Beneficiaries

Well well well...we are moved, in with my momma that is. This has been one crazy and long week. Seriously this could probably be two or three blogs but I will spare you from all the gory details. It all started last Saturday and Sunday when we started to pack up and move to mom's. We finished Sunday night about 10:30pm. Exhausted and still have not recovered. My in laws picked up our kids Sunday afternoon and brought them back to our house about 8 on Sunday night. By this time our entire house was empty except for that last few loads of stuff when you are like, what? Where did this stuff come from? Why are my material possessions making babies and every time I turn around there is a new pile? Anyway, my kids come home and Emma runs to her room and the bottom falls out. It was heart breaking. How do you explain to a 21 month old that she is moving and no, no one has stolen all your stuff we have just moved it and in about 6 months we are going to do it all over again. Sad. Anyway, she went bananas and then would not let me out of her sight. So we all got in the car and traveled over to Nanach's house, (that is what my kids call my mom, another blog for another day.) We got inside and I could not put her down. She was crying and would literally not peel herself away from me. So I did what any mother would do. I sat on the couch and cried with her. We both just sat and cried for about 30 minutes. It felt good. There is a part of me that will forever be with that Hopkins house. It is a huge part of our faith journey and there are memories there that will never be forgotten. I am grateful for our time there and grateful for new adventures in the hood.

Monday I woke up and was paralyzed with an overwhelming sense of not knowing where any of my belongings were. I am a very OC type person and for me not to be organized and to be living in chaos about puts me over the edge. I would like to send out a big thank you to my friend Meredeth who kept me from going insane by coming over with a chick fil a sweet tea and biscuit. I love you Mere and am forever indebted to you. I also had to make a Target run with Bennett and Emma, which was a disaster from the beginning. Basically I had to buy so much stuff that Emma would not fit in the basket which she thought was wonderful and proceeded to run around and grab everything she laid eyes on. At the end she was walking out with a Milkyway candy bar and as I was paying the lady behind the counter said, "umm where you going to pay for that?" I wanted to respond and say, "no, I bring my 2 year old to shop lift the candy bars while I have you distracted paying the $300 for all of these other items." I refrained with some great self control and said yes, and ate the candy bar as soon as I could. It was so worth it.

Tuesday we finally closed on the house. Praise the Lord!!! It felt good and weird all at the same time. I took the keys over to Marcus after we signed the papers and stopped to hug a few of my neighbors on the way out. Sweet sweet relationships, that's what happens in the hood that the media does not report on.

Wednesday Preston came home with a fever and a cough. I was sure we had the swine flu but we do not. Just a bad viral cold. Truthfully I think all of our bodies are wearing down from the stress of the move. It's funny but when you tell people you are moving, not one single person looks at you and says, oh, that's great, but everyone says...bless your heart. And here is the bad part this is just phase I, we have to do it all over again.

So this week is coming to a close and I have learned a lot. A lot about friendships, what stress can do to a body, how a 2 year old responds to a move, and how to roll with the punches of not being organized. But here is the greatest lesson of all. Last week I heard someone read

Psalm 103:2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits-

That one verse has carried me through every emotion this week. We are beneficiaries and beneficiaries of the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ. So when I am tired, wanting to cry, scream or whatever I remember who I belong to, what it cost Him, and how I benefit from it. And if nothing else good ever happens in my life, He has done enough.