Leave taking

Well, in exactly 5 days to the hour, I will be in the air. That's really exciting, really scary, and really sobering all at once.

This weekend I visited Messiah to say goodbye to some of my best friends in the whole world, and it was really hard. The visit itself was wonderful--I couldn't have asked for a better "last huzza," but it was hard to realize I wasn't going to be hanging out with those people again for a long time. It's funny how much you notice tiny details of someone's personality when you are facing a goodbye. Little things that you took for granted become precious, and a goofy comment is burnt in your heart forever.

Don't get me wrong, I really am looking forward to being in Germany--I can hardly wait! But I am not looking forward to the going. I'm not sure I can bear to say goodbye to all the amazing people in my life, even if I know it won't actually be that long until I see them; six months will blaze by before I know it.

I'm tired of saying goodbye! My excitement to go has been replaced with a desperation to just get there, so that this wretched business of having to separate from loved ones will be over. Somehow, separation is easier to deal with on a day to day basis than the actual act of leaving. I guess you just learn to function, and enjoy life as you have it.

I'm already emotionally exhausted, and I've got 5 more days before I say goodbye to my family...this could be a difficult week.

I can't wait until the day when goodbyes will be a thing of the past...