It’s late and I am weary.  I have said my goodbyes and I have cried my tears.  A few weeks ago, I thought that this final night in the town that has long been my home would be filled with emotion and anxiety, but right now I feel neither of those things.  I think I am done.  I don’t have any more goodbyes left and my eyes are, for the moment, dry.  My throat isn’t burning and my stomach has finally settled.  I’m ready to move forward.

It’s still hard.  If I think too long about the people we are leaving behind, the emotion wells up again so I am choosing to not focus on that.  What’s the point?  It’s time to move forward and you know what?

I’m excited.

It took me a little while to feel comfortable admitting that.  To do so somehow felt like a betrayal to the city and the people I love so dearly.  But I also dearly love the state of Florida and I am thrilled to be able to call it my home.  I’ve always wanted to be a true Floridian (I was born there so somehow I think it’s in my blood).  I can’t wait to be close to my family.  And the beach.  In that order, of course.  I’m excited to meet new people and make new friends but, of course, keep the old – I hear that one’s silver and the other gold.

I’m nervous, too.

I wish we had a house to go to.  That’s been a bit of a struggle.  God has been so faithful in this entire process and every single detail has worked out smoothly and easily and perfectly.  Until we began house hunting and then suddenly the flow came to a screeching halt.  But one thing I know – He hasn’t forgotten that tiny little detail.  And the right house is out there waiting for us.

I’m trying to be patient as I wait for it.

So tomorrow we hit the road.  And it’s going to be an adventure.  We’ll go to Arkansas first to stay with family for a week.  From there we’ll head to the Sunshine State.  Just me, three kids and the dog.  Alone.  I can’t decide who will need to be sedated more – them or me.

I kid.

Maybe.

You’ll never know and I’ll never tell.

St. Louis will always be home.  I have duel citizenship.  I consider that a blessing.  We have been blessed abundantly beyond anything I could have ever asked or imagined in this town.  I never in my wildest dreams thought I would so enjoy coming back here after Lee and I had lived in Dallas for two years.  We didn’t want to leave Texas either.

Funny how things work out, isn’t it?

Yes, I’m excited to see what comes next.  We’re going to be alright.  This process, more than any other, has shown me the value of clinging to one another.  We have each other.  It’s really all we need.

Friends are nice too, though.

I am saying see ya to most of my friends.  I value friendship deeply and I am not one to move on and not look back.  The people in my past have shaped who I am today.  And I value loyalty.  To me, friendships are not dispensable.  I’ve never fully understood how they could be such to others.  And so I look forward to continuing to grow and love the people God has placed in my life, both past and present.  I cling to those relationships.

It makes me grateful for Facebook.  The value of the internet is also very real to me now.

I do covet your prayers as we travel.  Safety, Sanity and other such necessities.  And we long to establish ourselves quickly into a new community.  A new church family to serve and be blessed by.  A new house to make our home and neighbors with whom to create memories.  Will you pray for us?  And every once in awhile shoot us an email if you’re so inclined.  It would bless us greatly to hear from you.

And now I’m off to sleep. Tomorrow a new chapter begins.