Though I have to admit this has been a much better summer than last, I am ready for some cooler temps– at least in the morning. I have been imagining what it must be like to live in Alaska. I could probably do pretty well there during the summer but wintertime–not so much. I need sunshine and light like a fish needs water. My hat is off to those Alaskans–it sure looks like a breathtakingly beautiful place to live, but it is not for me. Right now though I could go for it! Maybe I just need a summer home in Alaska!
But aside from the 100 degree temps that are normal for Texas this time of year, it is difficult to not become restless. We will have lived here 7 years in October–the longest I have lived any place since I left my native Chicago and after over 20 years in the military–it feels like it is time to go in search of greener pastures, both literally and figuratively. I crave the mountains and a place where I can walk through forests without fear of arboreal reptiles dropping down out of the trees as I hear happens in East Texas and other parts of the south. I long for the German countryside where we spent 8 years of our married life but the rain is another force to be reckoned with. I need balance! I hear North Carolina is nice and Colorado sounds divine but I’ve never been to either. I have seen the Alps both up close and from afar and that is where I fell in love with the mountains. They just remind me of the majesty of God and keep me in my mind of how big He is and how small I am.
But for all my longing for a beautiful place to live, we have put down roots here. And it will be painful to pull them up. We may not have a choice,depending on job situations and such but we do have friends, we do love our house and have been working diligently to make our yard a haven of sorts. I think I need to go out there more. Something about fresh air. It’s just so easy to get caught up in what I’m doing and then the heat keeps me indoors more than anything. Pretty soon things will cool down a bit.
The truth is, it is hard to move but we can’t not move because we’re afraid of starting over. It isn’t like we’ve lived here for 20 years, but it is nice to know where everything is and to know people–to have some connections.To have family nearby. What frustrates me is the lack of opportunity to live the way I want–with grass fed beef that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, raw milk that is affordable and land that will grow something with no coaxing at all.
Cost of living is another factor. Beautiful locales are pricey because everyone wants to live someplace beautiful. I have always thought that if I lived near the mountains, I would never be able to take them for granted. I hope that is true. But people who have lived there all their lives say that they do not even see the mountains anymore. How tragic! And then I got to thinking, is there something here in San Angelo, that is amazing and marvelous and yet I’m taking it for granted? What will I miss about this place when I leave? Besides the traffic!
So restless wanderer that I am, I need to remember that no matter where I am on this planet, this world is not my home. I will never feel perfectly content here and I suppose that if I do, that should be cause for concern. C.S. Lewis penned: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most profitable explanation is that I was made for another world.” So anywhere we dwell, anywhere we hang our hat, we are wise to remember that we will never be perfectly satisfied until we are at home with the Father. I imagine “home” as a large white farmhouse with the porch light on and a comfy old wooden swing, swaying ever so gently in the evening breeze. He is waiting up for us–eagerly awaiting the moment He sees our face and can welcome us home with a warm embrace. ” So glad you are home, precious one! I’ve been waiting to hug your neck for a very long time!” And I will slumber peacefully, with the cricketsong lulling me drowsily to sweet sleep — no pesky cars or highways, no barking dogs or cat fights to disrupt my repose. I am convinced I will not need the droning of a fan in heaven!
I think heaven will be a place, where no one is restless and all are perfectly content to sit at the feet of the savior and enjoy His presence in a way few can know here on earth. Or maybe more correctly, few are willing to know here on earth… Lord help me be one of those who are willing to invest the time I need to know You better now, so that I might enjoy You even more in my forever home.
PS If it’s not too much trouble, may I please have a mountainside view?
Decidedly Different 