last.

word of the day: last \ˈlast\ at the end; to continue in time

Last is kind of a funny word when I really think about it. A word to mean both the end and the continuance of something. There’s power in those definitions which I will likely continue to ponder, but the base definition works perfectly for the purpose of this particular musing.

The last wordy musing (at least in this specific space).

My brain has always worked a little like a hamster wheel; it often spins endlessly with all my various thoughts bumping around disjointed and frustrated because I can’t put an order to them. Since the inception of this blog in 2010, Jake has sensed this spinning many times and has often said to me, “I think you need to write.” (His other highly effective suggestion? “Why don’t you just go walk around Target for an hour?” He knows me so well.)

This space has helped me process a remarkable number of life stages and changes: my first teaching job, the beginning of medical school, a trip to Africa, our first baby, the adjustment to that first baby, my disdain for medical school personified, a move away from our home, a move to a new home, anniversaries (a handful of them!), birthdays, and even that minor identity crisis because of a tube of coral lipstick I bought one summer day.

We’ve been in Cleveland for almost a year now, and writing has continued to served as a sort of personal therapy to help me process the fact that change is certainly a constant presence in my life. But, as I have continued to spin the hamster wheel in my mind, I have started to feel like I need a new space--a broader place to air out my thoughts.

So, this is the last of my Wordy Musings (it deserved a sense of closure, I think).

That being said, my thoughts and reflections about my quest to live this life well will certainly last (the hamster wheel is always spinning, after all), so I created a new space for them HERE.

I’ve been writing and posting in this new space for a few weeks while I try to reevaluate why I put thoughts out in a public sphere. I mean who really cared about all those Oscar Parties I used to throw?

But then I remember the ways my thoughts connected me to people in ways which wouldn’t have been possible if I’d kept the words to myself. Text messages and comments and conversations which reminded me that I’m not alone in this thing. And that’s what it’s really about, isn’t it? Using our words and stories and experiences to connect to each other, support each other, and point back to the One who ultimately uses the words for His good.

So, I’m going to keep telling my story, and I’d love it if you’d come along with me.