Our short life in Arkansas will soon come to a close, and to be truthful, I don’t know what to say about it. For weeks I have stared at a blank page, unable even to process the upcoming weeks. Arkansas has been my home for almost two years. I spent the first two years of my marriage here. I spent my first years away from home here. I made friends here and did things I never would have if I had not come. It is the place where I fully transitioned from youth to adult.
Before I came here, I had never had a full time job. Before, I had thought of jobs simply as ways to make money. Now, I realize that pouring your heart, soul, and fifty or more hours of your week into a job means that it really has to matter--both to you and the people you work with.
Before Arkansas, I didn’t know what it was like to maintain friendships and family relationships over a distance. Most of my close friends and family had always been less than an hour away. Maintaining contact involves more than liking their posts and pictures on social media.
Before we came here, I had never lived with a husband. My roommates had only ever been girls: first my sister (love you Lyss!) then my college friends. Compared to my husband, girls seem...tidier, somehow. Living with my husband has been a string of lessons on communication, division of labor, and grace, grace, grace!
Before I moved here, I had never worked an hour away from home. In
college, I worked on campus, a brisk eight-minute walk from my
apartment. Driving from my rural town into the nearest metroplex to
work five days a week came with a bundle of extra costs (in money and time)
that I hadn’t anticipated. I couldn’t be involved in my husband’s daily
life, or even know half the people he spoke to or things he did at
school, and neither could he know much about what I did. That was
difficult.
Before Arkansas, I didn’t know the first thing about supporting and maintaining a household. Crash courses on finances and budgeting didn’t help my panic sessions whenever we had to buy stuff to, you know, live. Being largely supported by my family during my college career, some expenses came as a shock, and when income isn’t flowing, I involuntarily tighten the strings on my spending. "Do I really need that haircut this month? Nah, I’ll just shave my head."
All these little things culminated in an experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Moving to a new place was intimidating, but ultimately I am incredibly glad that God brought me here. I met so many amazing people, learned more about myself, and discovered more about my Savior than I ever have before.
Our years are cycles of growth and change. The end of one stage is coming to a close for us, but a new one is beginning. It won’t be the same revolution, but as we begin again in a new place, we will meet new people, have new experiences, and face new challenges. Such is the Natural State of life.
Farewell.