So many possibilities!

Earlier this afternoon, I said hasta luego (see you later) to my niece Kate. She is embarking on a 1-year adventure with the Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program through the ELCA.

Kate will be working in México City at a women's center. She explained, "There, I may facilitate dance and creative writing, care for kids while mothers attend sessions at the center, and create workshops to present at public schools so that more people can learn about the services offered at the center. I know I am going to learn so much from the women at the center, and the many people I’ll meet in México City."

It was so nice for me that, as a stop on their way to drop off Kate for her week of training in Chicago before she flies off for a year in Mexico, the whole family stayed here with us to rest a bit and gear up for the hardest part... saying good-bye and letting each other go.

We had a wonderful visit... sharing laughs late last night, taking a walk in the forest preserve this morning where a game of frisbee/Monkey in the Middle broke out, sharing some techno tips and some packing techniques, enjoying a Swedish pancake breakfast and a Jimmy John's lunch together, and even starting Katie's own blog. As the two of us sat at my computer, I said something like "There are so many possibilities with a blog..." so Kate decided that should be the name: "So Many Possibilities!" I think it's the perfect title for her blog because it matches her outlook on life. We even found a perfect template that matches Kate's free spirit and passion for flowers.

Kate is a wonderful writer with a boundless creative spirit. So although I am going to miss her physical presence at family gatherings this coming year, I am very much anticipating following the chronicles of her experiences so far away.

To start off, she shared with me a few pages of inspirations that she's bringing along with her. Here are a few especially fitting ones for this day:

The nature of God is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. - St. Augustine

I am not free unless my sister is free. - Audre Lorde

If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you recognize that your liberation and mine are bound up together, we can walk together. - Lila Watson

I will be keeping Kate and her family and all those she encounters this year in my prayers, and I ask that you do the same. The wonderful girl whom I have loved so dearly since the day she was born has matured into an inspiring young woman whom I greatly admire for being open to taking such a remarkable journey.

Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9

I love you, Kate! You are always in my heart!