I've been contemplating the term bitter sweet a lot lately. What does it look like? How does one visualize it? This phrase has been on my mind because never before has it been so applicable.
On Monday, I left San Diego, where I had been interning for Invisible Children since January. It was a truly beautiful season of my life, full of growth, both personally and professionally, fun and loving community. And I ended up leaving pieces of my heart there, 27 pieces to be exact. I lived, worked, played, cuddled, night swam, and shared with some of the most loving and beautiful people I know (inside and out..IC only hires models). They loved me so incredibly well and gave me the courage to be fully myself, fully who God made me to be. The Lord wrote them all so beautifully into my story and I honestly consider them my brothers and sisters. However, I know that I needed to leave. I needed to come home to prepare for this next big adventure. But leaving a large portion of your heart still leaves a gaping hole, no matter how right the decision.
In line with my theme, I want to do a throw back and tell you how my IC family reacted to my news about the World Race. I am not joking when I tell you they were more excited than me. Nataly screamed and jumped on me. Jaide jumped up and down and literally said, "Why aren't you more excited??". Even before I was accepted, their excitement, just for the prospect of the Race, is what pushed me to finish my application. I'm really unsure if I would have obeyed God's call without their love and encouragement. And I know they will be rooting for me the whole way, through the 11 countries and beyond, into the next adventure and the next. And I will be doing the same for them. That's just what families do.
So I would say bitter-sweet looks like walking away from a family who fully knows and accepts me. It looks like loving people so much it hurts. It looks like embarking on a new adventure with all the love and encouragement I could ever ask for. It looks like one for the homies.
"How blessed I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard" – Winnie the Pooh
