I am a bit of a homebody. I like hanging out at home, spending time with my family, reading, watching videos, curling up in front of a fire in the wood burning stove. I like cats. I enjoy the simple pleasure of hanging wash on the line. I find satisfaction in collecting eggs and tucking the chickens in for the night, counting heads to make sure they are all roosting safely in the coop before I shut the doors. I like to crochet, quilt, and cook. I do hate washing dishes, and am not too fond of keeping cobwebs and dust under control. Still, it was no surprise to find that when I took an internet quiz, "What Middle Earth race do you belong to?", I turned out to be a Hobbit.
I do have another side though. I love adventure. My Dad was a professor of African Art History. By the time I graduated from high school I had made four trips to West Africa with my family, living there for 6-8 months each time. When I graduated from college, I joined the Peace Corps and spent time working as a nurse in Niger. I have moved from place to place with new jobs, grad school, marriage. Until we moved to Kentucky in 1995, I don't think that I had ever spent more than 3 or 4 years in one place. Once we moved to Richmond, my life shifted to having adventures in place. Marriage is an adventure. Having children is an adventure. Homeschooling those children is an adventure.
We've lived at Curtis Pike for more than 9 years. Here, I have in many ways had the best of both worlds. Here I have all of the comforts of home, combined with the support and encouragement of others in the community. Yet living in community is also an adventure. There is always something new to experience, to learn, to adjust to. I love it here, even though it challenges my introverted homebody self.
Now, we are looking ahead to making a big move. Andy's current position as an interim pastor in Lexington is coming to an end and we'll be moving to a new place, job, and life. I'm not excited about all the work ahead: packing, cleaning, and looking for someone to live in this house. Making decisions about where to live. Moving.
Most of all, I feel a sharp and deep pain at the thought of saying goodbye to my dear friends and to this land. I will miss having close neighbors who are also close friends. I will miss daily prayer. i will miss times of celebration and yes, even of tension and conflict because we have a history of working through those difficult times and emerging even stronger on the other side.
I will miss the land itself: the thousand or more trees we planted to reclaim farmland during our first spring here. The pond just outside our door and the deafening spring peepers. The deer, raccoon, possum, skunk, bats, and many types of birds. The deep darkness of the night sky and the sparkling stars.
But I have to admit: I am also looking forward to the next adventure life brings.
I do have another side though. I love adventure. My Dad was a professor of African Art History. By the time I graduated from high school I had made four trips to West Africa with my family, living there for 6-8 months each time. When I graduated from college, I joined the Peace Corps and spent time working as a nurse in Niger. I have moved from place to place with new jobs, grad school, marriage. Until we moved to Kentucky in 1995, I don't think that I had ever spent more than 3 or 4 years in one place. Once we moved to Richmond, my life shifted to having adventures in place. Marriage is an adventure. Having children is an adventure. Homeschooling those children is an adventure.
We've lived at Curtis Pike for more than 9 years. Here, I have in many ways had the best of both worlds. Here I have all of the comforts of home, combined with the support and encouragement of others in the community. Yet living in community is also an adventure. There is always something new to experience, to learn, to adjust to. I love it here, even though it challenges my introverted homebody self.
Now, we are looking ahead to making a big move. Andy's current position as an interim pastor in Lexington is coming to an end and we'll be moving to a new place, job, and life. I'm not excited about all the work ahead: packing, cleaning, and looking for someone to live in this house. Making decisions about where to live. Moving.
Most of all, I feel a sharp and deep pain at the thought of saying goodbye to my dear friends and to this land. I will miss having close neighbors who are also close friends. I will miss daily prayer. i will miss times of celebration and yes, even of tension and conflict because we have a history of working through those difficult times and emerging even stronger on the other side.
I will miss the land itself: the thousand or more trees we planted to reclaim farmland during our first spring here. The pond just outside our door and the deafening spring peepers. The deer, raccoon, possum, skunk, bats, and many types of birds. The deep darkness of the night sky and the sparkling stars.
But I have to admit: I am also looking forward to the next adventure life brings.