Change.........it seems that some us adjust better than others to change. Sometimes changes are good and sometimes they are exciting. Other times they grab at our hearts and frighten us with the unknown.
It amazes me at the changes we continue to have at our house!! This month David got all dressed up and went to prom.....it seems that all of the sudden he is not a little boy anymore. Danika decided to be a "little girl" instead of a baby.........she now is getting all over and wants to walk!!! Christian will graduate from preschool next week, he has grown up so much and has become a little boy with such a big heart. Olivia entertains us daily with her wise words and big blue eyes.Patience is signed up for Kindergarten and amazes me with her grown up thoughts and open heart for all of us.
Yesterday our house changed from Dan and I having our own schedules, own time frames and quiet evenings to moving kate back home from college for the summer................if any of you have done this you know what I am talking about. It is wonderful...........I honestly am looking forward to having her around this summer. BUT then they come with their "stuff"..................can't we just love them like crazy for the summer and leave their "stuff" at college. In 3 months we will just move it all back again!!!! So we organized today....got rid of clothes that are no longer worn.....repacked stuff that is for dorm use only and then repacked a suitcase as she leaves tomorrow to help Justin move to Waukon Ia for his internship. AND at 10:00 pm when things are settled down for the night...................she was just going out !!!! Yes ....changes for us...and her and maybe even grandma as she may see a car coming home here after 2:00 AM.!!!
Today was also an insightful day for me. Farming with Dad and Mom all these years has gotten to the point of "what need to happen next?". Dad and Mom have talked about moving to town for many years............wow that would be a big change in their lives but would also affect the whole family in different ways. The excitement of us finally getting to move to the homeplace comes with mixed emotions too after living here for 23 years . But sometimes change is good....it causes us to get renewed again and givaes us just the spark we need.
So today Mom and I looked at houses in town................what a house looks like from the outside isn't always what it seems. We looked at several houses............some were a little older, some were brand new and some just made us both want to run back to our own homes and stay there!!! So what is it that makes a house a "home"? What makes a house grab you and make you feel safe and warm and give you a sense of "home"? I kept asking myself that today.....because we just weren't finding what we were looking for. Then we came to the last house...........it just was different............but what was it really???? This house was where you could see the family gathering for a meal or a bowl of soup by the counter, a place where I could see mom baking cookies in the kitchen,, where I could see each one of us easily stopping for a quick word of encouragement or a talk at the table with Dad. I could see Mom working on some little project that one of us needed help with and Dad sitting in his own "office'' doing "bookwork" or taking a nap. It was a place where friends and neighbors would just stop over for coffee, it was one of the only places we found today that grabbed you and wrapped you with contentment and peace. You could tell that the young family that lived there didn't just live in the house.......they had made a "home" there, they were raising a family there, it was a warm safe place that grabbed you with just what you wre looking for!! So I learned today that it isn't about the floor plan, the amount of money it costs, the beautiful things you can put in it or even the location....... We make the house a home with the love of family........... Its not about our plans, our changes, our schedules or our worries about how this will all work out......I just felt a sense of peace when I walked out the door. God has a way with working all these things out..............I walked up to my front door.....what would I see if I looked thru the keyhole???? I found "home" and home is where your heart is. Sometimes its time to change your home and sometimes its time to change your heart !!!..............(and then i started cleaning!!!)
