The Beginning

Many years ago I was looking for something fun to do with my daughter for her birthday. By now, I don't remember what year that was. A co-worker recommended I take her to Ann Arbor to a very special delicatessen for lunch and spend some time hanging out at Kerrytown Mall (not the typical, but a very special place all housed in one old style building). So, we did.

Ann Arbor, despite it's size and the fact that it houses a campus community of many thousand students right in the middle of it, has a unique small town ambiance about it. It is a fun place to hang out with lots of interesting shops to wander around in. It was the beginning of something we'd do once in a while just for the fun of it and because sometimes you just need to go to Zingermans.

My daughter loved Ann Arbor. It was a town where she always wanted to live. Well, finally, she has rented a spot in Ann Arbor and next Friday, June 1, her lease begins and she will be moving in. She is excited and scared to death all at the same time.

Jamelah has signed up to take a 10 week course in Arabic (1 year of the language crammed into 10 short weeks). When she began considering that she might take the class we had a really good feel about it. This seemed to be a good direction for her to take her life. So, she applied, got accepted and began figuring out a budget that would get fees paid and expenses for the period she would be there. Once the plan began to take shape she resigned her job. This made it really final, but there was no need to hang onto a position, that only provided a small income, but did not provide any hope for the future. Sometimes it was a bit intimidating, but always we felt an assurance that this was a step that God wanted her to take and that He would provide for her as she walked out in faith.

I will be babysitting Sweet Pea since she couldn't find a sublet where she could take her "baby" with her. Ann Arbor is a short 45 minute drive from home and I'm sure she will be coming home to see us and do fun stuff like laundry.

It seems strange to think that "my baby" will be leaving home. Her only time away was the semester she spent in Venice. Somehow, I think this is the beginning of her life adventure. Looking for that something she can pour herself into. I am praying and hoping for doors and opportunities to open for her. It is the beginning. Or maybe, the beginning was that Saturday years ago when we spent the day hanging out in Ann Arbor and eating at Zingermans.