Bitter Sweet Goodbye

Yes we are moving to heaven. But I really feel like the city of Washington, DC is heaven. Or at least, heaven grows here.

This morning I woke up at 4:26 a.m. on the dot. This seems to Miss P's choice time to get her mommy out of bed. I realized that is is my second to last day to wake up in my bed in this house.

So that is why I was sobbing by 5 a.m. Washington, DC has become the home I always wanted. I hope I make Columbia the same--but it will be hard. The friends we have made here have journeyed with us through some amazing times, and we have been blessed. I thought I would take this post to write some things Greg and I are thankful for as we reflect on our time here in DC. All these groups/places have made this City one we will look at completely differently for the rest of our lives. I know we have been changed. What that change looks like I'm not sure of yet, but I think I like it.


1) Georgetown University

Georgetown was a great opportunity for us both. We both met wonderful people-friends and professional. We both learned how to do stellar academic research. We both graduated with MA's in Communication, Culture and Technology and we both discovered new directions for our careers. Georgetown provided us with many opportunities and privileges and although it was an expensive experience it has put us in an entire new playing field. I could go on for days about why the decision to attend GU was one of the best we both ever made. It broadened my perspective in ways I could never have expected. The friends we made at GU helped us to gain new perspectives and realize that hard work and fun can go hand-in-hand.

2) The Washington Journalism Center

Although I have a lot to thank WJC for in general (our marriage, our decisions to enter journalism, and all the wonderful friends and contacts we have made), during this chapter of our lives it has provided us with an extended family. Greg was paid to work there, I hung around and learned from the students and Terry. This opportunity allowed me to deeper explore and reflect on why I decided four years before to try my hand at journalism--the quest for truth, justice and educating the public at large. WJC became our new Royal Poinciana Chapel and Palm Beach Post at the same time. It allowed us to use our calling to care for people and our passion for journalism in a way that many would not think possible.

3) Zeta Tau Alpha

When I was a sophomore at Baylor looking for a structured social organization--and to honestly start over after a tough Freshman year, ZTA provided me with the opportunity to "seek those things that would ever enrich and ennoble my life." In DC I have been blessed to be part of two groups of women who amaze and astound me with their commitment to caring for the world and each other. Each woman is so unique but we are all so much the same. Through the Washington, DC and Silver Spring Alumni Chapter I have seen love and friendship manifest itself in ways I never saw as an undergraduate at Baylor. These women welcomed me to the area with open arms and will continue to be part of the memories I hold dear in life. I look forward to the day when I can share what this means more deeply with my daughter. I hope she too will find a connection with women--across the country and the world like this someday. ZETA is so much more than a social organization and it stretches beyond college and into life.

4) Mosaic Church of the Nazarene

This section of the post is one of the most difficult to write. First because it was Mosaic that appeared so late in our time here in DC, but its impact is enough to envelope the entire experience we have had here. Greg and I began attending this church after a friend recommended it to us in Fall 2010. We had been attending another congregation and had a hard time with some of the changes going on at that church. We decided to try out Mosaic and several other DC churches. After a visit in November we discovered Mosaic was the perfect fit for us and in January we started working with the worship band there. Mosaic does not pretend to be the place where everything comes together, it does stay true to its calling and in its brokenness it is beautiful. The Kazee family reached out to us, they helped us see that the love of Christ is something that stretches beyond church and can be shared in fellowship with others. The congregation welcomed us as children to a family. The people we met genuinely wanted to get to know us. They became closer than friends and fellow parishioners-they became our brothers and sisters. Because of Mosaic we almost decided to stay in DC for Greg's Ph. D program, but even though we are not staying the church was extremely supportive of our decision to move to Missouri.

5) Other Friends

There are a number of other people who have been there for us. What I like to call "our cloud of witnesses" although they are not just religious relationships. Our Wylie neighbors have made living in the Atlas District a special experience I will rave about to people for years, the people at the places I have worked have each reached out to me in certain ways, those relationships we brought with us from Texas and Florida and Palm Beach Atlantic University and Baylor...they have all made the time here one that has been unique and exciting.

These five areas have served as hubs for our friendships and joys while in The District and I would not trade any one experience for another.

This City is so much more than a place. It is an amazing world with people who are passionate about life. The people here work hard--many of them without recognition. They all come from somewhere else and seek to find a home if just for a little while. This City has taught me about justice, love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control, and working hard. Thanks to you DC for teaching me what heaven on earth could look like.

Missouri is exciting because it provides a new life--one which will look very different from what we've had here. With a new home, new family and new friends to share life with. This is all very exciting and scary at the same time. But no matter what lies ahead, I hope and pray that the friendships we form in Missouri will be just as impact-full as those we have made here in the District. I hope I can take some of my DC heaven and plant it in Columbia, Missouri.