Moving Back
We fell in love with Lincoln instantly. People always say that kind of thing, but we really did. The town is charming, beautiful. The people are warm and inviting. We bought our house after discussing it for half an hour in our hotel room. And it's a dream house. There's so much about our life here that we have absolutely fallen head over heels for. Save one thing: our family is five hours away. Over the last several months family has come up more and more in our conversations. It kills us when they can't be there for birthdays, choir performances, soccer camp. It kills us that it's too far for a day trip, and that our weekends fill up so quickly. We began to talk more and more about ten years down the road. Would our kids really know their family if they only saw them on short visits or during hectic holidays? Didn't we always say that family was most important to us? How were we modeling that? And as wonderful as Lincoln and its people (and its houses and neighborhoods) are, was it worth the greater sacrifice of raising our kids so far from their grandparents and aunts and uncles? We wrestled long and hard with these questions until the answer became clear: we needed to be closer to family. Our little family will be moving back to Indiana so that we can be closer to our families (who live in the same town).
Our plan right now is to finish out the school year here. We will look for work in Indiana. For those living in Lincoln, you will soon see a sign in our yard as our house goes on the market. We've poured our heart and soul into this beautiful house, but we're praying already for the people who will call it home after us. I hope they love it as well as we have. Soon we'll start the process of looking for a new home, of registering the boys for a new school, of packing up our things. We told the kids yesterday morning. They wanted to start packing immediately! After a few minutes, they realized that moving back would mean leaving everyone and everything here, and there were some tears. The truth is that while our hearts are there and we couldn't be more excited about this transition, it will be bittersweet for all of us! Lincoln has been good to us. So good. We sat down with the kids and made a list of all the places here we wanted to visit one last time. Then we turned the paper over and made a list of all the places in Indiana that we wanted to see. There will be so much of that in the weeks and months to come: so many lasts, so many goodbyes; and yet so many hopes, so many anticipated joys there.
The verse we're clinging to through all these unknowns is Proverbs 16: 9--
"In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps."
Our course is set. We wait now to see the steps he establishes before us.
Our plan right now is to finish out the school year here. We will look for work in Indiana. For those living in Lincoln, you will soon see a sign in our yard as our house goes on the market. We've poured our heart and soul into this beautiful house, but we're praying already for the people who will call it home after us. I hope they love it as well as we have. Soon we'll start the process of looking for a new home, of registering the boys for a new school, of packing up our things. We told the kids yesterday morning. They wanted to start packing immediately! After a few minutes, they realized that moving back would mean leaving everyone and everything here, and there were some tears. The truth is that while our hearts are there and we couldn't be more excited about this transition, it will be bittersweet for all of us! Lincoln has been good to us. So good. We sat down with the kids and made a list of all the places here we wanted to visit one last time. Then we turned the paper over and made a list of all the places in Indiana that we wanted to see. There will be so much of that in the weeks and months to come: so many lasts, so many goodbyes; and yet so many hopes, so many anticipated joys there.
The verse we're clinging to through all these unknowns is Proverbs 16: 9--
"In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps."
Our course is set. We wait now to see the steps he establishes before us.
