The last few weeks have been anything but calm. Life has buzzed by me so quickly in a complete state of chaos, that multiple blog posts I had every intention of publishing simply never happened. And here I am only to announce that I'll be continuing this silence for a few more weeks. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't grinning from ear to ear as to why.
I'm leaving for Paris in a couple of days with Sarah-one of my very best friends.
The word I would use to describe my friendship with Sarah is real. We don't put on a show to make ourselves appear stronger or more put together than we really are. We show up as ourselves- no matter how messy that may be. And because of that, we've been through a lot together.
Sarah is the person where I walk in without knocking. Who I can fall in her lap and cry without needing to explain a story or give details. She just hugs me and strokes my hair and tells me everything is going to get better. She's who I start many mornings with, watching the sunrise on the back porch while we drink coffee and read our Bibles and talk about God's faithfulness. She's who always has a bottle of wine open for me to drink whenever I see the light on inside. Who I stay up late with talking about whatever is on my heart that day. She's my rock.
The last couple of years have coincidentally been difficult ones for both of us as individuals. We've walked alongside one another through times of heartache and sorrow, and we booked this trip several months ago when we were right in the middle of it all. But this trip was never a grand gesture of our self-pity or an excuse to baby ourselves or something we bitterly barked about how much we deserved it. This trip isn't about anything that we lost these last couple of years. It's to celebrate everything that we've gained.
God shows up in ways you don't expect and molds you into the person he created you to be. Through this process, we've each gained genuine faith that's been earned and fought hard for. We've gained vulnerability and bravery and learned the importance of sharing your story. We've gained new friendships that have enriched our lives that we otherwise may have never met. And we've gained hope that Jesus makes all things new and beautiful, like a Phoenix that rises from the ashes.
We've gained the knowledge that we were stronger than we ever thought. As Shauna Niequist says:
“I know now that I can make it through more than I thought, with less than I thought. I know better than to believe that the changes are over, and I know better than to believe the next ones will be easier, but I've learned the hard way that change is one of God's greatest gifts and one of his most useful tools. I've learned that life hands us opportunities at every turn to get over ourselves, to get outside ourselves, to wake up from our own bad dreams and realize that really lovely things are happening all the time.”
Lovely things are happening all the time- things like growth and adventure and trips to Paris. I can't help but smile when I look back at how much has changed. The Sarah I know now is completely different than the Sarah I knew even a year ago- and she had to fight hard to become her. And she reminds me of that in myself too. And if you ask me, I think that's a pretty legit reason to celebrate.
So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to continue my posting hiatus on here for a few more weeks so I can do just that in Paris. Celebrate the new, celebrate this journey, and celebrate all the goodness still ahead.
In the meantime, we'd love for you to follow along the way on Instagram (@blonde_atlas and @sarahcdesign)
Au Revoir!
A huge thanks to Le Macaron for donating the most delicious macaron treats and to Catherine from Catherine Truman Photography for capturing these dreamy pictures for us!
