So long for now : (

Some good friends, and the children's Pastor at our church, are moving away to take another pastoral position in another state. We had a reception for them last night and it was bittersweet for all of us, I am sure. They are a sweet, young couple with a young family. Watching my friend say her "goodbye's" to people last night, I couldn't help but to think back on when we left Georgia almost 3 years ago.

There is something about leaving the place where the Lord created your family that is a little scary. It goes without saying that becoming a Mother changes every aspect of your life. Learning how to nurture the life (or lives) that God places in your care is such a roller coaster of emotion. Then, when you get to a place where you think you are in at least SOME sort of "normal", the plan changes (ours, not His) and this unsettling feeling creeps into your chest. In hindsight (which is really the BEST way to look at ANYTHING, right?), our move was such a gift from the Lord; a gift to Nathan as he felt like he was (is) truly following God's true plan for our life and a gift for our family, because we learned and experienced a drawing together of our already close relationship that only an upheaval of familiarity can trigger. When you load up a U-haul and leave all of your familiar environments in a cloud of exhaust, you cleave like never before to the familiarity that you have and will always keep near to you; YOUR LORD & YOUR FAMILY.

As hard as it was to leave my home, my friends, and my church in GA, God has delivered to us a fantastic new familiarity that seems more like "home" in our hearts than ever before. He has a way of doing that doesn't He? I never thought that I would ever feel for a place the way I did our home in GA. Now I know that being "home" means dwelling peacefully within the path that God has made for me. When I am there, I am at home in my heart. It is the real definition of peace.

So to my friend I say "So long for now!". I didn't get to know you as well as I would have liked to, but I feel like I know you better than I do, because you remind me a lot of me : ) We share similar apprehensions and views on some things that are important :) I know that, this week, you feel like you are torn between two extremes of emotion depending on which way you are facing in your journey. Like I have said to you before though, peace is coming friend. And once you get to your new home and the Lord begins the work in you that He has purposed for you there, you will strike a balance between those two extremes. The peace of being on God's path for your family & ministry will settle the stirring and you will feel at home again before you know it.

God bless you! We will be praying for you & we want to see those Daddy Jr's of yours on an adorable Christmas card!!