Some days, life is wonderful. Other days, life can be really hard. And some days, you have such an incredible
mix of both that it is truly beautiful in God’s time. Today, and especially these last couple of
days, have been such a mix of both.
Last Saturday, I returned from a family vacation. We went camping to the PA Grand Canyon, and
minus a little bit of rain (more like 3 inches of water flooding our campsite
and causing us to leave early), it was a wonderful time. We took a 17-mile bike ride through the
canyon, with various stops for hiking and sightseeing, played many games of volleyball,
and spent lots of time together. This
was really special, as it will be the last time that my family had an extended
time together.
The next day, we went to church together and lunch
afterwards, but after lunch we all went separate ways. My sisters went to church for drama practice,
while Mom was busy running errands around the house and Dad was busy fixing the
water heater that broke while we were away.
I was left to do my own thing, which was great because I had a lot to
get done for my trip as well. But this
time Sunday afternoon was the first time that I really felt saddened by the
drifting apart of family. We just had
such a great trip together, but then reality hit that our lives all take
different paths. We’re all doing so many
great things, and I am excited and proud of each and every person in my family for
the ways they show God through their life, but it still doesn’t make it any
easier. We are called to different
things, and especially going into this next year, these different things cause
us to be apart from each other.
On Sunday evening, I drove to visit some friends from
Messiah who live out in Pittsburgh. It
was wonderful to see them again. They
showed me around their small town, and then we went into the city and visited a
jazz club in the evening. But reality
set in that evening, as it came time to say goodbye for one of these friends,
and blasting “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa and hugging and crying together
didn’t take away the pain that being separated will cause through the next
year.
On Tuesday morning, it came time to drive to Nashville to
help one of these friends move into her new place. We got up early and finished packing, and
shortly thereafter we began the ten-hour trek to the heart of Nashville. It was a great trip! We talked about the last couple of months
since graduation, laughed and prayed together, shared some new music, had
delicious lunch at Dairy Queen, and we even stopped at Abe Lincoln’s birthplace
for a little travel break. When we got
to Nashville, we met up with another friend who lives a couple of hours south,
and it was great to have my friends from Messiah and from home meet each
other. That night, we went to the
tourist district of Nashville and then met some new friends to stay in their
apartment. But the morning came, and
another goodbye came, as I had to say bye to one of my closest friends from
Messiah for at least the next year.
But the trip continued!
That day, I was heading down to Lookout Mountain, Georgia to spend a
week with a close friend before I left.
We had so many fun things planned; a Phillies baseball game at the
Atlanta Braves stadium, a hiking trip to a state park in Alabama, a 4th
of July celebration at her friend’s house, and a couple of little side
trips. It was so great to see her again,
and all of our adventures were fun. But
reality set in again, as this week is my last week before training and also the
last time I will see her before being separated from one of my closest friends
for the next year. Add in a bunch of
drama between her friends and herself, my visa application being rejected
(while my passport is back in PA and I am not), and a lot of mixed emotions
about leaving, and it has been a trying week.
A good week that had many moments of fun and joy, but definitely not smooth or
uneventful.
Before this whole trip started, I had the opportunity to go
see Inside Out with a couple of friends from home. I really enjoyed it; I thought the idea was
cute, the storyline flowed logically, and the message at the end was extremely
relevant to what I have been feeling. At
the end, there is no one emotion that wins out; instead they realize that all
emotions are needed to create a more beautiful story of someone’s life. As I prepare myself to leave for training
within the week and the South Pacific by the end of the month, I realize how
much truth this simple movie has in it.
When someone asks how I’m feeling about the trip, it’s very easy to say
that I’m excited and extremely looking forward to it, because I really am! It’s going to be such a great experience, and
I am so thankful for the opportunity.
But at the same time, the sadness and pain is starting to set in as
well. I have so many wonderful people
here that I am going to miss so much, and a year away from home is a really
long time. I know this is God’s plan for
my life at this point, but that fact still doesn’t make it any easier.
So many emotions are filling my mind right now. There are so many people I’m going to miss,
yet so many wonderful experiences await me.
The combination of joy and sadness, fear and excitement, is what makes
life so exciting. Just as the characters
in Inside Out realized, all of these emotions form together to create such a
beautiful picture of life, and life would not be as colorful if all of these
different emotions didn’t exist. Although
these emotions come with their share of nervousness and fear, I am so excited
to see how this beautiful picture unfolds through the next year.
Thank you for following this journey and reading my
thoughts! Your support means so much to
me. As I get ready to leave for training
next Sunday, please pray for:
-The
documents I need for my visa application to come in a timely manner.
-Continued
fundraising support.
-Emotions
of leaving friends and family.
-Safe
travels throughout the country over the next week.
God bless you all!
Luke Forshey
July 6, 2015
