Monday, July 29, 2013

New Place, New Routine

Moving is weird.

Wednesday we moved everything out of our place in Nebraska, with wonderful helpers. We moved in to our new place on Friday, with some wonderful helpers here in Tennessee.  It's wild how fast it all went. 

We have been working on making this new place our home... one box at a time. Our cat seems to have settled in, finding all his favorite nap places as we remove boxes. He, just like our daughter, seems to be most happy with things when there is a schedule going on around our place. The cat, named Squirrel, has been a part of bedtime stories and prayers for years. Once we start reading with our daughter, Squirrel wonders in, at his own pace, and finds his place at the foot of her bed. The routine helps him to stay calm in the new place.

Moving feels odd this time. I am not feeling stressed about the move. Some of the details, like getting someone registered for school and preparing for company in a few weeks (or less), sure stresses me a bit. I can't it into words, this move is different from the others. I think that it is at least a good sort of different. Even though I still have to find "my place" in a new city and congregation, I feel like there is a place for me. And that does feel nice. Now I just wait for God to show it to me. 

Maybe I should be like the cat and get a routine going for me. Maybe I will find a routine, after the boxes are unpacked, after the books are all on the shelves and the dishes in the cupboard. After school has started for our kiddo, after my husband has been officially installed and officially starts his new position,  and after company has come and gone, I will find a routine. The routine will help make the new place home.

Until then, I will be embracing the chaos and find ways to make each day orderly and as much of a routine as possible.  


Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Transition time

Since I have last posted, I have: traveled to Wisconsin to see some family; traveled to Tennessee to visit a congregation that issued him a call; had an awesome visit from a dear friend from Colorado; drove to St. Louis; went to National youth gathering in Texas with about 30,000 other folks; drove to southern Ohio to see family there; husband accepted the call to the Tennessee congregation; and my grandmother turn 90 years old! Tomorrow we we load a moving truck and Thursday we start drive from Nebraska to Tennessee. It has been a good and overwhelming summer!







Two days ago was our last Sunday at the congregation in Nebraska. The congregation gave us a very kind send off. I have been reading the cards they gave us with very kind notes and I feel bad that there are some that I cannot picture who the people are that wrote such lovely notes! This congregation worships about 2,000 people in a weekend, so in my defense, that is a lot of people to learn names for. The members I do know, have been wonderful to us. I am going to miss seeing them every week.  

During the last morning everyone asked the same questions. Here are some of my answers:

~Things are mostly packed. Anyone is welcome to help us load the truck.
~The congregation in Tennessee worships about 120 on a Sunday. I am looking forward to learning everyone's name!
~Kiddo starts school August 2nd.
~Columbia is about 33,000 people.
~I am sad to say good bye to the folks in Nebraska but looking forward to making new friends in Tennessee.
~The closest Target and Starbucks are in the next town, about 15 mins away.
~Kiddo will be going to public school. We are sure she will do well, though she says she will miss having "Jesus time" at school. We will continue "Jesus time" at home.
~We do have a place to live in Tennessee.
~ I will be waiting until I get my family settled before I figure out what to do with my time.

That is the tricky part, figuring out what am I going to be doing. Of course I will unpack, help prepare my daughter to start school next, and do all I can to make our new place feel like home for us. And then I will think of finding a part time job. One that allows me to have the same days off as my daughter does from school and that it is not stressful to take time off for PLI (a program for pastors and their wives that is educational and has very supportive people who encourage us), and maybe even a family vacation.  I am feeling that that is a high maintenance request of just about any job. It is not a overly stressful thing to find a job, other than it is nice to know that I am helping my family so it easier do some of our favorite past times, like traveling or make it more possible to visit family.  Good thing I know that I can trust God and he will provide for my family.

Thank you for any prayers for my family during this move and for the two congregations impacted, may God guide and bless them.