Two years ago, about this time, we were falling in love with our new hometown - Frisco, Texas. Six months before that I would not have believed it had anyone told me we would pull up stakes and move halfway across the country. Again. For this was not our first rodeo. See what I did there? We had been married for about two months the first time we loaded up the wagons - ok, moving truck - and headed west. That time, it was for Hubby to attend seminary in Fort Worth. We were young and naive - thank God. We had about $500 to our name. We had no place lined up to live. We had no jobs. And he was conditionally accepted into the school pending an in-person interview. So, defying logic, we loaded up a Ryder truck (which blew a tire somewhere between Jackson and Meridian) with all our worldly goods and set out for Texas. I remember Mama standing in the carport bawling as we drove away. It makes me shudder to think how it could have turned out.
We pulled up the stately drive to the main building at the seminary like the Beverly Hilbillies. He went off for his interview while I waited in the hallway. Did I mention it was August? In Texas? It was all I could do not to lay flat out on the cool marble floor and moan. A lady walked by and asked if I would like to interview for a secretarial job. I said I would be glad to so I proceeded to march into her office dressed like I don't know what, fail a typing test and get hired. Hubs came out with the news that he was, indeed, accepted and we asked if there was anybody who could point us to the housing office. They had a 2-bedroom duplex available, complete with wood floors and hideous green asbestos siding, for $216 a month - including utilities. We signed up. When we got to the registrar's office, we learned that his matriculation fees were waived - seeing as how I was now an employee of the seminary and all. I kid you not. This all happened within the space of an hour. And we knew it was God.
Fast-forward a few (or thirty-something) years and we found ourselves full circle. Baby boy and his lovely wife had moved to Dallas and were expecting their first child. They were all alone out there in the Lone Star State and suggested we should join them - it was to be a few years' stint. We said that wasn't possible. Then one day we looked at each other and said, we could do that, you know. And so, defying logic, again, we set out for Texas. This time we had a little more money (but not a lot) and we had a place to live (we had bought a house sight unseen). The day we were loading the truck (which, by the way, had a flat tire in Mississippi), I was sitting in the back bedroom wearing shorts and a blazer doing a video interview. It was a 3-6 month contract with a major bank. They offered me the position as executive assistant to the director of the global command center and a couple of weeks later I went to work in a place that looked like NASA. I still don't know how they found me. I had not applied for the job. Hadn't even seen the job posting. But somewhere in a haystack, they found my resume and called me. A few months later the position became permanent and I still work for that bank in a different role. How that came about is another story. But we knew it was God.
Several years turned into just two and we are back in our old house. Remembering our old ways and finding some new ones. It has been a whirlwind to be sure. But we are absolutely certain that we did the right thing. Both times, matter of fact. The first move was for faith. This time it was for family. And we would do it all again in a skinny minute. We were there for the baby's birth and for over a year we were an inseparable unit - the five of us. We lived a few minutes apart and saw each other almost daily. We all piled in one vehicle and headed to church together every Sunday. We went on adventures to Waco (hello, Chip and Jo) and farmers' markets. We shared countless pots of vegetable soup and cups of Russian tea. And we made a difference in their lives. It was a game changer for us all in so many ways. And though they were transferred back to NC earlier than planned, there are no regrets. Because we know it was God.
Change is hard. And without faith and family, who could stand it? But there are blessings to be had by stepping out of the boat. Sometimes, you find you can swim. Sometimes, you find you can walk on water. Everytime, you find God is faithful. Selah.
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