The Calm Before and After the Storm

Senior Ball: check. Graduation: check. Family celebrations: check. All the festivities and excitement of the last part of Senior Year are over. The finals, the check-outs, the parties, the milestones. The chaos of having grandparents and siblings and nieces and friends all in my humble little house has ended, and now comes the time to breathe. Well, kind of. 

Now that the last set of grandparents has come and gone, the house is quiet, and it gives me time to think about all of the things ahead. I am now in my last summer before my life changes forever. Soon I'll be packing up my room and heading for Idaho, away from everything I've ever known. 

I know that it's a normal part of life, and many people have gone through it, but living it cannot compare to hearing about it. Maybe I'm making too big a deal out of leaving. Maybe it'll be as easy as everyone says. Either way, the bottom line is: I'm terrified. 

The same fears I had before leaving for Guatemala are creeping back up. I'm beginning to doubt whether this is really what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm afraid people won't like me, or I won't like them. I'm afraid I'll get too homesick and leave before I have the chance to get comfortable there. I'm moving out of my comfort zone, and it's a scary thing to do.

Don't get me wrong, there's definitely excitement about it all. But the fears are there too. This is a new chapter in my life. And I can't stop thinking about everything changing. 

For now, this is the calm, but I can see the storm coming. I just hope I can have the strength to praise Him in the storm.