If you know me much at all, you know I’m a people person. I thrive
on doing life with people, and when there’s no people around me I
somewhat go crazy. I see myself as a very adaptable person, with
changes in my social circle that happen every few years ever since I can
remember. It started in 2nd grade when I had my first real move, as
non-traumatic as it was, my family moved to a new neighborhood, I went
to a new school, and terrorized a new set of neighbors. It was a great
neighborhood where there were kids my age to hang out with, a great
circle block to make tons of noise with my baseball-card-in-the-spokes
bike. It was fun for the 5 or so years we lived there, and then the
moving continued in 6th grade, and again in high school…none of which
were huge changes, all moves were within a few miles of each other, but
it did create the need to meet new friends that were an easy walk up or
down the street to hang out with.
After college a move to North Carolina noted a more significant
transition. I left the city I’d spent 22 years in. I left 22 years
worth of family, friends and memories to move 600 miles away into the
unknown. It wasn’t always the easiest of moves, but it forced me to
grow up a lot in life and become more independent. I spent those 4 1/2
years building a life, a community of friends, a career, was involved in
a great church; it was a time in life I often want to go back and
revisit, absolutely a time I would like to go back to knowing what I
know now. But I can’t. That season has gone.
That season came to an end at
the end of 2007 and I knew I had to move on. I was feeling like a
caged bird that needed to fly away. I went straight into the transient
life of a world traveler, joining The World Race for 11 months, jumping
from one country to another every month, circling the globe serving
various communities and doing ministry literally around the globe. I
had to leave the life and community that I had worked hard to build in
North Carolina and again needed to jump into some intense community with
27 different people to do life with. While I argue that my World Race
Squad (January 2008) is absolutely the best squad that’s ever existed,
it wasn’t always easy watching “my people” from Ohio or North Carolina
living out their lives and moving on. I watched updates on Facebook of
their cookouts and often was guilty of being jealous that they were at
the park while I was sweating and pretending to be miserable in India. I
wasn’t easy missing a good friend’s wedding, family vacation, hearing
my friends move on and make new friends, it wasn’t easy realizing that
the season of life I was in there had to end.
After coming off the race, I spent some time in North Carolina again,
but it wasn’t natural, I felt like a fish out of water. I knew it
wasn’t where I needed to be landing. I quickly found myself living in
Michigan working for The World Race and doing life with a new group of
people yet again (well, some new, some from my squad…technicality…). It
was a great season, there’s hardly a night that I don’t miss hanging
out with the Essmakers, scheming things with Ryan, or the rest of the
Cross Current Church clan. I remember the day that it was announced
that the World Race office there was moving to be with the rest of the
AIM 
offices in Georgia…it didn’t resonate well with me. I didn’t
want to uproot and leave again. I wasn’t ready. I liked it there. I
liked the people I was with. It started a mini-battle within me.
On the inside I kicked and screamed until I agreed to go to Georgia. I
knew it wasn’t a place I would be for long, but that I needed to be here
for awhile. It’s proven to be a time marked with greatness. It has
allowed me to grow deeper with some of the World Race community. I’ve
had some time to actually sit and reflect on the past couple years,
realizing who I am and what I value in life. I’ve recently reconnected
with a friend I had in North Carolina…a friend who I only knew on a
surface level there has quickly become a close and well trusted friend
who I’d not trade for anything…I’ve come to realize those people I do
life with that will always be in my corner when the battle gets tough.
I’ve started weeding through some of what defines me, who I want to pour into, and who I
want to pour into me. It’s a time that I wouldn’t trade for anything,
even though I fought it for as long as I could.
Yet again, transition must happen. When I finally made the commitment
to go to Thailand, it felt right. It’s been my passion since I left
there in 2008, and I knew I’ve needed to go back…so once again, a new
season of life is beginning. I’m going to have a hard time leaving my
“Georgia People” to go to Thailand, but it’s what I need to do. I must
let go of another season, clinging to the people I’ve grown close to and
praying that when I come back they’re still with me, whether our lives
settle down in the same city again or not, there are simply some people I
just want to do life with. I’m going to miss these people. A lot.
In life, seasons come and seasons go. Summer is full of life, fall the
weather cools off and the trees loose their leaves. Winter comes and
blows their leaves away and causes lots of natural things that bring
growth and life to the trees so that new life can come out of those
trees in the spring. I pray that this transition to Thailand brings out
the winter in my life, that it blows the weighty green leaves out of
the way so that new life and stronger growth can come in the spring!
