See if you can follow this train of thought…
Happy Birthday!
This is what I walked into last Friday night as I entered
the pizza place downtown. My wonderful
team threw me a surprise birthday party to celebrate my birthday, which doesn’t
actually occur until after the race. I
was blessed to celebrate with Spectacle in March. And now to celebrate with the Gentle
Warriors, was just a wonderful surprise!
They filled me with margarita pizza and chocolate
fondue, Ukrainian chocolate candy for my cake, “twin go” (twix like candy bars
from Africa), doublemint gum (notice their reminder of my twin sis, who I
miss), coke, and some extra treats. They
gave me a sweater and coupons for a Turkish meal and a sushi meal, and sweet handwritten
letters. They know me well!
As wonderful as all the food was, the best part of it
all, honestly, the part I enjoyed the most, was being able to celebrate with my
sisters. These are my sisters who have
seen me at my worst and my best. These
are my sisters who seek to understand my heart.
We are family!
As I sit here writing about my sisters who surround me
now, I begin to think about my twin sister, Jess, in the states. We have experienced a lot apart from each
other this year. We have faced struggles
and celebrations apart from each other.
There are moments and experiences that took place in our lives that we
may not be able to explain to one another, moments that GOD used to shape us
and mold us into who we are now.
I was talking the other night about how strange it was
for such a large group of people to know me and not know Jess. But the more I thought about it, the more I
realized that they do know a little about her.
They may not have met her yet, but they have heard me share stories of
her and our time together. They have
seen pictures of her and her family.
They have heard me talking to her via skype or emailing her. And by seeing who I am, they can see the
impact she has had in my life. We both
know things are different, we are different.
But I can’t help but praise GOD for teaching me how Love does not stop
because of distance, but instead, the Love HE has filled us with for one
another has grown and through it respect and appreciation exist.
Love grows!
I think about this as I prepare for this next season
of life, which is quickly approaching. Last Sunday, Tonya shared with me that we have about six weeks left. Instantly I began to cry and couldn’t
stop. I am ecstatic to be reuniting with
my family, to share with them my heart, but I am not naive to the fact that it
will, at the same time, be difficult saying goodbye to the family I have lived
with the past 11 months. But my hope is
in GOD. I trust that just as the love for
my family in the states has not withered, but strengthened, my love for my
family here will grow in HIS care. And
so that is where I place them. That is
where I place me…in HIS care…In HIS hands.
