Distance does a lot for...

A good friend of mine recently traveled eleven hours by car to attend his sister's graduation ceremony from nursing school. His other relatives traveled from all over the country and his parents actually traveled from half away across the globe to make sure that they were there to support her and congratulate her. I can only imagine how special she must have felt with her family there. In six months, I too will enjoy the sweet smell of success by graduating with my Master's degree. All of the blood, sweat, and tears, sleepless nights and staying up for days to study for exams will be over and I will walk down the platform with my cohort and hear my name called with honors. It is a very proud and important moment for me, all of my hard work culminated into that one amazing moment. However, there are very different circumstances for me. Most of my family members will not be there. It's not the same for me to have them send a belated card. I want them there, I want them to share this moment with me. Yet they refuse to travel a mere five hours to attend, claiming it is too far. I don't know whether it is selfishness on my part or what, but there seems to be such a void without them there. It hurts more than I can know.

Everything's alright

Sometimes I feel like life is such a balance, never too good and never too bad. I often, at least lately, ponder why that is. Sometimes I think that life never gets too good, or too "perfect" becuase if it did, I may lose my reliance on the One who gave the goodness. And I never want to be that way. I suppose life never gets too bad to keep me from blaming Him and turning away. I find myself ever thankful for the balance, ever thankful that things are not in my fragile hold, but His.