Wrapping Things Up And Reminiscing...

Wow. This is it. We are wrapping up our final week in Coeur d' Alene. And if I am totally honest it has been weird for me. I don't think transition is ever easy, but I wasn't prepared for all the awkward uncomfortable moments. I'm sure it's partly because it feels like we've said good-bye a hundred times, but we haven't gone anywhere yet! =0) We had our last youth service, our last Friday Night Hang-out, our last Church service, my last night-out with our home group girls, last night-out with the Women's Ministry Team and after saying good-bye so many times I catch myself struggling to find the line of trying not to be too sad, but then again trying not to appear too excited... It's one of those weird spectrum's where we're super excited for what lies ahead, but also very sad for what we're leaving behind. There have been days that I have wished time would go faster, and there are other days (like today) that I find myself wishing for just a few more days... Reagan came home from school and showed me a book that her teacher and classmates made for her. On the front it says, "We Will Miss You Reagan!" And inside each of her classmates wrote her a letter. I got teary-eyed as I read through all the notes from her friends saying how much they would miss her... But no matter how much I wish time would stand still, in reality it's flying by really fast! Brad has only four days left (maybe 2, if he decides to leave Saturday), while the kids and I have a little over a week. The calendar is crazy, every day is crammed full of dinners, play-dates, birthdays, and everything in between. Before we know it this chapter in our life-story will be closed, and a new one will begin. We've lived in Coeur d' Alene for more than half of our married life (a little over 5 of our 8 1/2 years), so there are many pages filled with moments to remember... the birth of Josiah, buying our very first house, Reagan starting her first year of school, also building our first "new" house, the birth of Madelyn, meeting so many awesome people that have touched and changed our lives... we have been blessed. I read a poem once (I wish I could find it) that talks about how God brings people into our lives and even if it's only for a short time, they impact us, shape us, and leave us changed. Even though in the grand scheme of things 5 years is really not that long, we're leaving changed, shaped and impacted by so many gifts of friendship, and so many acts of generosity.