Authentically Evolving
As we prepared to take one of the biggest journeys together as a family out to the country from suburbia, we knew we were moving into uncharted waters on many fronts. We were moving our family of 5 into a home, in the middle of a true Ohio winter, that needed major repairs. While we had been busy packing and staging our house to sell we truly hadn't gained a sense of where it was we were soon going to be living. I just knew in my gut it was where we were meant to be headed and that was all I needed to know.
The move had us feeling a bit stretched and on edge on how all of this was going to play out- neither my husband, Aaron, or I are big risk takers-okay me a little bit more. But at the same time we knew deep down that as risky as this move was it was just as risky not making the move. We either stayed in a stagnate state where the days were passing by us or we made a radical change that could potentially propel us into a more authentic and purposeful life that would lead us to our forever home.
At the time, I had been a stay-at-home mom for roughly a year and I had really started to feel disconnected from all of my friends from work and it left me feeling a bit incomplete. With the move ahead of us, I couldn't help but wonder if I would feel more isolated and lonely. Was this going to help my situation or would this soon be one of my biggest regrets? I came to the conclusion that at the end of the day as long as we had each other we'd be okay.
Moving to a small town, filled of long time friendships formed generations ago, was slightly intimidating. While I grew up in the country, I hadn't participated in those rite of passages like 4-H, FFA and bond fires in the Fall. While those things may be a bit cliche and not truly reflective of all of those who live in the country, those experiences could have come in handy when making small talk with a local. Knowing I was out of touch with country living after it disappeared from around my parent's farmhouse I grew up in, I came to terms with potentially being viewed as a "city mouse," "city slicker" or any other applicable term similar to those and accepted the fact that it may take some time to truly fit in to our new community.
The culture of country living is one-of-a-kind. It's been formed and grounded by the roots of the ancestors and the descendants living today. The families work as a community in a constant rhythm based on planting and harvest. You have families that seem to be one with their land, aren't afraid of hard work and long days and many who are just salt of the earth people who will lend you a hand anytime. It's a way of life that continues to mesmerize me and leaves me with a sense of appreciation and respect as these are people and families who make a difference by what they have been weaving for generations in the tapestry of life.
The move had us feeling a bit stretched and on edge on how all of this was going to play out- neither my husband, Aaron, or I are big risk takers-okay me a little bit more. But at the same time we knew deep down that as risky as this move was it was just as risky not making the move. We either stayed in a stagnate state where the days were passing by us or we made a radical change that could potentially propel us into a more authentic and purposeful life that would lead us to our forever home. At the time, I had been a stay-at-home mom for roughly a year and I had really started to feel disconnected from all of my friends from work and it left me feeling a bit incomplete. With the move ahead of us, I couldn't help but wonder if I would feel more isolated and lonely. Was this going to help my situation or would this soon be one of my biggest regrets? I came to the conclusion that at the end of the day as long as we had each other we'd be okay.
Moving to a small town, filled of long time friendships formed generations ago, was slightly intimidating. While I grew up in the country, I hadn't participated in those rite of passages like 4-H, FFA and bond fires in the Fall. While those things may be a bit cliche and not truly reflective of all of those who live in the country, those experiences could have come in handy when making small talk with a local. Knowing I was out of touch with country living after it disappeared from around my parent's farmhouse I grew up in, I came to terms with potentially being viewed as a "city mouse," "city slicker" or any other applicable term similar to those and accepted the fact that it may take some time to truly fit in to our new community.
The culture of country living is one-of-a-kind. It's been formed and grounded by the roots of the ancestors and the descendants living today. The families work as a community in a constant rhythm based on planting and harvest. You have families that seem to be one with their land, aren't afraid of hard work and long days and many who are just salt of the earth people who will lend you a hand anytime. It's a way of life that continues to mesmerize me and leaves me with a sense of appreciation and respect as these are people and families who make a difference by what they have been weaving for generations in the tapestry of life.
Just before moving into our new/old home, I had chatted with a couple people who were locals in the area we were moving to. Whether I knew it or not at the time, the conversations with those people were positive signs we wouldn't have troubles making friends. After a blustery long winter Spring arrived and we were finally able to get out of the house to start tackling projects outdoors. On those beautiful days spent outside, every so often a car would pass by while we were out, and we'd get a honk and a wave and the same upon their return home. While we hadn't met the people passing by, we appreciated the friendly gesture and it gave us that sense of belonging we were hoping for.
