three weeks

Hey yall,

My plane leaves Manchester at 10am three weeks from today. With twenty one days left in England, I want to ask myself where all this time has gone.

What happened to trudging through thick snow into town with a hoarde of all the American girls our first week here? What happened to all those nights where I showed up to Cuppa wearing the exact same outfit because I only had one outfit that was warm enough? What happened to January and February, March and April? What happened to May...and the first half of June? What happened to the daffodils? When did it get warm outside? When did all the other American exchange students start going home? When did I collect all those letters and postcards that now cover my walls?

As much as these questions press on my heart, I can't say that I don't know at least part of the answer.


I didn't blink, as much as it might feel like it. No, I traveled around England and to Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Poland, Belgium, France, and Italy. I saw the world, or at least a part of it. I met some of the most amazing people I've ever known. I made friends. I climbed mountains. I played with babies. I learned new things. I had tea parties. I laughed really hard. I tried new foods. I grew up. I became a part of a community. I fell in love with another culture. I fell in love.

The past five and a half months have changed my life.

So as strange as it is that the final countdown to home is on, I actually do know where all the time has gone. It's been beautiful.

In the next three weeks I'll be soaking up my last few days in this amazing city of Chester, traveling down south again to stay with my dear friend Becca and her family, visiting the lovely Norths again for a weekend in Nantwich, going back to the Lake District for a couple nights, and then spending some time with Jon's family in Manchester for my last few days. I couldn't think of a better way to conclude this adventure...an adventure that is really just a single chapter out of a lifetime. A good chapter, a very good one.

Sitting here today looking forward to the next three weeks, and the next year, and the many years of my life that will follow, I am reminded of the importance of three things.

Faith. Hope. And love.

It all comes back to these, every time. No matter where I am or what adventure I am or am not on, these three remain.

So I wish for you faith, beautiful faith. And hope. Hold onto it firmly. And if you're reading this, thank you, I send you my love.

Love, Michelle