Kende Malamu: Saying "Goodbye"

     "How lucky I am that I have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." - Winnie the Pooh

     One of the most difficult transitions on this trek will be leaving my family and friends (all but one) behind.

     I've already said goodbye to my older brother, Ryan, as he went to do God's work as a summer intern in Athletic Training with the international headquarters of Athletes in Action.

We went out for breakfast to talk about our upcoming summer plans.

     Soon, I will be seeing off my younger brother as he attends a servant-leader training camp for two weeks. I took him out for ice cream, and we each challenged each other to one thing this summer. He hit the nail on the head when he challenged me to work on building relationships and be people-focused. This will be difficult as I am a natural introvert. (Thanks, Ethan...)

                                 
     Eventually, I will see farewell to my parents and everyone else.

I had a special early-birthday shopping day with my Mom:

And a movie/coffee & ice cream date with Dad:

     Good friends and close family are often hard to come by, so I am thankful for these relationships. As my Mom has reminded me lately, hard goodbyes are good because they mean that there was something worth saying goodbye to.

     And yet, leaving the familiar means that I will have to branch out and meet new people, forming new relationships while living in a completely different culture. While this can be intimidating, this is also one of the steps I am most looking forward to.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10