Remember that time I moved? (A Thankful Tuesday Post)

Last updated on: January 21, 2014 at 5:00 am by michaboyett

Remember that time I moved? (A Thankful Tuesday Post) 2014-01-20T23:42:09-07:00 michaboyett

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How many times have I written on this blog about moving? Too. Many. Times. Here’s one. Here’s another. Here’s another. Four times in five years. And I did it one more (last! please let it be the last!) time, y’all. I packed my entire house up in boxes and unpacked it all this past weekend. Not because it was in the plans. (When has it really been in the plans?) But because we lived for the past year and a half in a difficult neighbor situation and my husband and I had the chance to prioritize the health of our family above everything else. So I have to start this Thankful Tuesday post with two major gifts in my life.

First, I have a husband who loves me and works hard to understand me. I can not offer him higher praise than that. I know so many people could have shrugged off the difficulty I faced this past year in our old place. Lots of people in our situation would have told me to grow some thicker skin and stop crying about it. My husband could have offered me spiritual counsel that this was my cross to bear. I was supposed to suffer. But, instead, Chris decided to learn more about me, to understand what made me so overwhelmed by our living situation, what it was like to think about my kids’ noise level constantly, and to live in fear of our neighbors. And he chose to have compassion to the point of uprooting his life again. And I can’t praise him enough. I needed him this year and he showed up. (PS I think neither of us would trade what we learned about each other through this situation. This year was hard, but important. And I’m glad it’s over.)

Second, we had options. We could move. Rent in San Francisco is ridiculous. You wouldn’t believe it so I won’t write about it. But as I’ve been sharing our story with others, I’ve heard story after story of people with kids in similar situations who cannot afford to move because of how steep the cost of living rises each year. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that we could leave our situation. Never have I been happier on a moving day.

So, without further ado. My list…

I’m thankful for friends who helped me pack, load, and unpack over the past week. Also, for friends who, night after night, have enjoyed sunsets with us from our patio. I have felt loved and supported and I always love when people eat lots of cheese with me, while watching the sunset, of course.
For my sister in law, in college nearby, who loves my kids and shows up to help when I need her most.
For our first real morning of letting the kids wake up and play in their room while we stayed in bed. (We had to be very careful about the noises they made in the mornings in our old house.) It was such a gift to listen to their sweet conversations while Chris and I waited in bed and let them talk and play without having to corral them or put a stop to anything. Then they ran into our room and jumped on the bed and we let them squeal as loud as they wanted.
For space–emotional space, physical space–and beauty in this new home. We brought a load over to the house the day before the movers came and I stood outside looking have made at our house thinking of Psalm 18:19: “He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.” I don’t understand why God gives some gifts to some and not to others. But this weekend, I’ve felt such freedom and sweetness in this home. Spaciousness. Rescue. I want to live gratefully for the gift of space and the gift of God’s delight in rescuing me and my kids from the constant anxiety we lived with this past year. I’m going to keep thinking about that one. How to live as a person who offers space to the people around her.

It’s Thankful Tuesday! What about you? What are you thankful for?

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