Where the Heart Is

“Life is a paradise for those who have many passions…”

I ran across this quote a couple years ago while in college and it has since been a favorite of mine because I feel like it rings true with me and my life. Those who know me know that when I like something…I REALLY like it. Be it whales, Disney, musicals, or non-profit stuff, I would say I love each of these passionately.

I mean, I should be thankful right? I met several people this last year who I asked, “What are you passionate about?” and they replied saying, “I don’t know.” When they ask me the same question I have to say, “Do you have 10 minutes?” God definitely made me a passionate person with many different aspirations in life. For the last several years I have tried to decide which one passion to follow but lately I am thinking why can’t I just do them all!? I’ll be a broadway singing dolphin trainer who raises money for an African orphanage! Perfect!

As you can tell I am in a little bit of ambitious mood. As I write this blog I am miles in the air flying back to Washington. I have just spent a wonderful year living in Orlando, FL but after lots of prayer and reflection I knew it was my time to go home. It’s been two months since I graduated my Americorp program and my paycheck was shrinking fast as my tourism jobs were slowing down. It was not an easy decision to make but I knew a few months back home would be good for my soul and for my fundraising efforts. I only made this decision final two weeks ago so I made sure to make an effort to do all the things I love or have wanted to do in Florida before I left. A Florida Bucket List if you will…. This list included things like favorite restaurants, theme park rides, outings with the roommates, etc. The one thing I was most excited about though was a trip to Tampa to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium to see Winter, the dolphin.

Thanks to hollywood I won’t have to give you a long explanation about who Winter is and why she is special. She is the star and inspiration of the movie Dolphin Tale, just released in theaters. But for those of you who live under a rock, Winter got caught in a crab trap about 5 years ago when she was just a calf and was wounded so bad she had to have her tail (fluke) amputated completely. No dolphin had ever been known to survive without a tail but after many trials a successful prosthetic fluke was made for Winter. After seeing the preview for this movie a couple months ago I was already counting down the days until it reached theaters. Once I found out that Winter was a real dolphin who lived only an hour from me I knew I had to see her! So earlier this week, accompanied by my dear friend Becky, I paid my $14.95 admission to visit this dinky little marine hospital.

I admit, I was surprised it was so small and poorly attended. I was visiting just three days after the movie came out…I expected to wait in a queue line just to get a glimpse of Winter!  Thankfully, that wasn’t the case and I sat by Winter’s pool for about an hour just taking pictures of her and watching her swim and play. I know it sounds silly but meeting Winter was not only amazing because the aquarium had been the movie set for the film and seen such actors as Harry Connick Jr. and Morgan Freeman… But it was because Winter is a real-life symbol of hope. When Winter lost her tail, very few believed she could live, but with a little hope and creativity she was given another chance at life and is now an inspiration for the physically disabled and amputee victims around the world. It is so wonderful that God gives us these beautiful examples to remind us to not give up or lose hope even when it seems all it lost. This little adventure was definitely a highlight of my year in Florida.

Pretty girl, almost 6 years old!

Along with meeting Winter I was able to cross off all of the items on my Florida Bucket List. I had a fun-filled two weeks working my last few shifts with my favorite step sister and visiting the parks with my most magical friends. It reminded me how lucky I am to have such special, talented, and loving people in my life. And having the opportunity to fulfill one of my biggest dreams, to work at Disney for almost 2 years, will remind me that I can do anything I set my heart on.

It weighs on my heart to close this chapter of my life. Lessons were learned, memories were made, relationships grew and blossomed and I believe I am moving on as a stronger and even more passionate person! So you may be wondering…what happened to Mr. Wonderful? The story is rather complicated but basically I knew God was showing me that neither of us were ready for a long distance relationship and that what I needed to focus on most was my relationship with Him before being ready to seriously commit myself to another. I am so thankful for the love we shared and know that it wasn’t for nothing but rather than feel hurt and confused over it I am doing my best to give it to God and have him lead me in His plan. It has also taught me to be careful with my heart and the hearts of others. As wonderful as a romantic relationship is, I pray that God helps me guard my heart better in the future and helps me know when I am ready to fall in love forever.

As for moving back to Wenatchee… yes, I am actually excited! I have never liked the idea of “moving home” after attempting to set off on your own but I don’t believe this is the same situation. I will be home  for three months before setting off to Africa. This will give me some much needed time to share with my family and friends who I have been away from all year. I flew home last month for about two weeks to attend some friends weddings and it made me realize how much I really love Wenatchee. They say “home is where the heart is” and this last trip I really felt it. There is nothing like being around family who love and support you. Not to say my heart wasn’t with me in Florida, but I left a big part of it back home.

Best friend reunion at Kelsy’s wedding

So now it is time to follow my heart back home. I foresee there being many days where I will question my decision to leave when I did and leave all the things I loved behind (especially in the cold winter months!) but I wouldn’t have had the strength to make this decision in the first place if I didn’t know deep down it was the right thing. I will miss all of those who have touched my life this past year and look forward to the day when I can come back. Because God has given me many passions, I know I am still just skimming the surface of this journey called life. There will always be windows closing and doors opening but I must continue to move forward, or it isn’t a journey is it? I may not become a broadway singing dolphin trainer but my heart is with The Lord and I will follow it to wherever he leads it because I know his plans for me are far beyond what I could possibly imagine for myself.