This pequenito light of mine: I moved to California

What in the world?

Today, I am in Southern California. It happened - I moved. 6 days ago to be exact. Out my window are...are you ready for this?....palm trees. AND, I can see mountains, which - I have been informed, aren't actually mountains, they're "foothills."

As a procrastinator in life, big moves like these just seem to happen in a blink of an eye because little preparation goes into it all - also because the decision was made a little over a month ago.

Goodbyes this time around were not easy. Two days before the big move, I was driving home with some friends from a little weekend getaway, when it finally hit like a ton of bricks. Things will never be the same, and I chose this. Ouch. It hurt. I have to say goodbye to these people I love and have shared my life with. My home church and my family. What ensued I was not ready for, tons of tears, in public tears! How lame! I usually like to cry after the people have left, but in front of, just makes the pain seem ten times worse. For fifteen minutes I pretended to sleep but actually, what I was doing, was gulping down the tears and wiping them under my little black jacket. In the past, I just denied change when it was happening which resulted in months of clinging on tightly to the past, which as we all know, is long gone.

A few months ago, a friend texted me the verse, "And Lots wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt." I remember reading it as a kid and immediately after bouncing up the stairs to ask my mom, "REALLY, God can do that!?! SALT! He turned a woman into SALT!?"

As an adult, my question was more like, "REALLY, He turned her into salt for that!? We really shouldn't look back!?" Nope. Just in case we doubt it, Jesus also told us in Luke 9:62, "No one who puts a hand to the plow, and looks back, is fit for service in the Kingdom of God."

I think as these next steps are taken forward, it's important to appreciate what was, and look forward with confidence that God is present and actively working. Instead of yearning for what once was, to take joy in the present and live life to the fullest in the here and now.

So California. What's it like? It's hot. It's new. It's different. And I can't even imagine the type of stories that will be lived out here. My roommates and I are excited and ready to open our doors to families and friends this year from all walks of life. I have yet to start classes and will spend the next two weeks job hunting and preparing for whatever may come. Here we goes!