Answer: hot mess. We’ll see how long I can write this blog without crying.
I took today off to add on to our week-long trip to MCUSA Mennonite Convention, and that’s when it hit me: by the time I go back to work on July 10th, everything will have changed. June has been a month of denying the fact that our time as an MVS unit is coming to an end.
Summer has officially begun in Tucson, although many from the East would think it started months ago if they saw the temperatures here back in April and May! Temperatures are 105+ every day, which isn’t as brutal as I thought it would be. I’ve stopped biking to work because the sun is pretty intense at 4 or 5 pm, and I would rather sit on an A/C bus while reading a book. Recently though, the walks to the bus stop are becoming not as comfortable as it’s 90° by 7:30 am. There is something about watching the Sonoran sunset after a hot day and being reminded of the beauty around us and how resilient people and nature can be in times of extreme heat.
Got to capture a beautiful Sonoran sunset after our evaporative cooler stopped working one evening in May.
At the beginning of the month, we went to Puerto Penasco along the Gulf of California in Sonora, Mexico. It was a time of celebration, relaxing, and having a good time with the Showalters. We went into that trip saying, “We will only talk about ending logistics once during the weekend, and that’s it.” Overall, we did a great job staying with the plan. I only allowed myself to read my books, make Ollie and Julian friendship bracelets, and wade in the water. It was a great time.
The following week, things stayed calm. WMG is in a slow period, so work has been uneventful. I’ve been finishing up some major projects, but also taking on some smaller mini-projects that have been on the back burner for the organization. I hope to share my major project related to our Release the Beavers campaign with you all once it’s published for the public in July! Our house didn’t have evenings fully planned, but we knew the following weeks would be packed.
Sharing at Shalom and Farewells
On June 18, we shared at Shalom’s service about our experiences with MVS and lessons learned from this past year. We’ve been preparing for our MennoCon seminar about “Rivers in the Desert” and we wanted to share portions of that seminar with Shalom. There was only one moment while singing “Strangers No More” from the Mennonite Hymnal I thought I was going to sob, but I managed to get by with only a few tears that snuck out. Shalom’s endless encouragement and support have made this year truly special. I can’t thank the congregation enough for making Tucson feel like a second home.
Later on that evening, we had our support committee farewell party which consisted of good food, the first official “MVS Amazing Race,” and sharing memories of our time together. Through each conversation, I could just feel a warm hug around me realizing that this group of people has been praying and thinking about us throughout this entire journey, even before we arrived.
Later in the week, we had dinner and a game night at the Showalter’s on the eve of their few-week family vacation. Even though I will see them in July when I get back from Kansas City, this was the last night that the four of us would be together before they got back. This was the first time everything felt real that I am leaving Tucson, and I can’t pack people with me.
This last week of June proved to be chaotic and emotional on many fronts. We’ve started packing up belongings, cleaning up the house, and doing the big to-dos that naturally come up when moving and transitioning out. We are also preparing for our trip to Kansas City. We have Saturday plans of going up Mt. Lemmon for an evening picnic (and this is when I started sobbing in a coffee shop with many people around). Within the first week of arriving in Tucson, we went up to Mt. Lemmon for the day and watched the sunset at a beautiful vista point. Our iconic photo that eventually became our prayer card photo was from that moment. In April, on our MVS national retreat, we decided that we wanted to do this picnic as our way of saying goodbye to each other and our time in Tucson. I’m truly grateful for my housemates that have made this year beyond my expectations, so this goodbye was always going to be the hardest.
Sunday morning at 6 am: 4 MVSers and 8 Shalomites (youth and delegates) will be making the way to Kansas City for MennoCon, which I’m really excited about. Michaela and I will be seeing Taylor Swift on July 7th in Kansas City, which I might be slightly more excited about. We’ve been waiting and planning for this trip since November, and it’s crazy how we’ve made it to this point.
It’s hard to hold this exciting and happy emotion of this trip with the contrasting sad emotions of Michaela and Jessie not returning to Tucson with us, and then Cade leaving the following week. I'll be working and hanging out in Tucson till July 27th, when I leave for my train trip to Seattle.
With this weekend and the trip ahead, I look forward to the fun adventures and cherishing the moments together. I'll end with this photo from Rocky Point that Ollie took that reminds me to enjoy the little moments as they happen, especially with the next few weeks ahead.
Oh, Andrea. The emotions of moving are so bittersweet and I have felt them intensely myself with every geographical life transition. I give thanks that you had such a significant year that tears are part of this transition for you. That is beautiful and good. Thank you for you. Thank you for sharing. So much love, Tina