I've toyed with the idea of writing about my life for a while, but it's been quite a challenge for some time now. The whirlwind of a life that was my own has slowed down, and while it has not come to a complete stop, I am in a period of limbo or an odd transition.  There is a lot of emotion involved, both good and bad, which I think is why it is so difficult to sit and put the tornado of thoughts into enjoyable prose.  If I have learned anything, however, through all of these transitions, I have learned that there is inevitability and there is a beauty in that we can only change so much of our lives. There will always be a factor of uncertainty, owned by destiny and God and chance, and it is that uncertainty that will keep things exciting.



The greatest, most thrilling three-and-a-half years of my life have been brought to the most bittersweet end. I have graduated from college, leaving behind the beauty of Southwest Virginia, the grace of community, and the adventure that was my relationship with the school and the friends it gave me. The beauty lies in that it is not the fear of leaving behind the good that is so emotional, but the idea that that same good will transition with me as I move on to the next chapter.



I said my final goodbye to Virginia Tech as an undergraduate student on Sunday, December 17, and was escorted to Pennsylvania by a sherbet-colored sunrise over the Appalachian mountains. The seven-hour drive home was filled with memories and recollections of precious moments, triggered by lyrics from my playlists. Thoughts of swimming in quarries, freezing at football games, and the feeling of moving into my freshman dorm brought both tears and smiles.



It's a strange transition to wrap up something that had seemed to be the final goal in your life for so long. In middle school you work to get into the classes you need to have in high school in order to get into college. Then college comes and in the blink of an eye, you get the email notification that your cap and gown are ready for pick-up at the university bookstore.



At this moment, I am moved back in at home, under the same roof where I prayed I would get into the school of my dreams. Now I face the same uncertainty and anxiousness for what the future and God may have in store. I work to find comfort in that there is a plan that is invisible to me, but is painted colorfully and precisely by fate, destiny, and hope.  I pray that I continue to find serenity in what I cannot change and find motivation to conquer the things that I can change.



I will miss the life I have lived for the past few years, but I am grateful for the adventures and the people that I can take with me into this new chapter. Nervously, but graciously, I flip the page.