Obligatory follow up to "I like moving"

Did I have to eat my words?

I was scared to write the previous post, but realized my fear was mostly based in superstition. Whether secular (fate) or Christian (God) there is a belief, even in me, that if I say I enjoy something it may be taken away. And packing and moving are inherently stressful, so it was inevitable that the pendulum would swing.

So yes, I can admit that I did not enjoy many moments of moving. The worst was the last evening and morning. We were trying to fit our household into two carloads. And we have never had to completely empty a home for American landlords. Some of the expectations pushed me over the edge.

And under it all was grief. We were losing a home in which we had found community and rest, meaningful work and fun.

Yet even the stress and grief are good for me.  I have moments when I am broken and exposed, raw and vulnerable. These conditions don't feel good, but I believe they are good. They show the true nature of reality.

Read more about my grief and stress on my personal blog.

Loaded and ready to drive 30 hours. 

I like packing! (!?!)

I'm scared to even write it.

But I have realized a shocking truth.

I enjoy moving.

Sorting, packing, purging, planning, organizing, using up all the food!

Perhaps it's the minimalist in me that loves getting rid of all the potentially-useful-but-never-used items which clutter our closets. Clothes I don't really like, drawers that collect junk, even school supplies that are more expensive to transport than replace.

I love the plan ... as long as we have time of course, to complete it. And this year we are feeling on top of the plan (so far... I can't believe I am actually writing this....!) It does help that our children are all over the age of 10... and the puppy is 18 months, so it feels much better than last year.

When we embraced God's call to move to Irkutsk 20 years ago, we never imagined the number of transitions ahead. As I count it, we've lived in 11 places for a year or more. (I've listed them for our kids, but decided not to post them -- Let the security services do their own work!) And this doesn't take into account the many places we have called home for months at a time... or the four places we lived in DJ's first four months! And more so, even while 'living' at those addresses, we spent every other summer in Colorado, splitting our time between three households of family who take us in regularly, plus trips to visit supporters in Texas and Missouri.... it's true, that moving every week is not my favorite. Packing and moving with small children is hard. But I guess that enduring years of it has some good results.

All this moving and traveling has resulted in me feeling that this week, as we sort and pack, give away and send,  I am in my element! 

(I'm sure I'll have to comment on this tonight and let you all know how it all fell apart. I can't believe I'm going to post this, but better do it now before I'm a mess! By tonight I'll probably be in tears, exhausted and overwhelmed.)

to be continued....