I've been putting this post off for a while now. Mainly because whenever I think about my time in Michigan I long to go back. A part of me has such a strong desire to hop on a plane, with Joshua of course, and spend the rest of my life in the magical land that is Michigan.
I'm sure if you read this, you're probably wondering what in the world is so magical or even alluring about Michigan. Well, I'll tell you.
It has been over two months since I left my favorite state, and all I want is to go back in time and soak it all in.
-It's slow paced. No one is in a rush, there isn't traffic ... ever. Everyone waves just to say hello on the highways.
-People are people there. Everyone is friendly. I couldn't imagine nicer people than the ones I met that week. I never understood why everywhere we go, Joshua always says hi to the people around him. I thought it was some sort of social anxiety, but turns out, people outside of California are much more kind than the people inside of it.
-Family. I became a part of Josh's family that week. They displayed love for each other and for me in such an amazing new way.
-God is there. God is in Michigan. He was so clearly present in Michigan. Maybe I searched harder there, maybe I prayed harder there, but whatever the case was, God was there with me. He was there in all of the Harneys. He was there when we biked around Byron Center. He was there when we took a boat across Lake Michigan. He was there when I met Grandma Lois. He was there when I stepped into lake Huron. He was there whenever I held Josh's hand. He was there.
(This is where I would love to spend the rest of my life, holding Joshua's hand.)If only I could get my mind wrapped around real life again, maybe I would remind myself that God is here too. It is so easy to see him when my life is perfect, like that week in Michigan, but back in the real world its much harder.
Josh, and the rest of his state, taught me how to love and be loved. Because of the love that I receive from him I am starting to get it. I am starting to understand that love is not a "just when I feel like it" kind of thing. Its always. Love never fails, it always perseveres. Josh is showing me what love is daily, and through that I am understanding how to be loved by a Savior.
The real world is hard. It has all of its kinks and creases.
Sometimes I just close my eyes and think about the drive up to Macinaw Island. The highways were lined with tall bright green trees and a clear blue sky. In those three hours my life seemed perfect.
Then, I open them again and remember that real love didn't just stay in Michigan. It flowed outside of its borders, into Ohio, into Wisconsin, and eventually, it made its way all the way to California.
And I am absolutely in it.
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