So it's been a couple of months now...two months of living in the big city of Chicago. Two months of walking up and down Clark Street, stopping at Trader Joe's for that special coffee I love so much. Two months of avoiding Molly's Cupcakes as often as humanly possible. Two months of hauling groceries up to my 18th floor apartment. And I can say with certainty that this is exactly where I am supposed to be, right now, at this very moment in my life.
All of the daydreams and wishful thinking, the "what if's" and "if I ever's", have led to this very moment. I was definitely not on the "move-to-the-city-in-your-thirties" track, but when life hands you lemonade...well, you know. So, here I am. Living on the 18th floor of the Fullerton Parkway Towers appreciating this magnificant view of city lights below. Sometimes I just stare out my window, wondering where all the miniature figures are going to in such a hurry. Hailing cabs, waiting at bus stops, walking here and there...each one with their own unique story. And I am quickly reminded that I, too, have a story. A new one that I am writing for my life.
It's really amazing to me just how remarkable God is. Even writing that seems like a very lack lustre way of describing how I feel. So, I'll try to explain it better. A little over a year ago, as my divorce was being finalized and I was looking ahead to what life might look like in the coming months and years, my sister Lisa would often do this thing where she'd tell me what she thought my future would look like. And it would sound something like this..."Okay, first you're going to get a great new job. Then you'll move to the city and find a great little apartment in a great little neighborhood. Then, you'll start going to Harvest (as in Harvest Bible Chapel) and someone will hear you sing. And then they'll ask you to be a part of the worship team..." And it went on from there.
And the remarkable part is that so far, every single one of those things has happened. In that order! It leaves me in awe, speechless, so overwhelmed with God's love for me. Because there is no mistaking that it is God who has orchestrated and ordained every last detail. I remember that I used to laugh when my sister would play "this is your life" and I would think to myself "Oh, wow...that would all be so fantastic and great, but could that really happen? Would that really happen?" And it did!
I am so encouraged to see what other things come to pass. I know what's next on my sister's checklist for my life but I'll spare the juicy details until I see them come true. =) At the start of this journey, I was so inspired by the words and insight of Donald Miller, in several of his books. And it's so nice to look back on the last two years and realize that I have, with God leading the way, made a conscious decision to change the course of my life, taken Don's words to heart, and started writing a better story for my life.
I am two months and counting and I continue to write my story.
