If you’ve ever moved, you know that you need about a year to get into the rhythm of your new season in life. Eight months ago, we dove headfirst into this new season we’re currently living in.
For some, starting over can be a source of stress, pain or regret. Some “starting over’s” are necessary, because the past isn’t acceptable. We have to push forward to a new and better reality.
Yet others are starting over because of a core conviction (this is our category). A disturbing force settles in our soul and won’t let us sit still until we chase down the thing that we know we were created to do.
On June 19, 2007, we started over in Bryant, Arkansas . This is a picture of our moving truck (I think we used every square inch)! We never knew that we would live in Arkansas, but it ended up being a place full of people that we DEARLY love and miss. We would spend a little more than 7 years there and I dream of going back to visit almost on a daily basis.
It was new. And then it wasn’t. It became home. And then we left.
Starting over can be fun but it has its challenges, too. I miss the community in Arkansas. I miss walking in Starbucks and seeing people I knew and sitting down and catching up. I miss our church family in Arkansas, where it always felt like home because the people were just that good.
But I can honestly say that our community here in Columbus is so good. Our network isn’t as big and the stories don’t run as deep (yet), but we have been blessed to have met so many great people and re-connect with even more old friends.
Never once did God leave us on our own. He never left us without a support system or a family away from family. And today, I’m thankful for that.