A Time for Everything

Well, if it was hard to believe that I would be moving in to my dorm room then, it’s even harder to believe that I just moved out. I just lived eight of the most amazing months of my life. Looking back at my last entry, I realize that I was absolutely right when I said it was shaping up to be a huge faith lesson. But here I am to say that it was a lesson well worth learning.

I think about the night before I left for school, when I was struggling with those bittersweet emotions and the fear of leaving what was familiar. I remember the heaviness I felt and the way my stomach turned when I told Dad through my tears, “Things will never be the same again.” But, I also remember how the weight seemed to fall away as I listened to his reply . “Grace,” he said, “nothing ever stays the same. Tomorrow will always bring change, whether you realize it or not. It’s impossible to hold onto any given moment in time, so just let go and appreciate every experience for the unique gift that it is. When you live completely in the present, you can always look back on all of your wonderful memories. That’s the only part of yesterday that we can hold onto.”

So now, here I am, looking back on all of my amazing memories, thankful that I took his words to heart and decided to live in the moment. I am so unbelievably happy that things never stay the same. There truly is:

"… a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace."

- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8