'See you...in a year'

So any of you readers who know me know that I don't do goodbyes. Like not at all. I will literally run a mile (and I despise running) so that I don't have to say those dreaded words...For me I would rather do a quick 'see ya' and run for the hills, maybe sob a little on my way there. Today I went to visit my friend Jayne while I was in Belfast. While we were waiting at the bus stop waiting on my bus home and she turned to me and said 'Vikki...I am not going to see you for a whole year'. Usually, this is when I would grab my bag and head for the hills which I previously talked about but instead I responded to her 'Jayne it will be exciting!'. You are probably wondering why I have such an odd definition of excitement. But this is why. I explained to Jayne, that over the next year I had the best motivation to really strive for more. Being away for a year I could return in Ireland next Christmas one step closer to the person God intends me to be. You could say that it gives me something to work towards, a deadline I guess. I like the shock factor too and believe me nothing would be more exciting for me than to step foot back on this island a different girl. I am not saying I want to be different but I want 2013 to really make me grow in so many ways that people will notice a difference and will question me as to why. God has totally worked in my life since I moved to CCU, people see a change in me from then but next Christmas I would love to get off that plane, and really show how taking a year and seeking Him wholeheartedly can really change someone. I am a total slacker and in so many ways I don't feel I am where I should be, not in location but spiritually, emotionally and physically. This year I really want to get my head down and work on my character. I want 2013 to be the year I pushed boundaries, chased after dreams, lived one day at a time and did it all for the glory of Christ. I want to grow and be challenged. People, my dreams are huge but the person I am now can't achieve them, that person needs a lot more growth and maturity. Its known that good things don't come easy. This wont be easy, I will have to put a lot of work in. But the motivation I have is when I say goodbye to the people I love here, its not a goodbye, but a promise that I will come back, and that after spending a year really diving in and seeking God that maybe they will understand why I left and will be able to see Him in me. On Friday I am leaving, and as hard as it will be, the minute my plane gets off the ground I will be thinking 'Bye Ireland, but when I land here again, a different girl will get off this plane'