Life is unexpected...

the way we weave in and out of each other's lives.

I went to the Mormon temple yesterday.  It is open to the public for two weeks in honor of its construction.  I took a bus there and climbed the hill to the temple's entrance.  There I joined a group of others being led into a nearby building to watch a preliminary video.  Then, as I was waiting with my group for our turn to tour the temple, on of my students found me.  She was volunteering at the temple as a translator for any foreigners in the crowd, but since there were no foreigners at that moment, she decided to stay with me as we walked through the temple.

It was very interesting.  She answered so many of my questions, giving all kinds of details that were not included in the official tour, pointing out the hand-woven carpets, the paint made with real gold and chandaliers made of crystal, as well as answering my questions about the customs and how the temple itself is used.  I felt like I had my own personal tour. 

Then, as we left, I stopped to take a survey.  Then I chatted with a missionary from Alaska also volunteering at the temple. 

Then I ran into some friends who gave me a ride home since, during the tour, it had gotten quite dark...

A wonderful evening filled with friendship...

And a phone call from another friend, who received a job offer in the U.S. and will be leaving us soon.  Bittersweet.  I'm excited for her but so sad to see her go. 

Not that she will be gone entirely, but it will be different...

There is a part of me that wants to cling and make life stable, but I am learning that part of contentment is letting go.  Not completely, and I don't mean not caring--but letting it be, even when it's hard...accepting the ebb and flow because, after all, all these pieces will eventually be made right in the end.  The coming and going is a friendship added, a lesson learned.  And I've seen over the years how people from the past can make new appearances.  They never really go away completely, they just add to the whole.  They may seem to disappear for a while, but after a while, they often come back again.  Or in a different way.  But they're always there, somewhere, making a difference even in their waiting.