This morning as I sat outside in the sun, after 4 days of dense fog, I was feeling extremely thankful. Watching my kids play in our yard, drinking coffee, and listening to the birds. Out came Lucy. She had a backpack on, a purse around her arm, her baby in her hand, and her toy sling that Grandma made for her in her other hand. “Mama, can you help me with these things? I’m going on an adventure.” After I adjusted her sling, so her baby could come along, it brought me back to all the ‘adventures’ our family has had over the last few years -- mostly with a baby in a sling on my hip! We’re definitely a family that doesn’t take things sitting down . . .
As Thanksgiving wraps up over here -- complete with green bean casserole that takes 3 days to make -- I’m feeling more settled in our new life than ever. In fact, I’m feeling like I can no longer call it ‘new’. How come, then, did I spend yesterday surfing the web for the next great spot for a vacation? How come, then, did I spend quite a bit of time wishing I could have hopped a plane to see my family? How come, then, am I wondering if this house is really the right spot for us to live for the next however many years or if we should look for something more suited to our needs? How come, then, am I getting excited already for our next guests from our old life? How come, then, am I already thinking and planning for my get-away retreat that’s still over a month away? How come I don’t just relax and enjoy where I’m at?
I am realizing that I tend to look ahead to what’s to come, to the next big adventure. I have great expectation for the future. I get excited thinking about new things, places, people, experiences. I always have. Ever since I was little, I was looking ahead to what was next. I couldn’t wait for the next event to arrive and if anything came along to cancel it, I was devastated for a few days. I couldn’t wait until I could see the world. I loved to travel. I couldn’t wait to grow up and get away from the town where I never felt I fit in. I couldn’t wait to move to somewhere where people didn’t always make fun of me for being . . . who knows what all? I couldn’t wait! I always had the idea that whatever was coming would be better than what was. Nowadays, I find I still do this. I’ve been wrestling with “Why?”
Now I don’t have all the answers, but here are some I’ve been thinking about:
I grew up in the same house for 18 years with most of my family close-by. I was used to routine and something in me wanted to get out and see the world. I used to pore over coffee table books of exotic places and imagine I had enough money to visit them or live there.
After high school, I moved at least every 9 months until I got married! That was 18 moves in almost 10 years, plus 2 1/2 of those years, I was traveling around in a van, staying in a new place every few days. I got used to moving. I got used to seeing new things and meeting new people and starting over. Even after we married, we’ve lived in 8 homes in 9 years, plus at least a year of that was visiting and staying with family and friends (6 of those years with small children). So, we’re not exactly rooted people . . .
Because of Chris’ work here, we travel quite a bit. We are out of the country at least every 6 months and have traveled back to the States 3 times. That means, that I’m often planning travel itineraries, booking hotels, packing, unpacking. There aren’t many people who can fit more in a box or arrange suitcases in a van or travel with less than I can. It just makes sense to me to be going somewhere.
My kids are so used to our itinerant lifestyle that they often ask us when we’ll get on a plane. I’m told that for kids like ours who grow up in a place other than their parents’ birth country, they often feel very comfortable in an airport. For sure true for our bunch! Lucy still thinks they’ll be taking another trip by helicopter soon, and Abe and Jed get excited when we are about to travel internationally because they know they can play as many video games and watch as many movies as they want!
I’m naturally optimistic about the future. I was always the person to jump in with both feet, forgetting I don’t know how to swim and wondering where we put the life jackets. Some people enter new situations with a lot of forethought, anticipating challenges and dealing with them in their minds and hearts before they begin. I’m married to one of those. Not me, I run straight ahead with enthusiasm and deal with the cuts and bruises from the falls when they come.
So, I guess all these things could add up to a person who is so used to and comfortable with moving around that I feel strange just sitting still . . . I think there’s more, though. I’ve been praying a lot lately about this desire of mine to be somewhere else. I want to be content in the moment. I want to love where I’m at and deal with the struggles without looking for the next way out of them. This is important to maturity, I’m sure. Yes, this is definitely a part of it. But, I think there’s another part. God hasn’t made me for here. I can and should be content with my current situation and want to live life to the full where I am. Still, God didn’t make me for earth. He made me for heaven. Of course I don’t feel like I’m completely at home in this place. This place isn’t my home. I think I will be forever looking ahead to what is coming, to the next big adventure, because I haven’t gotten there yet. So many have gone before me and have reached the destination. One day I will reach it, too. Until then, may I have enough grace to settle in with contentment, and enough anticipation to enjoy going new places and doing new things, and enough hope to know that the best is yet to come!
