating well, and exploring small-town Iowa.
• Long hours on the road … just me and my Jesus.
• An afternoon at camp and the kind of friend with whom you could talk for hours even if you haven’ t talked in years. Sharing hearts… the truest parts… sharing laughter … sharing hikes … sharing macaroni and popsicles… sharing life.
• Another beautiful woman opening her beautiful home … and heart, not for the first time. Catching up. Celebrating together, thanking God for the places to which He has called us to and the people with whom we share life with.
• Driving into that town… the one that greeted you so warmly for 4 years … and knowing… while it’s good to be back… home is now about 1000 miles east.
• People… souls… so many… touching my life as they’ve often done in the past… hugs exchanged… meals shared… the sudden, joyful, realization as I speak from my heart, that I really love my job, my home, my life in Buffalo.
• A beautiful woman I barely knew(yet knew so well), and her daughter, welcoming me with open arms, an open home, and open hearts… inviting me into their world
  of beautiful NE sunsets…
  
  and reminders of Jesus, the vine… me, the branches….
  
  and God’s abundance and grace…
  
  and smiles and swings and pickles and kittens and catapults …
  
  and homemade icecream with fresh blackberries
  
  and smiley pancakes….
  
  and so much more!
• More meals with beautiful women.
• 3 days of sister-sister-niece time.
  
• A visit with a cousin, her husband, and beautiful baby recently moved back to The Sunflower State
• a new hobby (sewing on the sewing machine my parents got me for my birthday)
  
• 5 wonderful days with my parents… cleaning, garage sale-ing, packing, moving, loving, laughing, sharing, creating, being.
• fun fortunes the day before leaving KS
  “Travelling to the east will bring you great rewards.”
  “You will always be surrounded by true friends.”
• Supernatural packing space in the car
  
• Seeing a beautiful friend on our way through St. Louis and her making us dinner too!
• Fun conversations and experiences with dad on the way out.
• Making it to NY in 2 days and many people ready to help me move in once I got there.
• The feeling of truly being home… in my apartment… sleeping in my own bed… driving my own car… going to my own job… home. 🙂

There you have it… a small peek into… the August in between.

(more in a previous post here )