I’ve been wearing this ring that says, Be true to your dreams.
And I have lots of dreams. Write a book; have babies; give my kids an amazingly fun childhood; serve the Lord; be, don’t do. If you’ve been following for a while, you may have noticed that we have struggled with where we should live and where we should raise our family.
I have been praying a lot about dreams and about our family and the kind of childhood I want my children to have.
Right now I’m sick of saying, “It’s too hot to go outside.” I’m sick of staying up late so they can ride their bikes when it is cooler. I’m just tired of it.
I know it’s just weather, but I can’t help but ask myself hard questions because of that intolerable weather.
Questions like: Why do we have to be here? What are the things that we love about where we live? What would I change about where we live if I could?
In the midst of all this praying and house searching and seeking the Lord on what we should do, I’ve started to ask myself what’s holding us back.
Brian and I are both in love with southern California. We love the people, the environment, the mountains, the vineyards, the avocados, and most importantly, the weather.
On our trip this week, we looked at houses, at schools, at churches, and at possibilities.
And everything in me wants to be true to my dream.
I realize that there are huge disadvantages about living away from your family. I know that. And in our current situation, the only thing that would keep us in Oklahoma now is our family.
In the same breath, we are in a position financially where we have the ability to fly out my mom or my dad whenever we need or want to.
Most of our family has been so incredibly blessed by Scentsy that plane tickets to California to stay once or twice a year would be no big deal.
The hesitation?
I don’t want to disappoint anyone. In the same breath, I know that my children would thrive in California. They would absolutely love every bit of it.
I want to move. I do. Every bit of me does. Thanks for chiming in yesterday. Your words of encouragement are exactly that....encouraging.
.....day 356 of a year of writing.....
You are extremely blessed to have the option to consider living wherever God decides to plant you. I so look forward to reading when you surrender the decision and He provides the answer. I think it will come in a beautiful package, tailor made for you. So inspiring.
ReplyDeleteoh Allie!! I feel your angst! its a HUGE decision, even more so when you are as close to your family as you are... I GET THIS!! you know that...
ReplyDeleteyou aren't disappointing anyone - don't not leave because of fear - don't have future regrets -
Think of it as an adventure, not a prison sentence! you can always go back... :))
Sometimes blind faith is all you need - love you!!
Allison, pray about it and let the Lord lead you. Doors will open at the moment you will need them to open. Two years ago, my mom stepped out on faith and moved from California to Oklahoma. I was blessed enough to have her right around the corner from me and for a year and a half, I was able to see her and my grandmother (who moved with her) everyday. Alas, it wasn't meant to be long as she really missed California (the weather didn't sit well with her either) and she moved back. Some might look at her move halfway across the country and back as a waste of time and money, but we all looked at it as a blessing that we were allowed to share together.
ReplyDeleteThat said, follow your heart. The Lord will lead the way. And check out a blog that my Pastor wrote a couple of months ago (that I just read this morning and it touched me). http://radouglas.blogspot.com/2012/05/hanging-out-at-gate.html
God Bless!