Reason #120
Today, I had lunch with 4 of my favorite people. And, on a side note, all of my food experiments turned out just fine. Today, I felt so blessed as I gathered around my table to break bread with my family. My brother, my sister-in-law, my parents. We sat around a table that my dad assembled with his own hands. A table I bought on the first day of this year. A table that I got, of course, for a bargain. A table that I stood in line and waited to buy on a January afternoon with my mom. Furniture to fill an empty space, to replace what was. A space that was far from empty today. A space that was filled with love and laughter.
My parents moved to Lubbock last January. They began to feel the desire to move but weren't really sure why. So, they decided they would place their house on the market and see what happened. Two days later, they had an offer and the time to move had come sooner than expected. And so we celebrated our last Christmas in my childhood home and began to pack boxes the next week. Twenty-some-odd years of memories. The only home I had ever known. This was where I had grown up. All my memories existed between those walls. My little handprint was carved in the cement on the front porch. This was home, home where my heart was. And we all began to lament over this move. I wasn't sure how I felt now that I would no longer be able to go "home." I wasn't sure how I felt about total strangers moving into my space and filling it with their memories. Well, the move was made and we all adjusted. But why did they move? We still couldn't quite come up with a definite answer. They began to wonder, too, as they missed the familiarity of our old home, our church, the simpleness of small town living, close friends and neighbors. But life picked back up, and it was a joy to have them living only mintues away.
And on October 1, I drove to their house at 2:00AM, hardly able to catch my breath, with tears streaming down my face. And I just thanked the Lord that they were only 5 minutes away. Only 5 minutes stood between me and two sets of arms that would embrace me. Two sets of ears that would listen. Two wise people who would comfort me and assure me that everything was going to be all right. So we sat on the couch as sobs escaped from my mouth and my mother rocked me as if I were still a little girl. She caressed my hair and held me close. Three people, all in their pj's with sleepy eyes, who weren't sure what was about to happen. And they assured me in those terrifying moments that I wasn't going to face this alone. I wasn't going to walk this road by myself. And it didn't take us long to realize why the Lord had lead them to Lubbock nine months before.
So for the next 6 months, I reverted back to being a child, a dependent. No more independent, grown up woman. I couldn't be alone so I spent every free minute with my parents. I would go to work, go to their house, and come back to my house for bed with my mom in tow. She would wake up early the next morning, go back to their house, get ready and go to work. And we repeated this cycle for 3 months. But during this time I had hope. Hope that all was going to turn out as I was planning. And in December, my hope was shattered, so I began to stay at their house. They slowly but surely nursed me back to health, and I have to think that they never imagined they would be taking care of their 24 year old daughter in such a way. A daughter who, up until this point, had always had it together, taken care of business. A daughter who had become completely self-sufficient was now totally inefficient. But they did it. Just as they had loved and nurtured me for the first 19 years of dependency, they did the same for these many months. And I can't imagine walking through such a devastating situation without having two strong pillars to hold me up so that I didn't crumble. Two strong pillars who were, praise the Lord, only minutes away.
Hindsight is 20/20, and now we see how God was working and moving long before we knew what was in store. And I see that He had a plan in place long before October 1. He knew what was coming down the pipeline. He knew what His daughter needed. But the thing is, He knew from day 1 what His daughter needed. He knew I needed a father who was brave, supportive, strong and loving. He knew I needed a mother who was wise, compassionate, selfless and nurturing. He knew I needed a big brother who would watch out for me and protect me. He knew I needed a sister-in-law who would send me encouraging notes to bring a smile to my face. And I didn't just need these people for the past many months, I needed them the moment they were placed in my life. And He knew that.
So, today, as we sat in my home and ate lunch together, I was completely amazed at how far God has brought us. Five people with the same last name. Five people with an incredible bond. Five people who have walked, hand in hand, through a devastating situation only to come out stronger. Blessed. And it was a joy for me to spend the afternoon hosting them. Filling their bellies with a simple meal and soaking up their love. Knowing that I could never come up with the right words to tell them how much they mean to me, how much I apprecaite them, but hoping they understand never the less.
