So, here I am in a transition stage. Nope, my kids are still homeschooling middle school. We still live in a suburb that isn't very Midwest in attitude besides the fact where it's located. You know, the Midwest where peeps wave even if they are total strangers. I'm grateful for the house where I live and the neighborhood so close to the train for my diligent husband to get to his work place. I'm infinitely grateful for his job...his career and training. That work allows us to get on planes when there are seats for relatively very little money to places I've always dreamed of visiting. Joy of discovering the world with my family in my qwerky FarmGirl manner instills in me reassurance that each door that opens is for a reason. The doors that close are for good reasons too. But if I don't get it there and knock on those doors, I'm missing the Joy of the discovery meant just for me, because I know there is a sovereign Author in all this life.
And, a I transition to a new stage, I will endeavor to b grateful and joyful. A good start in that is the "One Thousand Gifts" book about a life that depends on gratitude to keep going each new day. One of my orange gifts is my time at UT-Austin. Those folks from my 4 years in the Hill Country taught me so. And I know it was part of the plan for me. A second orange gift is the grade school town in the real Midwest where I graduated high school. It was from these folks I learned what I truly valued, and sadly it came to the realization that I wanted space from there with no reliance on that place for a large part of my identity.
My last orange gift is our home. Well, it isn't orange/brown anymore. But it's home. And that's perfect.