A Tale of Two Feet: Goodbyes and Endings

Perfect driving weather!

I made a quick trip home for Easter this weekend. And when I say quick, I mean quick. About 30 hours. I hadn't been home for Easter in three years, so I definitely wanted to since I could, and it would be the only chance I had to see my parents before I leave for East Asia in two weeks (agh!). Amanda wasn't able to make it home, so today I stopped by Tech on my way back to Johnson City to drop off her Easter basket and some other stuff from home. As I took Exit 118B off of 81 and onto 460 a thought hit me. This would be the last time I visited the OMG. Two years ago Amanda, Brittany, Melanie, Emily, and Amanda Mae moved into a townhouse in a development named Oak Manor. They had known the girls who had lived in the townhouse before them, and they had named themselves the Oak Manor Girls and the townhouse got the name OMG for short. When Amanda and her crew moved in they became OMG Phase 2, but we mostly still call it the OMG. Anyways, over the past two years I've spent quite a bit of time at the OMG. For football games, quick visits on my way to or from Lynchburg, and more recently, things revolving around Amanda and Jonathan. What I have loved is that during all this time at the OMG I've gotten to know all of Amanda's roommates really well. And I know I've talked about this before, so I'll try not to get too repetitive. But I love that I don't go to Blacksburg just to see and spend time with Amanda, but with her whole house. You know how it is when you hang out with a friend who brings one of their friends that you don't know and it usually ends up being kind of awkward? It isn't like that when I visit Amanda. It doesn't matter if she's around or not, I can still be with her friends and we have a fabulous time. But since they are all graduating in three weeks and moving away, today was my last visit to the OMG. Thankfully, I knew this wasn't going to be my last trip to Blacksburg. Sherri lives there and I'm sure I'll be visiting her. So this wouldn't be my last time driving down 460 craning my neck to see Lane Stadium and Cassell Colesium. And I am oh-so-thankful that this wouldn't be my last time seeing the girls. They're all bridesmaids, so we'll be together again this summer. Knowing those things made it easier, otherwise I probably would have cried. After I had hugged them, told them to enjoy the last few weeks of school, and said goodbye until this summer, I got in my car, admired the beautiful view of the mountains across the street, and turned right out of Oak Manor for the last time. It was sad. I thought about change and endings for a while after that, and how even though they are sad, they are necessary and often good. Life is meant to change and be lived in seasons. You're supposed to graduate from high school and go off to college. You're supposed to graduate from college and go do your own thing. You're supposed to get married and start your own family. Granted, everyone's life doesn't look like this, and I know that. But the fact is, endings are good because it means you're moving forward in your life. Ending old things, yet starting new ones. Yes, it was sad that today was my last visit to the OMG, but there would be a problem if I was still visiting all five of those girls there, five years from now. This has been a great season in their life, but that season is over. And that's ok. It's good. It means bigger and better things are yet to come!