A Tale of Two Cities

     Well, it is officially two weeks till we close on our house, and we are now getting a little bit of direction on our move.  I'm excited to announce that as of Friday, my husband officially has two firm positions to choose from .  Hopefully by the end of today, after a few more questions with the two companies, he will have chosen a job.  Then we will have a location, and the search for immediate housing will begin.

     My husband asked me which position I think he should take; and since I don't know a lot about the duties and responsibilities of both, I told him some criteria that I would put at the top of the list.  I have found that a dynamic position makes any job more interesting for my husband.  He really enjoys problem-solving; and if his position involves a lot of tedious repetition without much change in pace, it doesn't really suit him or his strengths.  That is why I think he has really enjoyed his current position.  The other thing that I know my husband really values is his autonomy.  He likes to see a problem, and then have the freedom to actually fix it without having to go through a bunch of corporate red tape to change it.  Lastly, I told him that I know that he likes to look at what will make him more well-rounded in the future, and this was the only criteria that he readily jumped in to tell me the answer for...which I think means there is some room for thought.

      One position would require a couple hour move, and the other wouldn't require very much of a move at all.  One position is located in a more bucolic region, where farmer's drive their Case New Holland tractors up to the local Casey's for gas.  The other position is located in a town that is smaller than our current residence, but still large enough for a Super-Walmart, McDonald's, and many other places for purchases.  We have always talked about wanting to more into the country, and obviously a smaller town would make that easier.  We both grew up in a small town, and we readily know both the advantages and the disadvantages.  We have only lived in larger cities since being married, so I think we have a pretty good handle on the differences.

     I think one of the hardest things about this move will be leaving behind all the wonderful relationships we have built with the people here.  However, I'm not nearsighted enough not to realize that we can still build many more relationships wherever we go, but I'm also not foolish enough to think that we will really "keep in touch" with everyone here.  I know that some people will just be fond memories, and part of our adventure here.  I hope and pray that some of them will be my lifelong friends.  Far in distance, but near in heart--like my kindred spirit that I met when pre-testing for Kindergarten thirty years ago, or the best friend that walked with me through my dad's battle with cancer.  Neither one lives near to me, but I really value both of their continued friendships.

     God knows our future, and He is watching out for us. The one verse that I've held onto and shared many times with my kids over the course of the past year is Jeremiah 29:11.  I especially love the Message version of this verse.   "I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for."

     Stay tuned.  There is a big page turn ahead.