It's been two weeks since we landed in the USA.
That moment I'm walking into a store and suddenly wondering which country and state I'm in.
A whirlwind of events and experiences have been transpiring. We feel exhilarated, thankful to be with family and friends, and very much like we are in a fog.
Transition is learning to be thankful where one is, in the moment. Appreciating past experiences, letting go of what was, keeping the connection alive with happy memories and momentos; learning to live in a different place, which often, at least initially feels like alien territory.
Kirsten opened a bank account last week and we were laughing about being certified aliens, she and I both have an "Alien Registration Certificate" card from the Philippines!
It's a good reminder that this world is not our home, our true home awaits us in our Abba's Kingdom.
In transition, we each embark on a journey of grief and joy, loss and hope, sorrow and rebirth.
There is joy in the journey as Michael Card sings. I thank God He is journeying Kirsten and I on this journey, much like many of the overseas foreign workers of the Philippines experience; gratitude for new opportunities, sadness missing those left behind. Skype and email are so refreshing in the ability to stay in contact with those half a world away.
There is a joy in the journey
There's a light we can love on the way
There is a wonder and wildness to life
And freedom for those who obey....
Another transitional quote I agree with is this:
"I've come to believe that there exists in the universe something I call "The Physics of The Quest" - a force of nature governed by laws as real as the laws of gravity or momentum. And the rule of Quest Physics maybe goes like this: "If you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting (which can be anything from your house to your bitter old resentments) and set out on a truth-seeking journey (either externally or internally), and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared - most of all - to face (and forgive) some very difficult realities about yourself... then truth will not be withheld from you." Elizabeth Gilbert
We miss our family in Davao. We are thankful for friends and family here.
Kirsten is working on learning to drive.
I love not be hot and sweaty all the time. I have more energy now that I'm out from under the blanket of heat and humidity.