When we – Groovy Crew – first became a team, this is literally what came into my mind as we prayed together for the first time:
At the time, i had an inclination that our team would be wholey bound together through a time of trials while at some points wishing we werent so bound.
And while my inclinations happened to be right, there have been both things ive wished id been better at and things that came along that surprised me.
At this point in the Race i find myself faced with team change once again.
Change.
A word that twists my gut when it comes to anything thats a stable thing in my life.
so.
Here are my thanks to each member of Groovy Crew:
Dear Groovy Crew, while we lived together thanks for always forgiving every conversation i interuppted, every suggestive joke, every grumpy moment.
Thanks for letting me take showers as many or as few times as i wanted, and for letting me be when i said i wanted to be left alone.
Thanks for your feedback and giving me the benefit of the doubt. And for everytime you let me ramble when you really just didnt want to hear all i was saying.
Thanks to Wendy for deep conversation coffee dates and parts of herself she rarely shares, Cristina for tight honest hugs and advice and spontaneous kindness and generosity and sincerity that cannot easily be obtained in this world, Jenny for laughter and being crazy enough to dance with me and some of the best food ive eaten in my life, Tori for poetry and passion and pure hillarity, and Jax for always always always talking with me no matter what – and being there when i cried.
Amy, thanks for your spontaneous, unrelenting kidlike heart :’) thanks for coming as a friend and just being part of us and letting us be us.
Here is my tribute to Groovy Crew (this includes me and honorary Amy), guess your meme:
….
i have some very crazy amazing special memories from you beautiful, unique, amazingly gifted individuals.
..i wont forget christmas eve in march, our snowball fights in the house, or our gingerbread houses…our poetry, or our monkey business..
i wont forget your stories, your tears, your sweat as we mixed, and dug, and passed buckets of gravel and sand..
i wont forget dinner in the bed of a truck –
i wont forget our prayers together – your prayer for me, nor my prayers for you..
We have walked through some of our lowest race moments together. Thanks for making it through and still showing me and yourself and eachother grace.
…
things that made me sad:
As Tori so eloquently stated, there was rarely a moment when one of us wasnt in a “mood”.
so here is a reminder for us all for the last 3 months:
We are all so servant hearted and dont like to burden other people, and in doing so… cast a burden on eachother….
Lets be better at advocating for ourselves when we need someone to just scratch our back, watch a movie with us, or make us dinner, etc…that we have cared for ourselves enough so that we can in turn have space and energy to care for others well.
Also…if you have annoyances or triggers that are causing you to dislike your teammates talk about it! Let it be known! Speak up, give the feedback, and ask people to care for you by keeping those jokes to themselves, drinking in another room, not touching you or your stuff without asking…
Lets share our struggles, lets cry it out, lets pray, lets journal, lets take more walks, and always: coffee, icecream, peanut butter, chocolate or whatever else we may need to “taste and see that God is good” and chill out.
i cant wait to see what God will do in and through us these last 3 months!
…make and keep Him as your anchor….
…
i will miss you :'(
and look forward to hanging out with you in america –
With that, i walk the plank.
farewell –
