goodbye, north africa!

The Big Move is less than 48 hours away now!  My absence from the world of blogging can be easily explained (though explanations are probably unnecessary) by the fact that over the past few weeks we had our first ever “garage” sale, moved out of the apartment we lived in for over 4 years, moved in with my parents for 6 weeks, and packed up fourteen 50-lb suitcases.  Yes, that’s a lot of suitcases, but taking into account they contain basically every material item we own, after all of the selling and giving away and siphoning, it’s not a whole lot of stuff. 

It’s nice, though, in a lot of ways to be “down to the basics”.  When we get to Chile we will have to buy other new or used stuff, because there are basic necessities, such as furniture and appliances, that we will obviously need to set up house.  But it’s fun to think about starting over, starting fresh, beginning a new adventure!

I want to think about this as a new start, not just in terms of furniture, but more importantly in terms of family: the support I give my husband, the methods I’m using for teaching our kids, the activities we spend time doing together, or the ways in which I personally prioritize my use of time.  I don’t want to simply “do” certain things because they are normal or excusable as a wife, a mom, a homemaker... 

It was a very good exercise for me a couple of months ago to spend 30 days off of Facebook, blogs, and other non-essential (though fun, educational, inspiring sometimes!) websites.  That decision to disconnect for a month was very timely because two days after starting that Internet fast, my parents asked us if we’d like to save on rent for our last month here and move in with them.  We ended up spending that whole month on packing up and moving out earlier than originally planned, so it was providential to have already made a commitment to staying offline during that very busy 30-day period!  

I’m now obviously back online, but am making a very conscious effort to use my time much more wisely: avoiding becoming so engrossed in what I’m looking at or reading that I can’t hear my kids or spending long periods of time on things that are really secondary when there is so much more I could and should be doing.  Again, getting online, checking Facebook, reading blogs, are not bad things, but they can become controlling when I subconsciously make them priorities.

I know that correctly administering time and energy doesn’t need to wait for a transatlantic move, and on the flipped side, moving across the ocean doesn’t guarantee that I will all of the sudden use my time more wisely (as I also stated before my month offline).  But I am excited about the new, stretching opportunities that this transition will provide, especially in terms of homeschooling in a house with a yard and space to play and learn in hands-on ways!  I am not naïve about the challenges there will be, but am trusting that this will be a good change at this point in our lives as a couple and as a family.  I am very excited to see my husband in a new role where I believe he will thrive, and I know that God will continue blessing our family in fun, new ways. 

So, at least for now: Goodbye, North Africa…  Next stop, Chile!