Graphic tees are probably my favorite clothing item to wear. I love a cute, clever saying or picture printed on a tee. One of my best friends laughs every time I come out wearing one because of my love for them. I noticed the other day in a store that the famous "&" was printed on almost every shirt, in every color. Turns out I have indulged in the tree and have a striped tank top in my drawer with just a simple blue ampersand (&) and I pull it out quite a bit. I got to thinking about what that symbol means and why is it a trend to wear an and sign on your chest? What could the ampersand mean to the millennial generation?

Chances are it is just a passer-by trend, and we just think its a pretty symbol to throw on. The way it curves and the different ways to draw it is intriguing and obviously, selling. The ampersand stands for "and." We use 'and' for a continuation or a joining of ideas. In our young adulthood, we are going and going and going. It seems like taking a breath has to be planned in the planner before we can do it. With such a fast-paced life, when speed bumps come we usually see them as towering walls. It is like the first problem ends the journey. It sends us into a jolting stop where we slam as hard as we can forward and the stop knocks us mentally unconscious. Whether it is not getting into that program, failing a test, broken relationships, or whatever it is that has come into that path, it feels life-altering. There were times with my parents' divorce that I was literally like, "this is it, my life is done." There were times when preparing for college that financial aid kept falling through and I just knew I wasn't going to go to college. There were times a relationship I really wanted to work simply didn't work out. These circumstances hurt and they are real, but now that I made it past them I look back at my worrying self like "girl, get it together, there is more!" More things have come from these situations because I chose not to make it the end of God's plans for me.

The ampersand is a continuation. It is saying there is more to this. There is another idea. There is another place. There is another person. There is a future. Where there is a period that we put there, sometimes all we need is an and sign. A new chapter. A changed perspective. An 'and' placed right in the middle of our lives. One thing I have realized is that God isn't done with us. He doesn't give up on us when we make a mistake or cross over that speed bump. He simply puts a "&". Trust that whatever is happening in your life isn't the end. There are new things coming.