And so it begins ... again. It starts with the first box. Packing up your stuff.Filling one box, then another, and this followed by dozens more. The reality is, a single box is filled with odds and ends. To many people, it may look like junk or matters of little importance. However, this box, and all the others together, make up your home. The special candles you got for her fifth birthday, the Barbie princess plates you gave her for Christmas that year, the picture that she drew for you, the juicer that you picked out together. I have moved enough times in my life to know the mix of feelings that are to come. They will contain a mix of hope for the better place that we are moving into and a sadness that we are leaving behind something that we have known for so long, where our lives unfolded. I still hear the echoes of our laughter and our cries in this place. It has been our home. From working together on a puzzle on a cold and rainy day in our dining room, to sharing movie night together with our popcorn and special drinks in the living room, to watching T.V. together in my bedroom, to reading stories in her bedroom, to making lemonade in the kitchen, to our long walks around the bike path over to the goldfish pond. This place has been ours in a unique time of our lives. I think of the many memories and shared experiences. I dwell too long on the missed opportunities and regrets. I think about the passage of time. My mind stirs around so many thoughts that I feel weighed down and confused. One thing that I cling to with the tightest grip is this, no matter where we call home, what stuff we have around us, we will always find ways to make new memories. In our new place we trust that the Lord will be present to help us remember the laughter more than the tears and will bless us with the greatest treasures in this world, love, harmony, and peace. Part 1 of a moving 6 part series.
