I sheepishly called my new-er friend. “Hi, Addy, I don’t want to be a bother, so if you’re busy, don’t worry . . . but I blew a tire and I’m at the tire shop. Could you possibly come pick me up and take me home? If not, it’s totally fine!” The words rushed out as if I were a 13-year-old girl asking the popular girl to come over for a sleepover.

I can only hope that as she grows older, she sees that every “red light” was in hope of protecting her from something painful, each “yellow light” moment was one to help her grow, and each “green light” took a heart of faith to watch my baby take a few steps on her own.

Time is a thief — the typical cliché to justify our days going by in a blur. The world screams that the busier we are, the more valuable we are. We may accomplish more in a day, but we lose the valuable memories that we zoomed by in our pursuit of being busy and productive.

I wasn’t supposed to go into medicine. It wasn’t part of my plan. I hated science and dreaded math. But God had other plans. Much to my surprise, I found out I not only loved the human sciences, but I was good at them, too. I witnessed miracles that I know with absolute certainty were from God and not medical intervention. I thought my plans were good; God’s were better.

It’s hard moving as often as we do. And while yes, we do have our built-in communities within our base and squadrons, it doesn’t guarantee you’ll click with another spouse right away. Sometimes it can take awhile before you find your friendship groove and have the tribe around you that brings support, fun, and a whole lot of laughter to this crazy life.