Another Day Goes By

     So much to do in a day! I am surprised at how quickly days seem to go by. Today, I finished sewing pillows, made arrows for my feature wall and oxidized them, made the pallet sign and oxidized it, made the fabric rosettes for said sign, and painted picture frames. Man, no wonder it flew by!
     This morning I began to research the next trip we plan to take. It will be the last we take before coming back to the states. 2 weeks of country-hopping. I am pretty excited! We will visit Paris, Versailles, Barcelona, Florence, Rome, Monte Carlo, Amsterdam, Prague, Vienna, Venice, Vatican City, Berlin, and Salzburg. That is 8 countries in all. We will need a vacation from our vacation! I am looking forward to this trip. It is the trip of a lifetime. The kids will love it. We will go by train. It will be interesting to say the least!
     We are meeting new families that are starting this semester, and it is an amazing thing. For the first time in our lives, we don't live in a fish bowl. We are not being watched, judged, or even obligated. It is so freeing. I am really going to enjoy coming back to the states and just being a normal person. Already we have met people who are in the same place as us, same age, same family situation. We don't have to be perfect or have the right words because we are the "pastor and his wife". We are just Sam and Kim. I can get used to having my own identity!
     Tonight, we babysat for 3 of the most adorable boys... 5,3,and 4 months. I miss babies! It was so refreshing! And nothing beats cuddling with a baby. Finished the night with fun games and new friends. If leaving wasn't going to be hard enough before, I believe it will really be hard now! It is amazing how you can meet someone and within 2 days feel like close friends. So is the body of Christ!
     Lately, I have been excited to start fresh and can even see myself venturing out into new territories. I read an article about how people change when they live abroad. I see it already. In all of us. It is a good thing we won't be going back to our same life, because it just doesn't make as much sense as it once did. I even find myself reflecting on the last 4 years and realizing how much I lived in fear and bondage to man and the decisions everyone made for me. One day I will tell my story. People will understand why my life turned a corner and went in another direction. Mainly, because they will see the Lord's hand in it. People ask me all the time if Sammy will ever teach again. They tell me how much they miss him or his leadership or worship. I realize that I was just along for the ride. He was the show. Being here has been comforting and healing for me. I have been my own person with my own value. It is nice to be appreciated for being me. Now for some much needed rest!