Of all the things this season traditionally brings (decorative lights, too many cookies lingering around, manger scenes, large trees invading households), this Christmas definitely carries a feeling of transition for me. Transitioning out of community living in Dexter House (14 college students sharing daily life together), and transitioning into two weeks of craziness at home. The house is filled with parents, brothers, nieces and nephews running about, and I'm trying to soak it in while finding some peace and rest at the same time. Is this feasible?
The goal is to unwind from a hectic 18 credit semester, recuperate from an intense week of finals, spend as much time with family and friends as I can, and pack ever so lightly for four months in Australia. Can it be done? The clock is ticking: 11 days remain.
It's also a transition knowing this is most likely the last time I'll be living at home in Haverhill. When I return from Australia, I'll live at Gordon for the summer to simplify the commute to my job on the North Shore. I'll live with three friends from school in the Beverly area for our senior year, and then it's off into the real world. Oh how the time does fly.
It's exciting though. Transitions can be scary, but they're always overflowing with opportunity. The element of "the unknown" can be such a threat, but it doesn't have to be. I'm usually so aggravated with the unknown, as if it's some cosmic puzzle that I'm destined to solve. But I'm coming to believe that that isn't the point. The point is to live in the moment-- something that I'm just so terrible at doing.
With the coming months uncharted and beckoning me on, I hope to seize every moment. I guess the goal will be to live in the knowledge of what's "known" and live in awe and anticipation of what is "unknown". How's that sound Dexter House family? :)
So, dear friends, please join me as I travel down under and embark on this excursion into the unknown. I'll be recording my thoughts, hopes, fears, and escapades here to share with you. Your prayers and comments would be wonderful and encouraging!
A small band once said this about transition and advancing into the future:
"Knowing that You walk on water, I will forfeit my demands. I'm on my way to You, I'm on my way."
- In Transit, Mending Point
So this is me, saying that I'll abandon my wants, my pushy desires and my unrealistic expectations knowing that someone bigger, stronger and wiser is in control. I'm on my way to something great and I don't even know what it is yet. I'm on my way.
