Since the deal fell apart the first time we had a contract on the house, we have tried extremely hard not to get excited or even ready to move until we knew for sure everything was final, that this was actually going to happen. Well, IT'S HAPPENING!
And now that we are in the final days of living in this house -- the only house we have known as a family -- I am beginning to feel overwhelmed. We still have a lot of packing to do, and that kind of stresses me out. But then, I get a facebook message from a friend asking what time we need him, his truck and trailer, and a crew of guys to be at our house on Saturday to help us move. It's as though God is reminding me all over again how He has all the details worked out and is doing things at the perfect time in the perfect way -- including this predicted 9-12+ inches of snow that is supposed to fall TOMORROW! Not my ideal weather conditions for moving, but I am just going to have to trust that God knows what He is doing. He usually does. Okay, He ALWAYS does.
Anyway, this whole moving thing is fast approaching and really ON TOP OF US already, as we sign papers to close on our current house this afternoon at 4:30!
As I try to get my mind around the fact that we really, truly are indeed moving, my heart and mind are flooded with differing thoughts and emotions.
While I am definitely over the top excited to move into the area near Kellybrook Elementary, I am also a little sad. I am going to miss our house here on Westboro.
I am going to miss our backyard.
I am going to miss our neighbors.
But above all, I am going to miss the memories we have made here.
Granted, we will make more memories at our new house. And it's not really like I have to leave memories from Westboro behind; I can take them with me for sure. But, it's not the same.
I can't take the wall where we have the girls' height measurements marked to show how they have grown over the months and years.
I won't be able to sit in the living room at Christmas time and reflect on how Kellah was born under the twinkle lights.
I can't take the corner where Coralyn and Kellah haul as many toys as possible from their rooms to the kitchen and then pretend to have sleepovers or tea parties or parades or whatever else Coralyn's vivid imagination can create.
I can't take the rock path in our front yard that Lawrence laid by hand, using rocks he and his brother hauled from the creek near their childhood home.
I can't take Miss June and her little dog Sweetie Pie with us. We will miss seeing her out in the yard raking leaves or going for a walk up and down the sidewalk. We will miss her little treats that she brings the girls every holiday and for their birthdays - she hasn't missed Coralyn's birthday in THREE YEARS!!! I have promised Miss June, and some of our other elderly neighbors whom we visit frequently with baked goodies Coralyn has "helped" me make, that we will come back and visit. We have been so blessed with some amazing neighbors, and I am going to sincerely miss them!
BUT, we will have new neighbors. We will get to know them and become friends with them. At least I hope so! That's certainly one of the main reasons why we are moving in the first place -- to develop relationships with the families around us and introduce them to Jesus as we interact with them on a day to day basis.
And we will have a new backyard, with a creek running behind our fence. I am sure we will make many memories "exploring" in the "woods" or rolling down the hill or playing games with the neighbor kids.
We will have new corners for the girls to turn into hideouts. We will have a new wall to measure the girls' growth, though we are thinking it might be better to get something we could take with us if we were ever to move again.
We will have a new living room, where for now I can teach other couples about childbirth and help them feel more prepared for their babies' BIRTHdays.
So, as I prepare to move, I am taking time to both look back on the life we have enjoyed here in this house over the past 5 and a half years and look ahead to the life we will have in our new house. It's so obvious God has opened the door and paved the way for us to make this move. There's no way any of this could have happened without Him! That's why I get more and more excited about what the future holds and the various opportunities God has for us in our new HOME.
Because wherever we live, we know that God is with us. Indeed, Christ is our HOME. He has lead us to this house. He has placed this burden on our hearts to reach the kids and families of the Kellybrook area. So, yes we will miss our house here on Westboro, but our new house will soon be HOME because that's where our HEARTS will be as we come to know and love the people all around us, as we share the love of Jesus with them, as we see God do His amazing work in and through us.
I do think, though, that at least a little piece of my heart will stay behind here at our current house. As I thought about that, the country song "The House That Built Me" came to mind. I don't know all the words, but the concept hits home (pun intended) this week as I start to pack boxes and prepare to turn our new house into our HOME SWEET HOME.
No comments:
Post a Comment