Melissa McLamb's Blog
just to say... / 05.28.08, 10:25 AM
i leave later this week to go to Massachusetts.
A ‘soul-mate’ friend, Rachel is with child and getting married!
i’m so happy to be able to get to be there for the celebration and to just see her.
It’s strange- the tension of being away from close friends and family for a ‘longer than i’m used to’ amount of time.
Even having just visited home back in January – it was such a short visit and not humanly possible to spend unplanned hours and days with everyone i wanted to. There’s a sense of disconnection that comes with being in another place. I mean, the whole not being able to be in two places at once and held down by the space and time continuum thing —of course, there’s that. But like, my social life – friends and family that i don’t talk to and see now (or not as often)…that’s really different. I talk to other people now…people that are near here within our community and the relationships that i had pre-MissionYear mean no less to me, I care just as deeply about these people in my life—but it’s just different. not good, not bad — just is. I miss being near many of them. And sometimes when I talk to my mom on the phone, it’s like “Wow. I haven’t talked to you in nearly 3 weeks!..and there’s so much about my life here—-and yours there, that we don’t know about because we aren’t living with each other or at least seeing one another every other day”
it’s wild.
i’m still not used to it.
but. i will say that i’m glad to have the continual support of so many people that i don’t talk to consistently.
it’s awesome – not having to do anything special for someone and them just genuinely caring about you and your well-being. that’s a gift like no other. i’m so glad that people can be so generous and great.
and it’s good to remember that i don’t have to be everything to everyone.
and neither do you.
enjoy the friends who are close to you.
be true (and good) to yourself and to everyone else.
in whatever small ways that can look like for us in our small realms where we are found.
and then —-that’s no small thing.
“I am so small I can barely be seen.
How can this great love be inside me?
Look at your eyes. They are small,
but they see enormous things.” -Rumi
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I enjoyed reading this Melissa. Thanks for sharing.
By Joe Grove / May 29, 09:41 AM / #
Hey Melissa, after talking to and hanging out with you in ATL last year, I’m glad to see that you’re embracing your MY. Enjoy your summer, friend…it will go fast.
By Megan Northway / Jun 13, 06:34 PM / #
Melissa,
I received your blog address from Aunt Jean. I don’t even know if you are still in Chicago, but if so, let me know. We have good friends right down the road from you. I’d love for you to meet them:)
By Julie Stephenson / Aug 17, 12:54 PM / #
hi julie!
the program for the year is over now, so i’m back in benson for the in-between time.
e-mail me.
=)
By melissa / Aug 20, 01:28 PM / #