An Ode to Texas

 

Twenty years ago, Hurricane Katrina sent me to a place I had no intentions of being.

Me? In Texas?

Please.

I was a NOLA girl who had every intention of making her way to Atlanta to pursue her acting. We would visit Texas yearly for a few days with our church chorus, but after a few days I'd be ready to go home. 

I honestly never got the hype. 

Texas was never a place I considered living.

However, God had other plans.

Hurricane Katrina ended up sending me to Houston. Houston caused me to cross paths with my Dallas born husband. That marriage blessed me with my mini-me. While being in Houston wasn't in my plan, it blessed me in ways I never thought possible and showed me that God's plans are better than mine.

Twenty years in and out of nowhere, God is like "Time for a change."

Just like Texas, Arkansas wasn't on my radar. I was content with staying where I was. We had settled in our forever home in our dream neighborhood and things were going well.

But let's think about a plant real quick, right? 

Follow me.

Plants are cute and chillin' in their lil pots without a care in the world. They're fine with things how they are. But the owner knows that this itty bitty thing can be so much bigger if the environment changes. So, they move it from one pot to a larger one, and suddenly it thrives like it's supposed to.

We're no different than those plants. We grow comfortable where we are and don't look past our surroundings. Why do we need to look further? Things are good here!

Then God is like, "Nah, I see so much more for you. Time to shake things up. Get ready to be uncomfortable for a bit; but you'll thank me for it later."

What I've learned from past experience is that when it doesn't make sense in the moment, it'll make sense in the end. God has a reason for all He does, so I'm just gonna follow Him and watch it unfold in real time.

While the Lonestar State wasn't my first choice, I've grown so much in Texas. 

I found my voice; where I used to sit back and take and tolerate, I've learned to speak up and verbalize instead of internalizing and making myself sick. I worked through my trauma and started driving again. I rediscovered my passion for writing, and have had my foot on the gas ever since. I've made a few lifelong friends I'll cherish for the rest of my life. I've crossed paths with people I never want to see again, but have taught me valuable lessons. I've learned to cut ties and love from a distance when necessary. I've learned that not everyone who smiles in your face is your friend and to stop trusting so quickly. 

Most importantly, I've learned that God hasn't brought me this far to leave me.

While it's a bit bittersweet leaving the place I've come to know as home, I'm looking forward to making new memories and embracing this chapter of my life God has written out for me.

Bye, Texas, it's been real.

Arkansas, I'm coming home. ❤️