Praising in the storm....

So my life has been going by too fast....waay too fast. I am in week 4 of my 2nd student teaching placement - December 10th is coming soon! I am enjoying 4th grade but I do miss the little 2nd graders often.

You know what I despise most about being away from home? Being away from my church body. Honestly, I am okay that I have my own church and pastor here with amazing messages. However, i miss seeing the people I've known for over half of my lifetime and have seen me change over the years. I especially hate it when people get sick and are in trouble and I have to hear it from my mom or from friends on Facebook.

Like tonight. About a month ago, a friend that I've known since I did the easter pageants at church (I was 14? something like that) was in a car accident with her husband. From their site, I quote: "Apparently there was a truck on the road that they hit (both were going the same direction) and the majority of the impact was on Carolyn's side of the car. They had to cut her out of the car and medivac her to the Spartanburg hospital in South Carolina.

She was coherent and talking immediately after the crash but later became unconscious. She is currently in the Neurological ICU and they have isolated the bleeding as much as possible, while they perform a MRI."

Now, a month later, the news appears on her CaringBridge site:

Dear Friends,
With a heavy and yet rejoicing heart I report to you that our Mom, Carolyn, has been promoted to Glory....

Can I just tell you that my heart hurt so, so much when I heard this? That I literally had to run from my "post" where I was at work into the bathroom and cry for a good 5 minutes before I could even remotely pull myself together to go back out and finish the last 10 minutes of work? I bawled on my roommates' shoulder when we got to my car; she took my keys and drove for me to IHOP where we celebrated the life of my friend.

I know where she is, and I am glad although I miss her terribly. I realize that although she is gone, her legacy will live on in the Easter pageants at church, through friends, and other ways. I know she's also having a blast up in heaven, free of her body and with her Creator.

Life goes on, but it's hard for me to go on....