Lasts and Goodbyes

About a year ago I wrote this post about Beth moving out. I thought it would be nice to do a mirror post, 1 year on, about me moving out.

It felt like an incredibly long time waiting, seeking, making decisions, changing decisions before I knew for sure what my path would be in 2010. I'm thrilled to say that I'm now employed at a great university in Melbourne working on a very interesting project.

There was about a week between thesis submission and moving, and that whole phase is simply a blur. I know I had a lot of goodbye dinners, lunches, breakfasts, and coffees. After each one I had a heightened awareness of the depth and breadth of relationships I have been blessed with in Wollongong, which served to make me increasingly emotional and in truth, probably made it harder to leave. But I wanted it to be hard - I thought the harder it was to leave, the more credit it gave to my time in Wollongong.

There's a few events that will always stand out in my mind. The first is dinner at Fireworks followed by drinks at Otis with all the tight crew. It was a lovely night, not just because of the food, the location, and the great company. But because it was so many people around a table that love one another and support one another in the expression of their gifts and the pursuit of their own path. After the harrowing events of January, it was especially meaningful to have Beth at the table.

The second is lunch at Mylan with all the bible study girls. I've led a small group for young women over the last 3 years, and these women are like sisters to me. I suppose they are sisters, in the biblical sense. They organised to have a farewell lunch for me at Mylan, the same restaurant we had our first small group dinner at. Over time, this group became a place for the expression of love, belonging, and service to one another, in a way I don't think I have ever seen in another small group. I'm grateful for the way God has used this group to teach us about Christian community.

The most emotional "last" was my last Women Time. These women, for almost 5 years, have upheld me in prayer and I have enjoyed beautiful friendships with them. The trust, the love, the bonds, and the prayer that weave together friendships like these are not to be taken for granted. I fear I have at times taken the friendships I have found in these women for granted. Their value has become especially apparent as I have discussed for most of the year the likelihood of moving away from Wollongong. We ate, we shared, we cried (well, I cried) and we prayed. With me now in Melbourne there's an empty seat - but another remarkable woman and friend Shannon will be filling that spot. I pray God continues to use the slightly amended group in an increasingly powerful way.

The last night in my house with Katie and Shelley is another "last" that is particularly significant. Most of the living room furniture had been moved out, and we were awaiting the new furniture of Mel, the up-and-coming housemate. So we sat on the floor, ate prawns, and watched Friends - once again the "end of an era" episode featured where Rachel and Monica stop living together. Mel called around and we all had a beer together (I think Shelley drank Coke) and made out with the old, in with the new jokes. I felt sad at not having the chance to live with Katie and Mel, as was the original plan. After awhile Mel went home and Katie and Shelley and I had a sleep-over, and slept on mattresses on the floor in the lounge room. I felt like I was saying goodbye not only to great housemates, but also to the place I had called home for 5 years. It will be an odd feeling to go back and see no trace of either Beth nor I.

I want to say that Katie and I had a particularly fun year living together. It's an unusual phenomenon that happens when two close friends live together. But something about sharing the day-to-day with one another builds intimacy, and if the friendship is deep enough, it's almost effortless. Thanks for living with me and being my sister Katie! I was sorry to leave you.

Finally, a last breakfast at Lee and Me. I had told people I was going to have my last breakfast there in case they wanted to join - and so many people came! Kids and all! We took up the whole community table and I was having Pierre's Farm flashbacks. There was joy, there was sadness, and there was food, and coffee. The little private moments with many of the people there are what will truly stand out. It was a perfect "last".

Except that Shan and Chi couldn't make it. Shan came to visit at my parent's place that afternoon, and after she left is when I really lost it.

The next day, before the crack of dawn, Dad, Pop and I started off on our Hume Highway journey with 2 cars and an over-packed trailer. The story from here will be told in another post.