Day 317-Goodbyes and Hellos

Wednesday, April 8th

Hey guys,

     So, I don't know about you, but I STRUGGLE with goodbyes, they seriously suck. I don't know if it's because I just get so attached to my friends or what, but goodbyes for me are never, ever easy. Today, we embarked on our journey home, which meant that I would have to say my final goodbyes to Wheaton until my next visit, and that's never easy. For me, Wheaton is the place where ALL my closest friends are, the friends that have grown up with me, watched me struggle, held my hand through hardship, and were always there to lend a hand, to listen, to help, or just to hug me, and tell me that everything would be okay. As I sat in the church Sunday night, it struck me, this is going to be the last time I'm here for a while, as I looked around the room, there were so many memories, of childrens choir rehearsals, of meals shared together, of leading kids camp, of bible studies and Sunday Schools, of being bombarded with people as I walked down after being baptized, and for me, the most powerful memory was that of the endless line of people, quite literally winding out the door and up the stairs, of people in shock and sadness, waiting for their turn to comfort my family. I couldn't help but tear up as these thoughts and memories swirled around in my head, so much of my life had been spent in that ONE room of ONE building. At that moment, my phone buzzed, it was Katie telling me how strange it was that she was looking around the room for me that morning, and I wasn't there. At that point, something clicked for me, I realized that while many memories have been made in Wheaton, and while I leave many people who are so dear to me, I also get to see my friends back home, my friends who I also love dearly, and even better than that, I get to make new memories in this new place, and that makes me excited. So, although today is a sad day of goodbyes for me, I know that right around the corner is a chance to say hello to my friends here, and hello to new adventures that my life might have.

<3 Always,
Rose