Keeping the Hope Alive

Last night my other housemate returned to our home in Ohio.  As she shared her stories of her day of travel from Texas then on to NC before finally landing in Pittsburgh, I smiled on the inside as she spoke of her brief layover in Charlotte because it was one year ago today I found myself at the Charlotte Airport.  I recall arriving there over an hour early since I was so excited to pick up Adam from there to spend time with him in person for the very first time.  After exactly three months of emailing, talking on the phone, and skyping, I remember texting my friend, Lisa, from the cell phone parking lot in excited anticipation as I waited for Adam's plane to land.  That last hour before receiving that call from him that he was at the terminal seemed to go slower than a spoonful of honey pouring into a bowl but oh my was the outcome so sweet.  Here is the first picture we snapped together in my car that night...looking back on this a year later, it's beautiful to see all the emotions happening in this photo!

The next week and a half were a blur as we covered ground from Winston-Salem to High Point to Greensboro to Stoneville in North Carolina.  He met my family, colleagues, and friends from church and school/work.  We read the book, "It is Well", by Chris Faddis and went to Geeksboro Cinema gamehouse for the first time.  A family dinner was prepared by us as my parents got to know him over dinner conversation.  My niece and nephews fell in love with him pretty quickly calling him "Mr. Adam".  We witnessed my friend, Sarah's wedding to her hubby and ate a delicious meal at Southern Roots after the wedding.  Quiet time was had at the Adoration chapel at Maryfield, the St. Francis Springs Prayer Center, and little St. Kevin's at Pennybyrne but then we stayed up half the nights talking about anything and everything.  Snow fell that week which delayed some of my student teaching observations allowing for more time together in the early mornings before I had to go to work.  He listened to a run-through of my dissertation defense on campus and we enjoyed a dinner out at Melting Pot.  We kicked off the 2014 Theology on Tap series at a local Italian family style restaurant and by the end of the visit had discerned we were going to give this relationship a try in spite of the distance.  One of the hardest things I ever had to do was to put Adam back on the plane and watch him walk away in Charlotte at the conclusion of that trip.  I remember crying as I pulled away from the curb and not stopping until I was about halfway back to High Point knowing I was going to see him again that night on Skype but when would I be seeing him in person again??

Then the real world reminded me it was still there and panic set in as I began to think about the dissertation defense that very next afternoon.  Even though I was prepared as I was ever going to be, it felt like I was on an emotional high from having spent time with Adam but then doubting whether or not I would pass my defense the next day.  I have been thinking of that dissertation defense lately because of not only the time of year it is now but also because I will be giving that same speech at a conference presentation in one month in St. Louis through my poster presentation and again over St. Patrick's Day week in New Orleans at a platform presentation.  I will have to blow off the dust on that presentation and wear my cosmic Jamberry nail wraps (they look like rainbows and will tie nicely with my rainbow analogy I give in my presentation...it's the little things right?  Doesn't take much to make this girl happy..ha!).

So, today is fortunately a day away from campus...one that will find me on a Skype call with Margo to talk about manuscript revisions at 8:30am before having coffee at my neighbor's house at 10am.  Next, I hope to spend a significant amount of time at the new house painting and vacuuming helping to prepare Adam for his transition from being a guest to resident in our new town and state.  What an incredible week that was last January as well as this one as we help Adam get settled in our new home!  It's amazing how much can change in one quick year with only 128 days remaining until the wedding and I get to move to our cozy little house!  We haven't skyped since mid December since thank God we've been together in person every day since I flew out there for the holidays and we drove cross country back to Ohio.  You would think after 710 hours  30 minutes and 35 seconds of Skyping everyday since November 11, 2013 (except for four days we missed) we would be out of things to talk about but we're still chatting away these days.  I'm so thankful for healing mercies, redemptive suffering, and forgiving grace through God & that He brought us together in spite of our past mistakes, flaws and all.  This morning, I sit here in awe at all that He has orchestrated. I can hardly wait to see what He does next in our lives!

For those of you reading this who may be struggling with despair or wondering if things will ever turn around for you...please know you're in my prayers and please do hang on to that hope even if it's just a lingering feeling you may have.  It is never too late to change destructive patterns or to change your ways to be on a better path no matter how far you may have strayed from it on your journey.  Maybe we need to improve our prayer life or perhaps we need to devote more time to cultivating relationships with one another.  Or there may be room for growth at work or in gaining personal knowledge in an area.  Some may feel called to engage in different dating habits (e.g., courting vs. dating, being more intentional in whom you date/what you do with your dates) while others may want to change what is you do in your spare time or others may need to put themselves out there beyond their comfort zones.  Work may need to be done in some of these areas or maybe only one needs to be the focus.

However, none of this is in vain since all things do work for the good of the Lord, even if we don't see the results just yet (or even if we never do).  Ask God to help your unbelief if this is something you may struggle with and be open to whatever it is He wills for your life because it really could all change in an instant.  From someone who's been there...don't lose the hope...!