It's my blogging tradition to say goodbye to the current year. So, here it is. "Goodbye, 2012, you crazy-son-of-a-gun." I thought since I was already personifying the year by saying goodbye to it I might as well tag on a term of endearment.
This really was a crazy, bitter-sweet year.
I birthed a dissertation. For some reason that is the only image I can use to describe that process. I graduated with my Ph.D. We moved to Dubuque. I said good-bye to dear friends. I said hello to new friends. I started a whole new career. I experienced growing pains, both personal and professional. I felt blessed by my growing pains.
I've missed my friends and family. I've learned that the home you build up around you and your family...the community you establish...is largely a product of the love and energy that you put into it. (And I can pretty much gaurantee that when Michael reads that line he will crack a joke about the Beatles and their lyrics, "The love you take is equal to the love you make.") And some days the energy to build that home and community just isn't there and you want to bury yourself in blankets and forget that the day exists. And other days that energy overflows and you run with it. And you allow yourself to love new things. Make new traditions. Love new people.
Most importantly, I've learned that God takes care of us no matter our location. He cared for us in Ames and He cares for us in Dubuque. He continues to provide regardless of zipcode. And while it's easy to become homesick, we can rest easy knowing that the memories of our past keep us warm and the hopes for our future keep us moving.
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