Four more sleeps to Africa! Saturday night on the plane doesn't count, since it is unlikely we will get any sleep then. We'll call that bonus sleep if it comes.
We had a big trip planned this weekend to visit friends and deliver Len's dress clothes to their temporary home in our friends' closet. Since my head is still on the edge of exploding, we decided that it would be best for me to stay home and rest while Len took the kids on the overnight trip. After all, most of the trip was going to involve a series of visits where Ruby and Henry would have other children and/or adults to play with.
I did get a good night's sleep, and was a very productive packer. However, it does seem that our belongings are breeding in the night. Really, I just keep giving things away, sending them to friends and Annabelle's Thrift Store and anyone else who will take them, and when I wake up the next morning there are new items littering the floor where the old ones were. Is there a fogging spray for this? I have to believe we will get to the bottom of the pile if we just keep going....
When we finally all returned home last night, and the kids were in bed, Len told me about one visit on the trip that didn't go so well...with a friend we are trying to build a positive relationship with. And it is a good relationship we have, we just want to grow it along in a happy direction. Anyway, Len took the kids to meet with this person in their very nice office, and the person was quite kind, giving each of our kids a piece of cinnamon gum. Our kids don't get gum very often, which was evidenced in Ruby smelling it for a long time. Then each child took a bite, politely chewed it up, and swallowed it. Ruby nicely handed the wrapper back to the benefactor and asked them to discard it. Henry was very interested in a nice (and expensive looking) model airplane on display, and Len will probably have nightmares for weeks about Henry almost knocking it off of its stand.
As I was getting the rundown from the trip, this last part, along with stories of bittersweet goodbyes, made both of us teary eyed, as Len recounted the stress of trying to make a good impression and keep our kids on the straight and narrow, and pretty soon we were both crying and then doubled over laughing at our life right now.
Was it just last summer we were in our nice home, with the kids both going to bed by eight and sleeping all night in their own rooms?
As I write this, I am just outsisde of our bedroom that all four of us currently sleep in. Len went in around nine tonight to help the kids get to sleep, as Ruby especially is showing signs of stress from these weeks of 'lasts'. Last day of preschool. Last day at our church. Last visit with Grandma and Grandpa. Last time to see friends here for a long time.
So Len went in to lay down between the kids and help them get to sleep. However, for the last 45 minutes or so, I have only heard Henry's little falsetto voice trying to whisper to me, 'Mommy....Mommy!' As I walk in, he shushes me and squeaks, 'Don't talk. Daddy is sleeping!' Then he collapses into a ball of giggles and pillows.
Four more sleeps. hopefully we haven't scared off our friend with the cinnamon gum. Hopefully there is a lot of laughter in our future, as well as new friends and new mercies from God each day.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Tickets! Joy! Tears!
With much joy and a little bit of terror I share with you our anticipated date of departure: Saturday, April 3. Yes, the day before Easter. Yes, the day before Ruby's fifth anniversary. New beginnings all over the place like bugs on the grille of my minivan (which, by the way, is for sale).
We're mowing down new beginnings here on the farm.
With these dated plane tickets come a lot of realizations. Goodbyes are stinging more. We've been through so many states saying goodbyes these last months, and tears are starting to flow ever more freely as we mourn the comfort of knowing our friends and family here are just a call/flight/drive away. And yet, God-willing, in 25 days we will begin to find treasure God has for us on another continent, while thankfully employing technology to remain in relationships here.
One sigh of relief for me is that packing WILL come to an end. If we lived here in perpetuity, I am convinced that I would never stop pulling items out to replace them with others. Toothbrush holder or extra pillowcases? Belt or soap dish? Looking at every item and asking myself if it can be sewn or made in Dar, and do I like this enough to move it across the ocean? Do I like it too much to lose it? Sliding little comfort items like disposable diapers (yes, my cloth diapering comrades, I am taking a few!:) and sanitizing hand wipe packets down in the cracks between bins and tubs. Yes, I am looking forward to the end of packing!
We are blessed beyond our wildest dreams with this opportunity. Len and I have prayed consistently over the years that God would not let us become complacent in our faith life, and He has been faithful to keep us from getting too comfortable, while blessing our socks off.
The amazing people we have the privilege to call 'friend' are beyond what we deserve - we know that! Please continue to let us know how we can pray for you, and we covet your prayers as well. Each of our stories has yet to be finished...let's continue to support and encourage each other!
After tickets, joy and tears there IS a little bit of terror in my mind as I think about having to turn in all my library books, hug my mom goodbye (for a year at least) and learn a new language at age 38. What if I didn't bring enough gluten free flour for Ruby? Will I know how to ask our new landlord questions without totally offending her? These thoughts and so many more are what cause me to strike deep stretching poses in awkward places throughout the day.
