Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Letting in Love

I grew up for the first 14 years of my life in the military. For the next 15 years I kept up the military way of moving every two to four years. As such I am great at meeting new people and making new friends. What I'm not so fabulous at is the depth of these relationships. With the exception of my family and a very small number of key friends I don't open my heart to that many people. And maybe that's a good thing, but this past weekend I found myself opening it to people who should have had access years ago.

A neighbor and friend of mine in college was re-diagnosed with cancer after successfully battling through it once before. This time it turned up in her lungs. Using her as an impetus, her 3 college roommates and 4 of mine descended on her home in North Carolina for a long weekend.

I'll be honest, when the trip was first mentioned I wasn't overly enthusiastic to go. I hadn't talked to most of these women in years and was unsure about the strength of my bond to the group. But with some intense peer pressure I caved, bought my ticket and headed out. I'm not sure how "myself" I allowed myself to be throughout the trip, but somewhere I knew that I wasn't truly letting these women into my heart. I prayed and vented and cried and hugged and somehow in the process of the weekend my heart was changed. No longer did I feel like the outsider trying desperately to fit in but I assumed my position within the group. The position the rest of the women had already given me but I just couldn't accept.

When I left I felt forever altered. These wonderful women will always have a special place in my heart and I promise them personal phone calls when fun things start happening in my tummy. I love you Courtside Chicas!

7 comments:

The StaceNeedle said...

I'm glad your weekend went so well! Was great to see you! Road trips (or airplane trips) form bonds that don't break...

Sister Abby Bowler said...

Sara, I'm glad you made it home safely! And I'm even more glad that you made the effort from across the country to assume your rightful place with all of us--right where you belong. I love you and miss you like crazy! You're in our prayers, too, and we hope to hear good news soon from your tummy! xoA

Mandy said...

Beautiful post Sara and so glad we were able to all reconnect and reunite in NC. Let's make it happen again soon! Sure love you!

Jen said...

Sara-

I love the way you express yourself through words. I have never been a very eloquent person, mostly just an emotional person . . . but I learn so much from you! I am so glad that you decided to come be with us . . . it truly wouldn't have been the same without you. All my love and prayers.

Jen

Elizabeth said...

We love you Sara! I'm so glad you came and glad we were able to catch up. I never knew that you didn't feel like you fit in, you handled it gracefully. So glad you now know that you're heart is knit with ours, whether you like it or not! Can't wait to hear from your tummy!

Catie said...

Sara-you are an amazing woman. Having been through and going through trials that I have not experienced I learned much from you this weekend. Thank you for coming to sunny NC and sharing with us. You are in my prayers. I know without doubt the Lord hears our prayers, he loves us and wants us to have our most righteous desires. You are going to be the greatest mom. I too cannot wait to hear things from your tummy! Love you Sara.

Linsey de Guzman said...

Sara, I am so glad you came! It would not have been the same weekend without you. I learned so much from you as you shared your trials with us and I'm so glad we got to reconnect. I promise to be better at being in touch from now on and can't wait to hear from you! I'm praying for good tummy news from you soon!