It Is Well

A year ago today I left for my vacation to Hawaii. It seems like it was forever ago but yet I remember every minute of that trip like it was yesterday. I can still feel the sand between my toes and taste the saltwater. I can still feel the sun on my face when I would sit beside the pool or on the beach. I can still smell the air when we took a tour to the ranch where they film all the movies and television shows. I can still see all the fish and sea turtles in Huanama Bay. I still remember what it felt like parasailing over the crystal blue waters of Hawaii and I can still feel the amazement I felt when I would see the beatuiful mountains raised high above the ground. It was one of the most fun and adventurous trips I have ever taken and I honestly hope I get to go again someday. This trip has bittersweet memories for me though as it marks the end of a friendship. I know that in all reality it is for the best for both parties but when you were so close to someone and then to lose that friendship still hurts. But God has given me a peace like I've never known about this and I've moved on.

But last night I was thinking about my trip last year and what all has happened in my life since then. I've gone through quite a lot. I know that everyone can say that they've gone through a lot in a year's time and last night I was thinking about mine. Some were good and some were pretty awful. I've had my heartbroken with no understanding and at the same time realized that I had to move back home. The thing about moving home is that a lot of people don't really truly understand why I had to move home. I did it for several reasons but the main reason was my mom became ill. I waited until my lease to my apartment had run out in May and then I moved home to take care of her and to take over all the duties of cooking and cleaning and helping her get better. That was such a dark and low moment for me. I had felt like the parent/child roles had been reversed. It was a pretty surreal moment. I had felt so helpless in that I couldn't make my mom well again. I tried to be there for her emotionally, physically and spiritually. I tried to be strong through the whole ordeal but I always felt like I was going to break into a million pieces at any moment. But through it all all was well. My God never let me down. He was there every moment for peace, comfort and to be my strength. I didn't always understand why we were going through all that with my mom and why He allowed her to be sick for so many months but I trusted that He had a plan and that He always had my mom and our family in the palm of His hand.

Now my mom is doing so much better and new exciting things are happening. I've just bought my first home and will get to move into it next month. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I'm going refrigerator shopping this weekend and quite excited about it. As far as friends go, the Lord always knows who we need in our lives the moment we need them and He has blessed me beyond measure with the friends in my life. I know that there will always be hard times and that we won't always know and understand why we are going through some things we go through but through it all we can rest knowing that our Lord and Savior will be there through it all holding us and guiding us. Now, I can't wait to see what the next year holds.