coming full circle

the beautiful thing about senior year is that so many things come full circle. i've realized that not everything will EVER be resolved, but i have also realized that God provides some beautiful pictures of closure along the way :)

today i went to white oak, the south carolina baptist retreat center, for summer missions commissioning. i usually am at white oak on fridays for HUB, the leadership conference, but as an outgoing senior, instead i decided to go today and see a few of my very good friends be honored and prayed over in preparation of their summer. i'm so excited for them.

i've been to white oak a number of times--five, after today, in fact. i've been to HUB/commissioning three times, been a part of summer missions orientation there, and have been a part of kids connexion orientation there. basically said--i've spent a whole heck of a lot of time at white oak!

today was beautiful because it was very "full-circle" like. i got there early and i walked around for a bit, looking for the bathroom. when i went inside, i remembered using the bathroom for the first time with ellen (not the same toliet, but, you know, different stalls, lol), and our fun bathroom talk. that was from sophomore year. i also remembered on saturday before commissioning that year, when i was going to serve, and jane was leaving--i sat outside on a bench and journaled for over an hour and wept before God, before i was so scared.

as i continued to walk around, i remembered going to HUB last year as the new president, and being scared to death. i remember feeling crippled from the news i had just received from the past. i remember feeling like i couldn't quite breathe, and i was afraid of what was next.

today i could breathe. today was beautiful. full circle.

oh--and of course, i have to have a freshmen year memory...and that one? anna harper tucker and i were attacked by bats our freshmen year, and we roomed together and were blooped together. and she, along with rachel, rode back with me today. full circles.