Well, I am sorry not to have posted in a while. We have been busy at times, climbing the walls at others. I took the kids to Arkansas and we had a great trip. Cristy summarized it well on her blog - http://thefarleyfamily.blogspot.com/2007/07/castleman-time-last-tuesday-one-of-anna.html - so you can check hers out - she even got pictures posted. The drive was long but manageable. We only stopped 3 times in the 11 hours going there, if you count the FOUR service stations I went into at the same exit in Atlanta, trying to find a bathroom that wasn't out of order, as one stop. After the first 3 hours, which were the longest, I think the kids resigned themselves to getting old and grey in their seats and quit whining, so the last 8 hours were fine.
I think this was the hardest trip to Searcy that I've taken, not because I did it solo. It is just that the 3 years we have been gone have gone by fast for me, so it doesn't feel like that long. But 3 years is really a long time and although we invested 12 years of our lives there, we are officially now "someone who used to live here", as in "Meet my friend Teresa - she used to live here."
That makes me want to scream. Of course, it is technically correct. We did use to live there and we did move away. But we also left our blood, sweat and tears in that town, and especially at Downtown Church, so it is hard to feel thrown into the same category as everyone else that has passed through Searcy at one point or another. I guess that, because of our investment into the town, part of us still lives there anyway. I know it's just words but for whatever reason, they just bit me a little hard on this trip.
The other hard part was on Sunday. There was a baby dedication at church and Katie asked what was going on. I told her that the elders were praying for the new baby and it's family and I told her that they had prayed for her in just the same way when she was born. She said, "They prayed for me at THIS church?" I told her yes, that we used to go to this church and that dad was the worship minister here. She didn't believe me because she doesn't remember it at all.
Sob.
But this Thursday officially marks our 3 year anniversary here and she was nearly 3 when we moved so I guess she has now lived in SC longer than she lived in AR. Wow.
The trip overall was great - don't mean to dwell on the negative. We are looking forward to all 4 of us going back in September for a reunion concert with the guys Rick sang with.
And we celebrate the 3 years we have been here - they have been good years and we feel so blessed that "The boundary lines have fallen for us in pleasant places." (Psalm 16)
If I can get my act together, I'll post some pics that I took on our trip.
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3 comments:
I, for one, am really glad you moved to South Carolina when you did! As someone who has left her heart all over the world, I'm with you about missing the places we've been. We never lived in any place for anything like twelve years (unless you count growing up in Abilene, and then I was dying to leave), so I can't know how difficult it must be to leave a place you love that much. But I know you're confident God called you to South Carolina and I'm so very, very glad (as are lots of other people) that you followed that call.
We pray God continues to bless you guys!
I totally hear you. When we went back, some people looked twice because they were so used to seeing us there that it took a second to relize we 'shouldn't be.' Others greeted us warmly, figuring we were visiting. Both teared me up. And you were here a lot longer than we were.
Abby as older when we left, so she remembers it well. Sometimes too well. Cooper doesn't. That makes me sad. Our visit was basically the first memories he'll have of Searcy.
For us you and Rick will always be "the guys that got us plugged in at Downtown." :-D That meant a lot to us. It sure doesn't seem like it's been 3 years. If you want to come back I'll gladly kick the people out of this nice house behind ours!
Elena
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