parallelogram

one time, when sarah and i were first called to serve together in the (ward) relief society presidency, we had a meeting with the stake relief society presidency (so many presidencies, so little time!) where they asked us to introduce ourselves so we could all get to know each other a little better.

this is what happened.

sarah: my name is sarah. i am from denver. i have a degree in journalism. i served a mission in japan. now i work for a local non-profit.

me: my name is frances. i am from denver. i have a degree in journalism. i served a mission in japan. now i work for a local newspaper.

pause.

sarah: but i did it all first!

and so it was that we realized we had been living parallel lives all along, which is fine with me because there are few footsteps i would rather follow than sarah's.

so it made perfect sense that when sarah decided to leave her high-powered senior analyst/technical writer position in washington, d.c., she called to see if i was interested. so it made perfect sense that her call came just as i was thinking it might be time for something new. so it made perfect sense that i sent over a resume, went out for an interview, got offered the job and accepted it. so it makes perfect sense that in a little less than a month i will pack up everything and head to a new life.

now you know.

this major change will obviously be a major topic on this (major) blog in the weeks to come, but here are some initial thoughts.

1. if we do not move forward, our lives do not move forward. this means different things for all of us, but it is true for all of us nonetheless. we must change or be changed and i, for one, would rather dictate the circumstances than let them dictate me.

2. that does not mean that change is not scary and hard and it is possible that i will die of a panic attack. but i am going to embrace change anyway.

3. i am truly thrilled for a new chance, a new opportunity, a new adventure, a new challenge, new learning.

4. my heart is also breaking at the thought of leaving behind four years of life and people that i absolutely love. my life in salt lake has blessed me with things i never could have imagined would become a part of me, chief among them some of the nearest and dearest friends i have ever known. i will find good people wherever i go, but no replacements, i am sure.

5. sometimes, when we bring our true desires and efforts before the Lord, He blesses us with exactly the thing we want.

6. i have no idea how i am going to fit all my shoes into my car.