And through it all I have come to realize that when I am with them, no matter where it may be, I am home because these people have an incredibly special place in my heart. In fact, they each hold a piece of my heart. For the saying really is true, "home is where your heart is."
#120 - Because He has given me the best home!
"For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come." - Hebrews 13:14
My parents moved to Lubbock last January. They began to feel the desire to move but weren't really sure why. So, they decided they would place their house on the market and see what happened. Two days later, they had an offer and the time to move had come sooner than expected. And so we celebrated our last Christmas in my childhood home and began to pack boxes the next week. Twenty-some-odd years of memories. The only home I had ever known. This was where I had grown up. All my memories existed between those walls. My little handprint was carved in the cement on the front porch. This was home, home where my heart was. And we all began to lament over this move. I wasn't sure how I felt now that I would no longer be able to go "home." I wasn't sure how I felt about total strangers moving into my space and filling it with their memories. Well, the move was made and we all adjusted. But why did they move? We still couldn't quite come up with a definite answer. They began to wonder, too, as they missed the familiarity of our old home, our church, the simpleness of small town living, close friends and neighbors. But life picked back up, and it was a joy to have them living only mintues away.
And on October 1, I drove to their house at 2:00AM, hardly able to catch my breath, with tears streaming down my face. And I just thanked the Lord that they were only 5 minutes away. Only 5 minutes stood between me and two sets of arms that would embrace me. Two sets of ears that would listen. Two wise people who would comfort me and assure me that everything was going to be all right. So we sat on the couch as sobs escaped from my mouth and my mother rocked me as if I were still a little girl. She caressed my hair and held me close. Three people, all in their pj's with sleepy eyes, who weren't sure what was about to happen. And they assured me in those terrifying moments that I wasn't going to face this alone. I wasn't going to walk this road by myself. And it didn't take us long to realize why the Lord had lead them to Lubbock nine months before.
So for the next 6 months, I reverted back to being a child, a dependent. No more independent, grown up woman. I couldn't be alone so I spent every free minute with my parents. I would go to work, go to their house, and come back to my house for bed with my mom in tow. She would wake up early the next morning, go back to their house, get ready and go to work. And we repeated this cycle for 3 months. But during this time I had hope. Hope that all was going to turn out as I was planning. And in December, my hope was shattered, so I began to stay at their house. They slowly but surely nursed me back to health, and I have to think that they never imagined they would be taking care of their 24 year old daughter in such a way. A daughter who, up until this point, had always had it together, taken care of business. A daughter who had become completely self-sufficient was now totally inefficient. But they did it. Just as they had loved and nurtured me for the first 19 years of dependency, they did the same for these many months. And I can't imagine walking through such a devastating situation without having two strong pillars to hold me up so that I didn't crumble. Two strong pillars who were, praise the Lord, only minutes away.
Hindsight is 20/20, and now we see how God was working and moving long before we knew what was in store. And I see that He had a plan in place long before October 1. He knew what was coming down the pipeline. He knew what His daughter needed. But the thing is, He knew from day 1 what His daughter needed. He knew I needed a father who was brave, supportive, strong and loving. He knew I needed a mother who was wise, compassionate, selfless and nurturing. He knew I needed a big brother who would watch out for me and protect me. He knew I needed a sister-in-law who would send me encouraging notes to bring a smile to my face. And I didn't just need these people for the past many months, I needed them the moment they were placed in my life. And He knew that.
So, today, as we sat in my home and ate lunch together, I was completely amazed at how far God has brought us. Five people with the same last name. Five people with an incredible bond. Five people who have walked, hand in hand, through a devastating situation only to come out stronger. Blessed. And it was a joy for me to spend the afternoon hosting them. Filling their bellies with a simple meal and soaking up their love. Knowing that I could never come up with the right words to tell them how much they mean to me, how much I apprecaite them, but hoping they understand never the less.
And through it all I have come to realize that when I am with them, no matter where it may be, I am home because these people have an incredibly special place in my heart. In fact, they each hold a piece of my heart. For the saying really is true, "home is where your heart is."
#120 - Because He has given me the best home!
"For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come." - Hebrews 13:14