Sun, Sept 16
... Back in black
Norm and Leona were at church this morning... none of us had seen them in a year, so that was really great. :o) It felt so strange, though; like they had only been gone for a week or two. I saw Leona and the kids walk in, and I was like, "Hey there's Leona.....Wait a second, that's Leona!!! They're not supposed to be here!!!" It was weird, because they were just there, and everyone was talking to them like nothing had changed, and it totally didn't feel like it's been so long since we last saw them! The kids are getting so big, but Norm looks the same as he always has... Norm was saying that it didn't seem like long at all; that it was the same people, same struggles, same relationships, same everything as when they left. And in some ways, that's so true. Some things just never change. But at the same time, I look back on the past year and I realized that in some ways, everything has changed, and nothing's really the same as it was when they left last August. Our relationships have all changed so much, because we've been through so much, and everything's different than it was, but it's so true that through it all, we're still the same people.
I think the strangest, though, was when he asked how things were going, just saying, "Really well," and realizing that he doesn't know nearly as many of the details of my life as he used to. He used to know a lot; I mean, we all went to him for advice about just about everything, so he basically knew the pulse of my entire group of friends. Now, though, I think we all felt kind of at a loss for words, because we couldn't talk to him in exactly the same way as before, even though I know I wanted to, because he doesn't know in the same way that he used to. That's okay, though, because life goes on, and life changes, and so do our relationships with each other. It wouldn't be right for them to stay in the same place, but it is hard when they change the way they do.
I think it was hard for Craig and Tammi. I mean, I'm sure they understand where we're coming from, and I'm sure that they don't begrudge us the joy of seeing Norm again, but I think that it has to be hard for them to be just finishing their first year, finally "in the groove" here, and then they get back, and everything's disrupted for a while. I know it's been a tough year for them, even though it's been good. I'm glad that they've stuck it out so well, though. God's blessed us greatly by giving them to us, and I'm glad they're here. No one could have taken over from Norm better than Craig has.
infinite || abyss
posted at 11:48 p.m.
