Sappy/Had

That's exactly how I feel right now-- caught right in the middle of two strong emotions, happiness and sadness.

Happy that another school year is over (no more angry parent phone calls for a while).

Sad that another school year is over (Biola students are pretty amazing kids).

Happy that summer is going to be AWESOME (short Fridays at work, beach!, adventures, church, watermelon, Vegas, pool time, etc. etc.).

Sad that summer is beginning (our last summer in SoCal).

Happy that we're closer to moving on to the next phase of life (12 months and counting!).

Sad that in 1 year we'll be leaving dear friends, an incredible church family, amazing workplaces, and one of the most beautiful places on earth.

I guess that's just the thing-- life is full of lots of different seasons, and they often overlap.

The older I get, the more I realize something: that life isn't (and shouldn't be) about going, going, going and working, working, working just for the sake of making life better. If we're only striving to get somewhere, we miss out on the whole thing, and we disregard the good that can be found amidst the difficulties of life.

The fact is that you never really arrive at anything anyways.

There's always more money to be made, more projects to be done, more things to see and do, more places to go, more people to meet. So the sooner we (I) accept that there will always be difficult things in life, to all different degrees, the faster we'll get to just sit back, relax, and appreciate the things that are so good (and the lessons we learn from the hard things).

Dave and I talk a lot about hard times and sadness and what it means to really go through and process those times. I think we're learning that to experience that part of life to its fullest, we have to accept it, be fully present in it (the circumstances, emotions, attitudes, etc.), and come to God about it.

There's so much less in life that has or even needs a "solution" that we ever thought before. Much more than we realized is actually about the journey and the depth of knowledge, wisdom, perseverance, and other virtues that can be gained and grown throughout the process.

That said, God has been very gracious to me, and though this last year has brought about a new season of trials, I am eternally thankful for the comfort, healing, and restoration he gives through the body of the church, beauty in nature, and fellowship in the trinity.

And thanks be to God for the start of summer, the end of a school year, the last leg of our time in California, and vacation to South Carolina next week!