GOOD BYES

BC & I took our "College Adopted Students" to dinner tonight. We were celebrating Gracie's graduation from Tech this weekend. She will be receiving her degree in Civil Engineering--QUITE THE ACCOMPLISHMENT!

Grace came into our lives four years ago. She was attending our church and signed up to be "Adopted" by a local church family. Gracie was from Nairobi, Kenya and came to LA Tech for the excellent engineering program. She has been a delight in our lives. I originally adopted two students for a selfish reason. I was in hopes that someone would treat my daughter the same while she was so far from home. God turned my selfishness into a Blessing! We have loved both of our "Adoptees". Gracie's life was always full of drama-quite a change for a No-Drama person. Meriedth was just the opposite-perhaps even my soul mate-quiet-task oriented-responsible--a lot like me.

We are saddened to see Gracie move, but rejoicing for her accomplishments. She has supported herself while here and has not been home and seen her parents in five years. Through hard work, scholarships, and determination she has accomplished her goal. All she needs now is a job in her chosen field. It has proven to not be a good time to be entering the work force, but I feel certain that when given a face to face interview-she will sell herself.

I told Gracie that there are those that would think we were like two ships on a vast ocean that just happened to pass. I chose to believe that God directed our paths to cross and I am thankful. Our lives have been blessed by her friendship and I will always remember her fondly and with a little laugh. We left her with a hug and a promise to stay in touch. I am always amazed at those that God places in our lives and thankful for the blessing of their impact on our lives. Gracie will leave a void in my life, but as with any vacuum I am looking for something to fill it and anticipating God's intervention with another to love.