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| Lounging in Frankfurt, en route to Colorado. |
Yesterday we left our 'home' of six weeks. It was, as always, emotional. This summer, while superficially similar to many previous furloughs, has felt quite different. We are rolling through months of transition as we prepare for a year in Orlando.
In May, we visited our meaningful places in Saint Petersburg, got together with as many friends as we could, and sorted our belongings - take, store or give away. It was, of course, a lot of work, and emotionally draining. June 1 we flew to Colorado with double the usual baggage, and because that wasn't complicated enough, our 'transitional object'. (Francis, our Christmas puppy was 7 months old.) This year we decided to reduce the usual moving around while in Colorado, so we stayed in one place for 6 weeks. We are grateful to Dani and Dave, who were willing to live in a household of 10 and share everything with us! (We understand this is strange in American culture, and their friends think they are crazy!)
Though it was great to be in one place, living with others is never simple. Especially when your puppy goes to the bathroom on their rugs. And barks. A lot. And then pees on the rug, again.
Thankfully, the kids are older than they were, and good sports, so they didn't make many demands. (I am, apparently, the only one who is second-guessing the puppy acquisition. Everyone else loves him unconditionally. ... note, he does require
unconditional love.)
Mixed in with a lot of family time was visits to friends, supporters, and churches. It is always an exhausting mix, especially for us introverts. I tend to dread every gathering, love the actual time with people, and then collapse afterwards. One of the typical moments was in a grocery store parking lot, changing from driving to church clothes, picking up food for lunch with supporters afterwards. The kids grabbed the basketball out of the trunk and started dribbling around. They are willing to play wherever they are.
A harder moment was a bit later, as Ella stood outside the Sunday School classroom, hesitating. It was our third church in three weeks, and I realized how much we were asking of her--to jump into a new group of children once again. There is already a lot published about 'Third Culture Kids' which describes aspects of their lives well, including the challenges of being again in their 'passport culture'. (See, for example,
this written by a MK2MK summer project leader.) But living in transition, with others, and meeting constantly with people they see only every two years adds a lot of potential stress to the re-entry culture shock.
Our kids have been amazing -- traveling hours to churches they only-somewhat remember, quietly sitting through lunches where only the adults talk, and engaging with those who do ask them questions. But, we know that every time Ella has to pack her suitcase, even for an overnight with grandparents, there will be tears. And Tima will not be able to find any socks. The hairbrush goes missing, the medicine is lost, and we all get frustrated with the time required to find our stuff!
Transition is hard.
During most of our 'furlough summers' we spend 2-3 months in Colorado, and then return home to Saint Petersburg. It is usually emotional and exhausting. But this year has felt different because we are truly in transition. We are all grieving the community we said goodbye to in Saint Petersburg. It was very difficult for each of children, in their own way. (About 1/3 of the kids at our school transition out each year - so though we know who is leaving this summer, about half of those who are currently staying may leave before we return.) Usually, I am intentional to help our kids connect multiple times with some friends their age in Colorado -- those we have known for years, who make up our community here. Perhaps it's due to the kids growing older, and having been gone two years this time. But more likely, I think we have all found it difficult to invest in relationships when we are between homes. Not only are we grieving saying goodbye to Russia for the year, but we are anticipating a very new reality in Orlando. We are rolling through instead of deepening roots.
This week we are speeding up our rolling. A week in Loveland, which includes a few days at our organization's conference, and a 10-day trip, which includes six full days of driving and five different homes. After that, we will have four days to say goodbye and do our final packing. In the first week of August, we will drive three days to Florida. So, please keep us in your prayers, that we would give ourselves, and each other, a lot of grace!
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| Ella and her Papa Coe |
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| a contender for Ella's favorite part of the game |
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| another contender.... |
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| We were blessed with many ball games with Eric's dad! |
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| Cousins reading at the library- a regular occurrence. |
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| Moving-out-of-storage day was also dress-up day. |
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| None of our meetings with supporters are high stress. We are thankful for the many friends who are supporters and supporters who have become friends. It's wonderful for us to enjoy their hospitality (sometimes including trampolines, ziplines, and baby goats) and encouragement! |
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| a joy of life in Colorado |
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| Time with friends from our college days. Here, our girls are figuring out the locks for an escape room! |
We are so grateful that our families are welcoming, even with the barking puppy. We are thankful that our supporters, both individuals and churches, are full of grace and never demand that we, or our kids, perform. I write this to let you in to see the hard stuff that goes along with our calling, but overall we feel blessed and grateful!
