A Parade of Goodbyes
The apartment is nearly packed. It is right to call it the “apartment” rather than “home” right now. It has become increasingly evident to me that home is not the structure we live in or the things packed in those boxes…not even the special treasures that hold so many memories. Home, for me, has increasingly become that tenuous cord that connects my heart with my family and with my friends. The last few weeks have been full of bittersweet times of sharing moments with family and friends before we leave.
It began on the day we left Chincoteague. All of a sudden, I realized I am not saying goodbye to Sarah, John, Ethan and Maggie just to go back to Charlottesville from the beach. No, this is the last time I will live this close to them (at least for now). I no longer will have the luxury of crazy spontaneity that takes me 3 1/2 hours down the road to share in a garage sale, celebrate a family event, or just give a hug. It was possible to do a (long) day trip. No, now I am saying goodbye knowing that many more miles will separate us and that it will be hard to see each other. I am so thankful for digital cameras and email!
Once home from the beach, we began two weeks of tying up loose ends at our jobs and spending evenings with friends (oh, yes, packing was sandwiched in there somehow too). Each breakfast, lunch, or dinner was a toast to the way God had knitted us together with dear friends. We keep putting off the final “goodbye.”
Our church family group hosted a picnic for us with many, many friends who came to share in our departure. Mark wrote about some of this on his blog. I’ll just add a few notes. I took my camera and captured everyone’s face so I could add their pictures to my email address book (so I get to see their picture pop up when I get an email from them). After I got home I ran a slide show to edit them. Tears. It is a collage of our time here. It is not my CV or our list of roles that we have played while in C’ville that mark our time here. It is the imprint of those people on my life, and the imprint I leave on them. They have been images of the Lord to me. They have been instruments in the Redeemer’s hands to change my life.
As I looked through the photos, I saw a few that I didn’t recognize… they were taken by someone else (they must have grabbed the camera at some point) of me and Mark as we played guitars and shared our final time of worship with these friends. Those moments we shared with those dear friends encapsulate the entire 9 years we have been here. It really is all about God getting all the glory. And that really is the most satisfying thing. “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together” Psalm 34:3.
And now those cords that bind me to my family and friends are being stretched (so I am feeling a little sore). I pray that many, many of those cords will stretch all the way to Philadelphia and weave a tapestry with all our other past departures. I have lived long enough to know that even if we don’t stay in close touch with everyone, whenever we do have opportunity to be together we will just pick up where we left off.
July 23rd, 2004 at 11:22 pm
I am the guilty party that took your camera and took pictures.
What is the program you used to attach pictures to your outlook contacts…or will I get your pat answer…It’s a Mac program…
July 27th, 2004 at 9:05 pm
Karen, You and Mark were such a blessing to our church in so many ways. Thank you. I had to leave the party early to get the kids to bed, so I didn’t have time to say a proper goodbye. This is a neat way to keep up with you. God bless you on your journey.