A Few Good Friends

To Fusion Youth

This one's for you guys:

In the end, it isn't about the grade you made or the songs you played or the places you went. it's about the people. it's always about the people: who you grew up with, who you met along the way, who changed your life, who taught you a lesson, who loved you good and well. When you have hit the end of one path, you stand at the brink. you look forward to the joys and the sorrows, and hopefully you trust God with it all. You look back and revel in how time has flown. you remember the good times and swallow the hard. You remember those who walked away and those who stayed. You forgive and you move on. You love until you can't love anymore, and then Jesus steps in, and you love them some more. The future calls and you must answer. you look back one more time, only to be met with teary eyes on both sides of the line. You question whether or not to move forward, but in the end you know you must. So you close your eyes and you take a step into the next chapter. you cry for the ending of the old chapter because life as you knew it is no longer. and as you walk forward, you feel in your pocket a note. You know what it could be, so you open it with great force. It's a letter from the other side. You know the cliche lines, but you read them joyfully. and as you read between the lines, you realize that what you always wanted was accomplished. you realize that you did in fact make an impact. that you left a footprint in the dust. It was never a question of whether or not you were loved, but more of, what will they remember me by? and now you know. and, yeah, it makes moving on all the more hard. but the words on those pages, now drenched in tears of your own, prove that passion and a good heart will take you to places you never thought possible. and pick you up a few good friends along the way.

and now as I look back, I only have fond memories of my time at Fusion Youth. Yes, I remember every trip, every moment of splendor, and the struggle and redemption we endured together, but what I remember most are the faces. because that's what it's always about: the people who i grew up with, who i met along the way, who changed my life, who taught me lessons, who stuck by my side and who loved me good and well. who now have broken my heart because I can no longer stand the thought of leaving them. Today, I am humbled to know that I made some sort of impact in the lives of those younger kids and I am blown away by their huge hearts full of love. In the end, it was never about me and my experiences. but about the people that shared this chapter of my life. I am forever grateful for all that they are to me.

May the Lord bless you and keep you

May his face shine upon you

and be gracious unto you

May the Lord lift his countenance upon you

and give you peace.

#FusionYouthLove