Two weeks from moving date, and despite my attempt at not getting attached here, I find "see ya' laters" are not completely avoidable.
I knew we would most likely be living in Central Tennessee for only a short time while we looked for our farm.
Now the farm has been found. It has been bought. And it is time to go.
Sunday was Mother's Day. This is always a day I approach with very mixed feelings. I am so thankful that I am a mom. (I was also very thankful for the two awesome white Cracker Barrel rocking chairs JB and the kiddos got me a few weeks ago in celebration of Mother's Day and our new farm house.) I am also thankful for my mom and for some other wonderful women in my life who I love dearly.
However, my heart will always be a wounded one. I felt infertility. I lived it first-hand for five intense years. And I am standing alongside so many women currently living it that I don't feel completely able to celebrate.
And I'm okay with that. It is my ministry. I will always be aware that while I am celebrating, others are grieving.
Despite my hesitations surrounding this holiday, I still wasn't jumping for joy when I found out JB had to work on Mother's Day. I really didn't want to spend the day flying 1 on 4 so I opted to join my cousin Josh at his in-laws' house which is about one hour from us.
It was a gorgeous day, and the kids had a blast playing with their second cousins once removed (I think that is what they are), riding behind the tractor, and playing basketball and other games. I realized that this will probably be the last time we see Josh & Sarah and their family for quite some time.
Time for yet another "see ya' later." (I don't say good bye if you can't tell.)
For those of you who aren't intimately involved in our life, you may not know that Josh and Sarah lived across the street from us back from 2000-2003 in Franklin, Kentucky. This was shortly before I started this Blog. We were both newly married (them a little more than us) and we were the best of friends. We parted ways in 2003 when we moved to Minnesota for Medical School and they headed back home to Chicago, newly pregnant with Tyler.
Tyler is a "marker" for me. He was a baby born right about the time JB and I started trying to have children. It is often incredible to me that had things gone the way we wanted, I'd have an almost sixth grader! Crazy!
Anyways, here are some pictures from our wonderful Sunday afternoon.
Our kiddos (seven with an eighth on the way!) Hard to believe that after all we've gone through, we are both going to end up with two boys and two girls.
Getting ready to ride the tractor. Sidge can't handle the sun in his eyes at all. The eye doctor in the Azores actually told me he had "more of" whatever it is (cones?) that cause sensitivity to brightness. Go figure.
Me, Sarah, and her mom Beth.
Me and Josh. We are 2 of 16 grandchildren on my Dad's side of the family. He is now a pastor in Brentwood, TN. You can still see my triathlon number on my arm. MAN AM I SORE!
Sarah and I are kindred spirits, and she will always be one of my very dearest friends. I am glad that we will still live in the same state and will hopefully be able to see each other every now and then -- unlike the four year gap when we lived overseas.
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