I'm Back!

It has been a while since I last posted. Those of you who have been faithful to continue following me, thank you! "Every journey begins with a single step".

We have been on quite a journey these past 3 years. My husband found a good job in MN and he moved away from me and our four children in MA to begin work. We put our home on the market in MA and waited. A year later, we finally got an offer and said, "Goodbye" to our home with 2 acres, our friends and neighbors and we packed up the last of our things in two cars, our four kids, our dog and two old cats, and headed West to MN. I will tell you about traveling across half of a country with two cats and four kids next time!

 We will never say "goodbye" to the memories that were created in those 10 years. 

We are now reunited as a family in MN.
We found a foreclosed home in a charming town North of the  "Twin Cities". It needs some work, but I think in time we will make it feel like ours. 
Our four children are adjusting very well to the changes we have been through. I think children have a better way of coping with change than we adults do. 

They have made school and neighbor friends easily. They have each other as well; and I have them. They have become my closest friends through this journey.
I grieve "home". Home had become the East Coast for me. Even though I was born in Southern California and lived most of my life there. There is something magical (I don't think that is the right word) about New England.

I feel like I grew more in New England than I ever did in So. Cal. (I definitely weigh more)!
Of course, I experienced some monumental things in our 10 years in Massachusetts. This may play a role in my love for this area of our country.
We are now in the Mid-West. I wonder what kind of transforming experiences we will have here?
Seeking the blessings in the journey, Rebecca 

Hello again

Hello again my friends. I apologize for not blogging recently. So much has taken my time and attention elsewhere. 

My Beloved flew home for five days a few weeks ago and we spent those five days as best we could. He has been with his company for a year now and got a good review. He really likes what he does and the people he works with. They are salt of the earth people. What a blessing ~ both work and good people. We are thankful. We are also thankful that he got to come and spend part of winter break with us.

That means we spent time together as a family doing what our family loves the most. Going somewhere and doing something together.

The first full day with David, we went to Gloucester ~ to the sea. Cape Ann this winter is different. It's cold but, we had no snow yet and our children explored the rocks and trees right next to the sea. I will post photos of that in my next post. Our second day together we went here north of where we live. 

Because our weather had been so mild, no snow yet then, the woods gifted us with unique mushrooms and fungus. We hiked on fallen leaves and our children poked sticks into the icy edges of the river. We wandered holding hands again. We wandered watching our children play out imaginative games. We wandered as our dog would run off and back to us again. We breathed in the crisp, winter air and held tight to the warm hand in ours. It was timeless and lovely to be together as a family again. Priceless really.

Our friends offered to watch our children one night and David and I were able to have a quiet supper out together. Of course I wore heels! David dressed up too. What did we talk about besides the food? Our kids. We got to spend time with some of our friends at an evening Bible study in their home. They prayed for us and the sale of our home. We felt loved and loved in return.

David had one on one time with our oldest. They went to see the Star Wars movie in 3D. I had one on one time with one of my dearest friends. Even though it was raining cats and dogs, Miss Caragh and I talked until the Japanese restaurant closed. 

We went to our favorite used book store and our favorite second-hand store too. We had family meals together. We prayed together. We played together. We just were ~ together.

David fixed a leak under the kitchen sink. The dog got to sleep on our bed. Pup usually sleeps on the sofa in the living room. Life felt a little normal again. 

Our kids showed him their artwork, Lego creations, played baseball in our yard with Daddy, got piggy-back rides upstairs to bed each night. We caught up on bill paying and phone calls and grocery shopping. Five days fly by quickly. Too quickly. We signed our kids out of school early and drove David to the airport and prayed he have a safe journey back to Minnesota and that we will be together as a family soon. 

I remind myself that each day is one day closer to us being together again. 

Sometimes...

Sometimes I really look at my life. You know, those moments when time slows down and I see what is memorable. It usually happens when I'm not searching for it. 

Often I am focused on just getting through the day doing the things that all good moms are supposed to do. I am focused on making sure our children are safe, fed, clothed, loved and hopefully learning something. I am usually so focused on the menial tasks of the day that I don't take the time to really see. 

It's those moments when I just am and not trying to be that time slows and I actually see the beauty in my life. I am so thankful. I know we all have gone through tough times. Times of loss, times of grief, times of injury and even illness. None of us are immune to the human experience. 

I have held dying children in my arms. I have lost my own. I have grieved because of years of infertility. I know what I have. I know how God has blessed me and I don't take it for granted. I appreciate what I have. It was a very painful and long journey to have what I have. I cherish my life. 

I cherish our children. Yes, they are a lot of work. Yes, they push me to my limits. Yes, sometimes I worry about who they will become. Yes, they bring me to my breaking point at times. I know some adults who do the same.

Having four children so close in age is a lot of work. There is always something to clean, wash, fix, do, teach, pick up, make. There are hugs to give, tears to wipe away, matching socks to find, decisions to make, books to read, words to define, food to make, projects to do and clean up. 
The times they remember and love the most are the times when we are not doing but, rather being.