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Friday, August 5, 2011

Praying for Peonies


What a busy few weeks I have coming up. Tomorrow I'm flying to Chicago to visit my family for 5 days. I'm so excited I can't wait! I think I'll have to hug Joseph and Angela for at least an hour each before I put them down, and let's not even talk about how long I'm going to hug Lillian. Gosh I miss my family!! I have so many fun things planned out for the trip in my mind... actually, mostly just sitting around reading fairy tales and poetry with Joe and Ang all day. I love reading to them and they like listening (I mean they might just be pretending they like it to be nice, but I don't think they're that good at acting, or that polite either haha). I'm dying to grill Cathy about her summer teaching inner-city students and living with a bunch of my friends. Lillian's new apartment is just crying out for me to come visit and stay on her couch. And Maria is getting ready for college, so she will need to hear all of my best college advice. Pointer number one: Don't go to frat parties! (Something tells me she's not going to listen to anything I say... do little siblings ever?)

Then there's all the friends I've missed too. I haven't seen Maggie in a good two months, and as her Maid of Honor, that's just unacceptable. How can she ever make a single decision about the wedding without me?? She needs me there. Mary, meanwhile, is gearing up for her last year of college and I can't wait to hear about her trips to Boston and LA this summer. Not to mention how much I want to talk over with her all the ups and downs of my life; she's pretty much the most sensible person I've ever met and her life advice is simply golden. I want the updates on Susie's life before she heads off to be a FOCUS missionary, Claire is sure to entertain us all with her funny escapades, and I'm eager to hear about Anna's latest adventures before she jets to NYC for her senior year of college. Mary and I have already started planning the girls' reunion for Tuesday night. Seriously, is there anything better than old friends? I think not.

One small hitch: I haven't started packing for the trip yet. Ah well, no matter. I shall not think of this subject again until approximately 10 pm tonight if I can possibly help it.

When I get back from Chicago, a whole new adventure begins: my move to Arlington, VA. My wish for the move and the start of this new chapter is that God will send me peonies. I don't know what their technical meaning is, but to me these beautiful flowers symbolize love, hope, beauty, faith, and comradeship. I want to find all of those things in my new home and in the friends I'll gather round me. If the summer so far has been indication, my peonies are right around the corner.

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