Later that Spring into Summer, we drove through our small town and the twins, Landen and Caroline, asked if we could go to the church in town. Without hesitation we said we'd take them that up coming Sunday. Soon Sunday came and we all got ready and headed into town. The kids eagerly pulled open the door of the church and I was hit with a flashback to my childhood when we'd visit my grandmother's church, it was strangely familiar and truly an unexpected surprise. We entered into a beautiful sanctuary where simplicity was met with tradition and was flooded with the morning light, it was beautiful. We felt at home.
What I remember most from our first visit to the church is the way I felt. I felt as if we had just arrived to where we were going, yet I had no idea we were even headed there. Everyone in the congregation was so kind and welcoming and we felt like we belonged instantly. It's as if God had led us out to the country to really set us on the right path as a family and in the plans he had for us, gaining a new church family was one of them.
We started attending our new church regularly and soon had made about 35 new friends all who lived in and around the community. While writing this and reflecting, I'm just now realizing and seeing what God was doing 2 1/2 years ago. You see, I didn't need to come to the country with experience of 4-H and bonfires in the fall in order to relate and find friends. I needed to be who I was and what had been instilled in me as a child through my upbringing in church.
It was not our intent when moving out to the "middle," as I like to call it, to quickly makeover our home or to become "farmers" of any kind. Those things weren't our motivation for moving. We were looking to change the direction of our family unit in a way where there were fewer distractions, simpler living and where we could better connect with one another as a family. In a way it was an attempt to protect our family unit from being pulled a part or strained in ways that could have slowly chipped away at us over time. In addition, it was also a move for both Aaron and I so we could move forward with the dreams we had instead of tabling them simply because we had children and we didn't think our dreams would be obtainable until retirement.
Little did we know during the past three years that everyday we made a decision or took a pause we were in the midst of an exciting new beginning. One that we can look back on now and see the path we were on and where it lead us to. But now that we have arrived home and have started to plant our roots it's our hope that we will continue to authentically evolve so we are able to live the most purposeful life we've been gifted.
While this year has become one all of us won't forget, I hope that through it all more and more families will find they were given a gift they would have otherwise never received. I hope getting back to the basics of home cooked meals and time around the table will reveal to all of us how much we've missed those moments with one another and that we will make permanent changes in how we move forward in the our days ahead.
xo
Danielle
Later that Spring into Summer, we drove through our small town and the twins, Landen and Caroline, asked if we could go to the church in town. Without hesitation we said we'd take them that up coming Sunday. Soon Sunday came and we all got ready and headed into town. The kids eagerly pulled open the door of the church and I was hit with a flashback to my childhood when we'd visit my grandmother's church, it was strangely familiar and truly an unexpected surprise. We entered into a beautiful sanctuary where simplicity was met with tradition and was flooded with the morning light, it was beautiful. We felt at home.
What I remember most from our first visit to the church is the way I felt. I felt as if we had just arrived to where we were going, yet I had no idea we were even headed there. Everyone in the congregation was so kind and welcoming and we felt like we belonged instantly. It's as if God had led us out to the country to really set us on the right path as a family and in the plans he had for us, gaining a new church family was one of them.
We started attending our new church regularly and soon had made about 35 new friends all who lived in and around the community. While writing this and reflecting, I'm just now realizing and seeing what God was doing 2 1/2 years ago. You see, I didn't need to come to the country with experience of 4-H and bonfires in the fall in order to relate and find friends. I needed to be who I was and what had been instilled in me as a child through my upbringing in church.It was not our intent when moving out to the "middle," as I like to call it, to quickly makeover our home or to become "farmers" of any kind. Those things weren't our motivation for moving. We were looking to change the direction of our family unit in a way where there were fewer distractions, simpler living and where we could better connect with one another as a family. In a way it was an attempt to protect our family unit from being pulled a part or strained in ways that could have slowly chipped away at us over time. In addition, it was also a move for both Aaron and I so we could move forward with the dreams we had instead of tabling them simply because we had children and we didn't think our dreams would be obtainable until retirement.
Little did we know during the past three years that everyday we made a decision or took a pause we were in the midst of an exciting new beginning. One that we can look back on now and see the path we were on and where it lead us to. But now that we have arrived home and have started to plant our roots it's our hope that we will continue to authentically evolve so we are able to live the most purposeful life we've been gifted.
While this year has become one all of us won't forget, I hope that through it all more and more families will find they were given a gift they would have otherwise never received. I hope getting back to the basics of home cooked meals and time around the table will reveal to all of us how much we've missed those moments with one another and that we will make permanent changes in how we move forward in the our days ahead.
xo
Danielle
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