Seasons Change

She beamed at me, and told me that she was back in school studying mortuary science.

I paused, and asked her why she wanted to work in a cemetery.

She looked at me and said, "Grace, it's because dead people can't hurt you."

I did not know what to say; I only knew that in that instant, the weight of her words caused my breath to catch. 

I am in a season of transition, and am preparing to say my goodbyes to the various people who are leaving lawndale for back home, for med school, for PA school. I have seen God open my heart, and I have seen myself love the people around me to the best of my ability. And now they are getting ready to leave, and I am left with a heart that feels too heavy in my chest. Too many instances, too many moments of joy, one too many a tear and laugh and now I feel the consequences of a heart that cannot possibly say goodbye. People are not replaceable - this is something that I have learned living in Lawndale. I have attempted to savor the present relationships and now I must face the empty spaces. And this is something that I have always feared - perhaps it stems from the aftermath of a father who walked out when I was one years old.