I thought I would take a break from my testimonial story to relate some of the recent events in my life. There has been so much going on these last couple of weeks and I haven’t had the time to stop and think about things. It’s hard even now because I haven’t had a moment alone, it seems, in quite some time to reflect. I’m now sitting in the Comfort Inn at Valdosta, Georgia in a room with my cousin, Josh Hall, and friend, Dave Stickel. We intend to go to Wild Adventures Theme and Water Park tomorrow.

The weekend before this last we had our Northern Indiana Fellowship Meeting at Tippecanoe Church in Bourbon, Indiana. We held services Wednesday evening, Thursday evening, all day Friday and Saturday, and then Sunday morning. It was such a blessed meeting. It was the kind of weekend that wears the body out but completely refreshes the soul. The only trouble with meetings like those is that is hard when they conclude. We all must enter back into the world and begin another mundane work week. It is simply amazing how a weekend of close fellowship with the saints and sweet communion with God provides such an escape from the labors of this life. But what has weighed more heavily on mind than my return to the “real world” has been the wedding my little sister, Amanda.

This past Saturday she was wed to Brother Caleb Howell of Cool Springs Primitive Baptist Church in Georgia. It was a beautiful wedding. For weeks before the wedding I was anticipating the moment when it would finally hit me that my little sister was getting married. It finally did and at a less than opportune moment. I was asked to sing and play guitar at their ceremony. The song was originally a poem written by Caleb for Amanda that I had converted into a song. It was my time to play after Amanda first walked down the aisle and our father gave away the bride. It was such a happy moment. Seeing her in her dress with such a glow about her made me so overjoyed to see. But as I thought about it all some more, sitting there, I realized that she was starting a new life. Not only was she starting a new life with Caleb, she was starting a new life 800 miles away in Georgia. If you know me at all, it is difficult for me to express emotion. At that moment, I did all I could to suppress the tears that were making every effort to escape. Of course, as I attempted to hold them back, it was my turn to sing their song.

I got through it fine, only messing up a few words. No one seemed to notice though. I guess no one really knew what the words were so supposed to be in the first place so it didn’t matter too much. The rest of the day, and since then really, I have wanted to get away from everyone just long enough to let myself cry. I am really going to miss her. I consider myself very close to Amanda and I love her to death. Nothing could ever replace her. Before now, I saw her all the time. We lived together. Almost every night I would go to her room and just chat a little before bed. Most days I worked at the same place as her. She ran Amish Acres’ Soda and Fudge Shop while I did their web designing. By the way, she makes excellent strawberry shakes. I saw her at church and few places in between. It won’t be the same without her.

After she and Caleb had ridden away in their limo, I watched our nephew, Jesse, bawl his eyes out over her leaving. That broke my heart to see. I really wanted to lean down and say to him, “Don’t worry. She’ll be home in a few days.” But I couldn’t say that. She would be home in a few days but it would be her new home in Georgia. To top it all off, she left me with her always obnoxious cat which she couldn’t take because Caleb is allergic. I have never felt especially close to this animal but I believe I’ll view it a little differently when I finally get home. That cat is Amanda’s cat and it’ll be getting the royal treatment from now on.

As much as I’ll miss her alone, I can’t help but to think that in a year, my oldest sister, Laura, and her family will also be moving to Georgia. I am also very close to her and her boys. Alec, Carson, and Jesse mean the world to me. As of now, they live next door. They have lived next door for a long time now. It is hard to imagine it being any other way. It’s hard to imagine that I won’t see little Jesse stomping through the yard in his oversized rubber boots. It’s hard to imagine that I won’t see Alec sitting in the corner playing his GameBoy quietly. It’s hard to imagine I won’t see Carson in the middle of room rehearsing his dance routines. It’s even hard to think that I won’t hear my brother-in-law, Win, going on about how it is impossible to imagine nothing. I don’t want to imagine that day but with Amanda leaving, it has become impossible to not think about.

Josh and Dave have went to sleep so I’ve stopped resisting. My eyes are filled with tears. I am so badly going to miss Amanda now and Laura’s family later. I love them and I so earnestly pray that God will continue to bless their lives down south. I suppose life cannot always be easy. I am encouraged to consider moving down here constantly but it is a catch-22. If I move, I will be leaving my parents, Jody, and Sarah and her family. If I stay, I will continue to miss Amanda and Laura’s family. That is just one of many things I have decided to not think about at this time. All my mind can bear is their leaving home to go to their new homes. I have never been much for change and I understand why a little better now.

I just hope that our relationships are not diminished with the distance. I hope I can remain as close to Amanda and Laura as I ever was. I hope Laura’s sons do not forget their “favorite uncle.” I hope that when I walk in their door a few years from now they will still run to hug me, yelling, “Jeremy!” But most of all, I hope they are happy and remain that way.