Always missing hundreds of people.

One of the best and worst things about my life is that I will always be missing people. 

It's the best, because it means I have people to miss. I'm only 30, but I've been fortunate enough to know thousands of people. That seems like it shouldn't be true, but I really think it is. Here's how I think I've met you all:

you're a part of my family

you've married into my family

I married into your family

I went to elementary, middle, one of two different high schools, college, or seminary with you

we worked together at Jamba Juice, the chapel office at CLU, the Student Union Building, Dahme Heating and Air Conditioning, or BJ's Restaurant.

We met because I was working at the Student Union Building and I never wore my glasses and waved at you thinking you were someone else, but we just went with it and now we're friends.

We worked at camp together- Little Oaks, Sugar Creek, Luther Dell, or Lutherdale

Or we WENT to camp together at Flathead or El Camino Pines

OR we BROUGHT kids to camp at Christikon or Wapo 

We grew up at Ascension together

I was your youth minister at Bethlehem and Living Waters

I was friends with one of your friends and they're a good introducer (aka their name is Madison Hartstein or Heather Carufel)

We were in student government together

I was/am your pastor at Our Saviour's and Bethel

We went on a trip together- like a mission trip or a choir tour 

You're one of our fun neighbors

You're a Lutheran, sometimes that's enough.

You're one of my sisters' bffs

You're one of my bffs' siblings or spouses

We lived in a dorm together

We're in The Young Clergy Women Project together 

The ELCA Youth Ministry Network and all the youth ministry things

Youth Ministry Extravaganza <3

We went on a retreat together, like ITS

I was in a small group with you, like BAKLASH and the Hastings girls group

You live in or near Thousand Oaks, Saint Paul, Minneapolis, Prescott, or Elkhorn 

More places probably! (Also, that was a really fun list to make.) The thing is, I've had a lot of opportunities to meet people, and I've been blessed enough for a lot of those people to matter a lot to me. People I like and love live all over the country, and even in different countries. No matter where I live, I will always miss people and feel a little like I'm missing out on something. But also, I'm really grateful for people to love and miss.