Oh I am excited to be blogging again. It has been so very long. Between crying babies, grad school projects, homeschooling kiddos, traveling, midterms, quizzes, all-nighters in the GIAL lab, and keeping the house in running order, little time was left this past year to send out a lot of updates, much less keep our blog updated. Many tasks await us still, but we are thankful that keeping family, friends, and ministry partners updated can now come back to the top of the list.
Today I just wanted to give you a glimpse into one priority of our lives right now that needs not only brain power and physical strength, but also a bit of emotional hardiness thrown in there, too.
Enter....STUFF.
 |
| ...we may or may not have chosen to show you the more sparse, orderly side of our attic;) |
Most of you, I'm sure, have moved at least once in your life. We certainly have several times (our oldest, Acácia, just turned 6 yesterday, and not counting the small "moves" of the last two months, has experienced full-on relocation, new bedroom, etc. 5 times in her life). The most life-changing move has yet to take place as we get ready to make our first international move to Brazil, Lord willing, this year.
And so, we have a bunch of this to go through.
(Books and more books...piano books, which "carry a lot of weight" in so many ways.)
And a little more of this...
 |
| Games, blocks, toys, oh my! |
It seems simple when they're not
your books and
your memories
and
your toys. This process is good for the soul, but can present its challenges. It isn't just a process of relocating all of our things and calling it good. It is the actual letting go of a whole lot of STUFF that we have to remind ourselves at the end of the day is truly just stuff. Beyond that, we ask this not only of ourselves, but of our girls, too. It is not practical nor helpful to bring all of their toys and all of their clothes and all of their books, but helping kids 6 and under grasp hold of this truth can get a little sticky. We are weeding out and weeding out and then weeding out some more, so that when the time comes, we are able to fit most all (besides a few things left behind in storage of some sort) of our earthly possessions into somewhere under 15-20 bags.
We ask that you joyfully pray with us. The purging of earthly possessions is a process we are thankful for, but we need a lot of help in thinking through it all! Pray that our kids might find fulfillment in passing along some toys and treasures and clothes. May it be a time for growth for all of us, reminding us that our identity in Christ can never be taken away, nor do we ever have to give it up. Thanks for riding this part of the journey with us!
And I leave you with this sweet picture of our newly-turned 6-year-old young lady...
...who was such a good sport when we had to postpone having her friends over for cake because the whole family has been wrought with the stomach flu (in fact, even as i write this, my stomach is still in a horrible mess). But, Acácia finally decided it was "simply delightful" to be able to have a tea party with the fam even though it wasn't the original plan. I love that girl. And tea parties (mainly because the girls put on their best British accent...along with their fancy clothes of course).
~Sarah
3 comments:
Sarah, thanks for the update. I can only imagine how hard sorting through the "stuff" can be for you and the girls. I keep telling myself that we need to part with stuff, but, I find a way to put that task off to another day. Unfortunately, you don't have that luxury. Good Luck to you! Love, Goldie & Gerard
You guys are precious! We are praying for health and emotional hardiness as you go through this time of purging! We miss you lots!
Thanks so much for this update! I'm catching up on my blogs and will be praying for all of you in the process. And I know exactly what you mean about the stomach bug--I had the same thing the morning I got back from my Dallas trip. Hopefully that's all behind you now!
Post a Comment