New beginnings.

When your best friend lives down the hall from you, it’s hard to imagine life without her.

Today, that’s my reality. AshCap drove off from Richmond in a tightly packed Camry yesterday, and I won’t get to see her until March, when magically I will have the money to go visit her in Tanzania. Saturday workflow, here I come. Who wants to throw a Pampered Chef Party??

So, to combat sadness, I will choose to look at this as yet another new beginning. This is a time where I can focus on my writing, on my health, and on developing my other friendships.

I signed up for a free* weight loss community online. Surprise, surprise, they are trying to sell the heck out of some supplements. Sigh. I may just have to get plugged back into SparkPeople. It’s a pain to enter all your calories every day, but that program really worked for me before, and it is actually free. Also, I have a nagging feeling that I need to try running again . I hate it, but I slim down quickly when I do it.

Today, I don’t feel sad. I am surprised, but so thankful for God’s grace and provision in that. Last night I was still surrounded by people who love me. First at Girls’ Night, where everyone made fun of the Ashleys and I for planning to WWOOF for a couple months next year (they think living in South Africa for free and volunteering at an organic farm or vineyard sounds terrible. They are crazy.), and then at my house. Ashley W. came over to soften the blow of coming home to no AshCap. We drank wine and talked and laughed and I was touched by her thoughtfulness.

Even in the uncertainty of a new season, God provides. He will provide love and support for AshCap, as she heads off to a country she’s only read about to love on orphans. He will provide for Ashley W., as she applies to PA school, unsure of what city she will be calling home in the next year. He will provide for me, as I navigate life without my partner in crime (and by crime I mean all the fun).

There will be moments of sadness. Change is hard and loss hurts. It’s okay to be sad, but life goes on, and today is a beautiful day.

God’s love is constant and unchanging. The scenery and the people around us are bound to change, but he never does and I have so much peace in that.

Hopeful.

Ang