A Long Walk Home

It intrigues me that folks are so curious about why I chose Charlotte to be my new home. I often wonder if they'll believe me when I tell them I simply followed the signs. I decided to take a leap of faith and hand the reins of my life over to God. He is the one who led me here. I remember sitting in my friend's makeup chair in the spring of 2016, telling her that I wanted a change of scenery as she waxed my eyebrows (hey, I'm just keeping it real). I'd finalize my divorce from my unfaithful and untruthful ex-husband later that summer, and I'd finally have the opportunity to move away from the only state I've known as home for 30 years. That had, until then, just been a dream I fostered. . My friend, the esthetician/MUA is also a minister. She recommended Charlotte. North Carolina is not new to me. I have long been enamored with her geography and beauty. I fell in love with Cherokee when I was a teenager and Asheville in my 20s. Later that spring, I met a woman on a snorkel cruise down in Key West. She was from NC and recommended I check out Elevation Church if I decided to move here. About a month after my initial visit, my brother, who lives in NY, recommended Elevation to me too. Clearly, something was leading me here. About a month before I moved, my family learned that my great-great grandfather was born in and made his life in Raleigh. Coming to NC was like coming home. When I finally moved here, I got lost trying to find a Chick-Fil-A and ended up in the parking lot of an Elevation campus. I started attending. I started serving. And God has been restoring and directing my life ever since. All the broken pieces are coming back together. The lessons are clear. It wasn't an easy journey, coming here with no friends or family. But, I did it. And, as I continue to learn, live, and explore, I can't help but feel at home. This part of myself was missing for a very long time. And, honestly, I'm just so glad to be home.

-Asha