Wednesday, February 22, 2012

A Lesson Learned and a Final Goodbye

Current City: Dallas, TX... my new home


Life has a funny way of taking turns when you least expect it. If anyone still follows this, you probably have noticed that it has taken me about 9 months to finally write. AmeriCorps has been over for about 7, and last I left you I was supposed to go back as a Team Leader. Well, as some of you know, if not all of you now know, that didn't quite happen the way I had intended. And it has taken me about 7 months to put back together the pieces that remained of me after hitting a brick wall.I am finally starting to feel like myself again. And as each day passes I am finding closure to every unraveled end that had left me in limbo.


I guess in a sense I was avoiding this blog. More or less because I was afraid of the wounds that it would reopen by posting on it or even rereading it. It made everything real again, and the fantasy that I had been living for months, forgetting that anything had ever happened would come to an end. But to be honest, the more I tried to push the memories away, the more AmeriCorps would come back. Like it or not, it changed me. I am no longer who I was the 10 months before I started on a journey that would change my life. 


I am stronger, healthier, wiser, and my passion and love for people has grown in ways that I never thought it could have. I learned how to handle different situations- some learning what not to do in certain situations, but then again we all make mistakes. I learned that not all situations can be controlled, and sometimes you have to embrace change and just enjoy the ride. Most importantly, I learned how to forgive and accept, not only other people, but myself. 


My team- 11 strangers- became my family. Like a typical family, we disagreed, fought, and sometimes even screamed at each other. But in the end we forgave each other and still loved and accepted one another for who they were. And although we do not talk a lot, some more than others, and everyone has started their own individual life, I still love and cherish each one of them. I think about them every day, and would still do anything for them. So thank you Water 6 for everything you have taught me and an amazing 10 months. I will never forget you.


So here's to a new chapter, amazing memories, and picking up the pieces and moving on.... 


Love always,


Kris