Virginia

We have had an absolutely lovely time in Virginia! It has been fun to return to the place our adventure started and reconnect with dear friends. And, wow, we really have the most amazing friends here!  It has been such a blessing to spend time with so many of them. We’d missed them all and today we say goodbye and we’ll be missing them again.

Yesterday, I had a wonderful lunch with Caleb to say one last goodbye before leaving town.  I sure am going to miss that kid! But, I am finding (some) comfort in the fact that he is happy and he is doing very well.  Thank you to everyone that has kept him in their prayers.

Wednesday we visited our dear friend Mollie and her awesome girls. They have been taking care of our two giant puppies while we have been away on our rv adventure (Now that is an AMAZING friend!!!). Nick and George were so excited to spend some time with our dogs Ellie and Jeb.

Though we are sad to leave Virginia, we are excited to be heading back to North Carolina.  We spent six years there (4 years in Wilmington and 2 years in Raleigh) and it still feels like home. We will be spending a week just north of Raleigh and then we head for the coast.

Letting Go…

Caleb is off to college! He moved into his dorm on Friday. He is happy with his room and he likes his roommate. He shares a bedroom and bathroom with one guy and a common area (livingroom/kitchen/laundry) with another 5 guys. They all seems to get along well, which is great. So far, so good!

All that said, there was a moment. George and I drove up to the dormitory on Friday to see his room and meet his roommate. The sidewalk was crowded with college kids acting like… well… college kids. And I began to feel panic (I know it is a strong word, but there it is – p.a.n.i.c). I mean really, whose idea was it to have a bunch of 18, 19, and 20 year olds living together and making their own decisions?!?  I’m leaving my child here, with them?! I am not so old that I can’t remember what it’s like to be young. Ahem… anyway…. George reassured me that Caleb would be fine. And I told George he wasn’t going to college. Ever. I called my dad, because he too remembers what it’s like to be young. I didn’t really want to be reassured (I know Caleb is a good kid and he’ll be fine. Really.), I just wanted someone I could laugh with. And laugh we did.

Today is Caleb’s first day of class. His sophomore year has officially begun. Please pray for him as he starts this new and exciting chapter in his life.

As for me, I’m missing these two kids! But, I am feeling blessed. Blessed to have mothered them. Blessed by the amazing grace of God that covers all of my shortcomings. Blessed to watch them learn and grow and step into adulthood. Blessed by the time we had and the times yet to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“There is no ongoing spiritual life without this process of letting go. At the precise point where we refuse, growth stops. If we hold tightly to anything given to us, unwilling to let it go when the time comes to let it go or unwilling to allow it to be used as the Giver means it to be used, we stunt the growth of the soul. It is easy to make a mistake here, “If God gave it to me,” we say, “its mine. I can do what I want with it.” No. The truth is that it is ours to thank Him for and ours to offer back to Him, ours to relinquish, ours to lose, ours to let go of – if we want to find our true selves, if we want real life, if our hearts are set on glory.” ― Elisabeth Elliot

3 Months On the Road

I haven’t blogged much lately. First, I have been in a bit of a blogging slump. Some days I just don’t feel like writing. Second, we have been busy having fun with friends and family, which hasn’t left a lot of time for blogging (Keeping up with a blog takes a lot more time than I had imagined!). Third, I have been struggling with my health for a couple of weeks. Ulcerative Colitis flares make me tired.

We are enjoying the last of our summer with dear friends in Virginia. Sunday we arrived back in Lynch Station, VA, where our journey began, on the 3 month anniversary of the start of our travels.  What a wonderful three months it has been for our family!  I can’t believe how much we were able to pack into our summer!

Our official summer will soon be coming to a close. We’ll be starting school and slowing the pace of our travels. Summer was a lot of fun, but traveling at that speed isn’t sustainable for too long. We are looking forward to traveling at a slightly more leisurely pace and getting back to a bit more of a normal routine.

 

 

 

 

Speaking of summer coming to an end, our son Caleb is moving into his dorm today. We are excited for him. He is a great kid and we know he’ll do well, but we sure are going to miss him! I know that it is normal and natural and good for kids to grow up. I get it. I do. But, this kind of chapter is painful to close. I know the next chapter in our relationship will be wonderful in its own way, but I will miss this one… the one where I get to see him every day! And oh-how-thankful-I-am for the time we got to spend with him this summer! It was truly a blessing!

I will never stop loving and letting you go. A mother and child live the first great love story and there is no love story without loss, and this is always gain. -Ann Voskamp

An excellent blog post from Ann Voskamp for all of you parents… bring a tissue!

How to Be the Parent You Want to Be: 40 Things Every Child Must Know Before They Leave Home

Last Day

Tomorrow morning we hit the road.  We had a wonderful, but exhausting last day here.  Good-bye, Virginia! It’s been fun!

Packing, and Moving, and Cleaning! Oh, My!

It has been a crazy couple of weeks. Getting ready for our RV trip has been an adventure in itself.  We have (pretty much) packed up our entire house and, after moving a few select items into our travel trailer, moved it all into storage.  And let me say, it takes a village. We are so, so thankful for our awesome friends (Those who have been praying for us, our fabulous dog sitters, the loan of an terrific trailer to move our stuff, the packers, movers, and cleaners. We couldn’t – seriously- have done it without you! THANK YOU!).

We have had a wonderful year here in rural Virginia. We’ve been blessed with the most amazing friends, awesome experiences, and a wonderful church family. We are excited about our new adventure, but we will miss our life here.  We look forward to visiting in August!

Thought for today:

“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson