Summer Memories

I miss this. 

I miss moments of sweet laughter with my girls, and when "work" was simply doing life with some of the most amazing teens in the world. I miss taking a week off from our normal routine and hanging out at Camp Barnabas. 

I miss facing HUGE fears, and the tear soaked, rain soaked baby blue community sweatshirt. I miss laughing and crying with my coworkers. I miss running and screaming in the pouring rain, and playing wayyy too many rounds of Phase 10 in the Fishbowl. 

I miss Camp. I miss my girls. I miss my community. 

It's no secret that I miss my life at Shelterwood. I tell someone that in almost every single conversation that I have. I miss the craziness of my job, but also the incredible fulfillment in knowing that I was doing something that really, really mattered. And as I sat here today and memories from camp showed up on my TimeHop, I couldn't help but scroll through and laugh and cry. 

On days like today, I wish things could be different. I wish that I could be in Independence, and that it'd be last July, and I'd be working with some of the most incredible humans to ever walk on planet earth. I miss laughing, I miss late night talks, I miss 2 am Taco Bell runs, I miss sprints to catch girls walking off. I miss my roommates, I miss my mentors, I miss the big ol' tree greeting me when I came in, I miss goofy songs, dance marathons, and tear fests. I miss deep talks with my girls, and walking them through life. 

I miss my Shelterwood family. 

And yet, I am sitting here changed for the better. I am a much, much better, stronger happier person because Shelterwood happened exactly how God planned for it to happen. Yes, it hurt. Yes, I wish I could still be there. And yet in my heart I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be, doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing, and I have immense peace in that. I know that God is preparing me for this season I am in to come to a close, and to start up a new one and for that I am thankful. And I know full well that I would not be prepared for this next season if these last two season did not look like exactly how they did. 

So yes, today my heart aches. I miss my community and Shelterwood friends. But I have to choose to believe that God will use this pain, and missing my munchkins for something much greater than I can ask or imagine it could be. And for that I am extremely thankful. So here's to WAY too many good Shelterwood memories, and glorious hope and expectance for many more good memories to be made in the soon future.