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Thursday, April 23, 2015

Packing up.....

The packers were here yesterday. They packed up all our stuff in preparation to be shipped back to the United States.
They have wrapped, taped, and neatly arranged our belongings into containers. Everything that can be seen and measured to account for our life is tucked away in those boxes. It's interesting, the world's measure of success. The world sizes us up by how much stuff we own. The quality of our belongings. Whether we rent or own. The size of our house, our t.v., whether our clothes have designer labels.

But the worlds standards for success are grossly miscalculated.

Things are just things.
Things can be packed up, burned, broken, stolen, stained, and lost.

And while I like stuff. I do. I'll be the first to admit it. What I like even more than possessions, is experiences. Moments. I'd rather collect a lifetime of memories than a lifetime of material items. Because life is made up of so much more than just the superficial things we fill our homes with.

So while the packers are tasked with packing up the least important things associated with us and this move, we are left with an even greater job. We are left with the weight of saying goodbye. Of packing up and carrying with us all of our experiences. The memories we've made. The things that can't be put into a box. The things that can't be weighed or wrapped or taped or seen or stolen or destroyed.

We are tasked with trying to sort out how to take all of that with us. The important things.

The stuff that makes life worth living. The stuff that adds character. That builds stamina. All the moments that stretched our endurance. The moments that taught us how to love better. The experiences that gradually shifted our perspective. Gave us a broader world view. Provided glimpses into the suffering of others. The joy of others. The simplicity of living. The moments that taught us how to cope and thrive and learn new normals.

The experiences that have shaped who we are now.

And how do you pack all that up? How do you pack up three years worth of absolute life changing experiences?

The only way I know how right now is to take it with me. To hold it close. To strive to never forget. To live different. To keep talking about it.

I pray....I pray I pray I pray that God will somehow use these three years in our lives to continue furthering His glory. I don't know how. I don't know what exactly the future looks like for our family....I just pray that these experiences don't end here. That God uses them, uses all of us, in some way, to continue to make some kind of difference in this next season of our lives.

Packing up is hard to do.

2 comments:

D'Ache' said...

It all stays wrapped up in your memories. You will find it's the simplest of things that you will crave. Like, I miss hearing the call to prayer upteen times a day, the simit seller's calls at 5am, the smells of Ulus, and the views of everyday life. They don't fade away, they just call you back. :-)

Georgia said...

i love experiences. so glad i've had the ones i've had. wherever they've been. if i can't take anything else to remind me of them, i at least want to take my photos. and you have a BUNCH of those! good ones too! love ya