Adventure Buddies for Life!!!
As Thanksgiving wraps up over here -- complete with green bean casserole that takes 3 days to make -- I’m feeling more settled in our new life than ever. In fact, I’m feeling like I can no longer call it ‘new’. How come, then, did I spend yesterday surfing the web for the next great spot for a vacation? How come, then, did I spend quite a bit of time wishing I could have hopped a plane to see my family? How come, then, am I wondering if this house is really the right spot for us to live for the next however many years or if we should look for something more suited to our needs? How come, then, am I getting excited already for our next guests from our old life? How come, then, am I already thinking and planning for my get-away retreat that’s still over a month away? How come I don’t just relax and enjoy where I’m at?
I am realizing that I tend to look ahead to what’s to come, to the next big adventure. I have great expectation for the future. I get excited thinking about new things, places, people, experiences. I always have. Ever since I was little, I was looking ahead to what was next. I couldn’t wait for the next event to arrive and if anything came along to cancel it, I was devastated for a few days. I couldn’t wait until I could see the world. I loved to travel. I couldn’t wait to grow up and get away from the town where I never felt I fit in. I couldn’t wait to move to somewhere where people didn’t always make fun of me for being . . . who knows what all? I couldn’t wait! I always had the idea that whatever was coming would be better than what was. Nowadays, I find I still do this. I’ve been wrestling with “Why?”
Now I don’t have all the answers, but here are some I’ve been thinking about:
I grew up in the same house for 18 years with most of my family close-by. I was used to routine and something in me wanted to get out and see the world. I used to pore over coffee table books of exotic places and imagine I had enough money to visit them or live there.
After high school, I moved at least every 9 months until I got married! That was 18 moves in almost 10 years, plus 2 1/2 of those years, I was traveling around in a van, staying in a new place every few days. I got used to moving. I got used to seeing new things and meeting new people and starting over. Even after we married, we’ve lived in 8 homes in 9 years, plus at least a year of that was visiting and staying with family and friends (6 of those years with small children). So, we’re not exactly rooted people . . .
Because of Chris’ work here, we travel quite a bit. We are out of the country at least every 6 months and have traveled back to the States 3 times. That means, that I’m often planning travel itineraries, booking hotels, packing, unpacking. There aren’t many people who can fit more in a box or arrange suitcases in a van or travel with less than I can. It just makes sense to me to be going somewhere.
My kids are so used to our itinerant lifestyle that they often ask us when we’ll get on a plane. I’m told that for kids like ours who grow up in a place other than their parents’ birth country, they often feel very comfortable in an airport. For sure true for our bunch! Lucy still thinks they’ll be taking another trip by helicopter soon, and Abe and Jed get excited when we are about to travel internationally because they know they can play as many video games and watch as many movies as they want!
I’m naturally optimistic about the future. I was always the person to jump in with both feet, forgetting I don’t know how to swim and wondering where we put the life jackets. Some people enter new situations with a lot of forethought, anticipating challenges and dealing with them in their minds and hearts before they begin. I’m married to one of those. Not me, I run straight ahead with enthusiasm and deal with the cuts and bruises from the falls when they come.
So, I guess all these things could add up to a person who is so used to and comfortable with moving around that I feel strange just sitting still . . . I think there’s more, though. I’ve been praying a lot lately about this desire of mine to be somewhere else. I want to be content in the moment. I want to love where I’m at and deal with the struggles without looking for the next way out of them. This is important to maturity, I’m sure. Yes, this is definitely a part of it. But, I think there’s another part. God hasn’t made me for here. I can and should be content with my current situation and want to live life to the full where I am. Still, God didn’t make me for earth. He made me for heaven. Of course I don’t feel like I’m completely at home in this place. This place isn’t my home. I think I will be forever looking ahead to what is coming, to the next big adventure, because I haven’t gotten there yet. So many have gone before me and have reached the destination. One day I will reach it, too. Until then, may I have enough grace to settle in with contentment, and enough anticipation to enjoy going new places and doing new things, and enough hope to know that the best is yet to come!
Adventure Buddies for Life!!!
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