Everything in life is cyclical. We're born, we live, we die, and the circle continues. I have seen so many cycles in my life, not just the human life, but experiences, friendships, all kinds of cycles. Last fall, one cycle closed for my husband, but it opened a whole new series of cycles for both of us. He lost a friend of his to cancer, which was devastating to him, however as a result we were introduced to his friend's family and circle of friends, who folded us in with their love and support instantly. The result has been a whole new batch of friendships for both of us to foster and grow, and I have been so incredibly thankful for that legacy that Andy has left us.
Letter #91 is going in tomorrow's mail to Andy's daughter Amie. The first time I met Amie I saw exactly how I have always pictured myself when I will ultimately lose my dad. She was a mess. Still smiling and trying so hard to be strong and to pay tribute to his life, his wishes and all of the beautiful and wonderful things he stood for, but she was in so much pain that I just wanted to fold her into my arms and cry with her... and we had never met before. As time has passed I have seen her several other times, and while she has gotten stronger it is clear that the loss of her father has completely rocked her to her very core. Even the thought of losing my own dad puts me in touch with those emotions, and I can empathise very deeply. At the same time, she pushes to move on, to be a strong and wonderful wife and mother, and to be a friend to those who choose to be in her life... including me. While we don't spend a whole lot of time together one-on-one, I have felt a strong connection to her, and I very much hope that our friendship will continue to grow.
I decided to write Amie to send her some love and support, and to remind her that I was grateful she has entered my life, even if we aren't the closest of closest friends. She and I have tried a few times to get together and it's never quite worked out due to schedules, etc, so I reminded her of my desire to get that together sometime and for us to spend some time hanging out and just relaxing.
Showing posts with label father. Show all posts
Showing posts with label father. Show all posts
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Letter #85 - Travis
I LOVE the name Travis. In fact, if I have a son someday, it's pretty high up on my list of potential names. I have a cousin named Travis, and a good friend of the family named Travis. Today's letter went to the latter.
What's funny is I hit the period before the "r" and so a second ago that last sentence read "latte." it's funny because Travis is a manager at Starbucks. Ok so it's funny to me.
Moving on.
My father spent the majority of my life working as full time clergy for our church. Full time clergy in our church go by the title of "Appointee". As a result, I am what is dubbed an Appointee Kid. This life is as enriching as it can be frustrating. The blessings I've had from being an Appointee Kid (AK) include having lived all over the world, having met hundreds of interesting and wonderful people, having traveled the world and learned all kinds of cool cultures, and having created bonds with other Appointee Kids. Travis is also an AK. He's older than me, so we didn't grow up attending the same camps or church functions together, but our parents worked together and were very good friends (his father performed my wedding last year). As a result, Trav and I share a bond that is unique and very meaningful to me. While we've had our own ups and downs with that life, we can understand each other on a different level, even though we may not be BFFs. We also share an interesting take on church life and spirituality because of our upbringings being so close to the church. Most people would assume this means we are either goody two shoes, or complete rebels, but mostly we fall somewhere in the middle... with deep senses of personal spirituality and a deep appreciation for the culture and community of our church while still finding ourselves somewhat skeptical and frustrated with the politics and challenges that come with running any organisation. Appointee Kids tend to see a different side of the church than most people. We see the good, but we also see the dirty underbelly. We have to learn to maintain a delicate balance so that we can operate within the community of the church, but still separate the business and frustration from our spiritual selves so we can try and avoid becoming complete cynics. Most of us are reasonably successful at walking this line, and I think almost all of us waver from time to time on one side or the other of the line.
That's why maintaining our AK bonds are important, because we help support each other during the frustrating and wavering times. Travis and I will always have a special bond, and my letter to him was to reach out and remind him of that. Also to thank him for making time for my husband and I when we were in his neck of the woods a few weeks back. It was great to see him for awhile and to get to spend some time catching up and just shooting the breeze (and eating Mexican food lol)
Travis, you rock buddy. I love ya!
What's funny is I hit the period before the "r" and so a second ago that last sentence read "latte." it's funny because Travis is a manager at Starbucks. Ok so it's funny to me.
Moving on.
My father spent the majority of my life working as full time clergy for our church. Full time clergy in our church go by the title of "Appointee". As a result, I am what is dubbed an Appointee Kid. This life is as enriching as it can be frustrating. The blessings I've had from being an Appointee Kid (AK) include having lived all over the world, having met hundreds of interesting and wonderful people, having traveled the world and learned all kinds of cool cultures, and having created bonds with other Appointee Kids. Travis is also an AK. He's older than me, so we didn't grow up attending the same camps or church functions together, but our parents worked together and were very good friends (his father performed my wedding last year). As a result, Trav and I share a bond that is unique and very meaningful to me. While we've had our own ups and downs with that life, we can understand each other on a different level, even though we may not be BFFs. We also share an interesting take on church life and spirituality because of our upbringings being so close to the church. Most people would assume this means we are either goody two shoes, or complete rebels, but mostly we fall somewhere in the middle... with deep senses of personal spirituality and a deep appreciation for the culture and community of our church while still finding ourselves somewhat skeptical and frustrated with the politics and challenges that come with running any organisation. Appointee Kids tend to see a different side of the church than most people. We see the good, but we also see the dirty underbelly. We have to learn to maintain a delicate balance so that we can operate within the community of the church, but still separate the business and frustration from our spiritual selves so we can try and avoid becoming complete cynics. Most of us are reasonably successful at walking this line, and I think almost all of us waver from time to time on one side or the other of the line.
That's why maintaining our AK bonds are important, because we help support each other during the frustrating and wavering times. Travis and I will always have a special bond, and my letter to him was to reach out and remind him of that. Also to thank him for making time for my husband and I when we were in his neck of the woods a few weeks back. It was great to see him for awhile and to get to spend some time catching up and just shooting the breeze (and eating Mexican food lol)
Travis, you rock buddy. I love ya!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)