that moment

when you know exciting things are happening

the butterflies start to flitter in your stomach

you're almost there

you've almost won

like the last point of the match: deuce, advantage in

but there's still some work to be done

so you maintain a calm, collected appearance

you suppress the smile that's attacking the corners of your mouth

and you keep a death grip on that racquet, that steering wheel, that pencil, that telephone, that coffee mug.

this, too.

time stands still at 4:23 pm, 2/3/09, in 35242.

you are in a house owned by nobody -- yet.

you are alone, in more ways than one.

and it hurts.

the watch beeps at 2:33 pm, 4/25/09, in 37212.

you are feeling relief, for the first time in months.

your life is changing for the better,

heading down a different path with different goals in different places.

the clock strikes 9:02 pm, 5/14/09, in 65613.

you walk with a friend

and recant the horrors of the previous months,

but you feel ever so prepared for what is ahead.

the siren sounds at 10:30 am, 7/27/09 in 30303.

you relax in a park with friends you've known for months, years, a lifetime.

you finally feel a bit of separation from the desert before,

and you happily anticipate the garden to come.

the hourglass freezes at 10:34 pm, 1/29/10, on the border of 37212 and 37204.

you inhale fresh, cold air and survey the snowy landscape.

you've never felt so willing to just be where you are.

no need to look forward, no need to look back.

the sun shines its midday rays at 11:42 am, 12/18/10, in 37212

you take one last glance at the place where you grew. a lot.

the glance makes you recall awful things, wonderful things, and everything in between.

it's hard for you to depart, but the excitement held by the near future allows you to drive away.

bells toll at 3:47 pm, 3/11/11, in DE45.

you pant furiously after hiking up a large hill.

a gentle rain cools down your face.

it reminds you that all that you've seen,

all that you've experienced,

and all that you've felt

is not in vain.

He makes all things new.

"To travel...

...is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries."

-Aldous Huxley

the other day i realized that the things i thought would be the hardest have actually been the easiest and that the things that i thought would be easy have actually been hard and the things that i thought would be similar have actually been different and the things that i thought would be different have actually been similar and the things that i expected to encounter problems with have actually been trouble-free and the things that i didn't expect to encounter problems with have actually been troublesome.

but, with each new day, i feel more and more even.

"...that's a little stone, that's a little mortar

that's a little seed, that's a little water..."

-Sara G.

Ermutigung

"The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have said this to you, so that in me you have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!"

-Jesus, in John 16:32-33

hot. diggity.

He's good.