If You Know, You Know

Last night was one of those nights where my heart didn't quite know what to do.

Part of me wanted to celebrate everything these past eight weeks have been. The other part of me wanted time to slow down just a little longer.

It's funny how life works.

Sometimes the people who leave the biggest mark on your heart are the ones you haven't known the longest. We spend so much of our lives believing that deep relationships take years to build, but every once in a while God reminds us that love, friendship, and family aren't measured by time. They're measured by presence.

Eight weeks.

Some of you, I've only really known for the last three.

Yet somehow, you've become family.

You've celebrated victories with me. You've encouraged me on difficult days. You've laughed with me, listened to my stories, (eaten my baked goods), and reminded me that I belong. Whether you realize it or not, each conversation, every smile, every "How are you doing?" mattered more than you'll probably ever know.

This season came into my life at exactly the right time.

If you've followed my journey for any length of time, you know this year has held more heartbreak than I ever imagined I could survive. Loss. Grief. Health struggles. Saying goodbye to people and places I loved. Learning to rebuild my life over and over again. There were days I questioned if I would ever feel like myself again.

Then God quietly brought all of you into my story.

Not to erase the pain, but to remind me that even in seasons of loss, He is still writing beautiful chapters.

I think that's one of the sweetest things about God.

He knows exactly what our hearts need before we do.

He knew I needed people who would make me laugh.

People who would encourage me.

People who would simply let me be me.

And somehow, in just a few short weeks, He created something that felt like home.

That's why last night was bittersweet.

I'm excited for what's ahead. I'm excited to see what God has waiting for me next. I believe He's opening doors that I can't see yet.

But excitement and sadness can exist together.

You can be grateful for where you're going while grieving what you're leaving behind.

Those feelings don't cancel each other out.

They simply remind us that something mattered.

The truth is... this isn't really goodbye.

You aren't getting rid of me that easily.

You're all still stuck with me... and my baked goods.

I fully expect to come back and visit. I fully expect to hear how everyone is doing. I fully expect to keep cheering all of you on from the other side of the state.

Distance may change how often we see each other, but it doesn't erase the impact you've had on my life.

So thank you.

Thank you for making these eight weeks unforgettable.

Thank you for your kindness.

Thank you for every conversation.

Thank you for making me laugh when I needed it most.

Thank you for reminding me that family isn't always defined by blood. Sometimes it's simply the people God places beside you at exactly the right moment.

Thank you for the gift of you.

I don't think any of you realize just how much you've meant to me.

As I leave this chapter behind, I do so with a heart that is incredibly full.

Not because saying goodbye is easy.

But because loving people is always worth the ache of missing them.

God has shown me over and over again that every season has purpose. Every goodbye makes room for another hello. Every ending becomes the beginning of something new.

So while last night brought tears, it also brought gratitude.

Thank you for being part of my story.

Thank you for reminding me that even after some of life's hardest seasons, joy has a way of finding us again.

This isn't goodbye.

It's simply –

See you later.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens."

Ecclesiastes 3:1