the words are lost

You know when you find someone who is almost exactly the same person as you, and you learn from them over a week and immediately look up to them, and then you have to say goodbye?
And then you try to keep up with the emailing and staying in touch, and then one day that person's email sparks an idea and your dad starts looking up airplane ticket prices at 11pm and you find one.  And then you FB message that person, and text them too, but hope she's not sleeping because now it's midnight.  Then that person replies in the morning and suddenly, Mia's coming to Texas.

How do things like this happen?

To be honest, I've seen it happen a lot.  Because God is always working miracles.

Fast-forward two weeks, when Mom and I get up at 6:30am to drive to the airport.  We drive the loop a few times, waiting for the flight to land.  Then she texts that she's outside, and we drive up to the arrivals area.  Is that her?  Is that her?  As soon as the car stops, I jump out and Mia gives me one of her hugs.  I think they get tighter and tighter every day.  The hug she gives me two nights before she leaves nearly kills me - it was the best I've ever gotten and boy do I wish I could have another one now.

I believe that once you share life - share Jesus - with a friend (are encouraged, challenged, counseled by them), you can never go back to regular conversations.  It's impossible to be satisfied with surface level stuff.  "Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander."  Amen.

God truly blessed the time we had with Mia.  He orchestrated moments of fun that have never happened before.  Six of my best friends also knew Mia from camp - either as their small group leader or as a fellow staffer.  Throughout the week, we ran into two of them at the mall (which was helpful to walk into Forever 21 with a support group) and three of them at Anatomy and Physiology (where we also dissected a sheep heart and tested our blood types).  Can you ask for better memories?  I think not.

That's my kind of friend, y'all.  The tight-huggers, long-texters, deep-thinkers and feelers. The fun and thoughtful friends who don't hesitate to make fun of each other's awkward-looking pictures during the photoshoot they do together.  The ones you love to watch laugh, the ones who have radiant faces because of their radiant hearts.

You can probably imagine how hard - impossible - it was to say goodbye.  I will never forget the night before Mia left, when we were both sitting on the couch, just waiting.  Any last words before the morning were lost, and we just sat there, looking at each other with droopy eyes and smiles, and suddenly Mia says, you need to hear this song.

here i am waiting
i'll have to leave soon
why am i holding on
we knew this day would come
we knew it all along
how did it come so fast

this is our last night
but it's late
and i'm trying not to sleep
cause i know
when i wake
i will have to slip away

and when the daylight comes i'll have to go
but tonight i'm gonna hold you so close
cause in the daylight we'll be on our own
but tonight i need to hold you so close

oh woah oh woah oh woah ohhhh

the sky is getting bright
the stars are burning out
somebody
slow it down

this is way too hard
cause i know
when the sun comes up
i will leave
this is my last glance
that will soon be memory

So here I am, back again, trying to write about the experiences for which words aren't sufficient.  It's taken me about 4 weeks to piece this post together, because I am forever trying to find those non-existent words that tie it all together and satisfy my heart and mind.  But I am continually drawn back to singing that "You are more, You are more than my words will ever say."  And do you know how much comfort and satisfaction I find in that?

I don't need perfect words when I have the perfect Word.

Hence, our shopping trips.

Matchy-matchy took on new (and good) meaning.  

For every shopping trip we made, we usually bought at least one of the same things.