It’s been sometime since I’ve been to this place. I’ve missed the people, the community, the familiar. There are some hesitations both in should I go but also in balancing where I give myself to. I go, eager to fellowship again like all the wonderful times before. I arrived. I see those familiar and beautiful faces. I hear the sound of a familiar voice. Yet it was different. I listened. I found myself trying to figure out how to get comfortable in my usual spot. And despite the familiarity and desire to be there once again, I realized this same place I had literally grown into and simply loved was no longer fitting. I stayed as long as I could, trying to come up with something to remain. I wrestled within but the gift of interruption sealed the departure. No heartwarming hello’s or goodbyes. Just like that I was gone. What once was, had come to it’s official end. And yet I had a knowing all along. My longing to go back and just see solidified its very completion. It was a gift to peek back as it gave me the courage to let go and fully embrace the new and unknown.
Ashley Shuell, Journalist for Jesus ✍️
A.R.I.S.E from ash 