balloons can float and balloons can pop

Today Kearsten, my mentor and friend, ate with me for the last official time. We talked about the future and decided that neither of us knew what was going to happen, but we were both optimistic. I can't begin to express my thankfulness for Kearsten. She has so much joy and enthusiasm and energy. She loves Jesus and people so much. Unfortunately for IWU, but very fortunately for some other unknowns, she is graduating.

I have a tendency to express myself in analogies. I told Kearsten that I felt as though she was holding onto balloons and floating slowly away, leaving me on the ground. She laughed and admitted that she thought I was going to say that we were both holding onto balloons, but her balloons were popping and she was falling. What different approaches to the same concept.

I haven't been very sad about this year ending, but as I think about Kearsten leaving, along with some other seniors that I have the opportunity to get to know, I finally start to realize the implications of Time.

But I think I'm going to pretend like it's my choice for now. I can choose to take another balloon or I can choose for a balloon to pop. Here's the part where I hold out my hand expectantly. I'm ready.