They say to “Bloom Where You Are Planted.” Is it possible to bloom after your roots have been dug up 9 times? I don’t know. I will find out very soon though. We are moving again. This is our 9th move in 15 years of marriage. Remember, we moved last summer? Oh, and the summer before that? (just to name a few). This time I am going to put “CHANGE IS INEVITABLE” on a t-shirt and wear it for the the first 2 weeks of our move.
I am the girl who hates CHANGE, so therefore I hate moving. Because that is what moving is–CHANGE. I’m the girl who cried when I was 5 years old because my parents got a new sofa. True Story. I’m the girl who loved living in the same home for 18 years as a child. I never moved. I never flew on an airplane. I never needed anything but the life I already had (or so I thought . . . ).
I’m still the girl who never wants my kids to grow up, never wants friends to leave, never wants people to die. And yes, through all our moves I have kept the first ugly sofa that My Man and I bought together (I guess, I have a mental problem about sofas).
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| Yeah, it’s pretty ugly . . . |
I want things to stay the same. This is probably why God has chosen to teach me to accept CHANGE. I married a handsome young man who swept me off my feet. I loved him for his energy for life. I loved him for his courage to face CHANGE with excitement. And so with My Man’s example, and with God’s help I have slowly learned to accept CHANGE. I’ve learned to see the positive side of CHANGE.
During my 15 years of marriage to My Man I have learned many things. I’ve moved 9 times–across the country, across town–to new cities and new states. I’m learning to accept that my children need to grow up. I’ve flown a zillion times on airplanes (just me alone with 3 kids when they were all very young). I’ve made unlikely friendships. I’ve learned to say goodbye.
So today I pass onto you THE BEST THINGS ABOUT MOVING:
* You get to start fresh. Out with the old, in with the new. New home, new friends, new fun. You can leave behind some (not all) of the hardships of your past. AND you get rid of the junk you don’t need (except the sofa of course).
* More friends. Everywhere you go you gain more friends. I used to think I would lose my friendships when I moved, but now I understand I can still love those friends and keep in touch from a distance. It’s never exactly the same as it used to be, but it’s still good (and new technology helps soooo much!). The memories are priceless. And you can always have more friends.
* You are teachable. When you move away from your comfort-zone you are ready to learn. You are eager to seek help from others and from God. You let yourself try new things. You learn about new people, cultures, and neighborhoods. You learn about your own inner strength.
* Your family is closer. The more we move, the more I have noticed that our little family of 5 has learned to depend on each other. We are very close because sometimes we only have each other during those first few months of a move. Now don’t get me wrong–moving is stressful! And we have had some of our best fights during a move! But in the end we really gain a closeness and stronger love for each other as we adjust to all the craziness. This can be hard to see, but it’s there if you really look for it and help it happen.
* Home can be anywhere. If you put in the effort, you will find that you can make any house, any apartment, any place feel like HOME. I’ve learned that putting up some of our favorite pictures and having that same, old sofa with us all these years helps it feel “normal” during the first few months. But really, it’s just having my family there with me that makes a new place HOME. We try to start making memories in our new house right away–taking photos, continuing a tradition, and planning a fun activity to help it feel like our own place.
So there you go. I guess moving has a positive side after all. If you are moving soon I wish you the best of luck.
As for me, I am going to try to stay positive, because things will work out somehow. So maybe I should put “CHANGE IS OKAY” on a t-shirt instead . . .
