How Lucky I Am

The author of Winnie the Pooh once wrote, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." As I hold my passport, print my boarding passes, and say goodbye to loved ones I can't help but reflect on the truth of this quote. 

I move a lot. Not as much as some people, but enough that I like to pretend that saying goodbye is NOT hard. But the truth is, that saying goodbye is always hard, and for that I am actually thankful. 

I'm thankful because I have people in my life wherever I go that are special to me and I don't want to say goodbye to. Leaving California after six years means that I have to leave many people with whom I've forged deep relationships. There are roommates, friends, and professors from college who will no longer be a two hour drive away. There is my Oak Hills Covenant Church family who I've worked and done ministry alongside in a very intense manner this year. There is my extended family who have sacrificed so much for me and always showered me with unconditional love. There are aging grandparents. There is Keith left in San Diego without the rest of the Stokers, and his girlfriend, Hillary, who I have only just begun to know but already cherish as an important part of my family. There is Brian in Washington D.C. far from any family. There are my parents who left for Cameroun a week ago. There is a new cousin due in September who I will not be around to greet. 

As I've been counting the things that make saying goodbye so hard I've realized that what I am really doing is counting my blessings, one by one. My cup overflows. The God who was faithful to provide in Zaire, Cameroun, and California will also be faithful as I move to Taiwan. While I grieve over saying goodbye (especially at the heart wrenching picture of my grandparents hugging and waving goodbye in my rearview mirror) I am looking forward to this new adventure with hope-filled anticipation. 

God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good!