finger painting my life

There's nothing more beautiful

than a fresh canvas,

awaiting a masterpiece

to be held on its fibres.
 

This past weekend

amidst the chaos of dramatic productions

and all things Pan, 

I had lingering moments

to reflect on life -

over three years of life -

spent in a small fort

down by the river.

My life has been a bit of

here

there

and everywhere...

and there are many places

I have been privileged to call home.

Fort Saskatchewan is one of them.

The one thing that makes a home for me

has never been the location,

but people.

Altho Alberta

has not always afforded comfortable temperatures,

it has never been shy

on the gems of it's populace.

There are people that will pass

in and out of your life

without a trace...

and then there are those

that will leave their fingerprints

imprinted all over your memories,

your thoughts,

your heart...

The friend crazy enough to road trip.

The student that hugs you every day.

The farmer that fixes your car.

The nites of coconut shrimp,

movies and sleepovers,

coffee runs,

mache

and tissue paper poofs.

The legends

of people falling out of trees,

oversized porcupines,

and missing felines.

There are so many things

that have burrowed their way

into my heart.

My soul.

My mind.

My memory.

This weekend we grieved the loss

of a husband,

a father,

a humble servant in our church community.

His fingerprints were etched across my canvas

in simple service,

and in pondering his life,

I looked around a room full of people

that have branded my life

with their own.

In the rareness of that moment

I felt the overwhelming reality

their fingerprints

have forged on my life.

And I cried.

That "tear in my eye"

finally fell

at the thought of how much

you all mean to me.

How much I have taken for granted

the time we were gifted with.

The boxes have already begun

to pack themselves...

and as each shelf is emptied,

my heart grows heavy.

Because I don't know how to say good-bye.

Because "thank-you" couldn't possibly cover

all we've walked through together.

All we've shared.

The memories.

The laughter.

The tears.

The chaos.

The vent sessions.

The ridiculous.

The exhaustion.

The vast amounts of life.

And as a fresh canvas begins to unfold before me...

I'm left with nothing to do

but trust,

in the God who led me here,

and is now calling me to new things.

But a new masterpiece 

has made it's way onto the hallways of my thoughts.

It is hung with over 3 years of memories...

of doing life together.

So for lack of a better word...

Thank-you.

For sharing your life.

For walking through mine.

For giving me your friendship.

You will always hold a special place in my heart.

You will never be forgotten.

Your fingerprints remain.

And I love you all.