Saying Good-bye

In the past few days I've said a lot of good-byes. When we moved to KY 5 years ago, I began relationships with several families who moved here for the same reason we did. Seminary. Several families were here to meet the military requirements for chaplaincy, the same thing that brought us here. In the past 5 years we have gone through life with these people. We've shared meals, prayed together, mourned together and celebrated together. It made sense that we were friends, we had a commonality that few people had. Two years ago MP graduated, we were told that he would be deployed within 8 weeks. The plan was that during his deployment he would submit his paperwork for active duty chaplaincy and upon his return to KY we would move to his first duty station. It's been two years and MP is still here, and is full time with the National Guard. Apparently God's plans for him were different than ours. I'm not complaining, just saying, things have not gone as we planned. In the past four days I have said good-bye to the last two families that we have gone through this journey with. I'm happy for them, sad for me, I'm still here. I like here, I'm happy here. It's just that they are living the life I thought we were going to have. Does that make sense? We moved out of the seminary town and to the city a few months ago, and I was ok with that. Our friends were still here, just a few miles away. Now they are gone and there is really no reason to go back to that little town. Today is the first time that it feels like that chapter of my life is over. I wonder what the next chapter will look like?