I’m in my childhood bedroom wearing polka dot slipper booties, Christmas pajamas, and a Burberry bonnet I bought in seventh grade because I thought it would make me cool. I graduated from college this past Saturday–so this is Summa Cum Laude?
Graduation is a happy time, or so the pictures say. Dolled up and adorned in ugly, flat hats and boxy robes with colorful tassels, my friends and I flashed bright smiles. But later that night, we cried over assorted chocolates and “celebratory” champagne while watching Taylor Swift music videos. And last night, after spending two days driving in a leaking, jam-packed car with my dad, I sat on my childhood bed and tears came again because home didn’t feel quite like home anymore. I am excited about working in Michigan and living by my family and boyfriend, but it’s more disorienting than I expected leaving somewhere I called home for four years. It’s weird to know that the friends that I lived and breathed with are suddenly scattered around the globe. The smooth, comfortable rhythm of life we had established together is now changed.
In the midst of my pity party last night, God assured me that although this transition is tough, He had never left me hanging before. Just three years ago, I was sitting in my hot tub with a friend (the ideal place for all life chats), freaking out about moving into my sorority house. “I like my own space—how will I survive living with thirty other women!? What if the other girls in the house and I don’t get along!?” Well, not only did my roommates and I coexist, but God blessed me with friends that I got so close to that we cried shamelessly about leaving each other.
This week, my pearl is faith is that there is a time for everything. New seasons are ahead, but rather than facing them with melancholy and fear about what’s to come, I choose to open my arms with a sense of gratitude for prior beautiful seasons I’ve had and trust in a God that always comes through.
Rather than moping about my college life coming to a close, I should be thankful for the amazing experience that I had. It’s okay to miss my friends, but better to be thankful that God blessed me with such amazing people to miss and reunite with in years to come. Better to be grateful that God gave me a community to call home for four years and the opportunity to experience a new, amazing part of our country. I’ll miss the people, that vibrant city and the scorching heat, but it’s time focus my eyes on God and the beauty He is building in my life as we speak. Now is the time to look forward to happy, future moments like starting a career; having my little brother Snapchat pictures of me as I look ugly and write blog posts; enjoying weekends up north on the clear, not man-made lake with my family and boyfriend; reuniting with high school friends and meeting new people. I’m ready for the seasons up ahead, even if that starts with hours and hours of unpacking.
Ecclesiastes 3:1- “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
Share a time when God has #blessed you through a time of transition.
Your friend,
