Megan Does Italy
No, it's not a new skin flick. It's my little sister-friend and her about-to-be greatest life adventure. She's leaving on Thursday for Italy and will be there about six weeks - studying, living in an apartment, and cruising all around discovering the wonders of cappucino and real pasta.I declare she's been packing for this trip for no less than a month now. She's emailed me packing lists so I could read through them and see what she might have omitted. She's been shopping for supplies for art class and clothes. I'm sure her packing has come down to a fine science. She probably has a mathematical formula for space times weight times distance (or something like that). Long live the obsessive compulsives! Hurrah! (Visions of a scene from As Good As It Gets - bwahahaaha.)
I know she's worried about things - and I'm not sure how to be the best friend and support I can be. In some ways, I feel I've avoided talking with her about her fears. For some reason, I view talking about them as preparing for the worst as opposed to gearing up for the best. So, we didn't really talk about it much. She's fearful of the long flights, and of being on a plane that long with that many people in such a tight space. I know where she's coming from. My blood pressure rises just thinking about it. (Tamara pauses to "shudder".)
Her Aunt "Pancake" and I both worry about her. I know I worry less than Pancake does. I worry about her safety and her health (asthma, foot problems, blood sugar level, bi-polar, fibromyaliga...etc.). She hasn't had the best of luck when it comes to health concerns. I pray Italy just heals her. I pray it just all disappears while she's there, adn never returns. Pancake worries about the decisions she might make - she trusts Megan less than I do. But Pancake takes care of her in the physical sense. I know Megan will make good decisions. I know God's already got an army of angels ready to go with her on this trip.
Lastly, I've never really understood Megan going on this trip. I mean, she'd never mentioned Italy before. There are a lot more affordable studies abroad she could have taken. And she had to take out massive amounts of student loan money to pay for it, and rely on Aunt Pancake to pay for a lot of things up front too. So, the why is less clear to me. But here's what I do know - my little sister will return a new woman. Our friendship will change, because she will change. It's exciting. I imagine our friendship will mature and our connection will deepen. Her relationship with Jason will change. She will learn alot about whether she really wants to marry him, or simply likes the idea of him. She will know more about her future and what she wants. She will bre stronger and more determined in her pursuit of those things. And she will be happier. Knowing this - the need to know the why fades into the distance.
Jelly Bean, I love you. You mean so much to me. Let Italy be God's way of revealing to you things you just didn't have the time and space and patience to find out here. No, you get to stop trying to get things out of your system and start taking them in. I feel a miracle on the horizon for you. I can't wait to hear all about it.
posted by No Longer In Crisis @ 6/28/2005 02:15:00 PM
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