Lately my mind has been so caught up in the idea of graduating a week from today. For the past few days all I have been able to think has been the following:

-No more classes - praise the Lord!

-I'm moving to a really cool city with a really good friend, how fun!

-I will no longer be defined as "student"

-The idea that I am leaving the place I've called home for 4 years isn't hitting yet

But today that happened. Here I was all excited about no more classes and spending a Saturday with some amazing people. I went to the church to help out with Bound4Freedom and it was there that it happened. In the church community that I have grown to love and really call family over the past year. I was in a small room with about eight beautiful ladies and we were working away at making memory books for a Uganda preschool. Down the hall some amazing men and women were painting away in the kid's room, and my brothers and sisters were out front making our community garden. The next thing I know all of us were in the coffee room eating some hamburgers and ice cream, thanks to good ol' Paul, and that's when I realized it.

This place really has been my home for four years. These people that I am in communtiy with are my family. Some I have known all four years, and others I just met this past summer. We are a young church and last year we had so many dreams of what we would be. Those dreams are starting to take shape and now it's time for me to pack up my bags and leave.

Although I am super excited for what lays ahead for both the communtiy and myself, I find it hard to say goodbye.