The joy is not going away; the tickets are hopefully good through April 4. The tears (of happiness as well as grief) and terror (in small doses) and time we have left here are going to rotate continuously for the forseeable future. Feel free to jump in with me. :)
We're mowing down new beginnings here on the farm.
With these dated plane tickets come a lot of realizations. Goodbyes are stinging more. We've been through so many states saying goodbyes these last months, and tears are starting to flow ever more freely as we mourn the comfort of knowing our friends and family here are just a call/flight/drive away. And yet, God-willing, in 25 days we will begin to find treasure God has for us on another continent, while thankfully employing technology to remain in relationships here.
One sigh of relief for me is that packing WILL come to an end. If we lived here in perpetuity, I am convinced that I would never stop pulling items out to replace them with others. Toothbrush holder or extra pillowcases? Belt or soap dish? Looking at every item and asking myself if it can be sewn or made in Dar, and do I like this enough to move it across the ocean? Do I like it too much to lose it? Sliding little comfort items like disposable diapers (yes, my cloth diapering comrades, I am taking a few!:) and sanitizing hand wipe packets down in the cracks between bins and tubs. Yes, I am looking forward to the end of packing!
We are blessed beyond our wildest dreams with this opportunity. Len and I have prayed consistently over the years that God would not let us become complacent in our faith life, and He has been faithful to keep us from getting too comfortable, while blessing our socks off.
The amazing people we have the privilege to call 'friend' are beyond what we deserve - we know that! Please continue to let us know how we can pray for you, and we covet your prayers as well. Each of our stories has yet to be finished...let's continue to support and encourage each other!
After tickets, joy and tears there IS a little bit of terror in my mind as I think about having to turn in all my library books, hug my mom goodbye (for a year at least) and learn a new language at age 38. What if I didn't bring enough gluten free flour for Ruby? Will I know how to ask our new landlord questions without totally offending her? These thoughts and so many more are what cause me to strike deep stretching poses in awkward places throughout the day.
The joy is not going away; the tickets are hopefully good through April 4. The tears (of happiness as well as grief) and terror (in small doses) and time we have left here are going to rotate continuously for the forseeable future. Feel free to jump in with me. :)
Thursday, March 4, 2010
It's Calendar Fish
The kids' big pocket calendar has fat, happy green fish dates in it. And yes, we are still here. Ruby checked the weather this morning and chose cloudy, cold, rainy, windy, sunny and snow for the weather pocket. I couldn't really correct her...all of those things were true here today. While we don't have tickets yet, March looks like the month we will begin life in beautiful Africa.
Calendar fish signify a later date than I thought we would be here, but really I am thankful to have experienced this snow; heck, we even managed to travel to Minnesota and Colorado this winter during their record snowfalls and low temperatures. When we dropped the kids off with our dear friends in Minneapolis after New Year's, it was -26 degrees there. I suspect we will look back on colder weather fondly in the next few months.
March 19 Len leaves his office here for the last time. We'll let you know when tickets are purchased. Hoping to spend Easter in Dar...a new beginning!
Through all the packing, moving, moving, packing, packing, unpacking, repacking, sorting and packing, one thing has been crystal clear: that this is what God wants us to be doing right now. To be honest, I'm a little freaked out right now. We've been planning this for so long that being confronted with the actual move is a little shocking. But God has brought us this far in His will, and I know he isn't going to leave us now.
Two questions I've often had for God are, 'Who are you?' and 'What do you want from me?'
Sometimes they are asked as you would ask someone breaking into your house, with force and fear. Today, I ask them with wonder and a patient heart. The journey through sailboat dates, autumn leaf dates (which in Dar will just be a memory), and snowman and heart dates will be challenging, but I am sure we will be better people and better God-followers a year from now because of it.
Calendar fish signify a later date than I thought we would be here, but really I am thankful to have experienced this snow; heck, we even managed to travel to Minnesota and Colorado this winter during their record snowfalls and low temperatures. When we dropped the kids off with our dear friends in Minneapolis after New Year's, it was -26 degrees there. I suspect we will look back on colder weather fondly in the next few months.
March 19 Len leaves his office here for the last time. We'll let you know when tickets are purchased. Hoping to spend Easter in Dar...a new beginning!
Through all the packing, moving, moving, packing, packing, unpacking, repacking, sorting and packing, one thing has been crystal clear: that this is what God wants us to be doing right now. To be honest, I'm a little freaked out right now. We've been planning this for so long that being confronted with the actual move is a little shocking. But God has brought us this far in His will, and I know he isn't going to leave us now.
Two questions I've often had for God are, 'Who are you?' and 'What do you want from me?'
Sometimes they are asked as you would ask someone breaking into your house, with force and fear. Today, I ask them with wonder and a patient heart. The journey through sailboat dates, autumn leaf dates (which in Dar will just be a memory), and snowman and heart dates will be challenging, but I am sure we will be better people and better God-followers a year from now because of it.
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