I have no idea why the pictures on this showed up twice. But I'm not going to worry about it now!
Psalms 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
On Saturday morning, I joined a few ladies for lunch. My friend, Tressa, set up a date for ladies to come to lunch together to say good by. Amazingly enough, I throughly enjoyed myself and only shed a few tears. I mean, I'm not surprised I enjoyed myself, but I am surprised that I managed to only cry a little!!
Lunch with friends
I sang special music on Sunday with three very dear friends, and it was only by the grace of God that I stumbled through the song. It was hard as I looked out on the congregation and realized how many dear and precious friends we have. Some are acquaintances that offer prayers on our behalf, a few are close friends, and fewer still are very, very dear friends.
Roger arrived home with the u-haul just moments after we arrived home from church on Sunday morning. We had invited a few close friends to eat lunch, load the u-haul, and make a few memories one last time. Our goal was to make it to Sunday night church, but our first priority had to be loading up the truck. Roger and Ryan, another close friend, loaded the piano into the truck. From there we proceeded to load up all of our belongings from my parents house. My mom made lunch for everyone who came to help. I think we ended up having seven ladies, six guys, and fifteen kids when everyone was there! Many hands make light work!
We ate lunch quickly and headed to our storage unit. I was a little concerned about how everything was going to fit, but Roger is an amazingly good packer! We did manage to fit everything we needed into the u-haul truck, and we made it back to my parents house with enough time to feed the kids before we changed clothes and rushed back for the Sunday evening service. I'll admit that I probably didn't go to church so much to hear the message as I did to say good by to my friends. It was an emotional evening for me even though I know that we are making the best choice for our family. I did feel a little bad for Roger. I would've thought that more men in the church would have made an effort to say good by or at least shake his hand. I know he hasn't been close to many people in the last few years, but it would have soothed my heart a bit to know that people care about us as a family and a couple. It's been a difficult journey for us as a family, and we are looking forward to seeing how God directs us in Maine.
I am so thankful for these ladies!
After Sunday night church we did get to go out for ice cream with a few close friends. It's hard to cry when you're eating ice cream, so that was a relief! We didn't get home until around ten, and our children were exhausted. This has been tough on them as well, and I'll be shocked and amazed if none of them becomes sick.
We were up early this morning to try to finish all the last minute tasks. I had dropped off the truck on Friday to get the tires changed, but they discovered that there were a few other repairs that should be made. They couldn't get the truck done until today. They were waiting on some parts, and they said it would be done around noon. Roger and I went and grabbed the few items that were left in our storage unit, checked to see when the suburban would be done, went to the bank, and wrapped up a few last minute boxes. My friend, Gretchen, invited us to come over for coffee and treats. Since Roger had a few errands to do in Oshkosh, he dropped myself and the kids off at Gretchen's house. The boys were delighted to have one last opportunity to play with friends, and I was certainly going to capitalize on a coffee date with my dearest friends!
Jenna and Autumn came over for coffee as well. Honestly, saying good by was much more painful today. I know I'm tired, weary, and just drained, so the emotional side of saying good by caught me off guard. When I think about missing their birthdays, the birthdays of their children, the absence of coffee dates, animated discussions about family, kids, church, and life, and both of our lives moving forward, well, it's just hard to not be a basket case! I've created memories that will never be erased, but I also know that this move is not just a few months or short-term. God is directing us to settling down, find a good church, and raise our family in the state of Maine. It's hard knowing that there isn't a friend to invite myself over for coffee with, engage in a lively discussion, arrange a play date with, or invite for birthday suppers. I know that God has brought us this far, and His hand is definitely in this. But my heart struggles are real, but God is bigger.
We left around two-thirty on Monday afternoon. I spent the first hour or so trying to stem the flood of tears. I finally gave up, and I felt better after I cried even though I then had a headache! We made it to South Bend, Indiana. We stopped about ten o'clock and practically fell into bed. Wyatt cried himself to sleep as he said all his friends were gone. It was hard to disagree as my heart is heavy also. I'm thankful for an understanding husband, great kids, and a sister and her husband that are waiting in Maine.
An early morning greeted us as we were on the road by 6:30 am. It was a long day of traveling, but we are getting closer. We have seven hours to travel tomorrow and then we will arrive at our new home! We appreciate your continued prayers as we seek to adjust, work together, find a church, and find a routine at works for us.
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