A Look Back

 My last post I had written in November but forgot to post until now. For Thanksgiving and Christmas we flew to Oregon and soaked up some much needed rest and time with family and friends. We relaxed in spacious homes, took baths, got haircuts and enjoyed living more comfortably than we had been on our road trip. We soaked up our time at home like sponges, refreshed and relaxed and just took it all in, knowing that soon we would be back to our rig and living on the road again.

A lot has happened in our lives and in our hearts during the past year. It has been a crazy whirlwind and here is what I can recall since last December 31st: we celebrated my Master's degree graduation with a New Year's Eve party with friends, we traveled to Orlando for a Young Life celebration, we started telling people that we were thinking about moving, then we made the final decision and told our kids, we started organizing and downsizing our house, the pandemic hit and we started homeschooling, we put our house on the market and one month later it sold, we got rid of A LOT of stuff in 30 days, bought an RV, moved into our RV, moved out of our house, put a few things in storage, gave our dog a new and wonderful home, lived in our RV next to our friend's barn for two months, moved from Prineville, traveled for five months across the United States, homeschooled our kids again, traveled back to Oregon by plane, and now here we are in Florida again. 

I write all of that mostly for me to try to conceptualize this process and to see it for what it was: A WHOLE LOT OF TRANSITION! But, although we experienced a huge disruption, we also were able to process this move a lot differently because we have been traveling and not settled back in somewhere. Also, we are growing a ton as we learn to be flexible as a family and make things work. There is a lot that I don't take for granted anymore, like water, food, a place to live, deep and meaningful conversations with friends, getting to see my husband everyday, kissing my kids on the cheeks, watching them learn and grow in front of my eyes, having my middle school son tell me that I'm fun to hang out with, meeting new and interesting people everywhere we go, and reconnecting with old friends who can pick up right where we left off while our kids play, who have never even met each other. What a beautiful life. 

I'm so grateful as we enter into this new year. I'm grateful for what has been and I'm grateful for what is to come. I really don't know what is in store, I feel like I might be really surprised to find out. But here is what I do know, I read this today from Isaiah 43:2, "When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you." I really like verse 19 too that says, "For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?"

I know that when things are hard, when they are difficult, when I cannot see the path in front of me, He will be there to guide me. I think we all need a Guide, because life is confusing. This year certainly has been a rough one, but I am seeing through the mess and choosing the good. Happy New Year everyone!