the new is coming

one more week remains until i say goodbye to everything that i know, to everything that i've ever known. next saturday evening i'll board a plane whose destination is the far end of far away, and my ticket is not for a return flight.

this, of course, hasn't really sunk in yet. currently, i find myself in amish country, pennsylvania, for orientation at mcc headquarters. as i jog along the rural roads, i observe those beautiful people bringing in their harvest by horse and by hand. having eaten at one of their tables and been gifted with a glimpse into their world, my heart aches for their them as they grieve from their recent tragedy. then my heart recalls the lingering pain of our family's own tragedy. there has been loss. but there is Peace. and there is Beauty. and there is Hope.

a horse's large head suddenly arches into my path, its neck stretching far over the split-rail fence. i am surprised out of my introspection and onto the task at hand: i am running, on a paved road, in heartland america, dodging a horse. my breathing is deep but controlled; my legs feel good; the late october breeze chills my perspiring skin. the immediacy of it all is nearly overwhelming. but this, too, shall soon be memory. the new is coming.

i am excited.