I seem to be busier than ever before, but I'm not sure with what. The house is a wreck. I haven't finished a book in days. My crafty type things are not even organized enough that I could do them.
It could be in part that we went to Atlanta last week. But, things were like that before we went.
On the plus side, I think we are doing well. The kids are happy. I'm getting tired of playing make believe games with the kids though. I hope we meet nice, mostly well adjusted children soon. Then, they can pretend to be Mickey, Ord, or Jack and Annie (all children's story chaacters) and I can space out on the park bench while I read the mail.

Heading out of town again in a couple of days. It is unlikely my chore list will be empty before I go. I'm thinking no mother gets done with her list until the kids are grown. Atleast, I hope I'll be done by then!

Please help!

I need your help. I'm doing some research on fitness habits and motivation. I am burning to know if you have a regular exercise routine. I want to know what you do and what you don't. If you haven't done a crunch in 15 years, I'm hoping you'll tell me why. I also hope you will share your best childhood P.E. memory with me. If there aren't any, I hope you'll tell me about that too. If you love me and/or you need good water cooler or playground coversation, maybe you'll enlist your friends to help too!

Thanks!

Yes, Virginia, there are Alligators

Or atleast, one of them. We saw it yesterday. Very cool stuff. I estimate two years old, max. This of course, causes my daughter to ask how I know his name is Max. Later, she decides it doesn't matter if we know his name. The important people or reptiles in his life no doubt do. Atleast, we hope.

Good things

Tonight, we visited with family. What a wonderful thing. It sounds so ordinary, but I think I can count on two hands, maybe a toe or two, the times we have had family visitors since we were married. My husband's parents have been our most frequent visitors. I have always enjoyed them. And my parents have come a couple of times. We've been so far though. And, parents are parents.

Tonight, we went to dinner with cousins who were in town. It was wonderful. I know, I just used that word. And I wish I could think of a better one. There isn't one though. That one says what I think too well. It was absolutely wonderful to laugh often and enjoy the safety that good family can bring.

Now that atleast half the boxes are cleared and most of the furniture is reassembled, I can think about how much I am going to like being closer to so many of the people I love dearly. And it's good thinkin!

Things I need to know

As we begin to settle in, I am finally able to say that I see the ways this might work into something truly wonderful.

This is not something I say lightly. I have struggled so in this move. I really wanted an 11th hour dispensation from God so that I did not have to move. I know, I know, some of you are thinking I could have stopped this move at any time. But, that would have violated the journey I began with God over two years ago. I couldn't do that. So, in absence of a clear directive to stay in Bloomington, I followed the instigation of my spouse to move to Central Florida. He, btw, felt he was doing this partly for me. And, I guess he was. Funny how these things can happen.

In any event, I continued with this move that I might be better able to move forward when I did not necessarily feel like it 100%. I moved so that I would be forced to rely on God's strength and patience. I moved so that I might not get lost in the trap of building a perfect life that I could control. I moved to practice self-discipline. Karate is a bit hard to get to these days with the kids you know...

There were times I felt I was moving to be closer to family. In the beginning that was the main reason given. As the pace picked up though, there was no ability to dwell on those aspects. This became a challenge of my desires. My resentments. My comfort. Me. Me. Me. And that is really why I needed to go through this move.
Because it is not about me. It's about being a tiny part of a bigger picture. One in which each part needs to work well with others. To know how to exist. And I do not always do this well. I fix. Not so much these days though. Now, I do what I need to get through the day.

I pray for more than enough grace for each day. I pray that I will meet the needs of my family and that we will all grow closer to God. That we might be more than usable. That we would be pleasing. As I ride and walk the streets here, I feel my prayers being answered. As I find moments to talk to near strangers about the quest to be more open to God's provision and leadership in my life, I see glimpses of the future.

Life is so short. Sometimes, we get a re-take. More often, we don't. May Your day be blessed with opportunities to love, to dare, and to be loved.