"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way" (Dickens, Tale of Two Cities)
It always seems that the hardest part to write is the beginning! Jay and I have talked about starting a family blog ever since we got married, and it only took about 2 years to write something! I decided to start with the opening words of a writer much more talented than me, and I hope he wouldn't mind :-)
As we begin our new adventure in Montgomery, those opening lines from Dickens came immediately to mind. Often, the world around us is one paradox after another. Wisdom and foolishness, belief and incredulity, Light and Darkness, hope and despair. The best and the worst, simultaneously! From our perspective, moving for a new job and planting our family in a new place looks like we have both "everything before us" and "nothing before us!" As we near the end of the 20s in age, it is easy to feel as if we have our whole lives and many dreams ahead of us. And yet, life is but a breath! We are fragile humans, and our home is not in this world. Every corner of the earth is experiencing death and despair at this very moment. Many people are feeling joy, and a lot more are burdened with pain. Paradoxes, indeed!
We turned in our apartment keys in Birmingham two days ago. As we drove south, I could not help but reflect on our time in the Magic City. I remember driving from my parents' home in the suburbs of Atlanta (Powder Springs) to B'ham in the summer of 2007 to begin law school. With only a handful of contacts in B'ham and with law school a foreign concept to me, I was nervous to say the least. Now in 2013, while driving away from B'ham, I rode the highway remembering all that happened during my time there. I met my husband the first week of law school, although we would not start dating until a couple of years later. Law school became less of a foreign concept, and Jay and I graduated and passed the bar exam after our 3 years of study, prayers, blood, sweat, and tears!! We found treasured friendships. We found a wonderful church home. We took many walks through the B'ham Botanical Gardens, and on one of those walks, Jay knelt at the Friendship Bell and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. We got married on a rainy and glorious Saturday in March, and we have enjoyed 2 amazing years of marriage. We added 2 cats to our family (Poppins and Penny). We saw the births of precious nieces and nephews during our time in B'ham! We saw our friends marry and become parents. I traveled to Eastern Europe for the first time, which was an incredible experience and a tremendous building block for my career. We started our legal careers, and I opened a law firm!
During that drive a couple of days ago, my mind replayed more memories than I could ever hope to write. But the one part that stands out from the rest is the people. Our best memories are those we experienced with others! With each other, with our family, with our friends, and with those we tried to serve. Driving away from B'ham that night, I knew that I was leaving a part of my heart with our loved ones there.
As we grow at our new home, may we carry with us the Light of Christ and Hope for the world. And just as Moses asked of the Lord, may God's Presence go with us! (Exodus 33)
~ LJH
