22 Homes and Counting

In the past two and a half months we have moved twenty-one times. Twenty-two homes and counting. That means we have packed and unpacked every three to four days. I am so. tired. of packing.

It has been incredibly amazing to see what we have been able to see (stories coming soon). And amazingly exhausting to move this much. It has just gone by so fast. Needless to say, I have been woefully inattentive to this little site of ours. But we have really been trying to focus on being.

Being wherever we are.

This is not an easy thing to do.

There's always a thing from yesterday to process, and a thing tomorrow to plan. It is staggering how much time we have spent online looking at buses, trains, places to stay. Every few days, we are finding a new home and a means to get there.

No matter where you are in life, being in the moment is hard. Life gets busy. The days go fast. There's always something around the corner that we are thinking about. The act of being gets lost in the spinning cycle of yesterday and tomorrow.

To really be, to just be where we are, no matter where we are, takes such intentionality. A resolve to claim our precious time. A decision to stop, to absorb, and embrace.

One thing that moving so much has taught me is how temporary the places, experiences, the different times of life, really are. Traveling or not, the reality of temporary seasons are a part of our lives. I want to appreciate where I am, because tomorrow it will be different. For us right now, in a few days the home that we live in, the place and culture that we are experiencing, will be a memory. Even as I am writing this post, we are in the middle of re-packing, getting ready to move from Europe to Africa.

To be real, this constant moving of homes has been extremely unsettling to me. I'm a nester. I generally don't do well with change. There is something deep in me that just wants to just be. I love, love, love to explore. And then I want a constant cozy home to curl up in at the end of the day. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change this experience for anything. But there may have been more than a few meltdowns about "not having a home."

I'm learning that home doesn't always fit into my box or into my definition of home. In the process of combatting the potential anxiety that can come with life on the move, we have been learning a few things.

Home is where we say it is.

Everywhere we go, we claim the space we're in as our home. We have learned that no matter where we are, unpacking and really living in the space as our own is a must. Everything, our clothes, camera gear, etc. has a place (I may be a bit OCD). And it becomes our little home. Even if it's just for one night, this practice of settling into our space is so important.

Home is wherever I'm with you.

Home is wherever Daniel and I are together. This is not just in the mushy, oh so cute, sense. This truth is vital for us. He is my home and I am his. Our lives are intertwined, connected, mobile, not made for just one place. I would follow him anywhere.

This world is not our home.

Two weeks ago, my dear friend passed away. Obviously, so many emotions come with this kind of awful news. One thing that hit me was guilt. I felt guilty about experiencing this crazy life that we are being blessed with today. Guilty for being here. The thing is, though, my friend, January, was so passionate about living fully. She loved life and the adventures available to us on this earth. So instead of allowing guilt to taint the gift of life, we can honor our friend by living fully alive, being fully where we are today. She taught us to appreciate the people and places that we get to experience in this life. January's early departure from this earth reminds me that we need to value today and remember that this world is not our home.

Home is being with my Father.

Yesterday I found myself laying on the floor, hand on my heart, listening to my breath and heartbeat. This may sound a bit strange. But it was a step away from the whirlwind that life can become. A time to just stop. It was being right where I was. And you know what happened? God met me in my present moment. I've realized, more and more, that if I am not being with my Father, I cannot truly be. I just can't be the person that I'm called to be. Being starts with connecting to the Father.

"In Him we live and breathe and have our being."

Acts17:28

Home is created in being.

Being with the people in our lives. Being in the place we are today. Being in the season of life that is right now. Being in relationship with the One who meets us in our current moment.

Thankful today for the ability to stop and just be, finding our home right where we are.