Blessed

This past weekend I went on Raider Awakening #35. I came away from the retreat realizing just how truly blessed I am. I was reminded how God works in our lives to bring certain people to us when we need them the most. The faith community here is amazing, and I am so grateful for all the wonderful people I have met in the last few weeks.

It's kind of a runnning joke in my family that I hate change. I like routines and knowing what to expect in a situation. I've lived in the same house since I was two, so the first major change I experienced was when I went to Notre Dame. While it was tough to transition at the time, I am so grateful that I did it because my ND experience was so great. Then I had another transition when I went to study abroad in Mexico for a semester. Studying abroad was an enriching time, even though it was hard to experience such culture shock. And this leads us to my last transition: attending grad school in Lubbock. The hardest part I think about this transition is that I'm really on my own this time. I don't have Amy or other ND friends with me who already know me. And I'll be honest that I've felt homesick because of this. However, after this weekend, I was joined to a new community, a new family. Wherever your family is, that's home. So while I still miss my immediate family and ND family a whole bunch, I don't feel as homesick because of this new church family that I've found.

I realize now how each one of these transitions has been a blessing. The fact that I have so many people out there loving and supporting me is very humbling. So the point of all of this I guess is to say that, yes, I hate change, but if I had never been willing to go through these changes, I would not know all the great people that I have come to love as my new "families." It is awesome how God's plan leads you where you're meant to be.

Thanks all of ya'll* for your love, kindness, and generosity. All of my "families" mean the world to me. :)

*I think the phrase "Thanks all of ya'll" is pretty sweet. For some reason it makes me smile every time I hear it (maybe cause I wouldn't have dreamed of saying it 9 weeks ago... haha).