nothing in particular

So, as you all know by now, I am working at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Midtown Manhattan. It really is quite a little gem and I am becoming more fond of this place every single day. After the first week, I still wasn’t really feeling like I could live in Manhattan long term, and I was thinking 6 weeks could be perfect. But it really is growing on me…both the city, and this job, this church, and mostly the people in it. 

The more you move around (which I do more frequently than most people), the more you realize and understand that it’s really all about the people in your life that matters the most. It’s the relationships that mean more than anything, and those are really the only things we carry with us forever.  Leaving California was hard for me because I had to leave so many people that I had come to love and treasure dearly. Leaving my job didn’t kill me, nor my calling (it was sad yes), not even leaving the beautiful beach and views in San Clemente (unbelievable right?)…just leaving behind important relationships, cherished friendships, love and support. Every place has new views…ie. the beach was a little slice of heaven, but the Manhattan skyline is pretty amazing too. Pedro’s Tacos, yum…but NYC, come on, there is food all around to die for. Every new place has so much to experience, so much to learn about and to learn from. New people to meet and appreciate. New food to be eaten. New paths to walk and endless places to discover. New favorites to be found. Maybe those are some of the many reasons that I can’t seem to stay situated for longer than a couple years. Is that weird?

As a kid, I was a TOTAL homebody. I would cry when my parents went on vacation until I was like 13. Home was always the ultimate place of comfort for me. My older sister was always the one to be happy to leave, get away, etc. But not me. I was perfectly content at home. Safe. Comfortable. Known. How I pulled such a stark 180 degree turn around, who knows. Seriously, think about it with me…..since I graduated from high school, I lived in Hawaii for 2 years, SLC for a while, Lithuania and Latvia for 1.5 years, Provo for a couple years, California for a couple years, now in New York City for who knows how long (more to come on that), and have visited nearly 20 countries. I can decide to move to NYC one day, and a week later be living and working there – navigating the metro and buses like a pro. Change is so refreshing to me. So healthy. So powerful, meaningful, and invigorating. It breathes renewed life into me somehow. Maybe, I need to find a man who works for the state department, so we can move to a new country every 2-3 years. Awesome. But then I think about having kids, and I want to have a stable home and environment for them to grow up in……..but then again, a stable home has nothing to do with being a permanently located physical home. Which brings to me another point that I have been reflecting on and again, so grateful for amidst all the change.

The gospel. The true and living and one and only Church of Jesus Christ. No matter where I go, in the ENTIRE WORLD, it’s there. Again, that stable home principle. I can go the church any Sunday in any part of the world (except mainland China and maybe a handful of other places, soon to be changing), and it’s the same. I love that. It ALWAYS keeps me grounded. I’m inexplicably grateful for that. The only other thing in my life that can even compare to that stability, is my family. So that’s it…my family and the gospel. And as I move around and life changes, my family grows, not only by marriage and births, but new relationships with those who used to be strangers can become family. There are probably 5-10 people in my life, outside of my immediate family, who I consider to truly be family. They provide that stability, that same bond and relationship, love, and ability to keep me grounded no matter where I fly. What a blessing. Seriously.

The things I want to keep writing will just take me in circles, so I’ll probably wrap it up for now. Thanks for listening. And if any of you have any contacts in the floral/wedding/event industry in NYC…let me know.