One Year Later...

 

            Last year on February 14, we were four days away from our move to the lake. As I look back at that entire week, I have no idea how we did it. We got up Sunday morning and went to Sunday School in church, and then we went home, quickly ate lunch, and drove to the lake to pick up some things that needed to be cleared out of the house before moving day. Then we drove to another church to watch kiddos from our church participate in Bible quizzing. We left early to hurry home, because we were hosting a Super Bowl party that night, and on the way home, the vanity we were hauling away fell out of Ryan’s truck and smashed to 100 smithereens on the road. Cleaned that up, got home, threw together the food, and had friends over to watch football. They are good friends when they will come to a half-packed house on moving week and still love you.

            Then two days later, we celebrated Valentine’s Day at home. We grilled steaks on the indoor grill because all our lighters were already at the lake house and we couldn’t light the actual grill. I made crab mac and cheese, and we had raspberry chocolate brownies for dessert. Ryan surprised me with sparkling grape juice, and we exchanged gifts before collapsing on the couch. We tried to watch TV but possibly fell asleep.

            Three days later, Ryan worked his last day at Love INC, and one day after that we moved all our possessions to the lake.

            I have no earthly clue how we did it, nor how we lived to tell about it. It was one wild week, but we did it and managed to have fond memories of the whole thing.

            And now we are just a few days short of one full year here at the lake. I am feeling reflective, so on this day when some celebrate love and others avoid the topic, I thought I would honor our love for this home we have slowly made over the last year.

            Ryan and I recently received the hard copy of the photo album I made about our renovations and move. We shook our head, turning each page, remembering those long days and nights of working here, trying to work full-time jobs, and trying to puppy parent. Isn’t it grand how God gives exactly enough strength for each day, though sometimes when you reflect, you wonder how you made it?

            We look around the house a year later and while our prevailing sentiments are how glad we are that it is THIS year and not LAST year, we also recognize the gift we have had in a whole year of making home in this space.

            I still have not tired of taking sunrise, midday, and sunset pictures over the water. I hope I never do. Yesterday I sat for just a moment and watched a bald eagle soaring majestically over the water, his bright white head contrasting the bright blue sky. I happened to be talking to Ryan in that moment and said, “I’m watching the eagle soar outside our house. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d regularly say.”

            The rooms, now full of our collected memories, are no longer echo-laden and cold. They are warm and personal. We have plants and pictures and rugs and curtains. We’re continuing to shift and perfect and know that will be an ongoing process for years ahead. I’ve started writing memoirs about life in all the homes I’ve lived – culminating in this one.

            We’ve met neighbors and formed friendships. We’ve established ourselves as part of this community and have learned the ebb and flow of life around this lake. We’ve started new hobbies and continued ones we’ve loved from homes of yore.

            People have stopped to see us, calling to say they’re going to be in the area – can they stop by? Lexi and Braeya have fully owned the space as their own, fighting over it when they get too close to the other’s territory.

            We’ve rested here. We’ve dreamed here. We’ve learned here. We’ve grown here.

            A year ago, we crammed things in boxes while trying to live a normal life on the side. The boxes are gone now, cleared out, and everything is settled around and purposeful in its place. We’ve become settled in this community, finding our place in work and church and friendships.

            Yes, here we are, one year later, grateful beyond words for our deepened love for each other, for a home on the water, and for a future we don’t even yet fully know.

            When I think back to the chaos of last year’s Valentine’s dinner and exhausted TV watching, I am so thankful for a year that feels more settled in spirit and soul. Though we have had a busy few days and are choosing to have a restful celebration at home tonight, we are grateful that overall, life is not as chaotic as it was last year.

I don’t know what your today is like. I don’t know how busy it might be or how much you might embrace or hate it. But I hope you find a measure of joy somewhere in your day, friend! You are loved indeed!