It's a Bittersweet Symphony

So T minus four days until I leave the Last Frontier. The goodbyes have already started and the clearing out of the apartment has commenced. It's kind of a weird spectrum of emotions. From October to February, I wanted nothing more than to get the heck out of here and never look back. But in the weeks and months since, I have committed to Alaska, for better or worse. I'm not sure what exactly prompted the change of heart, but the "love the one you're with mentality" has made all the difference. I have met some truly amazing people that have touched my life in ways I couldn't have even imagined. And if I'm at all doing what I came here to do, hopefully I've impacted them in some small positive way as well. Have you ever stopped to think on moving day or on the last day of school, that you really might never see these people again? These people who were woven into the fabric of your life, these people you saw day in and day out. Realistically, I know that I will probably never see any of my Homework Club kids again. Even just the thought of that brings me to tears. While I may not get to see them every day any more, I have to trust the impact that our time together will have on them (and me) well into the future. There's a quote from the movie remember me that says it best, "Our fingerprints never fade from the lives we touch." Couldn't have said it better if I tried.

My going away party at Homework Club with some of the
coolest kids you're ever going to meet.