Distance

Being away from home is never easy.  It does not get easier.  It gets harder.  Even the simple act of walking out the door is getting more difficult.  I understand what is at stake.  I sense what it does to those I love.  Simply put, being away is a sacrifice the rest of my family did not willingly offer to make.  They did not volunteer.  They are paying a high price.  Regardless of why I think I did to bring them into the decision making process, I do not believe they willingly choose to go through this gate.    
 
Distance extracts the souls in the relationship.  To make things worse, it does not give it back.  Time away carries a hidden cost that few are able to calculate in advance.  Lost opportunities are gone, I have yet to find someone you can recover them.  The downsides are extreme, invasive, and unending.
 
Yet, something comes with distance.  I have the opportunity to listen, really listen and hear, to the voices of those I love.  They may not understand, see, or appreciate the reality of my imagination.  Yet for me the conversation, listening, and learning are very real.  I value and treasure Whitney’s insights.  She has an incredible ability in succinctly analyzing a wide range of situations.  Her instinctive approach has taken taught me to improve new techniques.  The net result is that I make stronger assessments and better decisions.  Carli’s external grasp on hope, even when she is discouraged, continues to carry me through the tough days.  I find myself stepping back, listening to her laugh, and finding myself sitting at the feet of God.  Cherry’s focus always shapes my own in ways I do not fully understand.  I see life more clearly because of her.  As a result, beauty is familiar, I understand love, and I carry awe.  Distance does not change their ability to touch and change my life.
 
Today I can hear their voices mingling with God’s; “Come close, listen carefully: I've never kept secrets from you.  I've always been present with you.”  (Isaiah 48.16)