tim's gonna photograph the nations

the last couple of days have been such a roller coast of emotion. i was so excited for my family to get here yesterday. they were coming to spend the night with us, to get some time with the whole family together before tim's flight left today. i looked forward to them coming all day, and once they got here it was great to see 'em, but that's when it hit me- me weren't gathering purely to hang out for no reason beside our enjoyment of each other's company. i had not, until yesterday, left myself really dwell on the fact that it was time for tim to leave again. and when we were sitting in the sand roasting hot dogs on the beach, i blinked back tears as i let myself consciously think about our plans for the rest of their visit- plans that included a drive to seatac airport and a bittersweet goodbye.

it's a struggle to reconcile my human difficulty in saying goodbye to someone i love and need in my life, and my belief in and support of his cause and the people out there that need him to tell their story. God's using this guy, and i believe that and love it. that helps me in every moment to feel strong except for when we're standing in the security line in the airport and my little brother, who is now so much bigger than i am, is hugging me with his 50.0-lb backpack and signature driving cap and i'm trying to tell him i'm so proud of him and i just can't get the words out.

somewhere along the way we set aside our stupid childhood bickering and grew a friendship that's blessed me. i have a brother and friend whose company i enjoy, and that's why today was hard. we just aren't going to be able to hang out for awhile. but the stories that are going to result because of what he's going to see... that's going to be so awesome to enjoy when he gets back. check out his travel blog over on the right: 'donde esta timoteo?'

tim, you're rockin the cause, and i believe in you. i'm praying and trusting you're in the best place you can be cause you're in HIS hands. hope you don't think i'm too much of a sap. i couldn't be more happy to see you do what you're passionate about- it's the best.