Home
For the last seven years home is....
wonderful Charleston. I love Charleston. I love the weather. I love the smells. I love the flowers blooming in February. I love wearing flipflops to see Christmas lights. I love the Farmer's Market. I love eating outside every chance I get. I love lowcountry cuisine. I love our church. I love our friends. I love how easy it is to get "home" to visit family. I love the cobblestone streets. I love the smiles. I love the shopping. I love the ocean. I love the lush plantations. I love shrimp & grits. I love that I met my sweet Peter there. I love that we made a home and had Stafford there.
I DO NOT love that I have to leave.
Seven years ago this was home...
and seven years ago I loved Lexington. And I didn't want to leave. The great thing about it is I still do. I love the smells. I love my family. I love my childhood friends. I love my old church. I love taking the long way to my grandparents so I can drive by as many beautiful horse farms as possible. I love UK basketball. I love finding things here as an adult that I never knew about as a child. I love Kentucky.
And so I have hope for the new chapter in our lives. Someday I will love my new "home". Each day puts me closer and closer to "the move" and I have to admit I'm still not looking forward to it. It is scary. It is far away. It almost seems foreign and kind of like a movie.
But ultimately even though each day I am a step closer to "the move" I know that each day I am right where I am supposed to be. The last couple of years for us have been a battle. We fought to stay in the very organization that is sending us so very far from what we call "home". All along the way we prayed that God would just show us His will. And that we would rest secure in that no matter what.
And so I know that someday I will call this home......
and someday I will be very sad to leave there too.
No matter what though I have these two guys with me and we serve a gracious, loving heavenly Father who has given us all of these temporary homes. It's a good reminder for me that no home on this earth is forever. And a good reminder to enjoy my home no matter where it is.
What do you call home? Are there things about it that you just love? If you are a family constantly on the move like us what do you do to make each new place "home"?
perfect! and so true.
ReplyDeletevery sweet and very well said.
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, you lived in those BEAUTIFUL places?!?! I would love it too! But you are so right, these are just temporary homes and something FAR greater awaits us!
ReplyDeleteNow.. onto a reply from your comment: First of all, how exciting and flattering is it to think that a "somewhat stranger" thought of me today! And at Church! Thank you! It means I'm doing something right...
And, discovering this fear that comes along with having a child is indeed hard and I don't think there is anything like it. I care more about her life and well being than my own. But I guess that is the ultimate sacrifice, when I had my daughter as a gift back to God and say, "where ever it is and whatever you want us to do, we'll do it, no matter what the cost..."
Thanks for commenting on my post!
I must admit I got very teary eyed when I read about KENTUCKY!!! I so understand what you are saying.
ReplyDeleteI never thought I would miss Tampa if we left here, but I would. I never thought I would call it HOME, but I do. It takes times, but it does happen.
I miss KY and always will (I think), but I now know God took me from there to grow me in ways I never expected.
Thanks for your comments ladies! Amber I'm going to be counting on you for some advice :)
ReplyDeleteWow, you've totally made me want to visit Charleston some day. Even with just one paragraph you've make it sound amazing!! I live in Australia which is one kind of wonderful... But I miss America and my hometown of Bend, Oregon which is another kind of wonderful. *sigh* I would definitely find it a challenge to be constantly on the move... but I try to maintain that "home is where your underwear drawer is" and then work to make it feel that way. :)
ReplyDeleteLaura your "new home" has family there that you have never met. All because you are part of God's family. You just don't know their names yet.
ReplyDelete